Home > Food & Drink > Hidden Gem Restaurants - PCB, FL

Hidden Gem Restaurants Loved by Locals in PCB

By rey | Updated: 09/12/2025 | Reading Time: 4 min

* This post contains affiliate links, and we’ll be compensated if you buy after clicking on our links.

Picture of a man and woman sitting down to eat while laughing and having a great time at a restaurant that is beachside with a view of the beach waves in the image background, used as the blog post image for the article about the hidden gem restaurants loved by locals in Panama City Beach, FL for Near Me Discovery, local search and local discovery blog and advertising

Perfect example of how happy you'll be after trying the places on this list! Who doesn't love a good meal?!

Now sweetheart, let me tell you something. If you Google “Panama City Beach restaurants,” you’ll get all the tourist traps with big views, long waits, and seafood priced higher than a Sunday church hat. Bless their hearts. Bless yours too, if that's as far as you search befo' dinin' out!

But locals? We know where the real flavor hides. The hidden gem restaurants in Panama City Beach loved by locals aren’t really on Front Beach Road. They’re tucked into strip malls, leaning against gas stations, or quietly off backroads where the GPS signal might get a lil' spotty. These are places where your shrimp came off the boat that morning, hushpuppies come out pipin' hot, and by your third visit, the owner’s calling you “baby” like you some kin.

So grab a fresh squeezed lemonade and pull up a chair. Let me show you some of the best local restaurants in PCB that tourists often miss, but locals rave about.

Tell A Neighbor, Share With Friends:

In This Article:

Video

Best Local Restaurants in PCB You Don’t Want to Miss

Small Family Owned Eateries

Local Cafés & Breakfast Spots

Secret Seafood Spots in Panama City Beach

"Off the Beaten Path" Seafood Shacks

PCB Dining Spots Off the Tourist Path

H2 Title

Explore this article with AI:

ChatGPT & Perplexity open with prompt pre-filled; For all others, click the icon to auto-copy and then just paste into your favorite AI to explore

example...

Best Local Restaurants in PCB You Don’t Want to Miss

Biggest difference between them other ones and what I'mma recommend? Tourist spots aim for crowds. Local spots aim for family. Locals won’t stand for a gumbo that tastes one way on Tuesday and another on Thursday, so you gettin' consistency AND quality, guaranteed.

Dee’s Hang Out – This PCB dining spot brings Louisiana to Panama City. Crawfish étouffée that’ll warm your toes, po’boys so big you need two hands. Yelp raves about it.

Pico’s Taqueria – Tucked on Back Beach Road, their carne asada tacos are authentic enough to make you close your eyes and pretend you’re in Guadalajara. Reddit PCB foodies swear by it, too - and we all know how hard it can be to please Reddit so you KNOW it gotta' be good!

Alice’s on Bayview – Their grouper piccata? Butter-basted, tender, and Facebook locals can’t hush about it.

Big Easy Restaurant & Bar – Po’boys, jambalaya, and live music that’s actually good. Instagram may have discovered it recently, but the locals have been loving it for a good long while!

Small Family Owned Eateries

Baby, nothing hits home like local favorite restaurants in Panama City Beach run by families! The same person might cook your meal, seat you, and ask how your kids are doin’.

Liza’s Kitchen – Hippie Chick sandwich keeps locals lined up before noon.

Granny Cantrell’s – Sunday dinner vibes every day: meatloaf, fried chicken, collard greens, and sweet tea.

Cahall’s Deli – Roast beef piled high; small shop, big flavor.

Supporting underrated restaurants in Panama City Beach keeps money in the community instead of flying off to some chain. That’s real impact, suga'.

Local Cafés & Breakfast Spots

Tourists wait an hour for pancakes. Locals? We know where the biscuits rise tall and the coffee’s strong, and it ain't gon' take all day to get it, either.

Andy’s Flour Power Café & Bakery – Banana nut French toast and omelets fluffy as a church hat on Easter Sunday.

Jesse’s Place – Homemade biscuits and sausage gravy that’ll soothe your soul.

The Pour Coffee & Community – Coffee with purpose, a spot to meet locals and overhear the town gossip, all for the greater good knowing proceeds benefit those in need.

These PCB breakfast spots double as community hubs. On any given day, you can find PCB fishermen, realtors, and locals startin' their days here.

Secret Seafood Spots in Panama City Beach

Some seafood places serve frozen fish. The real gems? Buy straight off the docks or catch it directly. And locals love fresh never frozen over here in PCB!

Dusty’s Oyster Bar – Oysters shucked fresh, shrimp with heads on; and if you're still unsure just know that Reddit locals love it.

Hunt & Gather Raw Bar – Seasonal menu reflecting what’s running fresh that week, with a local butcher shop in the back, so you know it's real!

Bayou on the Beach Café – Cajun-Creole fusion, blackened mahi, and recipes locals swear by.

Dig a lil' and plan your own lil' local seafood tour to see where locals actually eat: fresh Gulf flavor guaranteed.

"Off the Beaten Path" Seafood Shacks

Weathered wood, plastic chairs, paper towels instead of napkins; listen, that’s where the shrimp gon' really sing!

Schooners Last Local Beach Club – Rustic and on the sand, fries shrimp like your uncle used to.

Shuckums Oyster Pub – Peanuts on the floor, cold beer, oysters shucked to order.

Just the Cook – Dockside dining on a boat; shrimp baskets and fish tacos locals line up for.

These hidden gem restaurants near me in Panama City Beach are perfect for authenticity seekers. If you already know, then you're in great company - And if not, now you do!

PCB Dining Spots Off the Tourist Path

Some treasures don’t even look like restaurants.

Christo’s – Tucked by a gas station, but their Greek food? Divine.

El Weirdo – Funky, artsy, chaotic in the best way. Locals love it.

Tally Ho Drive-In – Burgers since 1974, and still flipping them with nostalgic charm.

These Panama City Beach dining spots off the tourist path are consistent and true to local flavor. But don't take my word for it - gon' take a chance and explore 'em for yourself.

<h2> & content</h2>