The Wharf 850

The Wharf 850 occupies a waterfront spot on Niceville’s historic Bayshore Drive at 821 Bayshore Dr, in a building positioned so that boats can pull up and dock directly at the restaurant. That access to the water is central to the concept: the dining room includes balcony seating overlooking the bayou and a dockside lower deck, so visitors arriving by boat or by car both get a direct water view with their meal.

Casey and Jami Jones own and run the restaurant. Casey grew up in nearby Destin, worked as a professional fisherman, and once ran a pizza operation called Fat Daddy’s Pizza before returning to the water and to food. Jami, originally from Kansas City, brought a background in restaurant management and event planning. Together the couple built a food service business called Big Red Truck before opening The Wharf 850 in 2019; they also run Big Red Cafe in Destin.

The menu covers seafood, steaks, pastas, and flame-fired flatbreads, along with a Wednesday burger night and a Sunday brunch that runs from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and features fresh oysters among its offerings. Online ordering and DoorDash delivery are both available for visitors who would rather eat back at a rental or hotel room than make the trip out to Bayshore Drive.

Beyond regular dining, the restaurant hosts private events in a dedicated party room outfitted with flat screens and audio equipment, and it caters everything from family reunions and wedding events to school functions and local club meetings. Boaters visiting the area can also rent a dock slip directly from the restaurant on a first-come, first-served basis, with power, water, and a shore bathroom with a shower included, an option worth knowing about for anyone exploring the bayou by water and wanting a restaurant tied right to the dock during a longer Emerald Coast stay.

Hours run Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The restaurant markets itself as family and military friendly and regularly hosts business meetings and larger groups, so visitors planning anything beyond a simple dinner for two should call ahead at 850-500-1234 to confirm space. With Southern hospitality as the stated goal and a location built around direct water access, The Wharf 850 works equally well for a casual lunch, a sunset dinner, or a full private event during a Niceville visit.

Historic Bayshore Drive runs along Boggy Bayou, which feeds into Choctawhatchee Bay, and the street is one of the oldest waterfront addresses in Niceville, giving The Wharf 850 a setting with more local history than the newer shopping-center restaurants elsewhere in town. Visitors staying along the beach in Destin or Fort Walton Beach can reach it with a short inland drive, making it a worthwhile stop for a Sunday brunch on the water or a sunset dinner away from the busier beachfront strip. Because the ownership also runs Big Red Cafe in Destin, travelers who enjoy the food here may want to look for that sister spot on the beach side of the drive during the same trip.