The Owl Cafe - Fine Dining in Apalachicola

Let’s face it, when people go to St. George Island, most people typically aren’t looking for a candlelight dinner while they’re on vacation. Usually you want to sit on the beach (or at the pool), cook dinners in your vacation rental home and just relax. Many people go out to eat (and there are many great options in the area…just check out our other blogs), but a candlelight dinner isn’t often on the list of “to dos” on vacation.

But what if you do have a special occasion to celebrate? What if it’s your anniversary or you just really want to take your “hunny” out to a nice dinner? Then you’ve got to go to Owl Café! I will admit, I resisted the Owl for many years when coming to the island, because it just didn’t fit the beach vibe to me. However, on our last visit to St. George Island, our wedding anniversary was in the middle of our trip, and I needed to take Krista out for dinner to a nice place. I’ve heard so many great reviews of the Owl, so we decided to check it out.

One thing you must know when visiting the Owl Café is that you can expect excellent service. While the Owl is clearly one of the nicest restaurants in the area, it’s still a casual atmosphere that everyone can enjoy. The Owl is located at 15 Avenue D in Apalachicola and is just a 15 minute drive from the bridge from St. George Island.

The experience started when I called to make our reservation. When we arrived, the hostess was very friendly and sat us next to the windows so that we could see the bay from the back of the restaurant. Our waitress was great and very attentive to our needs. Our water glasses never emptied, and we were always greeted with a smile whenever she checked up on us.

The Owl was a perfect spot for our anniversary date!

After taking our order, we received our bread which was nice and warm. Soon after our bread arrived our house salads were brought to our table. The salad was fresh, the dressing was great, and we were off to a great start with our food.

I ordered the penne pasta with chicken and sausage. I have one word…Wow! It was quite possibly the best pasta I’ve ever had. My favorite part was the sausage. It had excellent flavor, and I kept wanting more. You know a good meal when you want to lick the bowl!

Krista had the catch of the day with mashed potatoes and sautéed vegetables. The fish was so tender and the mashed potatoes were great. Krista and I shared some of each of our entrees and both were excellent!

We finished our delicious dinner with desert. We had the chocolate mousse cake with English toffee sauce. I’m not a huge toffee person, but boy was it delicious!

The Owl Café showed me that all of this time where I’ve resisted to check it out was a mistake! The food was delicious and the service was excellent. That’s why the Travel Channel has featured the Owl on “Paradise Food,” and it was listed as one of the best seafood resta urants on the Florida Panhandle.

What do you think of the Owl? Have you checked it out on your trip to SGI? Tell us about it in the comments below.