Farm & Fire — Restaurant in Santa Rosa Beach

Just your typical 30A "Let's rip off the tourists" joint.

My wife, mother-in-law, and I went here for my birthday. My wife and mother-in-law ordered sushi, I ordered pizza.

Girl brings out the pizza, sets it on the table, and walks away. But there's no plates on the table, of course. Who needs plates? So I have to flag down the waitress to ask for a plate.

I guess they're trying to save on dishwashing because after not giving me a plate, the server brought out my wife and mother-in-law's sushi--separate orders, mind you--on the same plate. I am not making this up. They effectively served two people's entrees...on one plate.

And wouldn't you know it? No wasabi or ginger, which I thought is pretty much standard for any sushi order. So we had to wait for the server to come back again. Finally when she did, she brought stale, stiff wasabi. Seriously. It looked exactly like green Play Doh.

So finally I have a plate, so I figure I'll try the pizza, but I can tell straight away that it's bad because it's way undercooked--the cheese is barely melted and the vegetables aren't cooked at all. It's like they just scooped some vegetables off the salad bar and dropped them on top as they were walking the pizza out.

In the server's defense, she did take the pizza off the bill, but I didn't go to a restaurant to eat uncooked, bad food for free. I went for a dining experience for my birthday.

Then as the cherry on top of it all, this place is working the old "cash discount" scam angle where if you go to pay with a credit or debit card--which, you know, every human being in 2025 does--they charge you a surcharge and call it a "cash discount."

My wife called them on this, as it's clearly just a pad-the-price scam--I mean, seriously, I eat out in some of the finest restaurants in Houston all the time and I have NEVER been charged a credit card surcharge. Not that it's that big amount, but there's a principle here. Disclose the full cost of something UP FRONT, not after the fact.

So like I say, my wife calls them on the "cash discount" scam and the server "informs" us that it's printed on the menu. She produces a menu and lo and behold, way at the bottom in the very tiny print it says this: We offer our customers a cash price and a card price. So I told the server that next time (not there will ever be next time) but next time I'll be sure to bring my lawyer with me to help decipher the fine print.

So bottom line: Typical tourist trap scam. Overpriced, mediocre food with poor, no attention-to-detail service. I highly recommend you eat somewhere else if you want good, properly cooked food and, you know, plates...

TL/DR: The Sweet Tea Marinated Fried Chicken Sandwich is perfection. The Sweet Potato Fries are also amazing. The drinks are fun. But the views are chef’s kiss. Go at sunset!

We drove past Farm & Fire on our way to the place we were staying and were charmed by the café lighting and beach views, so we decided to give it a shot. We had a party of 7 on a Saturday night at 7:30. There was no wait and there were plenty of tables.

We haven’t dined at a restaurant since quarantine started and we still felt uneasy, but our concerns were quickly put at ease when we saw the set-up of F&F. We ordered our food and drinks inside, where the employees were wearing masks (the correct way!!) AND gloves. My only complaint would be that the drink menus weren’t posted and we had to hold them. In these times, I wish they posted them, just as they did the food menu. They give us a number and a tray, which we then leave at the next counter for them to put our drinks on.

We walked outside to find a table. (Pause to admire the view.) They have seats at the bar and seats across from the bar, with plexiglass in between. They also have tables on the patio which are closer together. However, on the sand, there are plenty of tables that are way more than 6 feet apart, which made us feel so much more comfortable about it all.

Our food came out within about 20-25 minutes of ordering, which is good with 7 people! They brought the food out as it was ready, and there was some lag time in between (the pizza came out last), but it wasn’t bad!

We got the Traditional Pizza ($15 +$2 for additional toppings), Margherita Pizza ($18 +$2 for cauliflower crust), the Classic Burger ($11.5) with a side of Smoked Gouda Cheese Grits, Mixed Green Salad with shrimp ($11 + $8), Sweet Tea Marinated Fried Chicken Sandwich ($12.5) with a side of Sweet Potato Fries, Fish Sandwich (Mahi) ($15) with a side of Sweet Potato Fries. The only thing I wouldn’t get again is the Fish Sandwich. It was average and didn’t have much flavor. Everything else was amazing. The star of the show was the Sweet Tea Marinated Fried Chicken Sandwich. The Sweet Potato Fries were also perfectly seasoned and crispy.

For drinks, we got Frosé ($10), Strawberry Lemonade ($10), F&F Margarita ($10), Rum Punchie ($11), Merlot ($9), and Props Blueberry Pilsner ($6). Everyone was happy with their drinks!

We can’t recommend this restaurant enough!! The food was great, but the views are what really blew us away. Try to go around sunset! We will...

We arrived around 6pm on a Thursday evening and, as expected in a bustling area, parking was tight. But like something out of a movie, a few people left at just the right time, and we snagged a prime spot right next to the building. (I believe there’s overflow parking across the street too — I’ve used it before for the restaurant across the way.)

From the moment we walked in, we were treated like royalty. We were warmly welcomed and seated at one of the best spots in the house — a cozy four-top by the windows with a stunning ocean view. We opted for indoor seating, but the outdoor space looked just as nice. We were lucky to be near the bar, where our serve, I believe her name was Mia or Mya. She absolutely shined. She was warm, friendly, and attentive without being overbearing.

You know how some restaurants feel like the staff is just going through the motions? Not here. From the greeter to our server, it felt like everyone genuinely cared about our experience.

While it wasn’t flawless, the minor hiccups were handled gracefully and didn’t detract from the overall experience. Our appetizer arrived with our dinner (which we didn’t mind), and the kids didn’t love their first round of drinks. Once we mentioned it, our server jumped into action and quickly brought out fresh Sprites problem solved!

Food-wise: • Kids’ Meal: My son got a burger and fries. The fries looked hand-cut or at least premium quality crispy and flavorful. He devoured his meal. • Sushi: My daughter and I split a Philly roll (a staple for us) and I let the server surprise us with three additional rolls of her choice. She chose exceptionally well. She got really excited when let her pick out food. She was up for the challenge.

One had a light lemon flavor that I never would’ve picked — but it was easily the highlight of the night. It was bright, zesty, and absolutely delicious. The other two rolls were also top-tier, just slightly edged out by that citrusy masterpiece. • Dumplings: We also shared a plate of dumplings that were perfectly cooked and packed with flavor.

I didn’t even finish my Philly roll — not because it wasn’t good, but because I was too busy savoring the amazing rolls our server selected.

In short: Excellent service Great food Warm, welcoming atmosphere Stellar view

This is exactly the kind of experience you hope for when you walk into a restaurant like this. I highly recommend Farm & Fire — and if you’re into sushi, don’t miss the one with the lemony twist. It’s...