Boathouse Oyster Bar sits on the Destin Harbor at 288 Harbor Blvd, opens at 11 every day of the week, and stays open late. It has been a harbor fixture for more than 30 years on the strength of three things: oysters shucked to order, Ms Wanda’s gumbo, and live music every single day. The official motto is “Shuck Me, Suck Me, Eat Me Raw,” which tells you most of what you need to know about the tone of the place.
Quick Facts
- Address: 288 Harbor Blvd, Destin, FL 32541
- Phone: (850) 837-3645
- Hours: 11 to late, seven days a week
- On the harbor since: More than 30 years
- Known for: Raw and chargrilled oysters, award winning gumbo, live music daily
- Dozen raw oysters: $24, shucked to order, dine in only
- Beer: Coors Light $3, Miller Lite $5, Michelob $5
- Family: Kids menu available
The Gumbo Has a Name Attached to It
Ms Wanda’s gumbo is the single most ordered thing on the menu and the reason a lot of people first walked in. A bowl runs $15 and comes loaded with shrimp and crab claws. It also travels: gumbo goes out the door by the pint ($20), quart ($35), half gallon ($67), or full gallon ($120), which is how a surprising number of Destin holiday parties get catered.
The rest of the soul warmers list holds up too: chicken tortilla soup, Boathome chili, and a soup of the day at $13 each, or the SoupSki at $18, which is a four ounce cup of all four so you do not have to commit to anything.
Eleven Ways to Eat an Oyster
This is the part that earns the name. Raw oysters are shucked to order and dine in only, a half dozen for $14 or a dozen for $24. From there the kitchen gets busy.
- Steamed: $16 half dozen / $26 dozen
- Baked “Action”: butter, diced onion, mozzarella, bacon bits. $18 / $28
- Baked “S.O.B.”: cocktail sauce, nacho chips, cheddar, jalapenos. $18 / $28
- Chargrilled “Moes”: garlic butter, dill, parmesan, bacon bits. $20 / $30
- Chargrilled “Shell Shocker”: sriracha, garlic butter, parmesan, jalapeno. $20 / $30
- Redneck Rockefeller: garlic butter, collard greens, parmesan, panko. $20 / $30
- Greek Goddess: olive oil, feta, minced garlic. $20 / $30
- Mama Gumbo: gumbo and panko, because of course. $20 / $30
- Oishii Ollie: wasabi aioli, kimchi aioli, soy, mirin, panko. $20 / $30
If someone in your group has never eaten a raw oyster, there is a $4.50 item on the menu called Bucket List that is exactly one oyster. Oyster shooters run $8 with beer and $10 with liquor. The full menu is worth reading start to finish for the item names alone.
Order a Boat
The Slap Full Buckets are the move for a group, and they are named after the vessels tied up outside. Each one stacks snow crab clusters, peel and eat shrimp, crab claws, mussels, and raw oysters with a matching pile of sides.
- Jon Boat (serves 1 to 2): $130
- Pontoon (serves 3 to 4): $260
- Charter Boat (serves 5 to 7): $390
- Boathome (serves 8 to 10): $520
If seafood is not the assignment, the kitchen also turns out shrimp and grits with Conecuh sausage ($32), sesame crusted tuna wasabi ($34), a flat iron steak and shrimp dinner ($52), and Ultimate Nachos that feed six to eight for $40.
The Slacker Series
Boathouse runs one of the strangest and most beloved event calendars on the Emerald Coast, and most of it raises money for local causes. The Slacker Series is the backbone: a 0.5K where competitors walk up a hill and back while stopping to shoot oysters and eat donut holes, a Turkey Trot version in the fall, Slacker Olympics, Bar Wars for service industry teams, and a beef jerky competition with a name the family newspapers will not print. Slacker event tickets run $30 in advance and $35 at the door, or $175 for an annual pass that covers all seven and includes a Slacker Club membership with 10 percent off food and VIP drink discounts.
Beneficiaries over the years have included Road Dogg Rescue, Children in Crisis, Food For Thought Outreach, and prostate cancer research. The monthly Stock The Bark raffle sells $20 tickets for more than $500 in prizes, with proceeds going back to Road Dogg Rescue.
The best recurring deal on the harbor is Locals On The Harbor: first Friday of every month, free beer from 5 to 7pm or until the keg dies, donations accepted for the rescue. Current listings live on the events page, and the Summer Slam fishing tournament has its own.
Why It Still Works
Destin Harbor has no shortage of places with better sightlines and worse food. Boathouse has stayed full for three decades by doing the opposite: a working dock bar with a kitchen that takes oysters seriously, prices that have not lost their mind, and a house band schedule that runs seven days a week. Voted Best Oysters and Best Gumbo repeatedly over that span, and still the place locals bring visitors when they want them to see the real version of the harbor.
Go
- Address: 288 Harbor Blvd, Destin, FL 32541
- Phone: (850) 837-3645
- Email: marketing@boathouseoysterbardestin.com
- Hours: Monday through Sunday, 11 to late
- Menu: boathouseoysterbardestin.com/menu
- Events: boathouseoysterbardestin.com/events
- Web: boathouseoysterbardestin.com
Boathouse Oyster Bar FAQ
When is Boathouse Oyster Bar open? From 11 a.m. until late, seven days a week.
Where is Boathouse Oyster Bar? On the Destin Harbor at 288 Harbor Blvd.
Does Boathouse have live music? Yes, every day.
Is Boathouse Oyster Bar kid-friendly? Yes. It has a kids menu.
Planning a harbor day? See Destin’s best waterfront restaurants and Destin fishing charters.