Oldest Restaurants

If you visit Cotton Bayou in Orange Beach, you’re probably familiar with Cotton’s Restaurant & Lounge. Located across the street from this public beach access, Cotton’s opened in 1985 and is known for its live Maine lobsters and steak. This seafood spot is only open for dinner and is the perfect place for a memorable meal. 

An Orange Beach staple, Doc’s Seafood Shack & Oyster Bar has been serving patrons “the best shrimp in the civilized world” since its inception in 1984. This flip-flop-friendly joint offers sizable seafood plates and salted caramel bushwackers.

Southern hospitality and fresh Gulf seafood are two reasons guests and locals have been dining at Original Oyster House for 40 years. The restaurant opened in 1983 and has expanded several times since then. It sits in the Original Oyster House Boardwalk, once named the Bayou Village, which is the oldest specialty shopping center in Gulf Shores. The building was originally the only hospital in Fort Morgan in 1898 and was floated up the bayou to Gulf Shores in the mid-1920s.

Known for its mouthwatering burgers, The Keg Lounge & Grill in Orange Beach is loved for late-night food and drinks. The Keg opened its doors in 1980, offering locals a place to hang out after hours. Today, its unique building keg-shaped door welcomes visitors and residents inside for a brew and bite to eat.

Sea-N-Suds first opened in 1975 on a pier in an old bait shop. Hurricane Frederic destroyed the original restaurant in 1979, and the owners rebuilt it into the current building. Sea-N-Suds sits right on the beach in Gulf Shores, only a few feet away from the Gulf of Mexico, making it a great spot to catch a coastal sunset while enjoying fresh seafood.

Established in 1979, Tacky Jacks in Orange Beach was a place for boaters and anglers to grab a bite to eat after a day on the water. In 1987, renovations were made, and the restaurant became the fun, family-friendly spot it is today. The success of the original restaurant led to the openings of the Gulf Shores and Fort Morgan locations.

Known as “the last American roadhouse,” the iconic Flora-Bama Lounge opened in 1964 after the construction of the Perdido Pass Bridge in 1962. As the lounge gained popularity, expansions were made to Flora-Bama, and in 1978, daily live music was established. Today, Flora-Bama is a world-famous bar loved by locals and visitors of all ages.

With an arcade, movies, candy, drinks, and beach supplies, The Hangout was a favorite spot in the late 1950s for young beachgoers. It remained popular for decades until it was destroyed during Hurricane Ivan in 2004. After reconstruction, The Hangout reopened in 2008 as the spacious restaurant and entertainment area we know today.

If you’ve ever visited our beaches, you’ve noticed the bubblegum-colored building on the beach at Gulf Place. This is the Pink Pony Pub, which has been a Gulf Shores staple since the 1950s. The restaurant was originally a part of the Seahorse Cottages but was remodeled into the Pink Pony Pub in 1956. It operated as a bar and bait shop until 1979, when Hurricane Frederic washed away the Pink Pony and its pier. The beachfront pub was restored and is now a go-to spot for grub on the beach.