Great Southern Cafe

Had a great dinner! The calamari was great. The steak and shrimp were excellent, fresh green beans. Only small negative were the mashed potatoes were a little gluey.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5

Everything is fantastic

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

First time having breakfast here. It was really good. Great service

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Awesome place to have breakfast! Cool brisk morning with friendly fast service and great food!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We had such a wonderful meal at The Great Southern! I ordered the shrimp and grits, which were absolutely fantastic — creamy, flavorful, and perfectly cooked with just the right amount of spice. My friends ordered a salad topped with salmon, a fried chicken sandwich, and a grilled chicken sandwich, and everyone loved their meals.

The fried okra was easily some of the best we’ve ever had — crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and seasoned perfectly. We started our meal with their beignets, which were light, fluffy, and the perfect sweet ending.

The atmosphere was lively yet relaxed, and the service was friendly and attentive without being rushed. It’s easy to see why this place is so popular — every dish felt fresh and thoughtfully made.

Highly recommend The Great Southern Café for anyone visiting Seaside or looking for a delicious Southern-inspired meal done right!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I was very disappointed tonight. We have a place in PCB and we were looking forward to eating there. The last time was great and memorable. Tonight the food was terrible. My wife’s fish was not good and the grits were cold. We asked for a heater and they couldn’t figure how to get a heater to us without dropping the umbrella onto our food. The server couldn’t understand why I didn’t want the dust from the day dumped on our food. I hate we lost what could have been a great experience.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 2

Great Goddess, their grits are good!! The eggs Benedict as well. Everything, actually, is divinely delicious. Best sit down breakfast I've had. Go and eat there!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Grits a Ya Ya, Beignets, Grits, Gouda Cheese Grits

Phenomenal food and service — but management completely missed the mark tonight.

My family and I have dined at The Great Southern Cafe countless times, and it’s always been one of my absolute favorites in Seaside — consistently delicious food, excellent cocktails, and warm, friendly service. Our server, Mark, was wonderful and great to speak to.

However, tonight’s experience was unfortunately marred by the manager on duty, Alexa. Our group was seated in the screened patio area, which had a large gas heater pointed directly at our table. It was already a mild 62°F evening, and the heat was overwhelming — several of us began feeling symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat rash on exposed skin.

We politely asked multiple times (no less than four) for the heater to be turned off or redirected, but were repeatedly ignored. When we finally spoke to Alexa directly, she curtly refused, saying that “other parties wanted it on,” despite our clear distress. Her tone was rude and dismissive, and it was clear the staff didn’t feel empowered to intervene on our behalf.

We were eventually moved outside — reluctantly — with zero apology from management. The icing on the cake? When we later passed back through the same area, the heater had been turned off after another guest complained.

This was a huge disappointment from a restaurant that usually sets the bar for a good meal on 30A. The food remains incredible, and the staff (aside from management) deserves every bit of praise. But Alexa’s attitude and disregard for guest comfort were inexcusable and reflected poorly on what is otherwise one of Seaside’s best spots.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 5

5 of us for lunch. 10 minute wait. We were seated at a 6 top, so plenty of room to eat and converse. Rovel was our server and he was awesome. Very friendly and regularly checked to see if we needed anything. We started with fresh shucked oysters- AWESOME. Ordered 2 oyster po-boys, and 2 Carson chicken sandwiches with greens, Okra, fried green tomatoes and sweet potatoe fries. Everything was delicious! Key lime pie for dessert- WooHoo! It's been a few years since we've eaten at Great Southern. We'll be back sooner! Great job Rovel!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Our dinner experience was nothing short from spectacular. The atmosphere was very relaxing, staff and servers were friendly and professional who knows about the food and very passionate in explaining in detail. Our food was just soo good. We will definitely come back here next time were in Destin, FL.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food here was some of the best we had in the area!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Fantastic! The waiter was very knowledgeable and helped us choose a great meal.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great fried shrimp platter! We were in a smaller area of the restaurant and it was a little loud

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great place for great food in the heart of Seaside on 30A!
Shrimp Yaya abd Grouper Yaya are my two favorites. Seafood over cheese grits with gravy!
My friends had the same or a 14 oz Ribeye steak, burgers or chicken sandwiches. The coleslaw slaw is a good side, but the best is their hand cut sweet potato fries.
YUM!
Great service and typical 30A prices.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Always good food and good service! Can accommodate large parties. Go to place in seaside

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5