Restaurants in Port St. Joe, FL

Traveling along Florida’s Forgotten Coast is a reminder of what the Sunshine State was like several million inhabitants ago. U.S. 98 is a trip through unspoiled two-lane magic — blue Gulf waters on one side, Spanish moss-draped forest on the other, and quiet small towns all along the way. Once a bustling trade center and harbor, Port St. Joe has been wrecked by hurricanes several times, but survives as refuge for citizens and travelers in search of peace and quiet. It is a great place to simply stroll along the beach or explore the old downtown, to enjoy the sun as well as magnificent sunsets in the western sky … and to eat stupendously well at Killer Seafood (where Key lime pie is an essential dessert). For oysters in all their glory, the place to go is the Indian Pass Raw Bar, a ramshackle roadside joint that began life back in 1929 as the commissary for a turpentine factory. Today, it is all about oysters, freshly opened, bright and briny, served by the dozen on the half shell in the most informal way. Or, you can have them baked and topped with Parmesan cheese, butter, and garlic.