6 bars to visit on your trip to Pensacola Beach

If Pensacola Beach’s sugar-white sand is calling − it’s time to craft a game-plan on where to go for the best beach bars. These are the places where you can find the sweet release from the heat with a frozen cocktail in hand, listen to a live band and swap stories with the locals.

Our list highlights some of Pensacola’s go-to beach bars, ranging from a secret tiki-bar with unparalleled water views, to legendary beach bars that have been loved by locals for decades. Here’s where to go.

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Six Pensacola beach bars to check out

The Dock

4 Casino Bach Boardwalk

There’s no better way to escape the heat of Pensacola Beach than with a cold cocktail from The Dock. While you can enjoy the shaded areas out of the sun, you still have a picturesque view of the Gulf only steps away. You can hear a live band, play a game of pool or snag some tacos before heading back out on the sand. The Dock provides a way to score a seat with a view without paying top-dollar for it. Another great way to experience The Dock is through weekly drink specials on rotation, including margaritas, Long Island teas, Bushwackers and bloody marys.

Sneaky Tiki Bar

17 Via De Luna Drive

The Sneaky Tiki is a local’s slice of paradise, if you’re willing to go off the beaten path to find it. Nestled inside the Pensacola Beach RV Resort, the Sneaky Tiki Bar offers a fun atmosphere with tiki cocktails like the Pensacola Bay Breeze, Tiki Mama or Beach Bum.to kick back with on a swinging beach chair or lounger.

The bar first opened in 2018 as Island Culture Tiki Bar, but Sneaky Tiki was a nickname given by the locals that stuck, according to the Sneaky Tiki website. While it’s surrounded by popular beach bars that operate as tourist magnets, Sneaky Tiki slides under the radar as a local’s spot for sunsets and dolphin sightings.

Paradise Bar & Grille

21 Via De Luna Drive

Paradise is another local secret where the music flows on the open-air stage, the views of the Santa Rosa Sound are immaculate, and the people are friendly. In addition to the house drinks, it also offers a full-food menu packed with fresh seafood, burgers and sandwiches.

Paradise is a beloved piece of Pensacola Beach history, with its inn established the 1950s, with the bar and grill following in 2003. The bar is unassuming and well-suited for everyday folks, adding to what has made it such a tried-and-true fan-favorite.

Sandshaker Lounge & Package Store

731 Pensacola Beach Blvd.

The Sandshaker is one of Pensacola’s most historic beach bars and recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. It has become a local hot spot for its live music, Pensacola memorabilia and its famous Bushwhackers.

The bushwhackers are built into the Sandshaker’s legacy. When then-bar owner Linda Taylor came back from the Virgin Islands in 1975 with a recipe for a certain frozen Kahlua coffee cocktail, the bar would never be the same. Taylor would make the drinks to order, blender by blender, until the high demand required a frozen drink machine in 1980. Even so, all batches are made by hand to this day, using Kahlua as one of the main ingredients.

Peg Leg Pete’s Underwhere Bar

1010 Fort Pickens Road

Peg Leg Pete’s has been part of Pensacola Beach since 1991 and has remained one of the most easily recognized and recommended beach fixtures for a reason. One of the favorite parts of the beloved beach bar is the Underwhere Bar, the lower level of the shop with live music to listen to while sitting at the bar with a drink. You can even order food such as oysters, appetizers and dishes from the limited menu.

If Peg Leg Pete’s is where you get shipwrecked, it’s not a bad place to land, as you’ll be met with delicious grub and signature cocktails. Speaking of which, one particularly famous drink is The Shipwreck, made with coconut rum, spiced rum and 151 rum mixed with fruit juices, Sprite and grenadine. While the drink is sweet and fruity, it packs a punch. You can even keep the souvenir cup to say you survived it.

Bamboo Willie’s Beachside Bar

400 Quietwater Beach Road Suite 14

Bamboo Willie’s is a go-to place to party on the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk, with bands rotating on the regular, frozen drinks spinning and waterfront views. There is always something happening, whether it’s a crawfish boil or a bikini contest. When the band’s playing, you’re sure to find dancing and hands clapping. It’s the place to go if you’re looking to party.

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