The Grand Marlin
The Grand Marlin things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
Plan your stay
Posts
First things first, if you’re looking for a quality meal, this place has some of the best food I’ve ever eaten. The night we went was for our 11th Anniversary. Our reservation was at 7:30 and we requested to be seated outside if weather permitted to view the water, however, it was incredibly windy due to a storm coming in the next day so we opted to stay inside the restaurant to be seated. I was hoping they would seat us somewhere nice inside since they were aware of our anniversary based on the reservation and we specifically requested a nice view even if we weren’t able to be seated outside, but they gave us a choice of either sitting outside as we requested, exposed to the incredibly high wind, or a table seated inside. We obviously chose inside but the restaurant is incredibly loud. You have to raise your voice to hear over the noise of the place. Hoping to avoid the loudness of the main dining room, we chose to be seated in what we hoped was a quieter area near the gift shop. Nope. They literally sat us in the bar where we were looking at people’s backs as they watched the games on tv. Not exactly the most romantic seating. I thought they’d at least try to seat us at a window overlooking the water but no. We were literally in the noisiest, least scenic seats in the restaurant. It was fairly disappointing. So much so that we just wanted to get our food and eat as quickly as possible to get out of there. We’d planned on having a nice dinner with drinks and dessert, but we just ordered a salad and our entree’s so we could eat as quickly as possible to leave. Now, the meal was DELICIOUS. My husband ordered the filet and I had the lobster tails. They were both cooked and seasoned to perfection and it came out fairly quickly. I’ve eaten here in the past and gotten the grouper and wasn’t too thrilled with it several years ago, but whoever is in their kitchen these days is knocking it out of the park. The Boursin grits that my perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned lobster tails sat atop complimented them beautifully! My husbands filet was also cooked to perfection and he said it was one of the best cooked steaks he’s ever had. Highest marks on the food. We would have stayed to try the dessert and after dinner drinks, but with the seating we had and as loud as it was we were just ready to leave, which is unfortunate because a nice meal should be enjoyed slowly and leisurely and should be an experience. This…was NOT an experience that I wanted to draw out, but again, the food was phenomenal! I would recommend this place if you’re out to drink and be seen, but not for a nice romantic dining experience. At least it wasn’t for us. Skip this place if you’re looking for an intimate or romantic vibe. If you want somewhere where you can talk, slowly enjoy your meal, and has the vibe where you want the meal to last and truly get to savor each course, this isn’t your place. This is more chaotic, hip bar vibes with a really nice menu.
JanuckeryJanuckery
00
This was my first time here. My daughter treated me for mother's Day. We Visited on a Saturday early afternoon and had to wait a bit but not too long. It's very nice inside and there is also a large seating area outside. Both have views of the Bay. My daughter ordered the oyster Rockefeller app and I ordered lettuce wedge with blue cheese. There was scallions and bacon on it according to the menu. I asked if I could have it with no bacon and the waitress assured that I could. When the wedge arrived it was covered with dressing that had bacon pieces in it. I pointed this out and the waitress was accommodating and said she would bring one back without bacon. I cannot eat bacon unless it is nitrate free as I get very bad migraines from nitrates. The waitress came back and apologized and said it could not be ordered without bacon as the bacon was in the blue cheese dressing. I asked if there was blue cheese dressing without bacon and she said that there wasn't but she brought back the wedge with Caesar dressing on the side and that worked out. There was a lot of blue cheese crumbles and it was very tasty. My daughters app of oysters was not as good as usual she said as she has ordered them on other occasions. She ordered the red snapper and I ordered fried shrimp that came with coleslaw and french fries for entrees. We we're both satisfied. The shrimp had a light coating on it and had a good flavor. I'm not sure if you can substitute another side for the fries but I definitely would if I could have as the fries were plentiful but limp with no flavor. The side of coleslaw made up for it as it was delicious. Possibly the best I've had. I was treated to dessert as well I ordered key lime pie and she ordered like a cake with fruit on it I don't remember the name. We split them both and they were definitely the highlight of the dinner. Yum yum yum!
Nana GmaNana Gma
00
It was our first time coming to TGM and it was to celebrate my partners birthday. We had a reservation and the hostess was super nice and mentioned a happy birthday so we were off to good start. For drinks he ordered a bushwacker and i ordered the Strawberry Mango mojito. My mojito was missing the alcohol, it tasted like fruit juice with sprite.. The bushwacker was okay. Our server took the drink menu and never offered another drink to us. The server Alex, didn't check on us often, he would just walk up to the table and give thumbs up and walk off before we could mention anything and checked on us 3 times during the meal. We got our appetizer promptly - a half order of oysters rockefeller which were decently good. We waited for our food for 45 minutes (which was understandable since everyone around us kept sending their plates back). For the dinner he ordered the Halibut and I ordered the Ribeye. The Halibut was overcooked and lacked seasoning, overall the entire dish really needed help from the sauce to the rice that was slightly crunchy, my partner ended up squeezing lemon from his water over the dish to salvage it. The Ribeye was inedible due to how bad the cut was, im not sure this was really a ribeye either. Every bite I took I had to spit out gristle as this was probably the worst cut I've seen. My greenbeans were fantastic though at least. When the server came back I had my entire plate of food still since the steak was inedible. The server asked me if I wanted a to go box after seeing how full my plate was and when I said no, he took my plate away quickly without asking. So I didn't get to finish my sides and he didn't ask about how the meal was seemingly to avoid the topic that was obviously at hand. And to top off this terrible dinner service, the server forgot about my partners birthday and did not offer to bring him his birthday dessert. Overall 2/10 would not recommend.
Shelby RobertsShelby Roberts
00
We recently had the opportunity to dine at The Grand Marlin of Pensacola Beach, Florida, and what an incredible experience it was. From the moment we walked in, the welcoming crew showed undivided attention to every client. Arriving early for our reservation gave us the chance to roam around and visit the gift shop, which offers a discount if you have a reservation. On time, Maddi escorted us to our table, which had an astonishing view. The night was alive with music, and the atmosphere was vibrant even on a Tuesday night. Our server, Danielle, was exceptionally attentive and knowledgeable. Her professionalism and pleasant demeanor were evident throughout the evening. She recommended the BBQ and Rockefeller oysters as starters, and we ordered both. They were hands down the best and biggest oysters I have ever tasted. The smoky flavor of the BBQ oysters and the creamy deliciousness of the Rockefeller oysters were a match made in seafood heaven. Next, we tried the crispy Lobster Fingers, which were perfectly tender and lightly breaded. On Tuesdays, they offer half-price wine bottles with two entrees, so we paired our meal with a BTL Hecht & Bannier Rosé, which was a perfect match. For our entrées, we ordered the Ahi Poke, Wasabi Yellowfin Tuna, and Swordfish Oreganata. Each dish came with phenomenal dipping sauces that added an extra layer of flavor to every bite. The tuna, prepared sushi-style, was incredibly fresh and required little to no cooking due to its generous size. The seafood was incredibly fresh and cooked to perfection—it literally melted in our mouths. Overall, The Grand Marlin of Pensacola Beach exceeded all of our expectations. The impeccable service from Danielle, along with the delicious food, made for a memorable dining experience that I can't wait to repeat. Highly recommended!
The Maldonado’sThe Maldonado’s
00
Didn’t love it but didn’t hate it; definitely wasn’t blown away by it. My husband and I were there to celebrate our wedding anniversary. For starters, our server seemed really distracted and didn’t give us much of his time. He explained to us that the kitchen was backed up so we should get our orders in sooner than later. It took about 20 minutes to get water on the table. It was a very complicated process. The bottle water was brought out, then 10 minutes later the glasses were brought out. It took another 10 minutes to get our bottle of champagne ($95). The appetizer came out fairly quickly but I don’t recommend it. We had the sautéed crab claws and the dish looked sloppy. There were more chives on the dish than anything else and everything tasted like butter and garlic. No worries, our server brought out the fried version which was slightly better. Our entrees were pretty good. I had the chef’s feature of the night (swordfish, broccolini, and potatoes) and my husband had the red snapper dish. Everything tasted good. Again, wasn’t blown away by it but didn’t hate it. Dessert was good when we finally got to it; no complaints there. In total we spent over $500 at this restaurant for minimal service and subpar dishes. Our server only seemed interested in us after we ordered an ounce of Louis XIII (about $150 for the ounce). Until then, he wasn’t interested in why we were there, if we’ve been there before, or if we’re enjoying the area. He didn’t comp one of our deserts after he found out it was our anniversary. I wouldn’t recommend this place for the service and price. We had far better service at Pedro’s Mexican restaurant for a fraction of the price.
Cara S.Cara S.
00
Overpriced and definitely not worth it. Had reservations at 8, was not seated until after 830 ( why have reservations then?) There were at least 5 staff members hanging around talking while place was emptying out. So couldn't say they were too busy or understaffed. Waited even longer for our food. Didn't start eating until 930 so kids started falling asleep hungry. Salmon was dry and unappetizing, paid almost $30 for that. Crab bucatini was overly salty and lacked flavor and pretty much pasta with salty tomato sauce, can barely see crab, the crispy brussel sprouts were a huge disappointment. If you do it right you're supposed to broil, not deep fry to the point where it's burned and bitter then charge $14 for it. Calamari was very sour and more banana peppers fries than actual calamari. For a place that charges over $40 per entree I expect a lot more flavor, better presentation and service. I wouldn't be happy with this food at half what they charge but would wt least let it slide due to location. Only went because friend gave great review but even she was extremely disappointed this time. Gave an additional star because server was nice and extremely apologetic and comped our drinks. Perhaps they can get away with running a business like this because there aren't many restaurants around to compete but if money is getting tight in this economy, you can just support a small mom and pop restaurant or buy your own fresh seafood to cook and still taste 10 times better at a fraction of cost. I get most businesses are trying to cut corners during this time.. but it's unforgivable to cut corners and raise prices and offer poor service.
Truc MaiTruc Mai
00
Nearby Attractions Of The Grand Marlin
Bob Sikes fishing bridge

Bob Sikes fishing bridge
3.7
(9)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of The Grand Marlin
Laguna's Beach Bar + Grill
The Shaka Bar
Cumaru Craft & Cocktail Bar
Fat Tuesday Pensacola
The Squeeze at the beach

Laguna's Beach Bar + Grill
4.5
(505)Click for details

The Shaka Bar
4.9
(53)Click for details

Cumaru Craft & Cocktail Bar
4.6
(14)Click for details

Fat Tuesday Pensacola
4.3
(13)Click for details
Basic Info
Address
400 Pensacola Beach Blvd, Pensacola Beach, FL 32561
Map
Phone
(850) 677-9153
Call
Website
thegrandmarlin.com
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.6
(1.9K reviews)
Ratings & Description
Description
Elegant, clubby waterfront destination with a raw bar serves refined, area-sourced seafood dishes.
attractions: Bob Sikes fishing bridge, restaurants: Laguna's Beach Bar + Grill, The Shaka Bar, Cumaru Craft & Cocktail Bar, Fat Tuesday Pensacola, The Squeeze at the beach

- Please manually select your location for better experience