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Where to Eat in Cape San Blas

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Cape San Blas is very secluded. It’s definitely not your typical commercialized beach town. There are no high rise condominiums, we didn’t see any parasailing or jet skiing on the beach, and the streets weren’t lined with restaurants, putt putt courses or go karts tracks.

There was a small selection of restaurants in the nearby town of Port Saint Joe.

Eating out is one of our favorite things to do on vacation, so here’s how we ate in Cape San Blas.

We brought cereal and milk for breakfast in the condo. The condos at Barrier Dunes have full kitchens so you could cook all your own meals there if you wanted.

We’d usually have our big meal for lunch, during the hottest part of the day when we really didn’t want to be outside anyway. We’d go into Port Saint Joe (about a 30 minute drive) every day to eat. We planned it so we’d be back on the beach in the late afternoon and evening (when the weather was much cooler and nicer) instead of being inside a restaurant, and that way we’d get to see the sunset on the beach every night.

For dinner we’d usually just have something light from the condo, like a sandwich, or sometimes just do s’mores on the beach. :)

You can bring groceries from home, but we just bought all our food and everything after we got down there. There is the Cape Trading Post with a grocery store about 5 mins down the road from Barrier Dunes (the condo where we stayed). It had all the necessities. Even Ritz and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for s’mores! ;)

Here are a few other restaurants we found. :)

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Cone Heads / 8020
8020 Cape San Blas Rd, Port St Joe, FL 32456
(850) 229-5252
http://coneheadseightytwenty.com/

This place was very convenient in location. Literally right across the street from the condo. The closest restaurant to where we stayed! :)

The casual restaurant upstairs, 8020, had fried baskets (Shrimp, Chicken, Scallops, Oysters, Fish), Po Boys, burgers, and salads. Homemade hush puppies with homemade tartar sauce. Fries were delicious!

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They also had a selection of locally made pies, like this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup pie. Yum!

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And of course, key lime pie. Everywhere had key lime pie! :)

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Cone Heads, the ice cream shoppe downstairs offered 16 flavors of Blue Bell Ice Cream. This Cake Batter Cookie Dough was calling my name!

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Indian Pass Raw Bar
8391 Indian Pass Rd. Port St Joe, FL 32456
(850) 227-1670
http://www.indianpassrawbar.com/

Everyone told us Indian Pass Raw Bar is a legendary place you HAVE to go to. They’re famous for their oysters and a local musician plays on the porch on most nights. It’s inside the Indian Pass Trading Post. Very casual. This place is a definite hole in the wall! We drove right past it the first time.

Kevin had the Cajun peel-and-eat shrimp and I had the stuffed shrimp. Loved both. And we shared these butter, garlic, and Parmesan baked oysters with garlic toast pictured above! :)

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Sunset Coastal Grill
602 Monument Ave, Port St Joe, FL 32456
(850) 227-7900
http://www.sunsetcoastalgrill.com/

Sunset Coastal Grill was a nice sit down restaurant. Beautiful view of the bay. I had the salmon cakes with pasta salad and Fried Cheese Grit Cake. Which was actually better than it sounds, lol. The cheese grits were super cheesy, creamy, and warm and the fried shell was crisp and salty.

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But you have to go here just for this Lemon Berry Mascarpone Cake. I wanted to go back here a second time just for this cake!

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Joe Mama’s Wood Fired Pizza
406 Reid Ave, Port St Joe, FL 32456
(850) 229-6262
http://www.joemamaspizza.com/

According to Yelp, this was the most popular restaurant in town. We had to try it. They are only open for dinner, so we made an exception. :) We got here right when they opened at 4:30pm so we were back on the beach for sunset. :) We got our pizza split half-and-half. Kevin’s side had sausage and pepperoni, and on my side I got crushed San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella and Romano cheeses, Italian sausage, roasted peppers, and caramelized onions.

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Weber’s Little Donut Shop on the Cape
4975 Cape San Blas Rd
Port St Joe, FL 32456
(850) 229-8775

This is a tiny little donut stand right by the Cape Trading Post. A cute husband and wife team get up every morning and make donuts in their KitchenAid mixer. The fried croissant was my favorite!! Definitely worth getting up early for. :)

If you have any favorite restaurants in the Cape San Blas / Port Saint Joe area, please share them in the comments! I’m crossing my fingers we’ll be going back!! :)

More posts from our week in Cape San Blas:

What We Did in Cape San Blas
Where to Stay in Cape San Blas
Miley and Howie on the Beach


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The Best Pet-Friendly Dog Beach in Florida! Cape San Blas, near Port Saint Joe on the panhandle. Just one hour from Panama City!

The Best Pet-Friendly Dog Beach in Florida! Cape San Blas, near Port Saint Joe on the panhandle. Just one hour from Panama City!

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24 Responses
  1. GDB

    Good list! Weber’s makes great donuts and super nice people. Indian Pass is a must! Joe Mama’s makes excellent pizza. I would add Sand Bucket BBQ on the Cape road. For lunch, Mason-Dixon is great! It is a permanent Food truck in PSJ that specializes in paninis. And not in PSJ/CSB area, but when down there, a short drive to Apalachicola, to sample some of the best oysters at Up the Creek, Boss Oyster and Papa Joe’s should definitely on the list. If not interested in oysters, check out the Owl Cafe and the Oyster City Brewing Company. Hope this helps!

  2. Jan

    Hi – I am LOVING seeing your posts on Cape San Blas. Last summer we stayed on St. George Island and while there, my boyfriend asked me to marry him! I am widowed and he is divorced, so we wanted something sweet and simple this time around. We are eloping to Cape San Blas in mid-July of this year. I have accommodations but one thing I’d love is to have dinner on our balcony after the ceremony, or even out on the beach. But I’d love for it to be nice. I can’t find anyone who will cater dinner for two. Do you have any suggestions? And we are taking our dog along – so excited for a pet friendly beach! Loved the pics of your pooches. Precious!

  3. Jake

    Sisters in downtown port st joe has the best chicken salad sandwich! Stop by if you get a chance next time! Been going here for 15 years and always have to stop in.

  4. Melissa Juberg

    We are regular visitors to Cape San Blas. We have always gone to secluded beaches even when our children were younger. Now that one is graduated from college and another is in college, they still prefer the serenity of CSB to Panama City and Destin. We prefer to stay in houses that have a pool and have always found a beautiful section of beach there. We don’t like the condos because the beaches near them are more crowded and less so where the houses are. Our favorite restaurants are Sunset Coastal Grille (best sunset view in a restaurant) and Peppers Mexican in Port St. Joe (best margaritas I’ve ever had). The pizza place is also great! We LOVE Indian Pass Raw Bar but there is usually a wait, so get there early. In Apalachicola, we love Owl Café. Apalachicola Grille has a great fish sandwich (and huge!). We’ve eaten at a few other places including Dockside (gray tuna and sticky tables…YUK!) and didn’t have a good experience. These are our favs! To make your trip complete to CSB, you have to visit Apalachicola and go to the old timey ice cream parlor and walk along the waterway. There is also a huge B&B there. Great sightseeing! The best grocery store is Piggly Wiggly in Port St. Joe.

  5. Hayley

    I live in Mexico Beach, how funny! So glad you enjoyed your stay! You should definitely come on down and try out Killer Seafood next time you are in the area. The fish tacos are worth the drive!

  6. Momma Nanc

    Cape San Blas is VERY low key. My teenagers were bored after 2 days. Many of the restaurants were closed down when we visited in July 2014. The ones that were open were a bit of a drive from the cape. While I think its very beautiful and serene, I would think twice if you like entertainment.

  7. Amanda

    So glad I came across this in my search for restaurants in this secluded area! We are “honeymooning” in Cape San Blas in just a couple of weeks and I was so afraid there would be nothing fun and adventurous for meals. I’m a BIT of a foodie. And you made my day with finishing off about donuts. I’ve been craving a donut for such a long time, I can’t wait! :)

  8. Jelli

    I could never travel with you, Amanda. I’d be a blimp afterward. You had me drooling with your NYC pics, and now I find this?! YUM. Looks like you know all the great places to snag a bite.

  9. Sarah M.

    Well, not that I have final say, but I’ve spent 26 of my 30 years in Port St. Joe (the first 3.5 years actually living at the State Park where my dad was assistant park manager). I’m glad you came and enjoyed your stay!

    You hit some major restaurants, but you missed a few as well! :) We’ve recently had a food truck open up called Mason Dixon that is absolutely delicious! The sandwiches and salads are like nothing I’ve ever had. Just recently they’ve openned for breakfast and coffee. Though not fancy, Sister’s Restaurant is one of my go to locations for lunch where you can order off the menu or from the daily special (and a homemade dessert comes with your meal!). Dockside (at the PSJ Marina) is another great option with a tremendous view of the Marina! Pepper’s Mexican Restaurant is some of the best Mexican food I’ve ever had. You should also venture out to Apalachicola where there are several other options, my favorite of which is Tamara’s (fish tacos…and the whole menu). Mexico Beach has several other options and more activities if you’re looking for more to do.

  10. KC

    Oh God! I’m drooling with all these yummy pictures. I prefer a beach secluded just like this than one loaded with water activities, and restaurants. Just good old fun like listening to the waves and watching my children play is plenty for me :o)

  11. Angie | Big Bears Wife

    That cake batter cookie dough ice cream!! wow! I love beaches that aren’t “commercialized” . This place looks wonderful!

  12. LT

    Love your blog..Your pics are awesome!!!
    Always feel like I’m right there…
    and always look forward to reading about them
    Thank you for always being an inspiration
    LT

  13. Jen

    So glad I found this! I’m in Cape San Blas right now. The weather is horrible and I’m 5months pregnant, so eating at restaurants is about all I want to do. I think we will be getting some donuts in the morning!

    Jen

  14. Kim H.

    We also love Dockside in Port Saint Joe and Chili’s Mexican Restaurant (they have great shrimp tacos). You should also take the time to drive to Mexico Beach and eat at Killer Seafood. Killer Seafood makes a bread bowl filled with their own special simmering sauce and fresh seafood and fantastic fish tacos! I think you would also enjoy a trip to nearby Apalachicola. Apalachicola has several restaurants, a candy/ice cream store, lots of neat gift shops and many stores are pet friendly, including the cute pet store! We go to Mexico Beach frequently and enjoy all of these places but you have mentioned a few places we need to try!

  15. Destiny

    For years I have researched beaches that have great shelling opportunities, and when I read your first post, I realized that Cape San Blas was on my bucket list. (We’ll also take the short drive to Mexico Beach to do some shelling there.) Your pictures/posts immediately sold me!

    We had a short family meeting and within a few hours, had booked a house for spring break week.

    I have waited all week for your post on where to eat. I’ve reviewed TripAdvisor and other sites, but didn’t want to put anything on our must-do list until you had weighed in. Thank you!

  16. Theresa B

    We love The Dockside Cafe in Port St. Joe. It’s right by the marina and they have the BEST hush puppies, fried shrimp and homemade remoulade sauce. They will cook your catch of the day and it’s also fun watching the boats come into the marina.

  17. Shirley

    Looks great! Could you please bring him home some of the peanut butter cup pie? :)

    Thanks for sharing your vacations with us! I get tired just hearing about them…so it’s
    good that’s all I get! :)

  18. Liz Hopewell

    Absolutely LOVE this post. My church, First Baptist Opelika, actively does mission work in PSJ (Summer, Christmas, and Spring Break teams). We always stay in Cape San Blas and a small team goes to Apalachicola and a big team does outreach in PSJ. Love both of the communities so very much! We don’t really eat out, but this spring break I may have to run and get some of those doughnuts before we head out for the day. One thing that y’all sadly missed was the Juleps (non alcoholic version). They are actually just kool aid with triple the needed sugar. Sound slightly disgusting? Not at all. They are iconic PSJ and they are a must drink next time y’all take a vacation to the Cape.

  19. jenifer

    THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for sharing your vacation with us.
    We recently got a puppy and have already begun looking for pet-friendly beaches and places to stay. I think this would be amazing!
    Your pictures are beautiful as well….i love the paw prints in the sand!

  20. Anele @ Success Along the Weigh

    I’ve been waiting for this post!! While I like to be close to my restaurants (vacation is my only break from cooking) the privacy you speak of is really a big draw for me. I could see this being part of a bigger Florida vacation for us one day like maybe 4 days there and then driving elsewhere for your more typical Florida experience. LOVE your pics of the whole vacation!

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Meet Kevin & Amanda

Kevin and Amanda

We love to travel and to eat! Here we share our favorite quick and easy recipes, plus travel tips and guides for our favorite places around the world. If you have any questions about what camera I use or how I edit my photos, check out my photography tutorials.

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