The Dock — Restaurant in Florida

Wow! Where to begin? I'm going to recommend instructions for visiting "The Dock". If it's a perfect sort of beach day you should do yourself a favor and not miss the spectical of this location. The traffic can get reeeeeeeeally heavy in this area. A designated driver, cab or Uber is always a smart idea but should strongly be considered when visiting here. The reason I bring this up is for many reasons. I'll proceed. #1. You'll notice the beach around you driving there and in the parking lot but don't go beach front yet! Instead, go into the entrance of The Dock. It has a rustic sea village country kind of charm and is kind of dimly lit at first. As you walk around the corner though what you're exposed to should probably stain your memory forever in the best way. This awesome spot opens right out onto the beach and it's stunning. One reason it's stunning to me is many beach grills/bars have a little distance or look from up high down onto a beach. Those are great too but this feels different. It has a large open air bar flat on the beach that makes your view something straight out of a Corona commercial or certainly a post card. I can see why tourists and locals alike visit this location, it's hard to get more smack dab in the middle of it all! If lyrics like "for me it's a beach bar" by Kenny Chesney mean anything to you, then this place should deliver. Like I mentioned earlier, if it's the perfect kind of beach day, you are not going to want to leave. Remember that designated driver I mentioned? This location will lure you in like a siren. Surrender. It's OK. Life is good. Which leads me to.... #2. They boast the best 'Bushwacker' in Pensacola (our city's official drink) That's a bold claim. And they deliver! They don't boast the best tasting hurricane drinks in town but should consider it because their formula tasted just fantastic. #3 It's almost comical to talk about the cleanliness here! Beautiful quartz silt sand from our gorgeous beaches here is scattered all the way across the floor here and there and makes it all the way up to the inside bar. The staff does a great job trying to make it look as nice as possible but I've got to say that when it comes to battling mother nature when you are this exposed to it...... I know that any custodial artists will be tested for sure. But this just adds to the charm. I mean, c'mon, you're that into the beach lifestyle that the beach seems to be reclamating the bar itself! You may even see garbage cans fill up quickly because.... #4. This is a people watching place supreme. On that perfect sort of day this beach is more alive than that of any of the 80's finest spring break moments caught on celluloid! Thank God 🙏 places still exist like this on planet Earth. Anyway.... People come in, out, onto the beach, back in from the beach, they are everywhere and that's the way this place is. Music thumping, drink special, eye candy, people watching, beach living kind of place that you may want to freeze time and get stuck in forever! If you're single theres going to be a lot of folks to meet and look at. If you're a couple your going to love it also. Lots of couples too! This place has a lot of magic. Not to be missed. You can even play pinball while glancing over at the waves. If you are at a nearby hotel make sure to walk over and have a great time there. I haven't even had a chance to see live music there yet. Must really get crazy. Gotta check that out one of these nights! It also looks like they have great food there at great prices I haven't even tried yet. So much to take in and do there. When it's off season or when there's not that many people you're going to wonder how you have such an amazing place to yourself. Weekdays get a little slow if you're looking for that vibe. Weekends get a little legendary! Check it out...

Last Saturday, I traveled to Pensacola Beach for a quick weekend getaway which included attending Taste of the Beach. I decided to walk the Board Walk and came across The Dock which seemed to be a good place for lunch at 11am. It was not crowded, sat at a beachside bench and immediately reviewed menu. I waited and waited but one female server walked by several times, checking on tables, but never acknowledged me. I decided after 20 minutes to leave. Walked around for a bit then decided to give The Dock another try. This time entering through the front, instead of beachside, and asked the bartender if this is a seat yourself restaurant. She said, "yes, sit at any table with menu and server will be right with you". This time, I sat at bench facing beach. The same female server walked by several times. I finally got her attention and said, "I have been seated here for a while". Her reply was "just holler at me" "and there is a festival going on down there if you are hungry!". That rude reply could have quickly prompted me to ask to speak to a manager or leave. She realized that I was not giving her the same rude energy or leaving and asked if I decided on beverage and meal. While waiting for meal, I asked the woman who sat next to me if she was familiar with this restaurant and proceeded to explain what just occurred. She said she was not defending server but she must have been having a bad day since it was an Event weekend, that best time to dine there is during the week. I did not agree with her explanation. As a matter of fact, it was not busy that early and Event weekend should be when the best service is given because it is additional revenue maker for adjacent businesses and restaurants. Server returned with order and was pleasant after the first encounter but the 'damage' was already done by her rude statements. A couple walked in from beachside, sat beside us, and that same server acknowledged them within 5 minutes by introducing herself as Miranda "I will be your server today". "What can I get you to drink?". The food tasted like frozen meal warmed up in microwave and did not match its price point. Rude server (Miranda) and mediocre food sums up first and last dining experience at The Dock. The beachside view is only reason for more...

I went there last week with a big group of people, some were tourists. We all meet up at The Dock around 9:30 and some ordered drinks and some didn't, I did not. One of the people in our group, who was the youngest of us all, ordered a vodka and Sprite. The bartender, Shawna, looks at this girl's ID and takes it across the bar to another group of men and starts making fun of this girl's age and such, all while making her drink. Everyone in our group can hear her and we're all at disbelief. As a manager myself of 10 years, I am SHOCKED this is happening, but it gets worse. Shawna hands the girl the wrong drink and keeps her ID. The girl politely told her that she asked for a vodka and Sprite and would also like her ID back. I myself heard the order placed and knew when I saw it, it was wrong. We all ignored the fact that this women was just making fun of her. Shawna looks the girl up and down. Shawna stares at her and says, "FINE, B!" At this point, the WHOLE BAR IS WATCHING. Shawna throws the drink over her shoulder going across the bar! I'm shocked! How did everything lead to her acting this way?!!? I have NEVER SEEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS! She violently grabs another plastic cup, starts pouring vodka into this cup while staring at this poor girl, and repeats over and over, "B! B! B!...." all while throwing her head from side to side and getting closer. Our entire group leaves, but not without Shawna lifting her shirt up over her head yelling, "I'M 40! I'M 40, b**!" Again, how did it lead to that? I will admit, Shawna was nice to me when I first came in, talking about how pretty I was and such. Having a conversation with her before all of this happened and based off the things she was saying to me, my thoughts were that this women has clearly been drinking. Never have I ever left a negative review, but this one was worth warning people about. If no stars were an option, that's...