Nonna’s Ristorante by Chef Tim Creehan

Nonna’s Ristorante brings Chef Tim Creehan’s take on Italian cooking to HarborWalk Village, set right on Destin Harbor at 2 Harbor Boulevard. The restaurant is named for Creehan’s grandmother, and the concept is built as what the restaurant calls a fresh take on the traditional trattoria, an easygoing Italian dining room rather than a formal special-occasion restaurant. Its spot inside HarborWalk Village puts it a short walk from the harbor’s boat docks, shops, and the neighboring Emerald Grande resort, which the restaurant also serves through room service.

Chef Tim Creehan built his reputation on the Emerald Coast well before opening Nonna’s. He trained under Cordon Bleu-certified French chef Philippe Parola and went on to develop John Folse’s Laffite’s Landing into a well-regarded culinary destination in its own right. Along the way he appeared on television programs including Emerald Coast Chefs and Emeril’s Florida, cooked for celebrity guests such as Bruce Willis and Jessica Simpson, and patented a marinade product called Grill Plus in 1997. He has also written three cookbooks and stays active supporting local charitable causes, a track record that gives Nonna’s a chef-driven identity beyond just another Italian menu on the harbor.

The menu covers the full arc of a classic Italian dinner: antipasto, salads, handmade pastas, pizzas, seafood, and steaks, finished with what the restaurant calls molto delizioso desserts. Two dishes stand out as house signatures. Linguine alle Vongole pairs the pasta with baby clams, garlic, white wine, and parsley in a light, briny sauce, and Polpette della Nonna serves the chef’s grandmother’s meatball recipe over Sunday gravy with a Romano whipped cream and basil finish, a dish that leans directly on the restaurant’s namesake. The wine list emphasizes Italian bottles, rounded out by cocktails and beer, so the drinks program matches the food rather than sitting apart from it.

Because the dining room and deck overlook Destin Harbor, a table at Nonna’s works well for watching boat traffic and sunset light while working through a multi-course Italian meal, a different pace than the seafood-shack energy found at some of HarborWalk Village’s other restaurants. Happy hour is part of the daily rhythm here, and the restaurant takes reservations, which is worth using during summer weekends when HarborWalk Village draws its heaviest crowds. Beyond dine-in service, Nonna’s also offers takeout and delivery for visitors staying nearby who want the same menu without a wait for a table.

Nonna’s is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and can be reached at 850-842-2604 for reservations or catering inquiries; the restaurant also handles private events, including weddings and rehearsal dinners, given its harbor-view setting and full kitchen. Chef Creehan runs two other area restaurants, Cuvée 30A and Pandora’s Steakhouse, so travelers who enjoy Nonna’s have a couple of related stops worth adding to a longer Emerald Coast itinerary. Pair a visit with an evening walk through HarborWalk Village before or after dinner, since the boardwalk stays active well past sunset with shops, live entertainment, and boats coming in for the night.