Gulf Shores, Alabama Dining

Southern cuisine served up Alabama style!

During our 3 days in Gulf Shores, Alabama we dined at several restaurants. One we happened upon by chance.  One was chosen based on great reviews online. Another was featured in Southern Living magazine. And then there was the Waffle House... Where did we eat? Was the food good or bad? Read on to learn more about our meals while visiting Gulf Shores, Alabama!

We arrived in Gulf Shores, Alabama around 2 PM on a Friday.  Starving from a long day on the road, I began reading online reviews for restaurants when we exited the interstate. After combing through countless opinions on Gulf Shores restaurants we chose Bahama Bobs. Thankfully there was no line when we arrived.  It was crowded so we ate outside on the covered patio.  The food arrived quickly.  My husband ordered the fried captain's platter.  My son ordered the fried shrimp platter.  I don't really care much for seafood (other than crab legs), so I had a hamburger.  Our overall opinion was the food was "meh" - not terrible but certainly not the rave reviews we read online.  I don't think we will return on our next trip to Gulf Shores.

The hotel we stayed in was The Lodge at Gulf State Park between Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.  We travel on a budget and usually stay in a hotel that offers free breakfast. That being said, The Lodge at Gulf State Park, does not offer free breakfast.  They do have a restaurant called Food Craft that serves breakfast and lunch.  The cost for the breakfast buffet was $20.95 per person aged 12+ and $9.95 for the child buffet.  There is NO WAY we could eat $21 worth of breakfast foods to make that a viable option for our family.  Instead we each purchased a pint of milk from the hotel at a cost of $3 each and had breakfast bars I brought from home. I don't understand, it seems the more expensive the hotel is, the fewer things offered for free. 

We spent Saturday riding bicycles on the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail in Gulf State Park. Around lunchtime we happened upon a restaurant in what appeared to us to be the middle of nowhere. In reality we were only 1/2 mile from Walmart of Gulf Shores. The restaurant was Woodside Restaurant located in Gulf State Park. 

We were pleasantly surprised to ride up on our bikes and find this restaurant. To be honest, I was expecting a shack out in the woods when we were trying to find the restaurant. Little did I know this was awaiting me.

I would not have thought I could have gotten a tasty lunch in the middle of a state park in Alabama. Coming from Texas, I love my state parks but they are not known for offering any food, much less food that tastes good! The Woodside Restaurant offers a variety of American food options.  On this particular day I ordered the chicken sandwich and homemade chips.  My husband and son ordered the Billy club sandwich and gumbo combo. 

The food was terrific! We highly recommend the Woodside Restaurant when you visit Gulf Shores.

After a long day of riding bicycles we were pretty hungry! Since our experience the previous day with Bahama Bobs was mediocre we decided to get in the car and drive around Gulf Shores until we found something that sounded good. We ended up at the Original Oyster House.

Once again I did not order seafood. I had the bourbon chicken with grits and beans and rice for sides.  It was delicious! There was far more food than I could eat. My husband and I could have easily shared this meal if only I knew the portions were so big. 

My husband had the blackened stuffed flounder with collard greens and coleslaw.(pictured below) My son had the fried shrimp.(no picture available)

We all thought the food at the Original Oyster House was fantastic! We highly recommend it.  By the way, if you stop at the Alabama Welcome Center you will find coupons for this restaurant for a free appetizer or dessert. I had the coupon and did not know it until I got home. Oh well, I guess that dessert was not meant to be! 

Sunday morning we did not want to spend $9 on 3 pints of milk like we did the previous morning.  There was a Waffle House about 1 mile from our hotel. Whenever we travel to the southeastern parts of the United States we always stop at Waffle House. The Waffle House on East Beach Blvd was one of the best Waffle House experiences we have had. The food was great, the staff were friendly, and the location was perfect! We liked it so much we came back the next morning for breakfast before heading back to Texas.

Waffle House breakfast is the best!

Sunday lunch was a Subway sandwich as we were headed to Pensacola Beach. Traveling on a budget, we tend to find Subway Restaurants on most of our vacations.  Subway is a consistently good franchise at a fair price. 

Dinner Sunday evening would be our final meal while in the Gulf Shores area. I thought we would make it special and visit a restaurant I read about in Southern Living magazine. The restaurant was in Orange Beach but was only about 10 minutes from our hotel. I chose Fisher's Dockside. 

 Fisher's has the Dockside restaurant and also has the Upstairs restaurant. The Dockside is more casual and affordable than the Upstairs restaurant. I ordered the Alabama chicken and my husband ordered the fried chicken. My son ordered the appetizer boudin balls.(not pictured)

Fisher's Dockside Alabama Chicken, rice, and potato salad

Fisher's Dockside fried chicken, coleslaw, and collard greens

I liked my Alabama chicken but thought the potato salad was too spicy.  My husband thought the fried chicken was entirely too spicy. His favorite thing he tried at Fisher's Dockside was the boudin balls. Overall the ambiance was nice as we were surrounded by million dollar yachts, but the food was not to our liking at Fisher's Dockside Restaurant.

We were blessed to get to try different restaurants on our trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama. Our favorite restaurant was the Original Oyster House. Have you been to Gulf Shores and have a favorite restaurant? Post your favorite in the comment section. 

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Wherever your roads may lead, have a blessed journey.