Restaurant Iron — Restaurant in Pensacola

So if you know anything about the talk of the town in Pensacola, Iron is the stuff the legend. People will plan all year to take their significant others here for a birthday or an anniversary. Better off folks will come here multiple times per year to try out all of their well-planned menu items. You're not gonna come here and not give it five stars.

The place is just up the road from the hustle and bustle of the main Downtown Pensacola thoroughfare, away from the party animals and their debauchery, but not too far away for a post-dinner walk down to beautiful Palafox Pier. There are an intimate amount of tables inside. You don't feel crowded when you're seated, which is really nice. There's a grand view of an open kitchen where you can watch all of the chefs doing their thing.

So, funny story, I had reservations for a Tuesday night here, but the owner or manager or something called me the week prior and said that where was an issue with a gas pipe or something and that I would have to reschedule for another night that week. He said choose literally any night, any time. He was super apologetic and a really nice guy.

I'm not going to go super in depth with my menu items I had here, because you already can't get what I ordered. They change their menu out seasonally, which is the sign of a real deal restaurant. That's like something you see in a real, big city. I love that my little hometown has a place like that now. But it's also kind of a bummer, because now I have to come here literally every time I come to town.

For my app, I ordered a "PB&J" Foie Gras. A big chunk of well-seared foie gras was on my place with substantial splats of freshly ground almond butter, a strawberry jam/compote, and a fancy milk shooter to wash it all down. Grabbing a spoon and having fun building my PB&J's on the accompanying toast shards they gave me was a lot of fun, and all the flavors were delicious. I loved this.

I got to try their Catch of the Day, which was Tripletail, a hearty, flakey, not too oily fish. The kind of fish that people who don't like fish would like. It was cooked perfectly, of course. It was served with a risotto that was tasty and creamy. A little undercooked, but that's ok. There were accompaniments that I don't remember, I'm sorry. Go look at my pic and trust me that it was good.

And my main entree was a Rack of Wild Boar. Four big boar chops with an impeccable sear on their. The flavor was so, so deep and unctuous. I have a new favorite meat. It was served atop sauteed kale and a sweet potato hash. Great flavor combo here. This was a six star dish.

For dessert, I got the, get this, Nutella Icebox Pie. Wow. It's as good as you are imagining right now. The deep, rich, dense, coldness of this pie was Nutella heavy, but not too sweet. Well, maybe it was too sweet, but there were large shards of sea salt on top balancing it all out into the best dessert I've had in years. I'm not kidding.

Overall, you have to come here. I'm not kidding. I know it's a lot, but it'll be worth it. A lot of high dollar places leave you hungry afterwards with tiny portions. A lot of high dollar places put random dollops of puree on your plate and call it food. This high dollar place will have you satisfied in all ways and you'll be talking about your meal for the rest...

I have been to numerous fine dining restaurants in the past 3 years since I moved back down to the Gulf Coast, however nothing has left us speechless like the restaurant we stumbled across on Palafox Street in Pensacola , FL. Matt’s birthday called for a special celebration so I decided to make reservations online through Open Table. I added a note that let them know it was my husband’s birthday and that helped set the stage for this extraordinary experience at Restaurant Iron.

As soon as we walked in to this establishment, we were greeted by smiling faces who took us to the Chef’s Counter to eat. I did not request this, as I did not know it existed here, but we were thrilled to be able to see all of the action. We were greeted by a smiling waitress, Amber, who brought us personalized menus with a greeting of “Happy Birthday, Matt”. This simple gesture already impressed me that they took the time to personalize our evening. We started the evening out with my husband’s bucket list food item, foie gras. This was not an ordinary foie gras, it was referred to as a PBJ foei gras. The plating was spectacular but it was nothing in comparison to the taste of the almond butter, 18yr balsamic and delectable foie gras. It was complimented by milk punch which was very unusual but exceeded my taste buds expectations. As we watched the head chef check every plate that came to the front, we noticed another dish that caught our eye. Chef Alex was making a Andouille and Chicken Gumbo topped with a starch different than the typical rice. I have always thought rice was a perfect addition to Gumbo until I tasted their rendition. The gumbo was topped with a potato salad and fresh dill. I quickly told Matt that we were ordering another appetizer. This gumbo was the best gumbo I had ever tasted. I love that they thought outside of the box in this classic southern dish and added a flare to it like none other. After both the foie gras and gumbo, we decided to go ahead and order our main dish. This was a hard decision since we were able to watch so many unique plates be made in the Chef’s Counter. Matt decided on the Cheshire Farms Pork Schnitzel and I decided on the Wagyu Burger. We both were blown away by these two entrees. Typically, when I order a burger, I always say “Medium” but never has it actually come out, Medium. My burger was cooked with perfection. The burger was topped with a creamy pimento cheese and fire roasted peppers. The peppers added a nice heat to the creamy pimento cheese flavor. Matt’s Schnitzel was absolutely perfection. It was topped with Chilton County peach butter and charred hot peppers and served with German dumplings. We made sure we saved half of our entrees so that we would not overstuff and truly be able to enjoy the flavors. We had enjoyed almost two hours of this dining experience and were delightfully surprised when they brought out a nutella pie for his birthday with a pecan crust. I am not typically a pie person but this made me the number one fan. I even gave the dessert chef two thumbs up.

Matt and I had plans to continue the night in Pensacola and enjoy more of our date night, but my husband said when we left, “What can top that experience, let’s end our night remembering that...

Iron wants to be fine dining, but right now, it feels more like a dress rehearsal for a culinary concept still searching for its identity. Our evening was a mix of promising ideas, over-execution, and what felt like a heavy-handed love affair with the salt shaker.

Every dish was aggressively salted — not in a “seasoned to perfection” way, but more like the chef is trying to preserve guests from the inside out. Garnishes felt like last-minute afterthoughts, missing the mark in both flavor and presentation. Definitely not picture-worthy, which is disappointing for a place clearly aiming for visual flair.

There’s also a mysterious green sauce that makes an appearance on nearly every entrée. It’s like the chef’s security blanket — comforting for them, perhaps, but not always a welcomed addition. Repetition is not refinement.

We started with the watermelon tuna ahi appetizer — refreshing and flavorful, with the exception of the overly salted chips. One of the garnishes? Radish slices with dill. A confusing touch that added neither flavor nor appeal — more like an oddball guest who showed up uninvited.

My date’s steak was so heavily crusted with salt she had to saw through it with her knife. On the side? A molded, burnt something — starch? soufflé? culinary mystery? We weren’t brave enough to find out. I had the short ribs — tender, well-cooked, and, yes, the plate garnished with that green sauce. Also salty. And while I appreciate the South’s love for salt, this was less Southern charm and more cardiologist’s nightmare.

Dessert was an orange crème brûlée — daring in concept, disappointing in execution. Breaking through the sugar crust released a bitterness from the orange pith that overwhelmed the dish. Once past that, the custard itself was pleasant and citrusy. A tiny mint leaf unexpectedly elevated one perfect bite — but sadly, only one.

Drinks were a mixed experience. As a sober couple, we requested mocktails. The first round was inventive and refreshing, but when we asked for another, it was clear the bar had run out of ideas.

The true standout of the night was our server — warm, attentive, and sincerely invested in our experience. When we shared our feedback, they received it with grace and appreciation. That kind of hospitality goes a long way.

Final thoughts: Iron has ambition and a few good ideas. But until it learns to balance salt with subtlety and replaces overused sauces with fresh, thoughtful components, it risks staying stuck in the “almost” category of fine dining.

I didn’t take any photos of our meal — not because I forgot, but because nothing on the plates looked picture-worthy. Had I known I’d be writing such a pointed review, I definitely would have...