Pensacola Beach's Red Fish Blue Fish makes its grand return to full service

Pensacola News Journal
·3 min read

Red Fish Blue Fish has completed its final renovations and will return to seven-day-a-week regular service with a new fall menu to celebrate.

After a six-month service hiatus for renovations, Red Fish Blue Fish on Pensacola Beach opened in a limited capacity in late June.

The restaurant's shutdown was necessary to construct a larger kitchen to keep up with growing demand, said Manuel Rodriguez, corporate director of food and drink for Innisfree hotels, earlier this year. The new and improved kitchen space is now three and a half times larger, with about 80 extra seats for customers to choose from in the dining room and a new oyster bar showcased in the center of the restaurant.

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The restaurant is hosting a two-day grand reopening kick-off starting at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Some of the new additions include a regular Sunday cornhole tournament throughout the fall, a tableside s'mores experience and an inflatable screen for movie nights.

Red Fish Blue Fish new fall/winter dishes

  • Creamy Brussels sprout and shallot dip

  • Harvest salad: spinach, squash, apple, cranberries, blue cheese crumbles and pumpkin seeds

  • Seafood nachos: A pile of nachos covered in house-made cheese sauce and topped with crawfish tails, Cajun sausage, shrimp, lettuce, tomatoes and jalapenos

  • Steak tacos: Three steak tacos topped with corn salsa, pickles red onions and a jalapeno crema

  • Chicken Brussels sandwich: Grilled chicken topped with Swiss cheese, tomato, warm Brussels sprout salad and roasted garlic aioli on a Kaiser bun

  • Buffalo shrimp potato skins: Crispy potato skins, stuffed with buffalo shrimp and covered in gooey mozzarella cheese

  • Braised short rib: Braised short rib sitting atop a crispy potato cake, creamy spinach and crispy onions, topped with red wine demi-glaze

Pensacola Beach's Red Fish Blue Fish is back open for business seven days a week with a fresh look, menu and schedule.
Pensacola Beach's Red Fish Blue Fish is back open for business seven days a week with a fresh look, menu and schedule.

Rodriguez said the restaurant will continue to prioritize using local fish and local shrimp on its menu, as well as improve its staff service.

"We're super pumped," Rodriguez said earlier this year of the changes. "One of the comments that I received (when they reopened with limited hours) was from a lady who said, 'Look, I used to come here. But most of the time I got drinks and would enjoy the view. Today we had dinner, and everything — the changes that you guys did were amazing. We loved the food; we loved the service. I mean, you guys improved all that.'"

With the changes, guests will also be able to scan a QR code to see photos and videos of the restaurant’s specials while they wait for a seat.

The restaurant will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.

"We're super excited that that we took our time to craft our recipes, to train the staff. ... We're planning on keeping that going," Rodriguez said.

More updates and information can be found on the Red Fish Blue Fish website and Facebook page.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Red Fish Blue Fish on Pensacola Beach: Regular service back, new menu