North Pensacola eats: 8 of our favorite North Pensacola restaurants you shouldn't sleep on

The hardest part about writing about food is that there are so many good restaurants all over Pensacola. And we have new restaurants popping up every week.

The south end of Pensacola is crawling with quality restaurants, often times stealing most of the limelight. But there are plenty of great restaurants in North Pensacola that are worth your time.

Here's a list of some of our favorites.

Grover’s Fingers & Wings

9418 N. Davis Highway

Hidden gem: Grover's Fingers and Wings, not so hidden anymore

Grover’s is one of Pensacola’s hidden gems. When the restaurant first opened 16 years ago, co-owner Michael Graham said he used to know every customer by name — first and last. A decade later, the establishment was pulling $6,000 to $7,000 a day just before things slowed back down prior to COVID.

Over the typical lifespan of a restaurant, it can have its ups and downs in terms of quality, but Grover’s remains steadfast in its mission to provide good food and good customer service.

When it comes to the menu, Graham envisioned something inexpensive but real. You can expect to find an assortment of sandwiches, chicken and steak fingers, jumbo buffalo wings, melts and more — much of which can all be had for $10 or less.

Tacos El Amigo

6201 Tippin Ave. and 9322 N. Palafox St., beside Dr. Jay’s Chronic CBD Store

If you’re looking for good, authentic Mexican food, this is it. Taco El Amigo has a couple of locations, one on Tippin Avenue and one on North Palafox Street, so it’s a Mexican restaurant that isn’t too far away from anyone in Pensacola.

It may remind you a bit of El Asador in that the Tippin location consists of some trailers where the food is cooked and the only available seating is outside in the covered patio or some of the extended seating areas just beyond. Rest assured that the street tacos served here pack a serious, flavorful punch. The North Palafox location has a very similar set up, located just outside the Dr. Jay’s Chronic CBD Store.

Tacos aren’t the only thing on the menu, though. You can find alambre platillo bacon, flautas, menudo, quesadillas and more.

DeLuna’s Hideout Oyster Bar & Grill

10421 Mills Swamp House Road

DeLuna’s Hideout Oysters Bar & Grill is a restaurant that is part of the Swamp House, a marina that also offers live entertainment and fishing tournaments. The restaurant is relatively new, having opened up just a few months ago, but it’s already been a hit among patrons.

The menu keeps it pretty simple. Appetizers include chili-cheese fries, grilled shrimp, gumbo, raw oysters and more. Salads, burgers, cheese steaks and the like are lunch options. And, of course, there are oysters, shrimp, grouper and combo platters and more for main entrees.

Eurasian bistro

10015 N. Davis Highway, Suite 600

You won't often get a chance to have a former NASA engineer cook food for you, nor will you get the chance to be served by a robot, but you can have both at Eurasian Bistro. This restaurant is also relatively new and offers authentic Vietnamese cuisine.

Visitors are welcomed by BellaBots as soon as they walk through the doors. These are chest-high robots that are programmed to perform table-to-table food service like delivering drinks, reacting to guests with animated facial expressions and even playing warning sounds when plates are hot.

The bistro is led by three generations of chefs, highlighting authenticity through dishes like pho noodle soup, banh mi sandwiches and vermicelli with grilled meat.

Sammy Barker’s

875 E. Nine Mile Road

Opening: "American street food' comes to Nine Mile Road

Sammy Barker’s is an American street food joint that offers more than just good food, it offers a good experience, too. Launched in 2017, the restaurant received a lot of praise as it began to find its groove. It won Best Burger in the 2019 Burger Battle by the Bay contest and has received awards for Best Restaurant from other publications.

The restaurant really shines with its events. You can grab a bite while you participate in a weekly Bingo night, special dinners and comedy shows. And you’ll usually find owner Joel Jacobs greeting guests throughout the night.

The menu is mostly burgers, hot dogs, melts and tacos — all of which is completely customizable and delicious. The Battle of the Bay burger is smoked gouda cheese, red cabbage coleslaw, sweet peppers, bacon onion jam and Sammy sauce. The Hurt Dog has ghost pepper jack cheese, fresh jalapenos, Hurt relish and Crystal hot sauce mayo.

Family Ty’s Good Eats

40 W. Nine Mile Road

'Made with love': Family Ty's Good Eats becoming a favorite Ensley lunch spot

The secret to Family Ty’s Good Eats is love. Family Ty’s is a favorite lunch spot at the north end of Pensacola that specializes in backyard barbecue style ribs, chicken and seafood. Most of the staff are all related, too, and the ones that aren’t have been “adopted.”

The restaurant has earned rave reviews on social media websites with offerings like the seafood rice, steak sandwich and grilled shrimp tacos being some of the favorites. The wings are no joke either. Co-owner Ursula Jones has previously told the News Journal, "The wings are definitely made with love. … We make our sauces all homemade. So the the lemon pepper (dry rub wings) is made with real lemon, you get the real feel of it. The garlic Parmesan, it's real garlic, real Parmesan. Everything is made with our twist on it.”

What else is on the menu? Rib tips, “bar-b-q” rib sandwich, Ty’s steak sandwich, burgers and hot dogs.

Petrella’s

2174 W. Nine Mile Road

If there is one type if food Pensacola could use more of, it’s quality Italian. Fortunately, we have a couple of restaurants that more than carry their weight and Petrella’s Italian Cafe is one of them. Established in 2000, Petrella’s has cooked up handcrafted plates of pasta, seafood, signature sauces and curated wine selections for decades.

The menu does an excellent job with balancing price and quality. You’ll find full plates of pasta for right around $15.95, give or take a dollar or two, which is becoming somewhat of a rarity. Some of the local favorite dishes are the fettuccine alfredo (because of course), calamari and cannelloni.

Mom’s Place

623 Highway 95A North

Where can you get a hamburger with fries for under $7? Mom’s Place. Mom’s Place serves up soul food from a permanent food truck, located on Highway 95 A. There’s a small covered porch for outside seating, but most people tend to order takeout. Don’t let its quaint exterior fool you — the food is seriously good. The menu is pretty simple. Sandwiches include burgers, cheese steak, barbecue rib and pulled pork sandwiches. Main entrees are chicken, ribs, fish or country fried steak. And sides include collard greens, fried pickles, macaroni and cheese, fried okra and more.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: North Pensacola restaurants: 8 of our favorite North Pensacola eats