The Craft Bar Fort Walton Beach

The Craft Bar Fort Walton Beach is in Uptown Station, the shopping center on Eglin Parkway in Fort Walton Beach’s inland retail corridor, a few minutes north of downtown and the Brooks Bridge. It is one of seven Craft Bar locations run by Wine World Restaurant Group, the employee-owned Emerald Coast company founded in Destin in 2000.

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.

The Fort Walton Beach location runs a happy hour and a weekly burger night, and its Sunday brunch centers on champagne and fried chicken. It is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the kitchen closes an hour before the bar. It does not take reservations, so seating is first come, first served.

Call 850-664-2548, or follow @thecraftbarfl and the Craft Bar Fort Walton Beach Facebook page for new taps and specials. Pair it with a stop at the other restaurants and shops in Uptown Station, or head downtown afterward for a walk along Santa Rosa Sound at Fort Walton Beach Landing.