87 Plaza

In the shade of Seaside’s arcaded storefronts, 87 Plaza opens onto Central Square as an open air wine bar built around the culinary instincts of Chef Jim Shirley, one of the Emerald Coast’s most recognized restaurateurs. The address, 87 Central Square, sits at the literal center of town, and the restaurant leans into that position, welcoming walk up visitors from the boardwalk, the bookshop next door, and the beach access just beyond the pavilion. Doors open daily at 2:30pm and stay open through 9:30pm, a schedule built around the late afternoon lull between beach time and dinner, when a glass of something cold and a small plate of something interesting hits exactly right.

Shirley built his reputation at The Great Southern Cafe, the Seaside institution that put his cooking on the map and, in his own words, represents his culinary history. 87 Plaza was conceived as something different: a restaurant meant to move with the moment rather than anchor to a single tradition. Shirley describes the concept as a place “where creativity and cultures overlap,” built to celebrate the food and drink he wants to enjoy right now rather than repeat past hits. That philosophy shows up in a menu that nods to his classic dishes and beloved happy hour standbys while leaving room for whatever the kitchen feels like doing that week. He has said plainly that he believes stories are told through the food people cook and eat, and 87 Plaza reads like a chef’s ongoing narrative rather than a fixed script.

The wine list is the reason many visitors first walk through the gate. Locals and food writers alike point to it as one of the most robust wine programs on 30A, spanning old world staples and small production bottles that are hard to find elsewhere on the Emerald Coast. Craft cocktails and a curated beer list round out the bar program, and the kitchen backs it all up with small plates designed for sharing and grazing rather than a single entree and dessert. The pairing of serious wine and approachable, imaginative food is deliberate: 87 Plaza wants to be equally comfortable as a pre dinner stop for two glasses and an order of something to nibble, or the main event for a slower evening of courses paced against the wine list.

The setting matches the ambition of the wine list. Tables spill across an open air patio dressed with white linens, and strings of gold toned and glass lanterns hang overhead, casting warm light once the sun drops behind the rooftops of Central Square. There is no roof to speak of, just the sky, the surrounding storefronts, and the gentle hum of Seaside’s town center going about its evening. It is a setting built for lingering, for watching the square fill up with families heading to dinner and couples strolling toward the beach, all while working through a glass of something well chosen.

87 Plaza also functions as a gathering spot for private events and special occasions, a role that fits naturally given its central location and open layout. For visitors mapping out a day in Seaside, it works as a reliable anchor: arrive from the beach, cut through Central Square, and land at a table where the wine list alone justifies the stop, the small plates make it a full meal, and Chef Shirley’s reputation gives every dish some weight behind it. Reservations are worth making during peak season, since the patio’s open air charm and central address make it one of the more sought after tables in town, but walk ups who catch an early evening slot will find it just as easy to settle in for a single glass and a plate as for a full multi course wine dinner.