Big Easy Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Panama City Beach

The locals may love this place to get a break from the plethora of seafood and oyster bars, but as someone who has traveled the world, all around the country, and experienced true Cajun cuisine, be warned that this restaurant is NOT worth it. My husband and I visited on a Friday evening when they were not very busy. I ordered their special, grilled flounder over grits, and he ordered an alligator poboy with fries. My food was extremely salty (no other flavor), but after a seven hour road trip, I decided to eat it out of desperation and asked for hot sauce to cut the flavor. The grits were the best part about it! My husband on the other hand, his food arrived iced cold. The fries were so chilled in the middle it’s like they sit them in the fridge AFTER frying. The alligator was also cold, which we notified our waiter about and he said they would remake it all. When the remake arrived, the fries were pipping hot, but the poboy itself was still cold! How difficult is it for something that’s supposed to be “fresh out the fryer” to be hot or warm at least? It was cold to the touch so I don’t believe it was truly remade. I would have settled for them just sticking it in the microwave for hot food! My husband decided that it wasn’t worth trying again, so we decided to just send it back. So so disappointing! In addition to that, the “rolls” are just hard hoagie bread with old bay on it. The waiter actually laughed when I asked why is bread salty? The cocktail menu was subpar, you would be better off asking the bartender to make something for you directly to avoid any disappointment (or settle for a glass of wine). The best looking thing about this place was the dessert, which they have displayed at the hostess stand. I would have tried that, but the meal left a bad taste in our mouth (literally). We ended up leaving and going down the street to a Mexican restaurant & that was a 1000% better than this place which is...

Walking into Big Easy Restaurant and Bar feels like stepping across state lines into the heart of New Orleans—the idyllic version that exists in our minds. The stylistic interior erupts with an aura that is both nostalgic and transportive—warm wood finishes, 19th-century wallpaper, and delicately stenciled ceilings create a setting that feels equal parts elegant and inviting. The bar, with its sultry red lampshades, casts a glow that immediately draws you in, as if you’ve wandered into a timeless corner of the French Quarter.

The menu more than delivers on this promise of atmosphere. The meatloaf is nothing short of inspired—a masterful fusion of down-home country comfort and Cajun flair that manages to be both hearty and refined. The boom boom shrimp arrive plump, perfectly crispy, and satisfyingly flavorful, the kind of appetizer that vanishes from the table far too quickly. Service throughout is impeccable, striking the right balance of attentiveness and ease.

Big Easy doesn’t just serve food and drinks; it provides a setting that feels cozy, familiar, and somehow special enough to become a weekly ritual. It’s the kind of place where you want to linger, knowing you’ll leave happier than when you walked in.

If there’s one wish to be made, it’s for the bar to stock an apple brandy. It would be a fitting addition to their well-curated selection and open the door to a few classic cocktails that would feel right at home beneath those glowing red lampshades.

All told, Big Easy Restaurant and Bar is a gem for Panama City Beach—a destination that captures the soul of New Orleans while offering an atmosphere and dining experience worth returning to...

oh my gosh! absolutely fantastic! we started with three appetizers, the deviled eggs were amazing, the fried green tomatoes with crawfish sauce were so delicious and I loved how the tomatoes were sliced thin, the barbecue shrimp were perfect and the sauce was just like my mother used to make. my husband had the Cajun meatloaf over mashed potatoes. It had a wonderful flavor and it was a large serving. He also got the red beans and rice as the side that were very good. I had the special of the day which was a flounder and there were two pieces over Gouda cheese grits. flounder was cooked perfectly and the flavor of the cheese grits was amazing. It had a crawfish sauce on top. My dad got the boom boom shrimp appetizer as his dinner and he said they were very good and did not have a very vinegar or overly spicy sauce. we tried all the desserts and shared them at the table. The beignets were housemaid and more like a croissant, but they were very good with three types of dipping sauce. Mom and I had the crème brûlée with whipped cream on top. That was absolutely fantastic some of the best I’ve had dad had the white chocolate bread pudding and I tried it and it was absolutely delicious. Can’t say enough about the staff Casey was our waitress and she had a wonderful personality and did a great job of keeping everything flowing. The manager Fred came over no less than three times to check on us and make sure we were enjoying our food. There are other things on the menu that I can’t wait to try. We will...