For more than 50 years, the west end of Scenic Highway 30A had its own Gulf-front dining room. In September, that ended. Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club announced that Vue on 30a is permanently closed. It closed the building that began as the club's Beach Club in 1971.
So for an anniversary dinner, a visit from the in-laws, or a Tuesday when you just want to watch the water while you eat, you now have to drive east. The nearest Gulf view at dinner is a bar seat at Gulf Place. The next Gulf-front dining rooms are farther east, in Grayton, WaterColor and Seaside. Isaias closed most of the strip for a few days in October, and the places below have since been reported open again.
Why the Beach Club Building Closed
The club's own notice gives the reason. During routine maintenance, staff found conditions worth a closer look, and outside professionals were brought in. They found "water intrusion and related indoor air quality issues affecting portions of the property." The notice says those problems could be fixed, but only with "a significant financial investment and an extended timeline."
The building was already slated for replacement under the club's long-range beachfront master plan. Rather than repair it, the Board of Directors closed it permanently. 30A.com reported the announcement on September 14. It quoted Steve O'Brien, president of the club's board: "Vue has been so much more than a restaurant. It has been part of the fabric of this Club and this community for generations." WJHG's coverage described Vue as a Gulf-front fine-dining restaurant and wedding venue.
The club has not published what will replace the building, a construction schedule or a reopening date. As of this week, the club's own word is "permanently closed," and that is the plan to work with this fall.
That also explains the timing. The building closed in September, before Isaias made landfall near Destin on October 9, so the storm had nothing to do with it. With Vue already closed, the nearest Gulf-view tables to Dune Allen are the places that came back after the storm.
The Closest View Is a Bar Seat at Gulf Place
The nearest replacement is a short drive east, where County Road 393 meets 30A at Gulf Place. Shunk Gulley Oyster Bar, at 1875 S. Hwy. 393, has live music every day in a panoramic bar area with views of the white sand beach. The name comes from a fishing reef off this stretch of coast. The menu runs from Gulf oysters, seafood gumbo and crab bisque to shrimp tacos, grouper and seafood sandwiches.
This is a different kind of evening from Vue. You come for the view from the bar, plus a band and an oyster platter. It is not a white-tablecloth dinner on the sand. For a casual Gulf view close to home, though, nothing confirmed open is closer to Dune Allen.
Shunk Gulley was also one of the first places on this end of 30A to reopen after Isaias. A local post-storm roundup, citing the restaurant's Instagram, reported it reopened Sunday, October 11, at 11 a.m. Its website doesn't post seasonal hours, so call ahead on a weeknight this fall.
East From There, the Gulf-Front Dining Rooms
Past Gulf Place, the full Gulf-view dining options are in the communities between Blue Mountain Beach and Seaside. In driving order from Dune Allen:
- CHIRINGO, 63 Hotz Ave., Grayton Beach. The restaurant isn't on the beach. The upstairs has the Gulf view. Its posted hours are 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Last kitchen orders are at 9 p.m. With that 9 p.m. kitchen cutoff, plan a sunset dinner here for earlier in the evening rather than after a late start.
- Fish Out of Water, WaterColor Inn. WaterColor Resort calls it its signature Gulf-front restaurant, with Gulf seafood, seasonal coastal food, handcrafted cocktails and sunset views. It serves lunch and dinner daily. Weekend brunch runs only in peak season, March through July, plus select holiday weekends, so it isn't a regular late-October option. The WaterColor Inn reopened Tuesday, October 13, according to the post-storm roundup citing its Instagram. Call to confirm the restaurant's hours before you go.
- Bud & Alley's Roof Deck Bar, 2236 East County Road 30-A, Seaside. The restaurant is oceanfront, and the roof deck overlooks the Gulf with cocktails and light bites. Its page lists 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, but notes that hours are seasonal and asks guests to call. Downstairs, the full restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus a bar menu and a kids' menu. Bud & Alley's and its Taco Bar reopened Monday, October 12, with a limited menu, per the roundup citing the restaurant's Instagram.
Fish Out of Water describes itself as one of the 30A area's only large family-style restaurants and bars with Gulf views. For a family table with the water in front of it, the west end's closest choice is now in WaterColor.
Which Familiar Names Have the View
West 30A has plenty of well-loved restaurants, and most of them are open again. Few of the closest ones have a Gulf view, though, and it helps to know which is which before you promise guests a sunset.
| Spot | Where | Gulf view at the table | Post-Isaias reopening, as reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stinky's Fish Camp and Stinky's Bait Shack | Dune Allen | Not established | Mon., Oct. 12, 4 p.m. |
| The Perfect Pig | Gulf Place | Not established | Sun., Oct. 11, 5 p.m., regular menu |
| Shunk Gulley Oyster Bar | Gulf Place | Yes, from the panoramic bar | Sun., Oct. 11, 11 a.m. |
| Hurricane Oyster Bar | 37 Logan Lane, Grayton Beach | No Gulf view advertised | Wed., Oct. 14 |
| The Red Bar | 70 Hotz Ave., Grayton Beach | No Gulf view advertised | No dated update |
| Bud & Alley's | Seaside | Yes, oceanfront with rooftop | Mon., Oct. 12, limited menu |
For dinner in the neighborhood, Stinky's Fish Camp in Dune Allen and The Perfect Pig at Gulf Place are as close as before. The roundup reports that Stinky's reopened Monday, October 12, at 4 p.m., and that The Perfect Pig reopened the evening of Sunday, October 11, with its regular menu. In Grayton, Hurricane Oyster Bar serves lunch and dinner inspired by the Gulf Coast, the Caribbean, New Orleans and the Low Country, and its site doesn't advertise a Gulf view. 30A.com describes The Red Bar as a Grayton town-center spot with food, cocktails and live music.
All of these reopening dates come from a roundup last updated October 14, citing each business's own Instagram. By then it said most restaurants, shops and stores along 30A had reopened, and that some might keep shorter hours while staff and deliveries caught up. Two weeks later, the safest habit before a special-occasion dinner is to check the restaurant's own social accounts that afternoon.
The Other Direction, Along 98
Heading west toward Miramar Beach and Highway 98 brings another group of beach restaurants into range. Pompano Joe's Seafood House calls itself a beach restaurant serving fresh Gulf seafood with Caribbean flavor. Surf Hut describes itself as beachfront on the Gulf and serves lunch and dinner daily, with Gulf seafood, tacos, St. Louis-style barbecue and frozen drinks. Whales Tail Beach Restaurant advertises seafood with ocean views. Royal Palm Grille at Surfside Resort sits on the beach, with an outdoor deck, a beach bar and a menu of seafood, steak, sushi and oysters. None of the four has posted fall hours or a dated post-storm update on its website, so call before you make the drive.
For Dune Allen, that leaves Gulf Place as the closest Gulf view at dinner. From there it is Grayton's upstairs tables, WaterColor's family-style dining room or the Seaside roof deck until the Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club announces what will replace its beachfront building.
At Emerald Dunes Realty, we live and work on this stretch of 30A too, and we'll keep you posted on what replaces the Beach Club building once the club makes it public. If you're hosting guests this fall and want a local opinion on where to watch the sun go down, reach out and we'll share the places we're booking ourselves.
