A Guide to the Guide

The Michelin Guide made its statewide debut in Florida this year, and the Emerald Coast held its own against the state’s bigger food cities. Five local spots earned recognition, from a Destin farm-to-table favorite to a Pensacola sandwich counter turning out Tuscan-style paninis.

Bitterroot | Destin

Crab Pappardelle from Bitterroot, photo courtesy of Bitterroot

Tucked into an unassuming Destin shopping center, Bitterroot has been leading the Emerald Coast’s farm-to-table charge since 2020. Chef Chadwick Donelson keeps the menu in constant motion, sourcing from local purveyors for Southern-leaning dishes like a charred, house-made biscuit smothered in bone marrow and black pepper gravy. Start with the smoked mullet dip, then move to the Redfish Aristocrat, a pan-seared Gulf redfish over blue crab risotto and smoked tomato gravy. Save room for banana pudding layered with mascarpone and banana rum caramel.

Evie Mae’s Pit Barbecue | Miramar Beach

Photos courtesy of Evie Mae’s Barbeque

Born from a celiac diagnosis and a Tucson backyard smoker, Evie Mae’s has built a reputation on great barbecue that just happens to be gluten-free. The West Texas transplant, operating in Wolfforth since 2015, brought its cut-to-order format to Miramar Beach, where the smell of slow-smoked meat greets diners at the door. Order the green chili cheese sausage—
a peppery link studded with gooey cheese—alongside black pepper-rubbed smoked turkey breast. Round it out with the baked potato casserole and sautéed green beans with bacon.

Roux 30A | Grayton Beach

Charred Octopus from Roux 30A, photo courtesy of Roux 30A

Since 2013, Roux 30A has gathered strangers around communal tables in Grayton Beach, an approach to hospitality that earned chef Nikhil Abuvala a 2025 James Beard semifinalist nod for Best Chef: South. The multicourse tasting menu shifts with the seasons and the Gulf Coast’s farmers, fishermen, and artisans, such as purple sweet potato pasta with beech mushrooms in a Parmesan-sage sauce topped with a seared U-10 scallop. Go for the open-kitchen counter seats to watch each course come together, and expect a different meal on every visit.

Daytrader Tiki Bar | Seaside

Daytrader Tiki Bar, photo credit: Salar Abuaziz

Also from Chef Abuvala, Daytrader trades Roux 30A’s tasting menu for tiki-bar escapism, blending Polynesian and Hawaiian flavors with a playful, anti-corporate edge. The restaurant’s Michelin Exceptional Cocktails Award makes sense the moment the Remedy lands: a riff on the Mai Tai served, tongue-in-cheek, in an IV bag. Order the Ahi Crispy Rice, crunchy discs topped with melt-in-your-mouth tuna and honey chili aioli, or the Korean Fried Chicken, a flavor bomb of stickiness served with classic mac salad and smoked kimchi that will become your go-to condiment. Don’t skip the Spam Musubi, either; the seaweed is fresh and pliant, the rice crisp and soft at once, with a furikake layer that tastes like the real thing.

A Mano Panino | Pensacola

Gianduja (bottom) and Pistacchio (top) gelato in a housemade waffle cone, photo by Phocus Photography

Husband-and-wife team Alex and Ashley Lamonte bring a slice of Florence to Pensacola’s East Hill neighborhood, baking schiacciata, a thin, crunchy Tuscan bread, fresh each morning inside the historic Sacred Heart Hospital building. The Bib Gourmand winner keeps things simple: meats sliced to order, spreads made in-house. Order the Lo Smorzando, layered with mortadella, fresh ricotta, arugula, and sunflower pesto, marinated zucchini, and spinach; one bite and you’re at a sidewalk café in Bologna. The La Cantabile, ahi tuna confit with caper mayonnaise and giardiniera, is worth a try too. Order to go or claim a patio seat, but be sure to save room for a scoop of their handmade gelato just across the parking lot at Lamonte Gelato.