What's New in South Walton for Fall 2019

New Restaurant Openings and Renovations:

Coastal Coffee Bar is a mobile craft coffee bar available for weddings and private events. The company’s motto is “coffee for all life’s celebrations.”

• Website: coastalcoffeebarco.com

Cocina Cubana is one of the newest restaurants in Seaside. From bowls and Cuban sandwiches to coffee and croquets, grab a taste of Cuba while visiting South Walton.  

• Website: facebook.com/cocinacubana30a/
• Address: 2236 E. Co. Hwy. 30A, Seaside

PJ’s Pasta, Pizza and Ice Cream is located in Miramar Beach and serves up a variety of tasty treats. From salads and pizzas to sandwiches and ice cream, there’s no shortage of options to choose.

• Website: pjsppc.com/
• Address: 140859 US Hwy. 98, Miramar Beach

Frozen Dune Rolled Ice Cream & Coffee is now open in Miramar Beach. The house specialty is the Thai-inspired fried ice cream, where you can mix in a variety of toppings to customize your own sweet treat.

• Website: facebook.com/frozenduneicecream/
• Address: 2052 Scenic Gulf Drive; Unit 103, Miramar Beach

Goatfeathers at 30Avenue is the newest restaurant to open its doors at 30Avenue in Inlet Beach. The seafood market and café will feature daily specials, plenty of fresh seafood and a variety of beers, wine and breads to accompany your take home options.

• Website: goatfeathers30avenue.com
• Address: 12805 Hwy. 98 East; Suite O101, Inlet Beach

La Loba’s Bakery and Café in Blue Mountain Beach is under new ownership, as it was recently purchased by Kyle Swift, owner of Swiftly Catered, and Dallin Harris, former owner of Barbacoa Mexican Grill. The new owners plan to expand the menu, make improvements to the outside seating area, and create a new vibe for the space.

• Website: lalobasbakery.com
• Address: 2217 W. Co. Hwy. 30A, Blue Mountain Beach

Havana Beach Bar & Grill has rolled out new lunch and dinner menus. The Pearl Hotel’s hallmark AAA Four-Diamond restaurant will now feature menus that provide a distinct sense of place, incorporating ingredients sourced locally from small, family-owned purveyors within 100 miles of the restaurant. Must-try standouts include classic Southern comfort dishes, like Coastal Seafood Fritters and Local Caught Grouper, and creations with a Latin twist, such as the Three Little Pigs pork sampler and Hemingway’s Mariscos (a mouth-watering array of local fish, mussels, clams and shrimp, served with chorizo and zucchini).

• Website: thepearlrb.com
• Address: 63 Main Street, Rosemary Beach

FOOW in WaterColor unveils an updated menu and new entertainment options. With a recently renovated dining room and now a revamped locally sourced menu, FOOW is serving up an authentic taste of the Gulf in a casual ambiance that embodies the spirit of the WaterColor community: coastal, fun, approachable and always served with impeccable service. Additionally, FOOW now offers live entertainment daily, from 6 to 9 p.m., in addition to other year-round events. A recent redesign also earned local construction company Anderson Construction the Golden Aurora Award for Best Interior Renovation (commercial) at the 2019 Southeast Building Conference.

• Website: foow30a.com
• Address: 34 Goldenrod Circle, WaterColor

The Gathering Spot’s new bowl-themed menus provide guests with the chance to try a signature entrée bowl (such as the Cobb Bowl or the Caesar Bowl), or to experiment with flavors by building their own bowl – choosing a base, vegetable, protein and sauce. Breakfast bowls (such as the Salmon Bowl) are also available, as are delicious handhelds, which include a Wagyu Burger, Smoked Wings and House-Made Soft Pretzels served with beer cheese. Keeping with the build-your-own theme, the restaurant’s cocktail menu now includes a Build-Your-Own Martini option, in addition to the restaurant’s wide selection of wines, beers and creative libations. Guests can select their choice of spirit, syrups (or purees), mixers, bitters and garnishes for a truly personalized sip.

• Website: watercolorresort.com/dining/the-gathering-spot
• Address: 34 Goldenrod Circle, WaterColor

Ji•Shi Ki•chn in Seaside is now open. The restaurant offers quick, clean and honest food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The ki•chn romanticizes exotic superfoods for breakfast and lunch — offering everything from açaí bowls or golden milk oatmeal topped with mulberries or bee pollen to fresh sushi and poké — all prepared right before your eyes. The quick-service-style dining allows you to order at one of the kiosks for a quick and healthy dining option through lunch. In the evenings, the ki•chn gets intimate with full-service dining and the addition of sultry small plates for every appetite. Ji•Shi Ki•chn brings the chefs front and center with counter seating, which is a fantastic spot to watch people and plates come and go while you sip on a glass from the extensive wine menu. Located in Seaside, Florida, on Central Square, Ji•Shi Ki•chn is your new guilt-free dining experience. Ji•Shi (pronounced jee shee in Mandarin) means quick or instant food.

• Website: jishi.kitchen/
• Address: 45 Central Square, Seaside

New Shopping Additions and Renovations:

The Silver Sands Premium Outlets continues to add new retailers to its mix. Recent additions include: Havaianas, Old Navy Outlet, Perfumes 4U, Proletics and Uniform Destination. Coming soon are Tory Burch and Haagen-Dazs.

• Website: premiumoutlets.com/outlet/silver-sands
• Address: 10562 Emerald Coast Pkwy., Miramar Beach

Thanks to a recent renovation, The WaterColor Store has expanded its collection as the brand-new Florida SweetTea Style, which features elegant lifestyle products, local jewelry designers and nationally renowned brands such as Vineyard Vines, alongside the exclusive WaterColor-branded items guests have come to know and covet. Florida SweetTea Style is now in two convenient locations, at WaterColor and at WaterSound Beach, with each store respectively carrying community-branded merchandise.

• Website: flsweetteastyle.com/
• Address: 6 WaterColor Blvd. S; #102, WaterColor

The 30-A General Store is now open at Cassine Station. The store sells sundries, flip flops, swimsuits, souvenirs, beer, wine and other goods, such as shakes and ice cream.

• Address: 43 Cassine Way; Unit 104, Seagrove

New Accommodation Updates and Renovations:

Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort has broken ground on a new boutique hotel, called Hotel Effie. The new full-service hotel will include a three-meal restaurant, a lobby bar, room service, a luxury spa, a fitness facility and a signature rooftop pool and bar. In addition to these amenities, the four-star hotel will feature over 20,000 feet of meeting space and feature a 13,000 square foot ballroom. Completion is expected in May 2020.

• Website: sandestin.com
• Address: 9300 Emerald Coast Pkwy, Sandestin

WaterColor Beach Club undergoes multi-phased expansion, welcomes new dining options. Phase one of the WaterColor Beach Club’s expansion is now complete, boasting a new main pool with expanded seating and lounge areas, a newly designed welcome reception area and the new Rita Bar. The newest culinary addition mixes things up with a variety of margaritas – on the rocks or frozen – and an expansive selection of tequila, specialty cocktails, wine and beer, in a casual rooftop lounge overlooking the pool deck. Seating is available at the bar or in outdoor cabanas. Soon, the Rita Bar will also offer Baha Mexican-inspired bites.

When the final phase of the expansion is completed (anticipated to be by end of 2019), guests will also be able to enjoy a second pool deck with additional lounge seating and a third pool with zero-entry, in addition to an enlargement of the iconic WaterColor Grill and a brand-new casual fast-dining option, aptly named Beach Cow.

• Website: watercolorresort.com/
• Address: 24 Goldenrod Circle, WaterColor

The new Camp WaterColor offers more family-friendly recreational amenities. Camp WaterColor features a Butterfly Pool with Monarch Slide, a zero-entry pool and small children’s area and slide, a lazy river, playground and basketball court, in addition to the brand-new The Canteen Restaurant & Bar. The Canteen offers easy, breezy favorites in a walk-up counter or self-ordering kiosk setting, complete with snacks, drinks, handheld bites and ice-cream sandwiches from Deep South Freeze. Tropical frozen drinks, specialty cocktails and canned wine and beer are available at The Canteen Bar.

• Website: watercolorresort.com/amenities/recreation
• Address: 205 Spartina Circle, WaterColor

Other Updates and Additions:

Emerald Coast Luxury Transportation continues to expand, having seen its fleet grow almost 100 percent in the past two years to include a limobus, a shuttle bus, executive 14 passenger vans, a luxury Lincoln Navigator, a luxury Cadillac Escalade and a brand new super stretch Lincoln limousine.

• Website: emeraldcoastluxurytransportation.com
• Address: Grand Boulevard, Miramar Beach

SunQuest Cruises has released its holiday group packages, which offer a variety of options and rates to make your upcoming holiday party or family gathering a truly unique experience aboard the Solaris Yacht.

• Website: sunquestcruises.com
• Address: 9300 U.S. Hwy. 98, Sandestin