Every beach town needs a practical but charming grab-and-go cafe, and in Rosemary, Charlie’s is it. Grab fresh coffee, breakfast, and lunch items for a beach picnic, though let’s be real, the stars of the show here are the ice cream and doughnuts — the house will love you if you bring home a dozen. Oh, and try an Italian soda, like the passionfruit cream.

With fresh seafood like shrimp and lobster linguini and tuna tartare, this chic Rosemary restaurant also has a lovely atmosphere and meticulous service. Gas lanterns light a courtyard and the dining room has plenty of comfortable seating. It’s a night-out kind of place, but well worth changing out of your flip-flops for a visit. Paradis is open for dinner and takes reservations by phone only — patio dining is particularly romantic.

Gallion’s moved into the former location of Wild Olives on Barret Square in November 2022, bringing an approachable but elegant option for seafood (Wild Olives returned to 30A on Santa Rosa Beach in 2023). From the same people who run Shunk Gulley in Santa Rosa, Gallion’s kicks things up a notch with refined but nice-sized portions of crab claws, crab cakes, snapper, ahi tuna, grouper, and beef. It’s quickly become a new date-night destination in Rosemary.

Charming and romantic, this cafe invites diners in with warm browns and creams, and gets down to business by focusing on two of the very best things — tapas and chocolate. The seafood paella is fresh and filling, and on the tapas menu, the shrimp toast, ceviche, and “enfuego” chicken are highlights. Try the throwback chocolate fondue, espresso cream cookie sandwich, or seasonal fruit tart for dessert.

The Havana Beach Bar & Grill in the Pearl Hotel is one of the swankier options in Rosemary. The menu on the ground floor restaurant is more robust, but the rooftop bar with its view of the sparkling ocean, black and white striped umbrellas, pops of yellow, and a perch high off the street makes it the perfect place to kill a few hours or the whole day. Take note: It’s more expensive than other spots in Rosemary.

Pescado was built around its view, and accordingly, the rooftop bar overlooking the Gulf is always packed during peak season. It serves fairly standard upscale seafood grill fare, rounded out by a quality raw bar, nice paella and puttanesca, and a Cantonese whole lobster. It’s 18 and up only for dinner, but all ages are welcome for lunch and Sunday brunch.

Edward’s is white tablecloth but not stuffy, a sleek and clean fine dining spot that doesn’t take reservations, even for large parties. But it’s large enough to allow for a comfortable wait with a drink, and the new sidewalk seating helps. The menu is classic Mediterranean fare, like tuna tartare, lobster-shrimp baked oysters, capellini pomodoro, and solid desserts, especially the dark chocolate tort with pistachios and cherries on top. It’s on the pricier side.

This friendly spot is the epitome of a Main Street cafe, a great destination for Southern-leaning breakfast and lunch during the week and cocktails and dinner on weekends. Plenty of outdoor tables out front offer a great view of the sunset, perfect for happy hour drinks and snacks like tuna dip and whipped feta. Daily specials, like a smoked tuna BLT with arugula and lemon dressing, are always a solid bet.

Lola brings Brooklyn Neapolitan-style pizza with bubbly, chewy crust to Rosemary Beach, vastly different from Cowgirl Kitchen’s pizza. The rest of the menu offers traditional Italian salads; spaghetti or pappardelle with pomodoro, or pesto; and shareables like calamari and peel-and-eat shrimp. The pizza is a great option to bring home on a night in, but the pretty dining room can also accommodate large parties.