7 Must-Visit Beach Bars in Florida

I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Florida to try on my wedding dress (!) and spend a couple quick days with family. No matter how short the trip, I always try to squeeze in at least a few hours of beach time when I’m back in the Sunshine State, and that usually includes an ice cold beer on a dock, deck or patio of some sort.

I’ve spent time all over Florida throughout my life: the Gulf Coast growing up, the middle of the state in college, the western tip of the Panhandle in my 20’s, and most recently deep in South Florida near Miami, and during that time I’ve done my fair share of beach bar “research.”

For me, there are a few key criteria for judging a great beach bar: atmosphere, solid drinks that aren’t outrageously priced, authenticity, and likelihood of seeing someone topple off a barstool. If it checks those boxes, it’s my kind of place.

Below are seven awesome Florida beach bars that fit the bill. I highly recommend checking them out when you’re in the neighborhood.

Note—if you’re looking for fine dining or a Disney-esque tourist experience, these spots will probably not be your cup of tea.

1. Tiki Bar & Grill, Sebastian

Sebastian is a quiet little beach town on Florida’s Atlantic coast roughly halfway between Miami and Jacksonville. One afternoon Johnny and I ventured up to check out a beach house there.

We didn’t get the house, but we did stumble upon a hidden gem on Indian River, Tiki Bar & Grill (I’d love to one day meet the marketing genius who came up with the name). It has a dock, tons of seating, live music, the namesake tiki bar, and best of all, multiple lawn games like cornhole that make for great entertainment while day drinking.

Its website has a stern warning, “NO MOTORCYCLE CLUB COLORS,” which is small-town code for “EXCELLENT PEOPLE WATCHING.”

2. Square Grouper, Jupiter

Square Grouper looks like a quintessential tiki bar set you’d see in a romantic comedy, the kind where the scruffy-but-handsome main character sidles up to the bar for a stiff drink just before glancing to his right to see his hot blonde love interest played by Kate Hudson take a seat.

As far as I know, no such movie has ever been filmed here, but it was the backdrop for Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett’s music video for ‘It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,’ so you know it’s legit.

Get here early if you’re looking to snag a table, because come evening this place fills up fast. I recommend showing up about an hour before sunset to stake out a spot and enjoy the beautiful views of Jupiter Inlet and the Lighthouse.

If you’re around for the day, rent a stand-up paddleboard across the street at Jupiter Outdoor Center and do a waterway bar crawl from Square Grouper to the nearby U-Tiki Beach and Guanabana’s.

3. The Dock, Pensacola

In many parts of Florida, you won’t find bars (or any type of business) directly on the beach due to building restrictions. The Dock is an exception, situated directly off the white sugar sands of Pensacola Beach with amazing Gulf views.

The drinks are cheap and it’s never too crowded, even during busy season. When Johnny and I lived in South Alabama, one of our favorite things to do was come to The Dock during the winter months; the beach was completely deserted yet still beautiful and we’d have the whole place to ourselves.

4. Lani Kai, Fort Myers

This spearmint green hotel is a Fort Myers Beach fixture that has been around for as long as I can remember. The entire bottom floor is an open-air hangout, the type of place that will serve you a drink as soon as you’re tall enough to see over the bar (not that I would know…).

It’s old school, divey, and the later it gets the wilder it gets. If you’re not into crowds, come during the day when it’s not so rowdy. No matter what time it is, there’s almost always live music and/or a DJ convincing drunk beachgoers to get up in front of the crowd and act a fool. Highly entertaining.

Word to the wise: don’t book a room here unless you’re a college kid on spring break, in which case, absolutely book a room here.

5. Sharky’s On The Pier, Venice

I don’t want to brag (I do), but my mom and I have been going to Sharky’s since well before it was named the Best Beach Bar in Florida. Tucked away on the outskirts of charming downtown Venice, Sharkey’s sits smack dab at the start of Venice Pier.

It’s about 45 minutes from where I grew up, so every time I’m home visiting we usually make a beach trip and a stop at Sharky’s for bites and beer.

This is one of the few places on my list where I’d actually recommend eating in addition to drinking. Their seafood is fresh and I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad meal here. My personal favorite is the Top of the Pier salad topped with Gulf shrimp—delicious and not so heavy that you’ll feel like a beached whale when you head back down to the Gulf.

If you’re traveling with a pooch, there’s an off-leash dog beach about a quarter mile south of the pier and it’s pretty much the happiest place on earth. Note that Sharky’s itself, sadly, is NOT dog friendly, so you’ll need to take your pup back home or to the hotel before stopping in.

6. Tiki 52, Tequesta

If you didn’t know Tiki 52 was there, you’d probably drive right past it. It’s a tiny local spot hidden around the back of Tequesta’s Blowing Rocks Marina, mostly frequented by the lucky locals who store their boats there.

If you’re into live music, this is your place. Plus the drinks are C-H-E-A-P. It’s a great spot to cool off after a day kayaking or jet skiing.

7. Flora-Bama, Alabama-Florida state line

The Flora-Bama is the mack daddy of all beach bars—a Frankensteined roadhouse straddling the Florida-Alabama state line that has been serving thirsty sunbathers since 1964.

Since then it’s been expanded in various phases, destroyed by fire and hurricane, selectively torn down and rebuilt again. It has multiple levels, several bars and stages, a deck, a liquor store, a gift shop and church service on Sunday. Nope, not joking.

Flora-Bama is perhaps most famous for the annual Mullet Toss where hundreds of participants compete to see who can throw a mullet (the fish, not the hairdo, though there are a lot of those too) farthest across the state line. If you aren’t in love yet, what on earth is wrong with you?!

Order the Cajun Oysters and a Bushwhacker and thank me later.

Got any more to add to the list? Share them in the comments below!