The Craft Bar Niceville

The Craft Bar Niceville is a neighborhood gastropub at 1051 East John Sims Parkway, in the Palm Plaza shopping center across from the Aldi grocery store and next door to the Niceville Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce. It opened in 2025 alongside a Wine World shop, part of a Niceville expansion by Wine World Restaurant Group, the employee-owned Emerald Coast company that Chan Cox founded in Destin in 2000.

The concept is simple: a big list of craft beer on draft, handcrafted cocktails, creative mocktails and a solid wine selection, backed by a chef-driven kitchen that leans on local and regional ingredients. The menu covers craft burgers, shareable plates and seafood, and the kitchen runs a weekly burger night and a Sunday brunch menu alongside the regular lineup. A happy hour menu rounds it out for after-work regulars from Niceville, Bluewater Bay and Eglin Air Force Base.

The Craft Bar is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The kitchen closes an hour before the bar. It doesn’t take reservations for small groups, but parties of eight or more should call ahead to book a table. During the busiest dinner hours, and on Saturday afternoons, the restaurant may pause to-go orders so it can focus on dine-in guests, so plan to eat in at peak times.

Reach the restaurant at 850-202-9076, or follow @thecraftbarfl for new taps and specials. For a Niceville evening, pair it with a walk along Boggy Bayou or a pint at 3rd Planet Brewing across town. The Craft Bar has seven locations on the Emerald Coast, from Pensacola to Panama City Beach, including two in Destin and one at Grand Boulevard in Miramar Beach.