The Back Porch Destin

Someone from this business manages this listing.

#17 of 316 Restaurants in Destin$$ - $$$, American, Bar, Vegetarian friendly

+1 850-837-2022+ Add website

Write a Review

Hours

Sun

11:00 am - 9:00 pm

Mon

11:00 am - 9:00 pm

Tue

11:00 am - 9:00 pm

Wed

11:00 am - 9:00 pm

Thu

11:00 am - 9:00 pm

Fri

11:00 am - 9:00 pm

Sat

11:00 am - 9:00 pm

Improve this listing

What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

5,359 reviews

#17 of 316 Restaurants in Destin

Travellers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Food and ambience

Local cuisine, American, Bar, Seafood, Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options

“Snow crab legs and crab cakes were very good with 3 nice size cakes.”

“Mahi Mahi was excellent!”

“I feel it’s a little pricey on the entrees, especially the crab legs ($49).”

“Mahi mahi tacos were DELISH.”

Location and contact

1740 Scenic Highway 98, FL 32541-3355

+1 850-837-2022

Improve this listing

Is this a pub?

Yes

Unsure

Details

Manage this business?

About

The Back Porch Seafood & Oyster House has been a local favorite in Destin since 1974 serving the finest smoked tuna dip, ice-cold oysters and our famous char-grilled Amberjack. Happy Hour 3-5PM daily.

PRICE RANGE

$16.00 – $48.00

CUISINES

American, Bar, Seafood

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

FEATURES

Takeout, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Television, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, American Express, Mastercard, Visa, Discover, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Waterfront, Beach, Playgrounds

Contribute

Write a review

Upload a photo

Ask a question

We perform checks on reviews.

Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews

Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.

When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.

Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.

Learn more about our review moderation.

4.5

5,359 reviews

Excellent

2,888

Very good

1,508

Average

631

Poor

212

Terrible

120

Dave O

East Palatka8 contributions

Second trip - As good as the first

Jan 2020 • none

This was our second visit to the Back Porch. We were there 3 years ago a couple of days before the devastating hurricane Matthew. It was late in the year and about the last busy weekend of the summer season. It was very, very good. We were traveling the panhandle again today and decided to drop in. Service was instant (in busy season they can have an hour wait, cost us a full bottle of good wine at the bar) but tonight it was straight to the table. We know how well they serve, the kitchen (well there are two as it is so big) was very fast so we ordered an hor d’oeuvres and said we would wait to order dinner after the starter. Fried calamari was fairly standard fare, nicely done but nothing to crow about. We both ordered Gulf Red Snapper with butter beure Blanc sauce with capers. Simply to die for. The sides did not matter although we had green beans that still had a snap, hard to do in a big restaurant and a big through put. Very nice. The twice baked potato was great although I only at about 1/3. Focus on the Snapper. It is superb. Nice white wine, a Santa Margarita Pinot that is overpriced but still worthwhile. No room for the key lime pie, next time I will go for that rather than the calamari. Great night, nice choices. The red snapper bluer Blanc is not on the menu but for a $2 up charge there it is. Well worth it.

Written 8 January 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

kyliemiller

Auburn114 contributions

Fresh Seafood

May 2020 • friends

We had a wonderful time at The Back Porch. We loved the laid back atmosphere and you could tell they were taking the COVID procedures seriously. I got crab cakes and my wife got crab legs, both were delicious, fresh and a large portion for the price we paid. If we go back to Destin we would definitely return to The Back Porch!

Written 11 June 2020

Justin V

1 contribution

Absolutely Amazing

June 2020 • none

We were there on June 6th 2020. We got there probably about 11:15 am to beat the lunch rush. Meagan was your waitress and she done just absolutely amazing. As far was we could tell she was on top of her game with everyone else as well. My boy has a milk allergy not severe but still an allergy we try and follow. When we asked if they could leave the cheese off of the pizza she said she. But to top it off without asking she went and got a special menu that had some other options on it. My boy also likes Oranges and Cherries and she went a way above giving him a couple large cups of them. Just a pleasant experience and all the food our group had was over the top!

Written 9 June 2020

Karn423

Chattanooga1 contribution

Great view of the sun setting

Jan 2020 • none

Both my husband and myself had the Grouper Sandwich for our early dinner. We were seated by the window and saw a beautiful sunset. Ashley was our server and she was very attentive to our needs. My husband advised her of his allergies to shellfish. Ashley suggested he not order the fries due to them being fried in the same oil as the shellfish. The fish was delicious. I was going to order the grouper dinner but the $31 price was too much in my mind to pay for fish in a very casual restaurant, but I guess that’s to be expected in a gulf front restaurant in Destin

Written 20 January 2020

faderdog

Destin50 contributions

A locals opinion

Dec 2020 • couples

As a local Back Porch is usually not in our rotation, the wait is generally too long. Tonight it was only 20 minutes and we were actually seated after waiting only 18. There are signs all through the restaurant asking you to please stay 6 feet away from people but they seem to forget that policy once you sit down and can't even pull your chair without hitting the person at the next table. Our server was Olivia and we were seated in the hall joining the old to the new and the noise was quite loud. She was very prompt and courteous except for pulling empty dirty plates. Yuck My husband ordered a fried platter of oysters and shrimp which he enjoyed except for the cold fries I ordered a bronzed grouper sandwich which was served cold and dry. It was by far the worst piece of grouper I have eaten and being a local that says a lot. No, I did not complain or give them the opportunity to make it right. Because of the noise level being excruciating high all I wanted to do was leave.

Written 30 December 2020

Becky052

Thomasville413 contributions

A Nice Surprise

Feb 2020 • none

I was not expecting the quality nor quantity of food at this restaurant so it was a pleasant surprise that both were exceptional. I had the crab stuffed shrimp and they were delicious!! The waitstaff were exceptional. All waiters were assisting each other in the beverage refills, cleaning away dirty dishes and bringing out prepared food. The calamari was very good as well. We will be back!!

Written 27 February 2020

ronbrynt

Somerville63 contributions

So good we went back

Feb 2021 • couples

2 visits within 4 days. Not going to beat around the bush. Fresh local fish cooked to perfection at great prices with great views. Great for solo, couples, family, or anything. Chill atmosphere. I had chargrilled red snapper (even the sandwich filet is huge) and the wife had amberjack. Both were great and seasoned perfectly. Smoked tuna dip and calamari. Now for the cats. Yes, cats. Beach restaurant strays are normal, but BP steps it up and recognizes them and takes care of them. They might be on the steps, if so, walk around. You are at their house lol. It amuses the kids and they have great temperaments, just chill. It's on my return list.

Written 19 February 2021

Mrstywiltbank

Southaven196 contributions

Never ever again.

June 2020 • none

Two years in a row we have tried Back Porch and last year we thought it was just a fluke the food was bad. Not so! The food was also bad this year as well. Our server was not that friendly to boot which made the sub-par food even more difficult to tolerate. We always try to get there early before the rush because we have a large group. Because of COVID we knew they would split us up which is fine. We had no issues with them getting the right food to the right tables which was the only nice thing I can say. Everything else was downhill. Back Porch, you have lost these loyal customers. The food is just not good enough to pay your inflated prices for our large group. If I’m paying this much the food better taste good!

Written 12 June 2020

Jonathan S

Clover38 contributions

Good food, great atmosphere

Aug 2020 • family

We stopped at this restaurant for dinner. The wait to get in was about 45 min at around 6pm during the week. We sat outside and got to view the sunset on the beach. The kids menu is the usual fare (fish sticks, hamburgers). The adults ordered the linguine, which was very filling. We took a coupon for free smoked tuna dip (you can find it in the coupon books at most hotels) the dip was good but probably not worth getting unless it is free. Overall the food was good the service was great.

Written 7 August 2020

l0vethebeach87

Ohio495 contributions

Long wait for average food

Aug 2020 • couples

Well you can’t win them all. We concluded our trip to Destin with a stop at The Back Porch. After an incredibly long wait we were finally seated. My wife ordered a salad with her meal then never came, which the server at least took off our bill and finally brought to her. I got a chicken sandwich and quite frankly I could have gotten a better sandwich from Burger King. Grilled chicken with a piece of cheese and honey mustard. No lettuce. No tomato. No onion. Just a crappy $15 sandwich that was about an inch thick. Yuck. Worst meal by far. My wife thought her mahi mahi wasn’t too bad so that was good. Sucks we saved the worst for last but it is what it is. On the beach, nice breeze, but the food was average at best. So many better places to go in Destin.

Written 14 August 2020

Sheree L

North Ridgeville14 contributions

Gorgeous views, but you’ll pay for them

May 2021 • none

Enjoyed an early dinner with friends. The view was spectacular. Our table had mixed reviews on our food. Three men had the gumbo and thought it was bland. Two in our party had excellent salads. I had the best peel and eat shrimp of the entire trip. One in our group had a burger that was dry and tasteless. We were surprised that the server didn’t ask if something was wrong before clearing away half the burger, because she was a good server and on her toes for the rest of the meal. Overall, we thought the food was a bit pricey, but we realized that it was inline with other beachfront restaurants with similar fare.

Written 23 May 2021

agt33

Winnipeg460 contributions

Underwhelmed

Jan 2020 • none

Typical beach bar, service was fast and friendly. Fish and chips were not good at all. Instead of a piece or two of fish battered, this was a bunch of nuggets deep fried in a heavy batter served with very ordinary fries. My other beef is they advertise being open every day, so I drove over on Superbowl Sunday to have a beer, try something different off of their menu, and watch the game. They were closed! Really, who closes a bar/restaurant on Superbowl Sunday, I would think that would be a a banner day in that business.

Written 22 February 2020

VMChief

Crestview7 contributions

The food was amazing but

Jan 2020 • none

The food was amazing but it’s the service that will bring us back. Mikey was our awesome server. He made the perfect suggestions for our appetizer and meal. The crab dip was great and the stuffed shrimp too. Fair warning if sharing. The last stuffed shrimp left might start a fight if you try to grab it. Good thing my wife and I were civil. The menu has a good variety. It helped that Mikey knows the menu like the back of his hand. We’ll be asking for Mikey next time we’re here.

Written 26 January 2020

CanuckAlberta

690 contributions

Loved TBP

Jan 2020 • none

Visited tonight for happy hour and ended up staying for dinner. Loved our grilled snapper and grilled grouper. Sides included pineapple rice and green beans and they were all very tasty. Wine and beer were quite reasonable but entrees were both $30+ which is a little pricy. Too bad it was raining and we could not sit outside, I guess we will have to go back.

Written 29 January 2020

Pat M

3 contributions

amazing meal

Jan 2020 • none

Relatives from ND were visiting us while we were "snowbirds" in Destin. Went to the Back Porch to use the coupon for the smoked tuna dip and order seafood sandwiches. Rory was our waiter and couldn't have been nicer and more attentive! He was careful to supply my handicapped husband with a sturdier plastic glass so he could drink his Bloody Mary without spilling! The meal was wonderful and we were able to substitute the twice baked potatoes for fries which made the four of us exceedingly happy!

Written 30 January 2020

…

Showing results 1-15 of 5,341

Best moderately priced restaurants

See all