Surfing Deer

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Surfing Deer is the real deal. From the moment we sat down, service was sharp, friendly, and on top of everything without being annoying. The food backs it up in a big way—beautifully plated and actually tastes as good as it looks. The braised short rib was fall-apart tender with rich sauce and perfectly cooked vegetables, and the duck was spot-on juicy with crispy skin and a killer pairing underneath it. Drinks were solid, the pace of the meal was smooth, and the whole place has a relaxed but polished vibe that fits 30A perfectly. This is a spot you plan to come back to, not a one-and-done vacation dinner. LED lighting doesn’t make for a good video

What an amazing place to eat. They are so friendly and accommodating to diners and their kids. A great place to go for casual or fine dining. Go later in the evening for a romantic and high end atmosphere. The food and service were impeccable. Price point definitely on the higher end but you can keep it economically depending on what you order. This plays out true in every restaurant. Surfing Deer is a goto for my family on each vacation.

My wife and I celebrated our 20 year anniversary in Seaside this year. We chose Surfing Deer for our dinner spot. The food was delicious and they made us feel seen and cared for. It was an enjoyable experience and we hope to be back in the future!

Surfing Deer is a trendy spot with great food and a good wine list. We were happy with everything we received. Every dish has its own specific spice and flavor. They also have a nice cocktail menu to go with the appetizers. The tuna was seared and spiced portably the best out of all of the places we tried it. We did the dinner family style and I fully recommend doing it that way because there is so much to try. Service was also very attentive and friendly.

This is one of my favorite restaurant experiences in the 30A area. We went here on whim. When we arrived we were greeted with valet parking. After a short wait we were seated, in a nice quiet corner outside. The food was absolutely delicious as well as the mocktails!

Excellent dining experience! Every aspect was amazing! When on 30a make a reservation and enjoy

The service and the ambiance of this place are FANTASTIC, and I'm sure we just experienced a few flukes... The hostess and our server were fantastic, and he was attentive throughout the entire meal. We ordered a drink that came with vodka instead of gin and our server quickly had it remade, and the remake was fantastic. We ordered the Clothesline Bacon (absolutely phenomenal, especially with their beans and red pepper peaches), and Scallops for appetizers, the scallops arrived cold but I didn't want to bother them with a second remake, as they were flavorful and perfectly cooked. For entrees, we had the Local Grouper and the Short Rib, and our pick of the night was definitely the Short Rib. Overall, the experience was good.

Food, atmosphere, and service exceeded expectations. We've driven by many times on vacation and I figured it might be an underwhelming experience. I was wrong. We'll be back. Thanks to David for taking care of us on our date night.

Now it's been a couple years since I had been there! And I still remember the attraction here but I went with Mike. But now struggling to find the perfect wine!! The saved version that I can go by and see is right here and see how many

I went here with my family and overall had a good experience. The food was good but the grouper special did not taste like grouper and was a very chewy fish, most likely halibut. My steak was great and cooked to perfection. The service was good and the ambiance was nice as well.

This is now one of my top restaurants in the area for food and service. Scallops, drinks, ambiance. Top tier!

Went here for our anniversary dinner and the staff truly made us feel special for that. The food was great, a little pricey but that seems to be the norm here. Pretty wide variety of food and drink options here. There was some old residue of splattered substances on the wall and windows near us but otherwise the place was nice.

All of the food was amazing. Great service, very attentive, great non-alcoholic options on the menu and wheelchair accessible.

The family had a late summer vacation in the Rosemary Beach area. It was quite a busy time of year, so we wanted to find some nicer places where reservations can be made. There was a valet parking lot right behind the restaurant, which was nice based on parking availability in the area. We were seated right on time and the service was attentive and timely. All our meals were fresh tasting and expertly prepared. I'd recommend you giving Surfing Deer a chance when you're in need of a nice evening out.

One of our new favorite places...will definitely come back again. everything food service atmosphere. I don't think it gets much better than this place. Love, love and more Love...thanks to Hall for running a tight ship and Fernanda's excellent service!

The ambiance was nice. Our food was very delicious and well presented. The only problem I had was the cauliflower appetizer. A few pieces were still cold as if they were previously frozen then fried. The lady who brought our drinks was so confused and switched them up. Typically not a problem except I gave up drinking and was the only one who ordered a mocktail. They do require valet for such a small parking lot. I personally think just another way to make more money. I enjoy this area however not the extra taxes and service fees labeled AE fee (art & entertainment fee) Not sure what that's about? Not all restaurants in the area adds on these extra costs. Seems like the more upscale restaurants because they know their patrons will pay just to eat well. This doesn't seem ethically right. Increase your prices even more if it requires it instead of adding on all the redundant fees and transferring to your patrons.

We stopped in to celebrate my birthday this Saturday around 5pm. We had made a reservation and we're so glad we did! The menu had a good variety of different options and everything sounded so delicious. We decided to start with the Clothesline Bacon and Surfing Deer KFC. Both were very delicious! The bacon was one of my favorite items we had. We followed that up with the jalapeño corn bread which was moist and flavorful. Served with a warm gooey butter. For main course, we had scallops and the blackened grouper fish special. Both dishes flavorful and delicious. We finished the night with an espresso martini and brownie skillet. Overall the food was 10/10. Fresh, flavorful and so so tasty! The waitstaff was also very attentive and patient with us. They made the experience even better. Lindsey and Hall made our experience amazing. I would recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a bit of a more upscale experience on their beach vacation or local weekend getaway! This place does it right!

Surfing Deer is a unique spot for your fine-dining needs located right on 30a in beautiful Seaside, Florida. This was our first time here and we sure left satisfied! The ambiance was intimate and romantic with waterfalls and even moats between some of the tables! The restaurant is very spacious with large windows to view the sky as the sunset turns it to pink and orange. The staff were very friendly, accommodating and efficient, and met all of our needs! Lastly and most importantly, the food was made to perfection and beautifully plated. We will definitely be back!

Surfing Deer was a great restaurant and I definitely recommend this particular restaurant if you are in this part of the Florida Panhandle. The ambiance is a nice laid-back elegance and the service is friendly and professional. The food is wonderful and I would definitely recommend the seafood. This is a great place to celebrate a momentous occasion and let's not forget that every day is a momentous occasion with the right attitude. I would definitely recommend a visit here.

Wonderful establishment in the heart of 30A. From the quick valet parking to getting seated at our reservation time. We had been (drinking) at the beach most of the day, so opted for a beer starter and an order of the Pimento Cheese Hushpuppies served with jalapeño jam, spicy pickles. Crusty outside and soft in the middle - add the jam and pickles very delicious. We split the Everything Bagel Wedge - fresh, crisp iceberg lettuce with baby heirloom tomato, bacon, bagel croutons, dill buttermilk dressing, seeds and herbs. The main event (next to desert) was the Filet of Beef Tenderloin certified Angus beef, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus, bacon-onion jam, demi over the top. Perfectly cooked, excellent combination of veggies, protein and potato and was just the right size for our appetite. We ordered the coconut cake for my birthday desert, which was light, fluffy and the right amount of pineapple and coconut, served with a spicy vanilla that had a pleasant kick on the end if the ice cream. They brought an additional desert of a skillet chocolate chip cookie in brown butter topped with vanilla ice cream a candle and Happy Birthday message written in chocolate. Great touch and an outstanding meal. Shout out to Kevin R. for making it a special occasion. I will be back!

Fernanda was excellent!!! She was so attentive and caring - she probably spent five minutes making sure we each had an equal amount of wine from the bottle. Solid ambience, real classy beach-town-seafood-white-table-cloth kind of place. Food was great. Nothing out of this world but every dish was well prepared and super tasty. I've never had scallops and chorizo before but I loved the combo.

The exquisite quality of food, service and dining experience at Surfing Deer is the most beautifully unique you will find on 30A! From the moment you walk through the door, you are warmly greeted with smiles by the friendly hostess and staff. We arrived earlier than our reservation, expecting to wait but our party of five was fortunate to be seated right away. Such a well thought out "Instagram worthy" decor...you will not only enjoy the elegant vibe and delicious menu selections...you'll want to capture the scenery both inside and outside! This restaurant will be on repeat for our future 30A vacations!

Don't try making a reservation for more than 8 lol. Extremely rude staff answering the phone and they're snobs for no reason. The food isn't that good.

Found this place while spending spring break in the area and was throughly impressed with the whole experience. Had a delicious meal with impeccable service. Everybody was friendly and attentive. The restaurant is spacious, well lit and comfortable. It felt luxurious but not stuffy. Try the vegan wings, and the calamari, skip the bacon. The burrata salad is very good and so was the gumbo. The short rib is a must, I do not recommend the mashed potatoes or the brussel sprouts as a side. For Dessert we tried the key lime (wow) the Chantilly cake (great!), the brownie (good) and the banana cheesecake (also great) They have a good sized wine list. Overall this was one of those places that so surprised me that I plan to make it one of my go-to spots whenever I am in the area. We got lucky and got a table fast, but I suggest making a reservation.

It's always amazing to me to read horrible reviews and then go experience a wonderful meal at the place that was slammed in some reviews. Let's be honest. Every place, everyone, everything has off days but tonight Surfing Deer really did a wonderful job. Spring break and a packed reservation list. Food was really great, service top notch. The wines by the glass menu is really nice, Far Niente, Duckhorn, and Belle Glos by the glass. Usually reserved for bottle only. Anyway. Worth a night of your trip. Solid all around.

Outrageously Good! One of the best dining and food experiences I've had down on 30A period. The wife had to cut me off from ordering an unprecedented third round of the Ahi Tuna Tostados (see below). This is another place we've passed dozens of times over the years and finally decided to stop in; I think we thought it might not be kid friendly....but that was our mistake....kid menu was confirmed and def kid friendly... even for my second child....nuff said). In any event, we are going to be making sure we stop in every year now, maybe twice. The food was amazing. Check the pictures out and you'll see. Again those freaking Ahi Tuna Tosdados....I'm ready to drive the 600 miles back just to get those for Football Sundays this fall to ease the pain of seeing the Texans get blown out every week. I wonder if they can pack them on ice and ship them to me overnight on Saturdays?......yeah that good. Maybe the best scallop dish I've ever had and the gluten-free skillet brownie melted this Celiac's heart. Service: Impeccable. Cost: Worth it. Big thanks to the management and our server (Derek) for being so accommodating around celiacs and making gluten-free options easy and abundant. For my fellow celiacs, it's clear they take providing a gluten-free experience seriously, from the clearly labeled menu that is marked, to the sheer # of gluten-free options, to the knowledge and care that the staff displayed. I can report I had a very enjoyable experience and did not "pay" for it later.

Had an amazing dinner. Great service and attentive staff. Comfortable setting. Overall fantastic experience.

The service was great. The food was amazing. I had a vegan appetizer and vegan entree Both delicious

We came here for our anniversary dinner. The food was good, but some of the food didn't wow us especially for being a more upscale of a restaurant. There is not a lot of parking on site - it wasn't very busy when we came but I can only imagine it must be a nightmare to find parking. The ambiance was nice and clean. We had a few different items from the menu: clothesline bacon, cornbread, brussels sprouts, caesar salad, beef short ribs with french onion risotto, key lime pie, and seafood acadiana. The clothesline bacon was interesting. I felt like it was more interesting to look at and not as interesting to eat and it was a random assortment of different things together. The brussels sprouts and caesar salad were fine. The beef short ribs and french onion risotto were fantastic as was the key lime pie! My husband did not really enjoy the seafood acadiana and said it tasted very "fishy". It seems like their menu changes often and they have different offerings for each season.

Fantastic food. We'll absolutely be back. Wonderful service, seriously pissed we didn't eat here the last 3 years!!!

I'm a bit dumbfounded that this place has a 3.9. Im almost offended. The staff is amazing! We arrived right on time for our reservation. We literally were directed right in. We sat on the patio and the ambience was wonderful. Anthony was our server and he was an amazing host for our meal. We ordered appetizers and cocktails. We got pimento hush puppies and the Bloody Mary oysters with wonderful pickles and pickled okra and fried oysters... perfection. Honestly better than I imagined. The cocktails were amazing. If you like an old fashioned you have to try the Cube McGee. It's a perfect eclectic bourbon cocktail with bitters and lemon and muddled blackberries. On to our entree's. I had the Acadian it was divine. Beautiful combo of grouper, shrimp, crawfish and andouille wrapped in a wonderful spicy lobster broth with a delightful baguette. My wife had an incredible bone in ribeye a perfect medium rare with an onion jam that was to die for. My brother in law had the scallops which were equally as amazing with a corn risotto that was divine .. My sister in law had the crab cakes which were succulent and creamy. Now the chef and manager thought we had waited too long for our entrees, even though we had no clue. We were just enjoying each other's company and our cocktails. They then served us an amazing array of deserts on the house. Our choice was a salted caramel brownie with ice cream that was better than average. The star was a banana pudding cheesecake which was extremely unique and delicious. A flambé banana, cream, with a vanilla wafer crust that was literally the best. In closing, if you are in Seaside or Santa Rosa or surrounding areas and DON'T go to Surfing Deer you are doing yourself and your friends and family a disservice. 10 out of 10 Highly Recommend!!! Epic cap to our vacation! #nocap

The food at Surfing Deer is delicious and the ambiance is great. Sit outside if possible! We got the Havana Grouper, Seared Sea Scallops and Thai Skillet Salmon; they were all very favorable and perfectly cooked. The only negative is the tap water flavor, so we ordered bottled.

Great food, great service, great drinks, great location, great clientele. Highly recommend for a nice overall experience and good family atmosphere. All the children were well behaved and enjoying themselves too. I wish I lived there.

Food is always good no matter what we order and service is all around good. Sitting outside is a beautiful space.

Very disappointed. We reserved a table a month in advance. When we got there they were not able to seat us together. They do not split checks. They charged $25 to process your card. Beautiful restaurant and the wait staff is excellent. I'm not sure I would go through the trouble to dine there again.

The food was very delicious. The clothesline bacon came with a table side torching of herbs. The scallops were cooked perfectly, and the risotto underneath paired well. The seafood acadiana was flavorful and a large portion. Garlic mashed potatoes were tasty. The pork chop was the best one we have ever had. It was cooked perfectly and had a delicious glaze. The decor was nice, and the restaurant was clean. Our server was attentive, and our drinks were always full. We very much enjoyed our meal.

Had reservations and enjoyed dinner with the girls. Service was attentive and friendly. Food and drinks were superb. We had spare ribs and filet for the main and clothesline bacon for appetizer which was unique and so delicious. Cocktails were also amazing.

By far the best restaurant on 30a. We eat there multiple times per week because of the staff and the amazing food! They got into a groove in the kitchen and it's constantly superb! Hall, Jake, Kai, Yvonne, and Kristen are superb!! Make you feel like you're at home. Definitely recommend!!!

I love going to surfing deer whenever I am visiting Florida. The proximity to seaside is a plus, and the food is delicious. I also love the vibe of the restaurant. Great place for a nice dinner with family or friends.

Overall, the food was pretty good. The hush puppies were nice and fluffy with an interesting spicy maple sauce. The truffle fries were a little dry. I had the pesto pappardelle with blackened shrimp, which was pretty decent. The shrimp was amazing, but the pasta needed more salt. The food took forever to come out, so we were not pleased with the service/wait. Personally, the restaurant choice in seaside isn't great, so the food here was better than most other places. However, the service here was disappointing.

Oh my! We thoroughly loved our Surfing Deer experience. Such a cool, hip vibe- subtle yet edgy decor and music. Service was friendly and attentive. The menu selection was dazzling and we ended up ordering several small things (we weren't super hungry). Cocktails were on point and strong enough to sip. Nothing watered down here! ;) The gumbo is WOW, the wedge salad is so tasty with a homemade ranch and Everything seasoning. Shrimp cocktail was tender and super flavorful. We will come back again when we come back to our beloved 30A area!

We enjoyed the ambience here but the food was a toss up. We arrived around 5:30 for a birthday dinner and had 7 people. The Caesar salad was excellent. The tuna tostadas and hush puppies were pretty good. Then came the entrees. The scallops were cooked well but the chorizo sauce was like throwing ground beef on top of a perfectly good risotto and scallop dish, it just didn't mix well and I had to dig around to get the risotto out. Everyone else in our party ordered grouper in some capacity and it was so tough they couldn't eat it, and one person couldn't even cut it with a knife (grouper should fall apart with a fork). The service was good and they comped a couple of the dishes that weren't edible but overall we won't be back. I rarely post anything negative but for this upscale of a spot in an upscale area, they need to assess who is in the kitchen with that precious grouper. (Presentation was beautiful! And again, we loved the ambience).

Waiter was super friendly and very informative! We sat outside, the ambiance and weather was immaculate. Love the noise of the water feature as we dined. Everything we ordered was delicious. We will definitely be back on our next trip!

We were looking for a dinner spot that offered great cuisine, Gluten Free options and something more than just a casual touristy spot. One of our party found the Surfing Deer. Strange name, cool backstory. The founder of Sea Grove had a pet deer who played with him in the morning surf-hence the name. We rolled in, stopped at the Valet parking and made our way in to check in-we were very pleased to learn that we'd been moved inside due to the threat of rain-the patio is really big and the rain held but it was nice to be inside with the AC. Doug our server was friendly, helpful and you could just tell he was an old pro-he offered his suggestions, answered our questions and was fun, courteous and polite. Our party of five ordered the cloths line bacon-which you must get!! The bacon is fabulous and the bean/pea mix at the bottom of the wooden boat is, AMAZING!!! We wanted more! Our entree line up included Swordfish-rated excellent Salmon-wife said it was the best she'd ever had Filet-rated excellent Scallops-rated excellent We opted to not get the dessert but enjoyed casual un-rushed conversation after the meal. The ambience was cool, trendy and modern, the wait staff was great, dress ranged form dressy beach casual to shorts and t-Shirts. I recommend making an experience of it and going dressy beach casual. If you are looking for something above the normal and are okay with class and price-check out the surfing deer.

Cafeteria food for a premium price! We had the seafood stew. Overcooked shrimp & fish with a bland broth and mushy rice. The salmon was too spicy! The calamari ho hum. He pork chop was uninspired. The cornbread was good. Service was ok. The Thai exchange student was the highlight of our otherwise miserable expensive meal. Such a huge disappointment!

My new favorite!!! Food was AMAZING! We sat outside on the patio during a thunderstorm. The ambiance was trendy, yet romantic! Loved every sip and bite. Our server Kevin was awesome and attentive! This has to be our number one seed next time we visit!

My family of 5 enjoyed the most amazing dinner last night at Surfing Deer. We live part-time on 30A but haven't been back to dine here for a while. Our adult children were visiting and we had a late reservation--8:30. Every bite of food was just amazing! The cauliflower appetizer, the, tuna (and kimchi!), and the crab cakes were highlights! Food presentation was stunning, and the service was top-notch. Drinks arrived promptly and glasses filled. Our server was attentive, and friendly, making suggestions that were spot-on. We dined outside and the atmosphere was photo-worthy. We are foodies and have dined at several Michelan starred establishments throughout the world. This definitely ranked up there!!

We had a group dinner in the back dining area. Very nice decor. The waiter was wonderful. No one liked their various cocktails, so we stuck with nice bottles of wine. Dinner was good. The steak was underwhelming, but we all enjoyed the restaurant and the service. If you're visiting and want to order an Uber or Lyft - good luck. The entire town is lacking in transportation options. You have to try the hanging bacon appetizer.

Convenient location with a easy walk from Seaside. Ahi Tuna Tostadas and Pimento Cheese Hush Puppies are two excellent starters. Pesto Pappardelle with shrimp is exceptional! Service was efficient, we never had dirty plates on the table or empty water glasses. Great for a family dinner or a night out with friends.

Delicious food, nice semi-upscale ambiance and fantastic service. We had the bacon, scallops and tenderloin. All were on point and the sides it came with, as well. Drinks were a good pour and well made. Whiskey sour and vodka and tonic. We made reservations for 8:30 on a Tuesday and did not wait. There were seats at the bar and some tables empty. There was no one there waiting. Go here!!!

Beautiful restaurant. Looks as though it should be in South Beach. The cocktails are good. The food is just not great. It is not worth the price. Save your money and go to The Bay or Old Florida Fishhouse. At Surfing Deer, you are paying for their expensive rent. The food is not better than going to Tackle Box or Reel it in. You are paying for ambiance here not for good food.

Best food, service and atmosphere on 30a for me. Never been disappointed here in many trips.

The food was good \ very good. The service was attentive, bordering on intrusive. There was a sense of urgency with the waitress, like she wanted to turn the table quickly. She was friendly and we did not adhere to her schedule and enjoyed ourselves.

Calamari was solid. Bacon clothesline was unique but nothing special. Wedge salad was average. Steak special was great and worth the up charge. Best vesper martini I've had in the area. Service was slow but waiter was great given the Fourth of July rush.

The food, ambiance and service were amazing! Decor is coastal contemporary. Very welcoming and comfortable. The food is so good. Great flavor without being too rich. Seafood was very fresh. Highly recommend.

We brought our six month and his stroller along for the outing. Patrick was an excellent waiter! I had selected soy free and noted that we preferred no vegetable/seed oils when making our reservation and Patrick came to our table prepared. He was very knowledgeable and accommodating to our preferences. Was a great experience and the food was delicious!

Food was solid. We posted pics of the dishes we got, scallops, seafood dish, hanging bacon, tuna tacos, and key lime pie. Also- food was lightning fast - we barely got our order in and had a glass of wine started and apps were already out. We finished those and dinner was riggt up. For a date night it might have been a bit better to not be sooo fast, but it worked for us as we were able to eat quick and get back home to our baby quicker. Table top around bar is a nice fast casual way to go, but it looks like there are more private indoor and outdoor areas for many types of seating. Def recommend here.