Pensacola's most underrated restaurants: Nine not-new places that should be on your radar

It’s no secret that Pensacola’s food scene is thriving with new restaurants and food trucks surfacing on every corner.

But sometimes it’s the restaurants you drive by all the time on your morning commute that may be hiding in plain sight among the cities best.

Here are nine “new-to-you” restaurants we think are some of the most underrated restaurants in Pensacola.

Siam Thai Restaurant, 6403 N. Ninth Ave.

Nestled behind a Shell gas station on Ninth Avenue, the restaurant transports you to the streets of Thailand through the smell of curry simmering wafting from the kitchen. The restaurant is inspired by the owner’s great-grandmother who owned and operated a restaurant in Northern Thailand in 1955, and the recipes span four generations.

The restaurant prides itself in the details, such as using real ingredients like lemongrass, galangal root and kaffir lime leaves that make all the difference when it comes to flavor. The crispy Thai spring rolls are the perfect starter while your meal is made to order, which you can dip in a sweet and sour plum sauce. The main courses are brought in artistic dishes, like the signature stir-fried basil, panang curry and sticky rice with mango to top it off. Dining in gives you the full experience, however, it’s just as good as a take-out staple.

Buenos Dias Cafe, 911 Gulf Breeze Parkway

This daytime café opened up an untapped market in Pensacola, which is the traditional Mexican breakfast. Though it’s not too difficult to find a delicious burrito or quesadilla in Pensacola, breakfast staples like the creamy chicken chipotle chilaquiles, which are fried corn tortilla pieces cooked with salsa and topped with queso fresco, crema, red onion and cilantro, are a little harder to find.

The daytime café, operated under the same owners as next-door Taco Rock, specialize in the hard-to-find treats such as molletes, open faced sandwiches with melted cheese and refried black beans, or an assorted sweet bread basket. Some of the other menu standouts include the chorizo breakfast tacos mixed with egg, cheese and pico de gallo, and the specialty café de Olla, brewed in a pot with piloncillo (cane sugar) and cinnamon.

Four Seasons Catering & Eatery, 212 Palafox Place

Four Seasons is not the first place you think of when it comes to a homemade weekday lunch, but once you pop in, it will make you want to chuck your packed lunch out the window. The restaurants offers a variety of daily specials like chardonnay chicken, homemade lasagna and chicken and sausage jambalaya that are about $11 a meal.

The restaurant shines as an affordable option for homemade lunches, like the “Famous Southern Fried Chicken” with two home-cooked side and a roll, blackened Gulf grouper and zucchini pappardelle and brisket sandwich with blueberry barbecue. The restaurant provides a homemade, Southern cooking feel that is a sweet release, even if only for a lunch break.

Tacos EL Fluffy, 707 N. Pace Blvd.

Jodanny "Geo" Zlaya opened Tacos El Fluffy in February, beaming with pride over his family’s homemade tortillas and his mother’s famous tamales. After finishing his term with the U.S. Navy and planting roots in Pensacola, he felt it was time to take a leap and start a restaurant and pursue his passion for cooking.

Now months after opening, Zlaya is already making a name for himself as a Pensacola staple for Mexican cuisine, particularly for his made-from-scratch tamales. Everything on the menu is made fresh, even the homemade juices, like the creamy horchata, sweet tamarind, tart and tangy hibiscus and hydrating cucumber lime.

In & Out Kitchen, 8084 N. Davis Highway

Not to be confused with the popular West Coast burger joint, this In & Out is a Mediterranean grill that dominates the scene for Middle Eastern cooking on North Davis Highway. The restaurant is decorated simply inside, and each meal packs flavor at an affordable price. The charcoal grilled flavor shines in the chicken kabobs, chargrilled steak wrap, and gyro platter served over a bed of rice and a Greek salad. Don’t skip on the baklava for dessert.

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CJ'S Kitchen & Grille, 2100 W. Garden St.

In a world where brunch is all-the rage with bottomless mimosas and $20 french toast, CJ’s is an old-school gem where the coffee is flowing and the regulars not only fill the booths, but also the art on the walls. Although the menu is simple in nature, it has subtle touches that take it over the top, like the Gambino’s New Orleans French Bread that serves as the base of the diner’s French toast, or the signature CJ’s Napoleon that is made with a puff pastry layered with scrambled eggs and andouille sausage, topped with homemade Hollandaise and served with homemade hash browns.

If you’re looking for a place to strike up a conversation with the table next to you or have a hearty country fried steak to fuel your day, CJ’s is a blast from the past in all the right ways.

Fisherman's Corner, 13486 Perdido Key Drive

Hiding under the Theo Baars Bridge, Creole meets fresh catch for seafood platters that will have you licking the plate. Although the outside looks like a shack, inside customers are greeted by candlelight, flowers on the white tables and wine being poured by the glass.  The fish dinner, served grilled, blackened or fried, never misses, and the sides don’t disappoint. With Cajun macaroni and cheese with a slight kick, freshly sauteed seasonal vegetables, crispy fried okra, and tender baked potatoes served after 5 p.m. – you can’t go wrong.

Maple Forest Cafe, 4455 Mobile Hwy.

If the winter season was a physical place, it would be Maple Forest Café. When you walk into the café, it is more like walking into a cabin in Vermont, with real Vermont maple syrup being the star of the café’s signature drinks. The café connects its décor into the owners’ homeland of Vermont, which is known for its “green rolling mountains, radiant fall foliage, granite quarries and snow skiing,” in addition to the famous maple syrup, according to the cafe's website. On the days it's warmer outside, you may find yourself opting for a cool maple “creemee” or ice cream cone. Come for the cozy environment and stay for the brick oven pizza made fresh in house. It’s hard to beat the daily lunch special, which includes an 8-inch personal brick oven pizza with up to three toppings and a fountain drink for about $10.

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Butch’s Bistro & BBQ, 13118 Sorrento Road

Perfect for those visiting Pensacola’s Perdido Key side, Butch’s Bistro & BBQ meets all the characteristics of a good hole in the wall. With an unassuming orange sign on the outside, and a “seat yourself” counter service on the inside, Butch’s treats you to tender house-made brisket sandwiches, juicy greens and the tallest lemon meringue pie you’ve ever seen. The black-and-white checkered tile floors are a blast to the past, you pop the top off a glass soda and sit at one of the picnic-styled checkered tablecloths. The place provides Perdido with the perfect neighborhood hangout to sample comfort foods from all over, including Cajun boudin balls, Canadian style poutine, Cuban sandwiches and Texas Roadhouse Angus butter burgers.

Have a lead on a new restaurant in Escambia or Santa Rosa County? Send your tips to Brittany Misencik at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola's most underrated restaurants: Nine restaurants to stop for