One of the reasons we enjoy the Orange Beach/Gulf Shores area is not only because of the beautiful beaches and because there is so much to do in the area but also because there are so many excellent restaurants. Many of the restaurants we’ve visited before and have written about in our post Sixty Seven Days of Good Eatin’ from last year. Some of the same restaurants appear below but there are a few new ones.

Duck’s Diner, Gulf Shores
When we first arrived, for some reason, I was on a Shrimp ‘n Grits bandwagon. Since I had had the Creole Shrimp & Grit Cakes at Duck’s Diner the previous winter, I was anxious for a repeat performance. They describe their Creole Shrimp & Grit Cakes dish as follows: “Grilled shrimp over fried grit cakes infused with gouda cheese, topped with chopped grilled tomatoes and smothered with our homemade Creole sauce. Served with garlic toast.” Oh, my, just as yummy as I remembered them!

Note they have two locations, one in Orange Beach and one in Gulf Shores. We’ve been to both locations and prefer their Orange Beach location.

The Ugly Diner, Gulf Shores
Once known as The Diner, this restaurant moved to a new location not far from its original location and was renamed to The Ugly Diner. On our first visit there, I thought I would try their Shrimp & Grits but we were too late (they don’t serve this after 10:45 a.m.) so instead two Reuben Sandwiches ($14) with fries, please. Wow, awesome sandwiches!

We did return on another day at an earlier time so we could try the Shrimp & Grits ($15). Delish but I think we both preferred the dish at Duck’s Diner.

Mile Marker 158, Orange Beach
We so enjoyed the atmosphere and the reasonable lunch specials at this restaurant during the previous winter, a return visit was a must do. The lunch special prices had increased from $10 to $12 but that was still a good deal. I had the potato crusted flounder served with green beans while Rob had their Monday Meatloaf Special served with Gouda mashed potatoes, green beans and mushroom gravy. Both meals were excellent!

We returned a second time with Jim and Julie. No surprise – it was a repeat performance of the potato crusted flounder for both of us!

Doc’s Seafood Shack, Orange Beach (2 locations)
Over the years, we’ve chuckled each time we’ve seen the outside sign at Doc’s Seafood Shack advertising that they have the “Best Fried Shrimp in the Entire Civilized World”. Hmmm, I wonder who on their staff has traveled the entire civilized world and tasted fried shrimp in every restaurant! Well, this year at the invite of our friends, Betsy and Nancy, we decided to try it. Guess we weren’t convinced that the shrimp was that good – we both had their fried oysters (six for $16.99). Really good!

However on our next visit, we ordered their fried shrimp (six shrimp for $13.99). Wow, maybe it is the best fried shrimp, not sure if in the universe but at least in the area! What’s kind of cool is that at each table, there are individual containers of prepared horseradish, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and a lemon wedge so customers can mix their own cocktail sauce, making it as mild or spicy as they want.

During our stay, we returned several times to the Canal Road location as well as the Perdido Beach Boulevard location. Although the Perdido Beach location is a little nicer than the Canal Road location, the menu and prices are the same at both locations. During a visit at the Perdido Beach location, we added a cup of gumbo to our fried shrimp order. Delish!

DeSoto’s Kitchen, Gulf Shores
The last time we had been to this restaurant was in 2012 – we remembered the food was good! So after a walk along the beach, we decided to give it a try. It was busy but after a short wait we were directed to the upstairs where we were quickly seated. From their lunch special menu, we both chose the Blackened Catfish ($11.50) with two sides. Although the food was good, not sure we would race back there again, primarily because there were too many other restaurants that were better.

Moe’s Original Barbeque, Foley

Our friends, Jim and Julie, wanted to meet us for lunch. Since they were going to the Farmer’s Market, they suggested that we meet at the nearby Moe’s Original Barbeque. Order at the counter but when the food is ready, it is delivered to your table. Since Jim had been there before, he suggested the Fried Catfish sandwich ($9.25) which was very good.

Cobalt The Restaurant, Orange Beach
Oh, my! This was a new find! Even though we had passed by it many times, we had never stopped there. Wonderful atmosphere and delicious food! On our first visit there, I had (surprise, surprise) the Gulf Shrimp & Grits ($14), described as a half dozen large Gulf shrimp skewered, chargrilled, and topped with Cajun cream sauce and served over buttermilk pepper jack cheese grits. Rob ordered the Pecan Fried Catfish ($14.50), which was Alabama farm-raised filet over tasso ham, sweet corn and black-eyed pea succotash drizzled with dill tartar.

We returned a second time with Stu and Cindy. This place is now at the top of our favorites list!

Kitty’s Kafe, Gulf Shores

Over the years, we’ve been to this restaurant numerous times. It’s a very popular place so we had a brief wait for a table. Service and food is always good. For me it was my usual breakfast – Kitty’s Kristo Sandwich with bacon ($10.99) while Rob had the Kountry Breakfast ($13.99) served with a country fried pork chop, two eggs, potatoes, and biscuits and gravy. Lotsa food!

Galway Irish Public House, Gulf Shores

We had driven by this restaurant many times over the years but had never stopped here to eat. When we discovered that it had a 4.7 rating on Google with good reviews, we decided to give it a try for lunch. We both ordered from the Lunch Special menu – I had the Beer Battered Fish Sandwich ($13.51) which was beer battered Atlantic Cod topped with malt vinegar creamy slaw and pickles served with house chips. Delicious but very messy! Rob had the Meat Loaf special ($13.51) served with mashed potatoes, green beans and brown bread. Definitely thought we would return again but never made it back.00

Peg Leg Pete’s, Pensacola, FL

No trip to Foley is complete without an excursion to Peg Leg Pete’s restaurant and this past winter was no exception. It takes over an hour to get there but it’s well worth the drive. When we arrived, we had a little bit of a wait which allowed us to work up an appetite. Once seated, we ordered the Oysters Lafitte ($13.99), oysters topped with finely chopped jalapeños mixed with bacon, cheddar cheese, and spices. Yum! For our entrees, we ordered Fried Shrimp ($13.99) and an Oyster Basket ($16.99) which we split. Delish! Though the fried shrimp wasn’t as good as Doc’s Seafood Shack!

We did eat at a few other places but either we weren’t particularly impressed so didn’t want to include the place in this list or they were typical standard restaurants (i.e. Five Guys).

After all this eating, perhaps we need to go on a diet??