New Year's Eve in Pensacola: Parties, dinners and everything in between
The flurry of holiday events will soon come to a close as we leave 2022 and welcome the new year.
New Year's Eve in Pensacola is best celebrated by bar hopping until you find a place to settle for the countdown or by buying tickets to any of the events below. There is ample opportunity to do both with some bars providing free champagne toasts at the end of the night and many others providing open bars, food and party favors for a single price.
Several local restaurants also have special New Year's Eve menus.
Check out the list below before heading out for the night.
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Seville Quarter
When: 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Where: Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St.
Join the Good Time Gang at Seville Quarter for New Year’s Eve. This year the party will feature live entertainment, including White Bronco in Apple Annie’s, Bangarang Pete in the End O’the Alley, karaoke in Lili Marlene’s and Rosie O’Grady’s Dueling Piano Show. DJ Albert Lao will be spinning dance music at Phineas Phogg’s. All guests will get party favors and enjoy a Cristalino Cava Brut toast at midnight.
If you want to get straight to the party, $20 will get you in the door with the Dance Package. This includes access to all rooms in the main complex. You can also grab a Membership Card for $80 that will include free admission for all of 2023.
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Moonshine Saloon
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Moonshine Saloon, 9722 Highway 98
Ring in the New Year at Moonshine Saloon with a VIP open bar for $40, live music featuring Buzzcut, a balloon drop and a free champagne toast at midnight. General admission is $10.
Flora-Bama Lounge & Package
When: 5 p.m.
Where: Flora-Bama Lounge, 17401 Perdido Key Dr.
The Flora-Bama will be rocking out on all three stages until the party stops on New Year’s Eve. There will be food, party favors and a midnight champagne toast. Tickets are on sale now for $75 until Dec. 24. After that, tickets are $80. Tickets include an all-you-can-eat dinner buffet from 6 to 11 p.m., a breakfast buffet that starts at midnight, a champagne split, party favors and surprises.
Tickets can be purchased here: shorturl.at/oESU4
O’Riley’s New Years Eve Party
When: 8 p.m.
Where: O’Riley’s Irish Pub Downtown, 321 S. Palafox St.
O’Riley’s Irish Pub Downtown’s New Year’s Eve party kicks of at 8 p.m. with a live DJ and drink specials. Drink specials include $4 domestic bottles and draft beer, $5 Altos Tequila and $6.25 Jameson.
Emerald Republic Brewing
When: 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Where: 1414 W. Government St.
Emerald Republic Brewing is hosting its funeral for the year. The event is free to the public, but you can grab two optional ticket packages for extra goodies. For free, you’ll get to burn the bad with a ceremonial goodbye at 11:45 p.m., there’s fire dancing by Entertainment Ignited, tarot readings by Jennifer Kitty Campbell, beer releases, a specialty funeral cocktail menu, DJ Karrmah with Fluid Motion, A Rustyc Spoon, a complimentary champagne toast at midnight and a midnight balloon drop.
The first ticket package includes all-you-can-eat from A Rustcy Spoon and all-you-can-drink from Emerald Republic, including beer, wine and cocktails. All of which can be had for $100, plus fees and tax. The second package is the same as the first except all-you-can-drink is limited to beer and wine. The second package is $80, plus fees and tax.
Tickets can be purchased here: shorturl.at/egNOS
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Casks and Flights
When: 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Where: Casks and Flights, 121 S. Palafox St.
Join the crew at Casks and Flights for a special New Year’s Eve brunch party. For $30 a person, you’ll get a brunch buffet with bottomless mimosas, live music, games, cocktails and a champagne toast at midnight.
Tickets can be purchased here: shorturl.at/ftNS7
Perfect Plain
When: 8:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.
Where: Perfect Plain, 50 E. Garden St.
Perfect Plain is back with its Bouj Year's Eve event. Come dressed in your finest attire (or any attire, they don’t mind) and enter a world of champagne, drag shows, live music, aerialists, tattoos and an open bar.
General admission is $149 and includes an open bar from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. at several themed bars throughout the complex, including a one-night-only cocktail menu, specialty beer releases and late-night tacos from Tacos Mexicanos.
A special VIP package can be purchased for $199 and includes everything general admission does plus access to The Well, private restrooms, VIP-only bar access outside at Garden and Grain and early access at 8:30 p.m.
Purchase tickets here: shorturl.at/ltFK8
Coastal County Brewing Company
When: 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Where: Coastal County Brewing Company, 3041 E. Olive Road
Avoid the hustle and bustle of downtown and ring in the New Year VIP-style with Coastal County Brewing’s Red Carpet Party. The $100 event will feature all-you-can-eat foods and all-you-can-drink bars, including 30+ house and specialty brews and mimosas. Live music will be played all night for the dance floor and there will be a professional photographer on premise to capture the special night.
As midnight approaches, gather around the fire pits to light up some sparklers in a farewell salute to 2022, and to help signal in the New Year. There’s also a CCB Best Dressed contest that will award a prize for the most impressively clad man and woman.
Tickets for the 21 and older event can be purchased here: shorturl.at/jvS68
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Whiskey Joe’s
When: 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Where: Whiskey Joe’s, 400 Quietwater Beach Road, Suite 13
Whiskey Joe’s is hosting a New Year’s Even event featuring a la carte food and drinks menu, champagne toast, party favors and ball drop on the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk. Keep your eyes on the sky between 11:55 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. for a free fireworks display put on by the Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce.
Reservations can be made at OpenTable.com: shorturl.at/qFJNP
New Year’s Eve Neon Party at Beardless Brewhaus
New Year’s Eve Neon Party at Beardless Brewhaus
When: 9 p.m.
Where: Beardless Brewhaus, 5139 Elmira St. in Milton
Come to Beardless and see the brand new event space decked out in black lights and neon and glow decor! There will be an all-you-can-eat menu from Texan Bs BBQ, all-you-can-drink beer and wine, a complimentary champagne toast at midnight, a balloon drop, a live DJ, giveaways for best outfits and more!
Tickets:Get your tickets here
Krewe of Gatsby Girls
When: 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Where: Hilton Pensacola Beach, 12 Via de Luna Dr.
The Gatsby Girls are hosing a 1920s-style black tie New Year’s Eve event at Hilton Pensacola Beach. General admission is $150 and includes limited free drink tickets, access to the event and benefits the Honor H.E.R. Foundation of Northwest Florida. The $300 VIP tickets include access to the VIP lounge, which features a dedicated bar and free drinks, small bites and a midnight champagne toast.
Purchase tickets here: shorturl.at/clt26
1920s New Year’s Eve
When: 6 p.m.
Where: American Legion Post 382, 1850 Luneta St., Navarre
A special 1920s-themed New Year’s Eve party will be hosted at the American Legion Post 382 in Navarre. Dinner is served at 6:30 p.m. with live music from Tribe Zion played afterward. A champagne toast will happen at midnight followed by a midnight breakfast. There will be drink specials and a best dressed contest for men and women. Access is free for members and $5 for everyone else.
Dinner reservations
Restaurant IRON
When: Seatings at 6 and 9 p.m.
Where: Restaurant Iron, 22 N. Palafox St.
Restaurant Iron chef Alex McPhail has prepared a special five-course tasting menu for New Year’s Eve. Meals are $150 per person and include a complimentary glass of champagne. There will also be an optional wine pairing and cocktail pairing, both for $50. Seatings are at 6 and 9 p.m. Call 850-476-7776 to make a reservation.
Fish House celebrates New Year’s Eve
When: 6 to 8 p.m., Dec. 31
Where: Pensacola Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St.
Tickets: $100 per person, excluding tax and gratuity
The Fish House, located on the water in downtown Pensacola, is once again preparing to celebrate the New Year.
The Fish House will be offering two special seatings for the evening, in the main dining room, for the annual New Year’s Eve wine and food event. The seatings will be held at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. and will feature the culinary creations of Chef Jason Hughes with a fixed-price, five-course menu along with hand-selected wine pairings. The cost per person is $100 (excludes tax and gratuity) with complimentary favors included. The Fish House will offer walk-in service all evening throughout the complex, serving from the standard menus.
The featured menu for the New Year’s Eve Wine Dinner is as follows:
Amuse Bouche Artisanal Cheese Board — with aged blue, gorgonzola, sharp cheddar and fontina, house-made crackers, grainy mustard, house-made stone fruit jam and fresh fruit paired with Schramsberg Vineyards, Mirabelle Brut, California NV.
First Course
Choice of Bourbon-Brown Butter Baked Oysters featuring Gulf Coast oysters, bourbon-infused brown butter, crispy country ham, lime zest, cilantro and cracked pepper paired with Domaine Andre Vatan, Les Charmes Sancerre, France, 2020.
Pigs in a Blanket with house-made Duroc pork sausage, laminated buttermilk biscuit dough, herbed grainy mustard, spicy cranberry pepper sauce, house-made smoked tomato ketchup paired with Domaine Andre Vatan, Les Charmes Sancerre, France, 2020.
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Second Course
Winter Citrus and Root Vegetable with roasted baby turnips, beets, rutabaga, parsnip lemon-herb vinaigrette, local satsuma, clementine, pomegranate, watercress, green goddess dressing, puffed quinoa and chili crunch paired with Domaine Weinbach, Alsace Riesling, France, 2020.
Heirloom Tomato Caprese with Cool Weather Heirloom tomatoes, marinated tomato salad, burrata, arugula, basil, balsamic reduction, Shoreline Olive Oil, Emerald Coast Bread Co. crostini paired with Domaine Weinbach, Alsace Riesling, France, 2020.
Third Course
Choice of Tomahawk Pork Chop featuring bone-in Berkshire pork chop, braised turnip greens, C & D Mill Stone-Ground Potlikker Rice Grits, Sweet Corn Spoon Bread and Bourbon Glaze paired with Panthera, Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, 2020.
Surf & Turf featuring grilled petite filet mignon, poached Alabama royal red shrimp, roasted romanesco and rainbow baby carrots, potato pave, Maldon Sea Salt, herbes de provence and béarnaise paired with Ponzi Vineyards, Chardonnay Reserve, Willamette Valley Oregon, 2019.
Seared Gulf red Snapper with local field pea Hoppin’ John risotto, Bill-E’s batch bacon, sauteed baby green beans, seared exotic mushrooms, Meyer lemon butter sauce, shaved winter truffle and gremolata paired with Marietta Cellars, Game Trail Cabernet Sauvignon, California, 2018.
Dessert
Choice of Flourless Chocolate Tiramisu Cake with flourless chocolate cake, espresso caramel, mascarpone mousse, amaretto zabaione, mocha-roasted almonds paired with Cossart Gordon, Rainwater Madeira, Portugal.
Old World Pie featuring goat cheese and honey pie, rye crust, roasted strawberries, walnut baklava brittle, orange marmalade paired with Warres Port, 10 year Otima Tawny Port, Portugal.
To reserve your table for New Year’s Eve Wine Dinner at the Fish House for the 6 p.m. or 9 p.m. seating, please call 850-287-0200 or email Taylor@goodgrits.com.
Jackson’s Steakhouse
When: 5 p.m. Dec. 31
Where: Jackson’s Steakhouse, 400 S. Palafox St.
Jackson’s, located in the heart of downtown on Plaza Ferdinand, is once again preparing to celebrate New Year’s Eve. The restaurant will be open for dinner service beginning at 5 p.m.
In addition to the standard dinner menu, Chef Irv Miller will be offering special dinner features to celebrate the occasion: Steakhouse Salad with red grape tomatoes, cucumber, thick-sliced red onion, Moody blue cheese, Bill-E’s bacon, assorted greens with watercress tossed in creamy roasted garlic dressing; Gulf Shrimp with Wild Mushrooms featuring shrimp, shallot, garlic and Florida wild mushrooms, dry sherry cream sauce and fresh thyme; Cowboy-Crusted 16-ounce Prime Delmonico with espresso Chile spices, cheddar potatoes gratin and roasted rainbow carrots, bourbon-pickled jalapeños. They will be offering half-priced bottles of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut Champagne for $72.50, as well as $10 glasses of house-made Arancello to celebrate the occasion.
At midnight, all are welcome to stop by Jackson’s and enjoy complimentary Hoppin’ John. Call 850-469-9898 or visit the website, www.jacksonsrestaurant.com today to secure your New Year’s Eve reservation.
Five Sisters Blues Café
When: Lunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Dinner from 4-10 p.m., Dec. 31
Where: Five Sisters Blues Café
Five Sisters Blues Café will be offering lunch service from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., serving from the standard menu featuring soups, starters, sandwiches and platters along with favorites including Aunt Sara’s Southern fried chicken, Southern seafood platter, their famous Chicken and Waffles — and much more.
New Year’s Eve dinner service begins at 4 p.m. and will be available until 10 p.m. In addition to the full dinner menu, they will be offering a special New Year’s Eve feature: BBQ braised short ribs served over caramelized leek and Parmesan whipped potatoes, finished with grilled lobster tail and sauteed green beans $36.95.
There will also be party favors at dinner as well as local favorite Cat Daddy Blues Band performing from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
For more information, please visit www.fivesistersbluescafe.com.
Angelena’s Ristorante Italiano
When: 5, 7 and 9 p.m., Dec. 31
Where: Angelena’s Ristorante Italiano, 101 E. Intendencia St.
Tickets: $100 per person
Angelena’s Ristorante Italiano will be offering three special seatings for the evening of New Year’s Eve. The seatings will be held at 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. and will feature the culinary creations of Chef James Briscione with a fixed-price, four-course menu. The cost per person is $100, with complementary parking in Southtowne parking garage and party favors. Tax and gratuity are not included. Wine Director Brooke Parkhurst will have an Italian wine pairing available for the meal for an additional $35, as well as a bottle feature, Monte Rosso Brut Blanc de Blanc Franciacorta for $75. The menu is as follows:
First Course
Tuna Tartare — Louisiana Bowfin Caviar, umami mayo, toasted sesame, crispy risotto;
Tuscan Pork and Foie Gras Terrine — Champagne and apricot mostarda, arugula, pickled ramps, pistachio
Wine Pairing: Avissi Sparkling Rosé
Second course
Winter Greens Salad — local greens, pear, walnut, Calabrian chili and truffle honey vinaigrette
Third Course
Duo of Beef — roasted beef tenderloin, chianti braised short rib, black truffle and Parmesan potato gratin; Wine pairing — Vallepicciola Pievasciata Super Tuscan 2018
Gulf Fish — pan seared local fish, winter vegetable risotto, Gulf crab meuniere; Wine pairing — Massolino Langhe Chardonnay 2017
Lobster Ravioli — squid ink pasta, tomato, lobster cream; Wine pairing — Donnafugata Ben Ryé 2017
Fourth Course
Chocolate Cremeux Cake — toasted pistachios, smoked salt caramel, espresso cardamom gelato
Butterscotch Panna Cotta — spiced poached pear, toffee crunch, gluten free gingersnap cookie, sea salt
Reservations are required and can be made by calling the restaurant at 850-542-8398 or visit the website, www.angelenaspensacola.com to reserve your table at Angelena’s.
Great Southern New Year’s Eve Grab and Go
Price: $85
In addition to on-property dining, Great Southern Restaurants will be offering a full New Year’s Eve Grab and Go package featuring their sister restaurant, Five Sisters Blues Café. The package is based on six people with additional orders available in increments of six.
The New Year’s Meal includes:
Smoked Brisket
Collards Greens
Black Eyed Peas
Cornbread
The six-person package is $85 plus tax. Orders are being taken now and can be placed until noon on Dec. 27. Pickups will be available Dec. 31 from 2-5 p.m. The meal will be fully cooked and will include reheating directions. Please note: there will be no substitutions. Additional sides can be ordered and are listed on the full Grab and Go menu.
To place your order and schedule pickup, please contact the events department at 850-433-9450 or events@goodgrits.com.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola New Year's Eve: Parties, dinners and everything in between
