Capt Dave’s On the Gulf

This was a reasonable meal with ok food — not bad but I have had better seafood elsewhere in Destin.

We had a great experience last night here. The view is beautiful and the outdoor seating is absolutely peaceful. Our server, Will, was the only server for outside so he was very busy and running back and forth. But he didn’t let that ruin anyone’s experience and just powered through the rush and made sure everyone was enjoying themselves. The food was pretty good as well, so needless to say we’ll be coming back. And they’re dog friendly outside so we didn’t have to leave our pup at the hotel!

We stumbled upon this place and once inside realized we had been here before but they had replaced the floors with these beautiful hardwood. We had been here around 6 or 7 years ago and my husband remembered the food was great then too. We had a great waitress this time who made some great recommendations. We had boiled shrimp, jumbo fried shrimp, blackened mahi mahi sandwich, cole slaw, twice baked potato, hush puppies, fries, and strawberry shortcake cheesecake that was aaaaaaamazing! My husband went on and on about the shrimp, cole slaw, and mahi mahi. He doesn’t even like slaw! And he purposely did not eat all of his fish so he could save some for later. I had the jumbo fried shrimp and I’m not much on seafood and they were awesome! The hush puppies were perfect — couldn’t be better! The twice baked potato was recommended by the waitress. It’s baked then mixed with ranch seasoning then baked again with cheese on top. Yummmm! We were ready for our check and the waitress asked us about desert. She told us the options off the top of her head and we decided on the strawberry. We had NO intention of getting dessert. I’ve never had anything like it. It was 3 layers with strawberry cream on top then shortcake, then cheesecake. That topped us off. We will be returning every trip!

Walking distance from condo, on the beach, much variety on menu
I had to try the hot dang shrimp and fried crab claws! What a satisfying seafood craving experience.
Oysters were fine, but not as good as the New England varieties
All in all highly recommended

Good family spot.
Excellent view
Kid’s meals are a bit pricey.
Destin Sunset is an awesome drink.
Mahi was over cooked and had a bland flavor.

Restaurant looks newly renovated– very beautiful inside. We sat on the deck. Service was wonderful, Alex was very attentive and friendly. Bacon wrapped scallops were fabulous!!! 5 stars for those, but our entrée was fried seafood sampler and it was lack luster and could have come from a box. Not impressed by the entrée but the strawberry shortcake cheesecake saved the overall :). Very nice overall experience.

As you walk in, you are greeted with a stunning view of the ocean. The restaurant is beautiful and clean. The food is reasonably priced and fresh. I had the blackened Mahi Mahi. It was cooked to perfection with fresh cooked green beans and whipped, garlic potatoes. You can tell with the first bite that it is made from scratch and not frozen. Our server, Lisa, was awesome and knowledgable. I highly recommend dining at Captain Dave’s! It was the best meal I’ve had while vacationing in the area.

Dined here our last night in Destin, we were not disappointed! Great service and exceptional food!!! Will definitely dine here during our next visit!

My family and I have been here twice and both times have been very pleased with the food, service, and atmosphere. The view of the ocean is fabulous. It is very kid-​friendly as well. The grilled shrimp, mahi, and hush puppies are very good. We’ll be back again!

Captain Dave’s has been here in Destin for as long as I can remember, and I can remember back about 30 years. We come to Destin multiple times per year, and I always forget about Captain Dave’s… but since we live virtually next door and didn’t feel like driving out to dinner, we decided to walk over and grab some grub.
The food, relative to similar seafood restaurants in the area, is medium. It’s good, but doesn’t stand out as being top tier. This has always been a problem for me with Dave’s, and remains one, considering the prices. They are higher than average… which means that you can pay less and get as good or slightly better seafood offerings elsewhere.
I started with the «Hot Dang Shrimp» as an appetizer… which I think is the best thing they offer pre-​entre. The dish is their version of buffalo shrimp and pretty yummy. For entre, I had the «Stuffed Shrimp Parmesan.» Again, I enjoyed the dish, but balked a little at the $ 26 price tag. A little much for butter and parmesan baked atop 8 or so shrimp.
Another notable dish at the table was the «Surf & Turf.» My cousin and his wife each ordered the plate at $ 50 a piece. They enjoyed the meal, but both commented that it didn’t live up to the price. It didn’t help that a couple nights earlier, we all enjoyed fantastic steaks at McGuire’s Irish Pub for considerably less (but sans the lobster, to be fair).
Cost: For my family of 5, with two small children… we spent $ 175. Aside from food, we had two glasses of wine and two beers.
BOTTOM LINE: Good food, but overpriced. Not quite on par with the other seafood restaurants in the area.

The view is awesome !! that’s why a 3 star. We went tonight based on a recommendation from a local, the fried grouper was the best, the blackened
grouper terrible, very very salty, and our server, Will, seem not to be concerned when told. The slaw was good, bread warm, had to ask for butter. Meal ok but not for the prices, so again I saw the view was it.

Pretty good seafood-​spectacular views. Prices were on the high side (it was listed as a $ in a tourist magazine and as $$ on Unilocal– almost all entrees were between $ 20 & $ 30. They charge a $ 1 a loaf for extra bread. Service was good and the cocktails were excellent.

Really good food. We’ve eaten here a couple times and it’s never been bad. Really enjoyed the blackened Mahi Mahi and grilled shrimp. Great atmosphere, also. We had a table by the window and had a great view overlooking the beach. Great family atmosphere. A little pricey but worth the visit.

Great food, great service (Jordan B). A bit on the high side of Unilocal’s $$ range: 3 adults and one kid: $ 72 before tip. Water was our only drink. Good variety on the menu and a great view.

The view is priceless and you pay for it. The food is incredible the best shrimp ever! The portion is small and it’s pricey but it’s worth it. We also saw dolphins in the ocean as we sat and had dinner!

I had fried Gulf shrimp served with hush puppies, one side and a salad. The shrimp was big and wonderful but overpriced for the quantity received. One lady in our party had the fried shrimp and fried clam basket which had more food for half the price of my entrée. No wait, great service, nice parking and a great view of the emerald coast.

Good family spot to eat
Right on water
Recent remodeled really nice upgrades to facility

«We need a make up meal.» –My wife, after eating here.
My food tastes very much like Red Lobster. She said hers was Rice-​a-​Roni. Very oily. Ok. Not awful, but not great.

Primo location on Crystal Beach but the food is touristy and just plain mediocre.
I wouldn’t normally go to a place like this, but I didn’t have a choice! We had just gotten into Destin after a 9-​hour drive, when we checked into our rental house across the street and made a quick jaunt to check out the beach. My boyfriend’s dad was HONGRY, so he said «lets just go here» and since he was paying, we didn’t put up too much of a fight.
We were seated next to the windows overlooking the beach, which was beautiful.
My boyfriend and I shared the grilled seafood combo (mahi mahi and shrimp) and his parents got a mahi and something else (I can barely remember).
It was weird that when we asked for the mahi to be cooked medium, the waitress suggested we not get it that way. I cook my mahi at home medium, so not sure what the problem was. The fish was lightly seasoned but was cooked more than we wanted it. For $ 27, we got 4 pieces of shrimp and a couple small pieces of fish — which is way overpriced. The hush puppies were crunchy and light while the salad was run of the mill.
The service was friendly and fast.
If you’re looking for great Gulf coast seafood, go elsewhere!

The views are some of the best in Destin if you’re able to get a table by the window. They definitely try to fit as many tables along the window as they can, so getting in your chair can be a little tight.
Our food was just average but the desserts were excellent. Get the key lime pie or the strawberry shortcake cheesecake. The service was also good.
Overall, we were happy and stuffed but I would not say that it’s a destination restaurant. If it’s within walking distance to your condo, it’s a good place to walk to for dinner.