AJ’s Grayton Beach

AJ’s Grayton Beach opened in March 2017 on DeFuniak Street, right at the entrance to town, in a building that had previously housed Pandora’s. Owner Alan Laird rebuilt the interior with high ceilings, earthy hardwoods, and vintage coastal decor meant to reflect, in his words, the laid-back lifestyle and eclectic culture of South Walton. It belongs to the wider AJ’s family of restaurants that runs other seafood and oyster spots along the Emerald Coast, but the Grayton Beach location has its own identity, built around three bars, two stages, and a crowd that runs from young families at lunch to a full house of dancers by night.

Chef Brad Moore’s kitchen leans on fresh Gulf seafood and steaks finished on an oak-fired grill, which the restaurant treats as the centerpiece of the whole operation. Expect oysters served raw or cooked, sushi rolls, fish sandwiches, burgers, salads, and Southern plates like shrimp and grits alongside the oak-grilled steaks. A raw bar and sushi counter seats around 75 people on their own, and the full restaurant, once its outdoor deck and bar are factored in, can handle more than 300 guests at a time, which says a lot about how busy this corner of Grayton Beach gets on a summer weekend.

Music is built into the schedule rather than treated as an occasional add-on. Two stages keep a rotating calendar of bands, acoustic acts, and karaoke nights running, and Wednesdays bring a regular evening set from Dion Jones & The Neon Tears from 6 to 9 p.m. A fire pit and covered outdoor patio give people a place to spread out with a drink between sets, and the whole layout, three bars deep, is built to keep a crowd moving rather than seated in one spot all night.

Sunday brings a dedicated brunch menu with a Bloody Mary bar, a popular way to ease into a beach day, and weekday happy hour runs from 3 to 6 p.m. with discounted cocktails, house wines, and draft beer. AJ’s Grayton Beach is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, though opening times shift slightly by day: doors open at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and at noon on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The restaurant sits at 63 DeFuniak Street in Santa Rosa Beach, close enough to walk from most of the cottages and rentals inside Grayton Beach proper.

Because AJ’s sits at the gateway to Grayton Beach, it works well either as a first stop after arriving on 30A or a last one before heading out, and its size and noise level make it a more forgiving choice for families than some of the quieter restaurants deeper in the village. Its capacity means a table is often easier to find here than elsewhere in town, though arriving before a stage act starts still makes for an easier time getting seated near the music. Between the oak-fired grill, the sushi bar, and the two stages, AJ’s packs a lot of variety into one address on the edge of one of 30A’s most storied beach towns, and it rarely feels like it is trying to be quiet about any of it.