For the past eight years, chef Emeril Lagasse has brought a taste of New Orleans to the Florida Panhandle with his seafood restaurant, Emeril’s Coastal, known for specialties like barbecue shrimp and gumbo.
But on October 26, the restaurant — Lagasse’s only venture along the Florida Gulf Coast — will serve its final meals. The closure marks the end of one of the region’s few spots for Creole cuisine, an establishment that drew both locals and New Orleanians vacationing at the beach.
“This community holds a special place in my heart… Coastal has been a true labor of love, and it’s been an honor to share it with all of you,” Lagasse said in a social media post, describing the closure as a “difficult decision.”
The announcement drew dozens of comments bidding farewell to the restaurant, including one from the beloved vacation spot Scenic Highway 30A, which thanked the chef and his team, adding, “We have had some wonderful meals and great family memories!”
Emeril’s Coastal — originally named Emeril’s Coastal Italian — opened in 2017 in Destin’s Miramar Beach, joining a cluster of restaurants and shops in the Grand Boulevard town center. Lagasse called Miramar Beach a “unique” and convenient location for his restaurant in his opening announcement.
“Part of the appeal of opening in Miramar Beach and at Grand Boulevard is the proximity to my home and the ability for my whole family to be involved,” Lagasse said.
When the restaurant opened, the kitchen was led by Shane Quinlan, a Destin native who served as chef de cuisine. The brunch and dinner menus were eclectic, offering a range of Italian, Creole and seafood-centric fare: stuffed pasta shells, shrimp and andouille gumbo, yellowfin tuna poke bowls.
During the restaurant’s reopening phases after the pandemic, Lagasse was a daily presence at Emeril’s Coastal, working closely alongside his son E.J. Lagasse.
That experience, he said in an interview, fueled him to reopen his Warehouse District restaurant Emeril’s with a fresh culinary approach, including a new tasting menu.
