Elbow Room, O'Zone and more: 8 of Pensacola's most unique restaurants that ooze atmosphere
When it comes to eating out, good food is an obvious must but good atmosphere can be just as important.
Pensacola has a ton of great establishments, but there are some that stick out a bit more than others because of the atmosphere they create throughout the dining experience.
Keep reading to find places you can enjoy great atmosphere and food.
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Elbow Room
Where: 2213 W. Cervantes St.
Elbow Room is a pub, but it’s also just a great hangout spot. On the menu, you’ll find an excellent choice of pub food and cheap beer, but these are complementary to the atmosphere, not the main draw.
Instead, take a second and look around. Admire the old-school Star Trek memorabilia adorning the walls, the shelves of well-played board games and the Dolly Parton pinball machine in the corner of the room. Finally, bask in the glory of the red-hued lights that flood the room.
Maple Forest Cafe
Where: 4455 Mobile Highway
The idea behind Maple Forest Café is described as a simple one: Bring part of Vermont to Pensacola. How did the owners manage to pull it off? By bringing products in from Vermont, incorporating Vermont maple syrup into the menu and decking the whole place out in a style reminiscent of the state’s radiant fall foliage.
Inside, you’ll find trees adorned with fall leaves. Some of the high-top seating is around the trees while some of the more leisurely spots have them planted against the wall.
The menu has brick-oven pizza, hot and cold drinks, "creemee" soft serve ice cream, smoothies, sandwiches and more.
Scenic 90 Café
Where: 701 Scenic Highway
Just driving by Scenic 90 Café is enough to pique anyone’s interest. It’s a diner café built to look like an old, 1950s-style diner. It sports a stainless steel body with glass bricks, neon blue and red trim and tons of reflective surfaces. The imitation doesn’t stop there, though.
Inside, you’ll find old bar-style seating where you can order the soup, sandwich or special of the day. The floor is checkered and the bar seating throughout the rest of the restaurant maintains the same retro seats found at the main bar.
The Nest
Where: 11 Palafox Place, Suite C
Walking into The Nest is like walking into a Pinterest picture. Everything looks clean, cozy and well-designed. Check out their website to see for yourself. They’ve somehow managed to maintain the site design throughout the restaurant, too.
The Nest is a sister company to Bluejay’s Bakery that focuses on local ingredients and goods. Its full name describes it as a general store, but it’s more of a café that serves coffee, breakfast and lunch — all of which is fantastic. The menu focuses on seasonal ingredients, so you’ll find rotating items. The coffee is provided by world-renowned roaster Black and White. Even the sweeteners are made in house using quality ingredients.
The place is small, but it makes maximum use of its size by offering bar seating, table seating, outside seating and a couch and chairs if you’re just meeting friends for coffee.
El Asador
Where: 7955 N. Davis Highway
Atmosphere is an open-ended concept, and if there is anything more renowned about El Asador than its tacos, it’s its location. It’s often described to new converts as “that place behind the gas station.” While technically the truth, it robs the taco truck of its charm.
Walking into El Asador’s covered dining area, you’re greeted by Hispanic music, foreign languages and diverse people. This illustrates a rare, carved-out bastion of culture that exudes good food and good vibes. The perfect cherry-on-the-top experience as you devour three to six of the best-tasting tacos you’ll probably ever have.
Dharma Blue
Where: 300 S. Alcaniz St.
Dharma Blue might be one of the most romantic spots for a dinner date. It’s small, cozy and intimate. For dinner, the lights dim and a faux candlelight dinner ensues.
The eatery's outside is a great spot to gather in fantastic views of Pensacola’s historic district as the restaurant sits on the corner of East Government and Alcaniz streets. This means it overlooks Seville Square, Hub Stacey’s and the surrounding historic homes.
The building itself is located inside the historic Smith House, which is over 100 years old and adds to its charm.
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McGuire’s Irish Pub
Where: 600 E. Gregory St.
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McGuire’s Irish Pub is probably Pensacola’s most famous restaurant, and definitely its most famous Irish pub. Established in 1977 as a small neighborhood pub, it relocated in 1982 to its current location that sports a New York Irish Saloon aesthetic and seats 615 people. That sounds like a lot until you’re putting your name down Friday night for an hourlong wait.
As soon as you walk inside, you’ll understand that the pub’s aesthetic is as much a part of its identity as its food and craft beer. The first thing anyone notices is the money stapled on every crevice, nook and cranny. According to the restaurant, customers have stapled about $1 million dollars worth of $1 bills.
There are several seating areas inside McGuire’s but the main area that features a stuffed moose head, which is customary to kiss, and live music during the evenings. Occasionally, bagpipers will come through and play, too.
O'Zone Pizza Pub
Where: 1010 N. 12th Ave., #111
O'Zone Pizza Pub is located inside the old Sacred Heart building, currently known as Tower East. The building first opened in September 1915 and looks like it came straight out of a horror film, which is obviously part of the experience of eating at O'Zone.
Throughout the years, there have been multiple paranormal claims from patrons. Some say that the apparition of a nurse can be seen, others have reportedly heard children and music playing. However, the jury is out on whether or not the building is truly haunted.
Reardless, O'Zone is a great pizza "haunt" that offers some spectacular specialty pies, craft beer and more. The Ponderosa Stomp is a local favorite, consisting of a cheddar cheese blend, special barbecue sauce, barbecue chicken, bacon, green peppers, diced green onions and drizzled with honey on top. And as the menu suggests, don't skip over the cream cheese and jalapenos.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Unique Pensacola restaurants that ooze great atmosphere — and food
