The Bay

The Bay is a waterfront seafood restaurant at the foot of the Highway 331 bridge in Santa Rosa Beach, open daily from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. for lunch and dinner. It sits on a private stretch of shoreline along Choctawhatchee Bay, with a wooden pier stretching out over the water and both indoor and outdoor deck seating, so the view is as much a part of the draw as the food. The restaurant is part of Chef Jim Shirley’s restaurant group, which also includes The Great Southern Cafe, North Beach Social, and Farm & Fire, giving The Bay a pedigree tied to some of the better known names in South Walton dining.

The kitchen describes its cooking as Southern Gulf coast cuisine, built around award-winning local seafood but with more range than a typical seafood house. Grits a Ya Ya, a dish of grilled shrimp and meat over creamy grits and topped with crispy fried sweet potato curls, is one of the signature plates, and the Bay sushi roll gets consistent praise from regulars as a must-order alongside the more classic Southern dishes. Crab cakes, burgers, and desserts like a cream pie round out a menu built to satisfy a table that can’t agree on seafood versus something simpler.

The bar program backs up the kitchen with a 12-draft beer system, a wine list that has earned a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, and a rotation of bar-crafted cocktails, so there is a real drinks program here rather than an afterthought bar. Live local music plays regularly, the restaurant hosts a beach bonfire every Wednesday night, and Sunday afternoons bring a set from Mike Whitty and Friends from 4 to 8 p.m., all of which has helped The Bay pick up a Best Live Music Venue award along the way.

That combination of setting, food, and entertainment has earned The Bay a string of local recognitions, including a Diamond Award for Best Casual Dining in the 2020 “Perfect in South Walton” awards and a Gold Award for Best Casual Dining in 2021. For visitors, the location at 24215 Highway 331 S makes it one of the more convenient stops for anyone crossing the bridge between Santa Rosa Beach and the Sandestin area, whether the plan is a sunset dinner on the deck, a bonfire night, or a quick lunch break from the beach. The restaurant also offers online ordering for pickup and delivery through third-party services, along with e-gift cards, for anyone who wants The Bay’s cooking without a sit-down visit. Holiday hours run a bit shorter, with Christmas Eve service ending at 8 p.m. and the restaurant closed on Christmas Day, worth noting for anyone visiting Santa Rosa Beach around the winter holidays.

Because it sits right where Highway 331 meets the water, The Bay works well as a landmark for anyone getting oriented in Santa Rosa Beach for the first time, whether they are coming from the Sandestin side or heading toward the beaches along 30A. The private beach setting and pier give it a different feel from the highway-front restaurants that make up much of the local dining scene, and the daily 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. hours make it flexible enough for a late lunch after a morning on the water or a full dinner timed around sunset. Reservations or questions about live music schedules, the Wednesday bonfire, or the Sunday afternoon set from Mike Whitty and Friends can be handled by calling (850) 622-2291 directly, and it is worth calling ahead during peak season, since a restaurant with this much going on, waterfront dining, live music, and a bonfire night, tends to fill up on the deck well before dark.