Great Southern Cafe

A group of friends and I went to Santa Rosa this past weekend for some play time at the beach. We spent most of our time cooking at our beach house, eating the usual burgers, hot dogs and pasta. On our last day we decided to eat brunch before our last round of the beach. We biked to a little plaza down the street from our beach house and found the Great Southern Cafe, which looked very inviting. The chalkboard advertised fresh seafood, and we all went in hungry and very excited. 

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

We were a large group of 14 and were immediately seated at the front of the restaurant. The seats were very dirty, which was discomforting to many people in the group. Once we were seated and given waters, the waiter asked if wanted separate checks, which we agreed to. After we placed our orders, the server informed us that the check could only be split three ways. This made no sense to us at all and we were annoyed that the waiter did not tell us this until after we had placed our orders. 

After arguing with the waiter and threatening to walk out, the server informed us that individual checks would be possible after all. Even though we got what we had hoped for, we were still really annoyed at the inconvenience. 

I ordered a light salmon salad, because I wanted to taste simple fresh seafood. The presentation of the dish was nice, but there was not as much of it as I had hoped. The focus was the salmon as well as roasted vegetables. There were only three slices of carrots, a slice of squash, and a slice of zucchini, which was not much. The salmon was the most disappointing part. It was overcooked and the fish was not fresh. There was no lightness that salmon a salmon salad should have, and it was dry. It was a big letdown, especially because the restaurant is located right next to the seaside. 

Balsamic Grilled Salmon Salad: $16

There was more confusion that happened when the checks were brought; the server only split it into two checks. There was a lot of arguing that had to happen and soon as a manager was requested, the server brought out separate checks for everyone. With that kind of service, and subpar food, neither my friends or I will be coming back.



Great Southern Cafe

83 Central Sq
Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459
(850) 231-7327