Emerald Waterfront Bar and Grill — Restaurant in Navarre

Disappointing Ending to an Otherwise Great Vacation at Emerald Waterfront Bar and Grill

Our family visited Emerald Waterfront Bar and Grill on June 28th—our final night in Navarre Beach, Florida—based on a strong recommendation. What should’ve been a memorable fine-dining experience became the only negative moment of our trip, casting a shadow over an otherwise fantastic vacation.

Valet & Arrival We pulled up to the valet and waited five minutes before anyone acknowledged us. When I asked what was happening, the attendant said he was parking another car—while a woman strolled in with two dogs. For a restaurant charging fine-dining prices, a single valet on a Saturday night is unacceptable, especially when guests arrive with pets.

Service Breakdown Once inside, our first server promptly seated us but then “cut” off shift, handing us to Aaron. He started strong—taking drink and appetizer orders—but quickly became overextended. Our salads arrived well before the appetizer, and when the fried mushrooms finally came, the portion could’ve fed six. Delicious, but poorly timed.

Aaron’s attention then vanished. We asked for iced-tea refills and received warm tea with almost no ice. When I requested extra ice, he chuckled, “Hot tea melts ice,” then dumped a glass of ice in the middle of the table and walked off. At a $300+ bill, customers shouldn’t have to refill their own glasses—or tip 20% for subpar service.

After an hour with no entrees, I asked if our food was coming. Aaron argued about our wait time and gave a “go to hell” glare before admitting there was a problem with the prime rib—our reason for choosing Emerald. It was the wrong temperature, and we’d been left in the dark until I demanded an update.

Manager Absence I requested a manager and waited ten minutes without a response. Finally, I searched the floor myself. When the manager arrived, she apologized and offered to comp our meal or box it up for us. At that point, I just wanted to leave—eating a $300 dinner in a to-go container at my hotel wasn’t appealing. She refused to let me pay for what we had consumed, which I appreciate, but it didn’t salvage our ruined evening.

Overall Impression Emerald Waterfront Bar and Grill seems to have an identity crisis: promising fine dining but operating like a casual bar & grill. Servers in green T-shirts and yoga pants, a lone valet, no floor manager—none of it aligns with a $300–$500 dining experience. Ironically, the food we received—the bread, mushrooms, even the tea—was excellent. The kitchen clearly has talent; front-of-house service undermines it completely.

I cannot recommend Emerald Waterfront Bar and Grill to anyone expecting true fine dining. Great food means little when service is unprofessional, management is absent, and operations feel disorganized. A luxury car without wheels looks impressive—but won’t get...

Visitors on vacay- happy we endured the first 10 minutes and stuck it out because the food was delicious!!! My understanding is that the restaurant opened last year sometime, so likely still tweaking some things, but overall we’d go again. I’ll give a detailed critique because as a business owner, I want to hear the feedback and do better.

We were a party of 6. Vibes were iffy at first. The parking lot was full and no direction as to where to park, so we parked on the grass just off the road as we saw that others had done. Apparently that was okay. We were unsure of the environment and expectation on dress code. It is definitely a ‘let’s dress nice and get dinner’ kind of place. We had been at the beach and were dressed casual, so we felt pretty certain that’s why we were low key shunned and put outside on the deck in the blazing sun. Yes, there were plenty of open tables inside and in the covered outdoor area. It was apparent that the staff was a little scattered- maybe overwhelmed, but they were being rockstars!! (Especially when dealing with this big ole’ guy in his flip flops and straw hat as he flexed being all Bobby Bada*s telling the stressed hostesses “I’m calling Tommy” because he wasn’t getting his way as he demanded Bruce be his sever and that he be seated in a certain space. Annoying.) We were told we would be under an umbrella, but the girl sat us at a table with no umbrella (frazzled), which doesn’t really matter late afternoon- early evening because the sun is setting and the umbrellas don’t block it. We asked to move over a table and that was fine. The outdoor high top white chairs are big enough for a child’s behind and uncomfortable as can be for any average adult. We almost left after the first 10 minutes or so, but we held out. After the sun went down, the outdoor vibes were chill with a breeze of the bay waters and a guy started playing music. Someone needs to take a stroll along the rocks aside the deck and clean up all the rubbish that has washed up. The ice water was okay tasting which is important in the area as we had experienced terrible tasting water at another restaurant the night or two before. They were pretty timely with service but some of our plates had started to cool before being brought to us. I’m convinced that any food you order will have great taste, but expect smaller portion sizes as with most ‘higher end’ places. Tip is auto added with 6 or more and for us we paid right around $300 for 5 adult and 1 child meals, 3 sodas, a glass of wine, and an appetizer. All in all, I’d...

My husband and I are in town this weekend visiting my in-laws. Every time we come, we make it a point to go out for lunch or dinner. Today, we went back to a place that has changed owners in the last 6 months. Being that it was breezy, we opted to sit outside on the terrace. We were given the option to choose our table since we went during non-peak hours and it wasn't busy. We chose a table that was over by the opening, so we could get the breeze from the outside, and also in the path of the fans that were outside to create a cross-breeze. While it was quite warm out, we were comfortable.

The food was a solid 4/5. I highly recommend the fried mozzarella, cut out of a block right in the restaurant, so it was very fresh and mighty delectable. My husband ordered the pulled-pork hamburger; my mother-in-law and I both ordered the grouper sandwich - hers was blackened with a side of cole slaw, and mine was fried with a side of fries. I will also comment that the fries were also very good - most places will say their fries are seasoned and really only add salt.

However, the highlight of our experience was the service. From the moment we were greeted by the hostess to the moment we finished our meal and walked out, not a single moment of hospitality was missed by the staff. My father-in-law has slowed and needs specific seating to feel comfortable, and the hostess escorted my mother-in-law and me out to choose where he would be most comfortable, empathetic to our needs. The wait staff was exceptional. Being that it was so warm out, I wanted to pick up my hair but didn't have any means to. I asked the gentleman waiting on a separate table for a pen so I could loop it up, and he went out to his car to get me a brand new hair tie so I would be comfortable, and it made all the difference. But the star of the afternoon was Sally, our waitress. She waited patiently while we decided on what to order and made recommendations (fried cheese chunks for the win!) based on what we liked. My husband has a severe shellfish allergy, and she was very thorough in explaining different items on the menu that he could and could not eat based on cross-contamination from the fryer. Her positive demeanor and outgoing personality made our meal such a lovely experience.

This could have just been another decent lunch in the panhandle, but it became more than that. The staff is the reason why writing a review was not just something we could do but something I felt...