I’m not a person with a particular interest in food and primarily eat a vegetarian/vegan-based diet preparing most of my meals in the van.
The most beautiful in the world is, of course, the world itself.
Eat Like You're On Vacation
However, I value experiences and, wandering the way I do, many restaurants and bars with unique fare are available to explore.
Eating out includes a little preparation because I look for unusual places – the name, aesthetics of the building or a particular dish, unique perhaps. Bottom line – if it strikes my curiosity, I must go in.
Favorite Dining Spots During This Trip
Eating out is a popular national pastime. We joined in this activity, deciding to eat the local cuisine at least once each day while exploring the Gulf Islands (me with an intention to try something at every restaurant I wouldn’t usually order).
There were many choices on the trip, but sticking to the terms set forth for our experience, the following are our top 5 dining spots during this trip.
Feasting at Gulf Shores
The Pink Pony Pub and the Hang Out were our top picks, special mention for the Bywater Beachside Bar & Grill located on the Gulf Shore State Park Pier.
Pink Pony Pub Arriving in Gulf Shores late in the afternoon, we wanted to watch our first sunset while eating dinner. The Pink Pony Pub is located right on the Gulf Shores beach, making it the perfect choice for our first meal along the seashore.
Sitting outside on picnic tables, we enjoyed our first meal decked with a gorgeous sunset. Kari had the grilled grouper basket and a local brew, and me? I enjoyed the best-baked lump crab cakes ever!
That night, as we toasted our trip, we knew the food would be fun and delicious.
The Hang Out During our flight of restaurants on our trip, The Hang Out was my personal favorite. More than just great food and drinks – there’s also plenty of fun. The ambiance is just how I like it too – eclectic with lots of curiosities to look at on the walls and ceiling – there’s even a wish wall! This open-air locality offers excellent food and even live entertainment on the beach during the tourist season.
Earlier in the day, we determined we’d like to eat cold boiled crab legs as our meal experience, so each ordered a half-pound of cold, Alaskan snow crab legs served with melted butter and a side of mac ‘n cheese.
I have to explain that eating what I call food with a face is challenging. But, with a “when in Rome” mentality, I forged ahead.
Needing a bit of instruction from Kari on eating these curious creatures, the adventure proved to be delicious and a lot of fun.
Bywater Beachside Bar & Grill Famous for its views of the Gulf of Mexico, the Bywater Beachside Bar & Grill was the perfect spot to catch our last sunset at Gulf Shores, AL.
Unfortunately for us, because we had traveled here at the very end of the season, our dining experience would not include the fresh seafood they typically serve. Instead, we had pizza while we waited for the sun to set.
Sampling Pensacola Beach
Crabs We Got ‘Em We chose Crabs On The Beach partly for the name but primarily for their outdoor seating at the beachs’ edge to watch the Blue Angels practice.
The menu was enormous, and everything looked delicious. Kari chose the Mahi Mahi sandwich basket, but the only thing that struck my fancy was a homemade slice of Key Lime Pie!
Crabs on the Beach also has a unique interior, walls laden with unusual artifacts to examine and an on-site store for soulful souvenirs.
Flounders Chowder House This meal would be our last on our trip. We were both tired and getting a bit hangry for our day of exploring. The Blue Angels event would be the next day, and people were pouring onto the island in anticipation.
Even though it was early evening, restaurants were already presenting with long wait times. We had looked at Flounders Chowder House as a possible place to eat a couple of times. We chose them this time because their immediate seating also proved to be a truly excellent dining experience.
And, as it happens, Flounders is a sister restaurant to Crabs On The Beach.
Looking ahead of time via a google search, we knew they had sushi for me, and Kari wanted to try the Chowder – both of our meals were excellent. Our waiter Brian not only provided excellent service, but we also learned he had a terrific sense of humor as he shared beach stories with us during his meal checks.
Typically, this restaurant is open-air on the backside. Tonight, however, the weather was windy and brisk, so the floor-to-ceiling windows had been closed. Grateful for the wind block, watching the birds who got caught inside begging for food was entertaining and disturbing.
Dining Van Style
Traveling the way that I do, I log more miles and have more physical experiences than dining ones. One of my favorite ways to prepare and eat a meal while wandering is to find a beautiful view, open the sliding door and start cooking.
On this trip, we ate out but also prepared many meals and snacks in the van. One of our favorites happened to be the breakfast we prepared one morning after walking the beach at sunrise.
We were first to arrive at the public lot and sidled up as close as possible to the beach. A glorious morning already, the warmth drifting in with the salt breeze was made even more delightful by migrating monarch butterflies – 100’s of them! Flying around the van, they would land on the screen or sometimes us as we sat, enjoying our first morning together.
The van menu on that morning was eggs, bacon and toast for her and a fantastic honey-walnut pancake for me. Kari brought her coffee maker along, and it moaned with profound exhaustion as we used it that morning – as if saying, “I want to be on vacation too.”
We enjoyed preparing meals or warming up leftovers from our restaurant visits during these days together. An exceptional time indeed.
End Of The Road
Summing up, you will find 1000’s of restaurants and bars on the Gulf Islands and I believe, being a good wanderer means remaining open to new experiences.
Please share below a food you’ve tried while on vacation – one that you would never eat at home.
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Kirsti Out Wandering aspires to illustrate well-being in mind, body & spirit, giving unconditional love to self and others, and pursuing all of the wild possibilities life serves up while living full-time from a sprinter van.
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