Crab Island is more than just an underwater party for watercraft owners — it’s a floating food court.
The Destin hotspot provides its energetic, water-loving visitors with a variety of restaurants to choose from to satisfy cravings for an afternoon snack or an evening meal.
The anchored restaurants serve up everything from hamburgers and wraps to ice cream and snow cones, at your convenience and at reasonable prices. The restaurants strive to sell the freshest food, with most selling some of the same items, but each having a distinguishing feature that sets it apart from the next.
And let’s not forget the mobile vendors that bus around the party area.
The vendors that travel via motorized rafts, bringing their product directly to the customer, include those that sell hot boiled peanuts, pizza, and ice cream.
Here's your guide to the underwater playground's eateries:
Wrap It Up sells wraps, burgers, hot dogs, ice, Dippin’ Dots and more. The restaurant is new to the Crab Island scene, as the owners, Zack Myers and Paul Bernier moved in on Memorial Day. Myers said that their food is “more of a healthy alternative to everyone else out here.” The restaurant, which was the fan favorite on The Log’s Facebook page, is open seven days a week, all day, weather permitting. Myers added that Wrap It Up provides “restaurant-quality food” and that they make their patties every morning before going out to Crab Island. For more information, contact 850-582-5819, or locate Wrap It Up in Destin’s Facebook page.
Crab Island Trading Company, LLC owned by Eric Cadenhead, has been on Crab Island for 12 seasons. The 12-hour, slow-cooked pulled pork is his signature product. The restaurant also sells half-pound, ground-chuck burgers, virgin daiquiris, snow cones and more. Cadenhead also owns Gulf Stream Ice Cream. “I’m the only real restaurant in the state of Florida in open waters — you can come aboard and eat, and go to the bathroom,” said Cadenhead, whose barge houses a restroom. He added that his restaurant is located in the “family area,” playing family friendly music all the time. The “restaurant-quality food” business is open every day, all day, weather permitting from Memorial Day to a little after Labor Day.
Chomp N’ Chill has been at Crab Island for three years and offers a menu with a variety of foods including nachos, boiled peanuts, chili cheese dogs, burgers, candy, ice cream, and New Orleans style snowballs. Owner Chris Chataignier bakes the syrup for the snowballs at his house and makes his own personalized flavors. He is open every day, all day, as long as the weather conditions are permitting. What makes this restaurant unique from the others is its “Cajun stuff” said Chataignier, who is from Louisiana. He added, “Everything is all Angus beef.” For more information about Chomp N’ Chill, call 850-502-7118, or find it on Facebook.
Crab Island Online is the restaurant that doubles as an entertainment stage — hosting live music sometimes as well as a game area for enjoying basketball and volleyball. The restaurant has been around for two years and is open all day, every day, if the weather cooperates. It serves up burgers, hot dogs, jumbo dogs, steamed shrimp, bbq sandwiches and more, with nothing costing over $6.50. “The food is just awesome — it’s fresh,” said Crab Island Mike, the lead entertainer and owner of Crab Island Online. To find out more about it, visit www.CrabIslandOnline.com, find it on Facebook or call 850-855-6907
Helen Back’s vibrant yellow barge, that’s always located on the side of Crab Island nearest the Coast Guard station, is known for its crowd involvement and giveaways, including pizza, drinks, and launching T-shirts, koozies and beads to excited Crab Island goers near and far. Visit www.CrabIsland.com for more information.
The Sinkin’ Weenie has been around for four seasons and is owned by Brian Fleming. It sells burgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, bratwurst, and grilled mahi sandwiches. Fleming was also the owner of Davie-Jones Locker, which capsized at Crab Island during Tropical Storm Debby and is no longer in service. It’s open seven days a week all day, weather permitting. “I grill all my food fresh to order and I have really good food,” said Fleming. Visit The Sinkin’ Weenie’s Facebook page to learn more about it.
Happy Ending’s Grill is a small food stand located on top of a white barge on Crab Island. The grill was not open on the day that The Log took to Crab Island (possibly due to poor morning weather), and was further unavailable to contact for informational purposes.
