Food: Where to Eat in Pensacola

It's fun to discover things on your own when you travel, but I also enjoy enlisting the help of a local, especially when it comes to food. After all, eating at a bad restaurant can really ruin your day, so having the guidance of someone who lives in the place you're visiting can help you avoid a lot of headaches (and stomachaches).

Here are a bunch of places to eat in Pensacola, many of which would be almost impossible to run across by chance; they wouldn't be posted here if it wasn't for the help of some good friends:

Aegean Breeze



Family owned and operated, Aegean Breeze has been serving Greek cuisine to customers in Pensacola for over ten years. The Varvouris family's array of seafood and meat dishes is quite good, but what really puts the place over the top in my mind is the convivial atmosphere. Friendly patriarch Stavros regularly walks the dining area to greet people, and the service in general is sharp and attentive. Aegean Breeze is a pleasant reminder that a restaurant's worth isn't solely measured by its food, but by the kind of welcome it can provide its patrons.

3/4 stars

Jerry's Drive-In



If you were to picture in your head the archetypical neighborhood dive, you'd probably see something like Jerry's Drive-In: a small place in an old building nestled off in a side road from Cervantes St., with walls laden with local color and old photos. There's a (mostly functional) pinball machine in front, booths at the walls and a counter where you can sit if you really want to go old-school. The food is fairly retro (workmanlike chocolate malts, bad-for-you-but-good-tasting burgers), but you'd have to be pretty stodgy to turn down onion rings or chili cheese fries, right?

2/4 stars

King's BBQ





King's Bar-B-Q is one of those places with a heartwarming story behind it. King Rivers, who had worked for a railroad company, wanted to go into business for himself and opened this tiny take-out barbecue joint, building nearly everything up from scratch. Of course, all that feel-good stuff would be worthless if the food wasn't good, but thankfully, King's delivers the goods. The barbecue pulled pork sandwich I had there was a sloppy, meaty concoction - a big pile of meat in between two large buns that really soaked up the sauce. I hear Mr. Rivers is retiring, but I'm not sad - the man's earned it.

2/4 stars

Hall's Seafood



A good way to evaluate a restaurant is on how it does the little things - the side dishes, the cheaper menu items, the smaller bits that can get lost in the shuffle. For instance, the thing I most remember from Hall's Seafood are the hush puppies. They were zesty and cooked well, and served with a creamy cheese sauce. Of course, you could focus on the fried catfish, the fried oysters, or any of the other Gulf Coast seafood specialties on the menu (there's even an all-you-can-eat option if you're feeling heroic), but it's more fun to look at the details.

2/4 stars

Taste of India



Some of my favorite Indian restaurants have been in or around hotels (it makes sense - the hotel owners are often Indian, so why not run a restaurant, too?), and Taste of India almost relishes its location next to a hotel lobby. You can see the concierge from the dining area, but don't let that distract you from the food. I enjoyed the Bengan Bhartha and the orzo, but if you're feeling carnivorous, try out the various chicken and lamb dishes.

2/4 stars