The Craft Bar Destin

The Craft Bar Destin is the gastropub’s original location, on Commons Drive East in Destin, in the busy shopping and dining corridor around Destin Commons. It is part of Wine World Restaurant Group, the employee-owned Emerald Coast company founded in Destin in 2000, which has since grown The Craft Bar to seven locations from Pensacola to Panama City Beach.

The Craft Bar’s kitchen, led by Chef Max Morrison, puts artisan twists on pub food with regionally sourced ingredients and a from-scratch approach. Local favorites include half-pound burgers, fresh Gulf seafood and hand-cut fries with house-made dipping sauces like spicy ketchup, IPA mustard and malt vinegar aioli, and the fried chicken has been voted the best in Okaloosa County. The bar pours 30 craft beers on tap, including hard-to-find specialty brews, alongside seasonal craft cocktails made with house-made components, mocktails and wine. Every Craft Bar location has outdoor seating and welcomes well-behaved dogs.

Beyond the regular menu, the Destin location runs a happy hour, a weekly burger night and a Sunday brunch menu. It is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the kitchen closes an hour before the bar. Parties of eight or more should call ahead to reserve a table. To keep dine-in service moving at peak times, the restaurant may not accept to-go orders from 5 to 8:30 p.m. daily or from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.

Call 850-460-7907 or follow @thecraftbarfl for new taps and specials. The Craft Bar also has a second Destin location on Harbor Boulevard, near the Destin Harbor.