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About
The Gulf is a uniquely designed restaurant serving locally inspired food and beverages in a relaxing and beautiful waterfront setting. Enjoy a delicious fried grouper sandwich, a cocktail and a view of the Gulf of Mexico!
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
CUISINES
American, Bar, Seafood
FEATURES
Takeout, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Live Music
Reviews (232)
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228 results
Traveler rating
109
63
28
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11
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LanguageEnglish
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Traveler rating
109
63
28
17
11
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All reviews burger fries swordfish chicken tenders salad order food okaloosa island walk up gulf bay atmosphere
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Reviewed 6 days ago via mobile

Not really impressed. The food was overpriced and our server looked confused when I asked him for ketchup. Needless to say, I never got the ketchup. I will not go back.More

Date of visit: March 2023
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Manager, Owner at The Gulf Okaloosa Island, responded to this reviewResponded 3 days ago

Thank you for your honest review Katie. As a team we aim to bring the freshest locally sourced dishes to each table along with providing top quality guest service. We sincerely apologize that we did not meet those expectations. Please reach out to me at...More

Reviewed December 29, 2022 via mobile

The fish was fresh and tasty. I highly recommend the Swordfish Reuben. It wasn’t much to look at but the taste blew me away. My wife like her catch of the day, blackened flounder. Nice casual atmosphere with friendly staff.More

Date of visit: December 2022
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Manager, Owner at The Gulf Okaloosa Island, responded to this reviewResponded December 30, 2022

Thank you for your 5 star review Sam. We are extremely pleased to know that you enjoyed your time with us here at The Gulf. Our food is the best on the island as it is locally sourced. We truly look forward to providing another...More

Reviewed December 29, 2022 via mobile

The restaurant has a very relaxing atmosphere and their gift shop has plenty of funny souvenirs. We were helped by Heidy.More

Date of visit: December 2022
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Manager, Owner at The Gulf Okaloosa Island, responded to this reviewResponded December 30, 2022

Thank you for your 5 star review Kayla. We truly value your feedback and are thrilled to hear that you took advantage of all the amazing items offered at our gift shop. Our team always strives to provide excellent customer service. We hope to see...More

Reviewed November 30, 2022

100% the best attentive bartenders and the girl in the gift shop with orange hair hailey? can't remember her name exactly but she was nice! Vida makes the best best bloody marys!!!More

Date of visit: November 2022
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Manager, Owner at The Gulf Okaloosa Island, responded to this reviewResponded December 20, 2022

We appreciate the 5 star review and are very pleased to know you enjoyed our amazing drinks here at The Gulf. Our team strives to provide excellent customer service and always treat our guests like family. We will be sure to share your feedback with...More

Reviewed October 27, 2022

Great place to have a drink although a little chilly but the ambiance makes up for it. Went into their gift shop but Heidy was sweet enough to let us know their card system was down regardless we will be back for some goodies before...we leave. All the love to the Gulf ❤️More

Date of visit: October 2022
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Reviewed September 23, 2022 via mobile

The wife and I had lunch here today. It was so much better than yesterdays. The service was fast, the burgers were very good and the beers were cold and the price wasn’t too shabby. If we were staying longer we would probably stop by...again before leaving. It was that good.More

Date of visit: September 2022
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Manager, Owner at The Gulf Okaloosa Island, responded to this reviewResponded October 18, 2022

Thank you so much for the 5 stars! We are glad you had a wonderful time, and we hope to see you again soon!

Reviewed September 16, 2022 via mobile

Great concept! Walk up and order food, servers deliver! Food quality and variety was good! Love the outdoor seating and waterfront setting!

Date of visit: September 2022
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Manager, Owner at The Gulf Okaloosa Island, responded to this reviewResponded October 18, 2022

Thank you so much for the 5 stars! We hope to see you again soon!

Reviewed August 12, 2022 via mobile

Perfect place to watch the Okaloosa island sunset. Great outdoor area to sit out and eat dinner. Food is great. Great cuban sandwich. Good service.

Date of visit: August 2022
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Manager, Owner at The Gulf Okaloosa Island, responded to this reviewResponded October 18, 2022

Thank you so much for the review! We hope to see you again soon!

Reviewed July 31, 2022

The shrimp tacos and burgers were excellent. The drinks were good. The view was amazing. We will definitely return.

Date of visit: July 2022
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Manager, Owner at The Gulf Okaloosa Island, responded to this reviewResponded October 18, 2022

Thank you so much for the review! We hope to see you again soon!

Reviewed July 20, 2022 via mobile

Beautiful outdoor eating and the food was amazing. We ordered the shrimp tacos and mahi tacos and fried chicken sandwich. All super fresh and delicious! Would go back for sure

Date of visit: July 2022
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Manager, Owner at The Gulf Okaloosa Island, responded to this reviewResponded October 18, 2022

Thank you so much for the 5 stars! We look forward to seeing you next time!

Reviewed July 14, 2022 via mobile

We all got grouper sandwiches. It was not Grouper. We have been here previously and we did get grouper. Can’t fool locals.

Date of visit: July 2022
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Reviewed June 14, 2022 via mobile

Initial service was friendly -- you place your order at the counter, they give you a pager, you go sit down and they are supposed to find you based on that pager. We asked if we could sit upstairs in the air conditioning. They said...yes so that's where we went. It looked like they were prepping for a private event, but they assured us we could be up there. Lots of folks in "the Gulf" tshirts walking around. No one makes eye contact or asks us if we need anything -- clearly not their job. I finally catch the eye of the oldest person I see and clarify that they will bring us our order when ready. 30 minutes goes by and still no food. We go downstairs and first are told they're working on it, then they admit that they cleared the order without making it. No offer as to why. They quickly make/remake our order and bring it up, along with free frozen cheesecake for 4 -- there were 5 of us. The food was fine but not anything special.More

Date of visit: June 2022
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Reviewed June 4, 2022

We had dinner there with 3 kids and 3 adults and spent over $100. The atmosphere and location are great. You sit right along the bay and watch boats go by from the outside tables. The food however was disappointing. My wife had the $8...burger which she said was good the the rest not so much. I had the po boy shrimp sandwich which was large but the shrimp were room temperature and not at all crispy. My daughter had the chicken sandwich which was just so so. One kid had grilled cheese which was okay but the two with chicken tenders didn't like them. None of them even finished their fries. I also ordered the loaded french fries for $8. I expected more than two layers of soft fries (not crispy at all) with a bit of cheese and bacon bits. The restaurant is unique and the view is great but don't go expecting great food.More

Date of visit: June 2022
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Reviewed March 27, 2022 via mobile

So their food is just average. Their atmosphere is really cool! Beware, they told my daughter that has an allergy to gluten that they had no gluten free options. She read a review before coming that stated they were very accommodating. When my husband confronted...them, they still said they had no options. Then the younger guy came back and said actually the salad is GF bro. Then he came back and said the shrimp is too bro. At least he was better than the other younger crew that made no effort. We only came back for a birthday. Treat locals better and we may want to come back.More

Date of visit: March 2022
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Ryan S, General Manager at The Gulf Okaloosa Island, responded to this reviewResponded March 30, 2022

Troy, I apologize for the experience that you had here at the GULF OI. It appears are staff definitely needs more information relating to allergy options, I thank you for this feedback so that we could address it immediately. We definitely do our best to...More

Reviewed March 15, 2022

It's like a food stand next to the water. You stand in line to place your order then find a place outside to sit, then they bring the food to you. The food wasn't bad but it was nothing to write home about and the...cost was high especially for portion sizes and taste. We will chose something else next time.More

Date of visit: March 2022
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Manager, Owner at The Gulf Okaloosa Island, responded to this reviewResponded March 25, 2022

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, 75kimberlys. We hope you give us another opportunity to show you a 5-star dining experience.

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Questions & Answers
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APRILH565
March 26, 2019|
AnswerShow all 4 answers
Response from Regina G | Reviewed this property |
There is indoor seating in the upstairs space. Sometimes it is rented out for events, but most days it is open.
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THE GULF OKALOOSA ISLAND, Fort Walton Beach - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about The Gulf Okaloosa Island

Yes, The Gulf Okaloosa Island offers takeout services.

The Gulf Okaloosa Island is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travelers:
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 4
  • Value: 3.5