Great location! Lucas, our waiter, was extremely helpful with drink and entree options. Everything was excellent!
Wendy
We will definitely be back! The service was great and the chef personally comes out to meet every customer. The focaccia bread is amazing!!! We had the chef special grouper and loved every bite! Most certain that we are coming back this week!
Doreen
First time there...great dining experience! Pip (waiter) was great. Food was excellent! Will be back next time we are in town.
Gregory
We had a trainee server, she and her trainer were great. We really liked the meal, wife and her mother had filet mignon, I had the pork chop. The food was really good, the service was better.
Kevin
Went there tonight for the first time and had a great experience! The meal was awesome. Got the Redfish special-truly a Pensacola thing! The chef, Luis, came out to our table just to get our feedback. Wow! What a treat. The sunset was amazing. The moon rising was amazing. The entire night was incredible. Will definitely go back.
Keith
Great experience. Melissa was really attentive and on top of her game. The grouper special was amazing...we were very happy with Drift.
Dennis MayeaUX
Early diier at the bar on a Nlue Sky beach day.
Parking: The restaurant is at the main public beach adjacent to the parking lot. It was a Tuesday evening so parking was easy and available.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Shrimp, Red Snapper
Heather Leslie
Server, Ray Ray, was awesome! Food was served moderately warm, and no understanding as to why/how that happened. The wrong side dish came out on my plate by a different server, but Ray Ray quickly corrected this, and overall he made the visit enjoyable!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Matt Gilmore
DRIFT is my favorite restaurant on Pensacola Beach. It's classier and more elegant than Grand Marlin, in my opinion. The food is phenomenal, drinks are on the same level, staff is attentive and friendly, and menus are easy.
The steaks are great - seasoned well, and come out at the right temperature.
Lamb lollipops, highly recommend - the garlic aioli they lay them atop is fantastic, I even asked for a side of it for the truffle fries.
The views are also so beautiful. We got a lovely sunset from the outside patio.
My only reason for 4 stars is, I believe the only way to achieve a 10/10 Old Fashioned, is if it is smoked. Bitters, whiskey and sugar just don't cut it. But it definitely would've been a 10/10 had it been smoked.
Overall, I HIGHLY recommend DRIFT.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
komfy ruling
Disappointed took my girlfriend here for valentines and made reservations and still didn’t get seated made us wait 25 minutes while seating others who have had just come in. Poor service from the host tried talking reasonable questions like when we’d be seated and was met with disrespect I wouldn’t come back until I knew staff changed. Manager was busy couldn’t speak with them which is understandable but when she told us she was rude to my girlfriend and didn’t give her any reason to be like that as a host. Don’t come if want long waits and a chance at not even being seen with a reservation..
The food was very, very good. The apps were on the small side, especially the crudo which was overwhelmed by the jalepeno sauce, but otherwise the food was lovely. Unfortunately, the service, although well intended, did not remotely reach the quality of the food. To pay that kind of money, servers should be trained to match the food quality and cost.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 2
Shannon Sloan Gallia
We ate at Drift tonight for our anniversary and it was excellent! Beautiful sunset and beautiful food. These chefs know what they are doing. They made new flavor combinations we had not experienced before and they were absolutely delicious. Mellisa also took great care of us! Will be back!
Richard Cahanin III
I would consider this an average dining experience as far as the food goes. The service was great . Our waiter, Andy did a great job. For the prices you charge for a steak it should be much better. The quality seemed a bit off and was on the dry side even thought it wa medium rare. I don’t believe your cooking process is up to par with high end steak restaurants. You need a high end broiler to do the job. Also there’s a lot you can do to elevate the basic mash potatoes. We come to Pensacola beach twice a year but I’m not sure I’ll return to Drift.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Lisa Brooks
From the moment we walked in, there was no greeting or warm welcome. Erin, the manager, approached us with, “Do you have a reservation?”—no “hello” or “welcome.” When we said we didn’t but would love to sit on the patio, she told us the patio was reserved only for those with reservations. I asked if we could at least sit by a window to enjoy the sunset, but she seated us in a corner, far from any view, even though we were the only ones in the dining room.
There were three empty tables on the patio, and since my son was visiting from 2,000 miles away on his first trip to Florida, he really wanted to sit outside. He quickly made an online reservation. When Erin came back to bring us menus, my son mentioned that we now had a reservation for the patio. Erin’s response was shockingly rude; she gave a sarcastic laugh and said, “Fine, go tell the hostess.” When we did, Erin came to the front to double-check if the reservation showed up, which of course, it did.
She could have granted our request from the start, as those tables on the patio never filled up. Instead, she seemed annoyed that my son found a way to secure a seat. When I realized she was the manager, I was shocked by her attitude. I won’t return to this place, and I’ll be sure to let others know about the poor management.
As for the food, my air fryer could make a better chicken dish—it was overcooked and dry. My son had the fish, which he said was good, but overall, the experience was disappointing.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Frank Pellerin
First time there. Great food! Great service! Our server, Melissa, was very attentive and knowledgable regarding menu items. She gave us great recommendations. We will definitely be back!
Great location! Lucas, our waiter, was extremely helpful with drink and entree options. Everything was excellent!
We will definitely be back! The service was great and the chef personally comes out to meet every customer. The focaccia bread is amazing!!! We had the chef special grouper and loved every bite! Most certain that we are coming back this week!
First time there...great dining experience! Pip (waiter) was great. Food was excellent! Will be back next time we are in town.
We had a trainee server, she and her trainer were great. We really liked the meal, wife and her mother had filet mignon, I had the pork chop. The food was really good, the service was better.
Went there tonight for the first time and had a great experience! The meal was awesome. Got the Redfish special-truly a Pensacola thing! The chef, Luis, came out to our table just to get our feedback. Wow! What a treat. The sunset was amazing. The moon rising was amazing. The entire night was incredible. Will definitely go back.
Great experience. Melissa was really attentive and on top of her game. The grouper special was amazing...we were very happy with Drift.
Early diier at the bar on a Nlue Sky beach day.
Parking: The restaurant is at the main public beach adjacent to the parking lot. It was a Tuesday evening so parking was easy and available.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Shrimp, Red Snapper
Server, Ray Ray, was awesome! Food was served moderately warm, and no understanding as to why/how that happened. The wrong side dish came out on my plate by a different server, but Ray Ray quickly corrected this, and overall he made the visit enjoyable!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
DRIFT is my favorite restaurant on Pensacola Beach. It's classier and more elegant than Grand Marlin, in my opinion. The food is phenomenal, drinks are on the same level, staff is attentive and friendly, and menus are easy.
The steaks are great - seasoned well, and come out at the right temperature.
Lamb lollipops, highly recommend - the garlic aioli they lay them atop is fantastic, I even asked for a side of it for the truffle fries.
The views are also so beautiful. We got a lovely sunset from the outside patio.
My only reason for 4 stars is, I believe the only way to achieve a 10/10 Old Fashioned, is if it is smoked. Bitters, whiskey and sugar just don't cut it. But it definitely would've been a 10/10 had it been smoked.
Overall, I HIGHLY recommend DRIFT.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Disappointed took my girlfriend here for valentines and made reservations and still didn’t get seated made us wait 25 minutes while seating others who have had just come in. Poor service from the host tried talking reasonable questions like when we’d be seated and was met with disrespect I wouldn’t come back until I knew staff changed. Manager was busy couldn’t speak with them which is understandable but when she told us she was rude to my girlfriend and didn’t give her any reason to be like that as a host. Don’t come if want long waits and a chance at not even being seen with a reservation..
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
The food was very, very good. The apps were on the small side, especially the crudo which was overwhelmed by the jalepeno sauce, but otherwise the food was lovely. Unfortunately, the service, although well intended, did not remotely reach the quality of the food. To pay that kind of money, servers should be trained to match the food quality and cost.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 2
We ate at Drift tonight for our anniversary and it was excellent! Beautiful sunset and beautiful food. These chefs know what they are doing. They made new flavor combinations we had not experienced before and they were absolutely delicious. Mellisa also took great care of us! Will be back!
I would consider this an average dining experience as far as the food goes. The service was great . Our waiter, Andy did a great job. For the prices you charge for a steak it should be much better. The quality seemed a bit off and was on the dry side even thought it wa medium rare. I don’t believe your cooking process is up to par with high end steak restaurants. You need a high end broiler to do the job. Also there’s a lot you can do to elevate the basic mash potatoes. We come to Pensacola beach twice a year but I’m not sure I’ll return to Drift.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
From the moment we walked in, there was no greeting or warm welcome. Erin, the manager, approached us with, “Do you have a reservation?”—no “hello” or “welcome.” When we said we didn’t but would love to sit on the patio, she told us the patio was reserved only for those with reservations. I asked if we could at least sit by a window to enjoy the sunset, but she seated us in a corner, far from any view, even though we were the only ones in the dining room.
There were three empty tables on the patio, and since my son was visiting from 2,000 miles away on his first trip to Florida, he really wanted to sit outside. He quickly made an online reservation. When Erin came back to bring us menus, my son mentioned that we now had a reservation for the patio. Erin’s response was shockingly rude; she gave a sarcastic laugh and said, “Fine, go tell the hostess.” When we did, Erin came to the front to double-check if the reservation showed up, which of course, it did.
She could have granted our request from the start, as those tables on the patio never filled up. Instead, she seemed annoyed that my son found a way to secure a seat. When I realized she was the manager, I was shocked by her attitude. I won’t return to this place, and I’ll be sure to let others know about the poor management.
As for the food, my air fryer could make a better chicken dish—it was overcooked and dry. My son had the fish, which he said was good, but overall, the experience was disappointing.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
First time there. Great food! Great service! Our server, Melissa, was very attentive and knowledgable regarding menu items. She gave us great recommendations. We will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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