Restaurants

Gulf Shores institution just over the Orange Beach line. Beach-shack vibe, real Gulf seafood, the kind of place locals defend hard.

Gulf-front, family-volume, Royal Reds, and one of the better sunset patios on the Florida side of the Key.

The stilted building with the long ramp. Gulf views from every table, every floor. The one tourists photograph and locals still go to.

Royal Reds, fried shrimp, no view, no wait, no nonsense. The locals' answer to 'just give me good shrimp.'

The Wharf's upscale-ish anchor. Wood-fired oven, real menu, marina-side patio. The 'we're at the Wharf but we want a real dinner' answer.

Bay-side deck, the steamer pot, and a sunset that justifies the wait. Easy answer when 'bay-side dinner' is the brief.

Home of throwed rolls. They throw the rolls. At you. From across the room. It's a thing and it's been a thing for forty years.

Lucy Buffett's open-air gulf-coast restaurant. Live music, a kids' play area, a real menu, a real wait in season. The bigger version of family beach restaurant.

On Ole River just over the state line. The grouper sandwich. The deck. The locals' answer to 'where do we eat that isn't tourist madness.'

Bay-side, the gator pond, the oysters. A reliable Gulf Coast chain that's been doing the same thing well long enough that 'chain' isn't really the right word.

Alabama institution. Breakfast all day. Live music. The locals' answer to 'where do we go that isn't trying to be anything.'

Open-air, shipping-container architecture, gulf-front. The Instagram spot — but the food and drinks earn the photos.