schooners

very disappointed. we went here as our first dinner in panama citybeachbecause it was described as "the last localbeachclub" in the 19th annual edition of the panama citybeachmap and because it said it was "great food". boy, were we disappointed. not only was it windy and cold, because the restaurant is totally open aired with no mention of it in the literature, the food was so-so - the chips with the chips and salsa were really salty; the steak had no flavor, and the fried mahi mahi came with pre-packaged ken's tartar sauce. not to mention, we ate dinner early (5:30ish) which you would think would be considered happy hour with drinks either half off or a percentage off...no, we walked out an hour later, $72 poorer and shaking our head at how expensive it was for unremarkable food that for the price, was not the cheesecake factory or melting pot quality.

surprisingly good food. it's verybeachoriented, so you don't expect good food -but it is great! burgers are big and cooked just right. the grilled mahi is only a lunch item but don't miss it. would recommend the key lime pie.

another one bites the dust. i grew up in pc. i remember when it really was the last localbeachclub. i guess they are all gone now. i didnt see much difference between the new and improved schooner's and all the rest of the tourist traps. i brought family from ga. with me and had told them how great it was. big mistake. the service stunk and so did the food, never again.

they call schooners the "last localbeachclub," and it really is the last of the old open-air hangouts left on the gulf coast. it started back in the late 60's when it was known as "thebeachparty." in 1985, jim cannon purchased "thebeachparty" and renamed it “schooners.". every morning, schooners restaurant chefs buy fresh local seafood from boat captains and, by lunchtime, they have created a menu of daily specials which make the most of the fresh seafood and fresh local produce. there is a hint of "southern" flavor to the menu with items like gumbo and other blackened dishes from new orleans. here are my thoughts on the visit

awesome fish, french fries are great but the cheese grits are killer, don't pass them by
great place on thebeachin the shade with wonderful breeze. local place that's good all year round. late lunch is best time, don't pass by the experience for good fish, great view, and reasonable drinks

love this place. it was my favorite localbeachclub when i lived there 93-95 and it's my go-to place when i make a yearly visit. and, i recently received excellent customer service from molly and jennifer in getting me a bright orange schooners shirt to replace one my brother had worn down to rag status. it was the second one he had worn to pieces, but i hit a snag when they didn't have any in stock and weren't looking to stock that particular color any longer. well, molly worked with managers/jennifer and got another order placed and then went out of her way to get that in the mail to me here in northern virginia. my brother was thrilled as was i. again, molly really went the extra mile to keep me updated with the progress and not even charging me to mail it to my house can't be beat!!

plus, their food rocks, the view is great and it really is an awesome place to hang out!!

if you're thinking about visiting the place, stop thinking and just do it! you won't be sorry!!

stopped off for an early dinner. our waitress, angie was super! we had the sautéed crab claws for an appetizer, the bowl was full of claws! the rib eye was cooked to perfection and the sautéed shrimp were large and tasted great. the open atmosphere on thebeachwas relaxing.

good food but small portion. we went here because of the reviews and the place is awesome right on thebeachand we watched the sunset. my fiance got the grilled dinner with shrimp and mahi mahi and i had the fried oyster dinner. he had a very large portion of food, mine was good but very small portion. i would suggest to get the fried sampler that has shrimp, grouper and oyster its a little more expensive but according to our waiter it a lot more food. the drinks were good and our waiter was really attentive and good. we will be returning on our next visit.

good food and good view. schooners is a great place to eat at thebeachit's a reasonable price and has great food!!

wasn't as good as expected. my husband had thebeachparty and enjoyed everything but the grouper. i ordered a steak and it was just a piece of meat that was thrown on a grill. no flavor what so every. everyone loved the hush puppies

a jewel in the sand. it's hard to find old school joints that are right. on. the. beach. we arrived right at 4:30 on sunday and barely got a parking spot/table....go early. the great news it was on the less windy side of the porch with a great view of the beach/sand/sun. take a coat in if its windy.

our service was great. we had a super-young server but you wouldn't have known it by the service (sorry, small-blond-pony-tail-super-blue-eyed-girl, forgot your name). we literally had our drinks in 40 seconds and the place was 3/4 packed and everything came with an easy smile from the server.

good job in the kitchen, too. the food came out hot, flavorful, and in 5 minutes. i read that the grouper was "where it's at" so i got the blackened grouper sandwich, substituting the black beans & rice for fries. the fish was really good....there was no charge for my substitution. the sleeper on the plate was the beans and rice. there's no fear of seasoning in this place! the salt was perfect and the heat was bold but not overwhelming.

yes, you pay a little more for a sandwich than on the backbeachroad but they have to compete with condos & (i'm guessing) rising real estate prices to stay there and give you the view you really want. put schnooner's address in your navigation and go......

since pcb is much the tourist city, they know they have a captive audience and therefore most restaurants are mediocre at best. many don’t bother to update or even have a website and forget finding anything decent open on a monday or tuesday if you visit anytime other than the peak summer season. if you do find one that you like, there’s only a fifty-fifty chance it will be there the next time you visit. however, there are a few highlights i discovered since my last visit to panama citybeach, that i want to share with you.

okay.. atmosphere is nice. server was efficient and friendly. not many choices. we had the grouper basket. it was okay but portions were small. my ten year old had the gumbo and he liked it. my family tends to like local dives more than popular tourist places. many people recommended schooners. we really didn't think it was all that. the deck dinning by thebeachwas great. maybe a drink and appetizer kind of place.

great food. visited on tuesday, october 11th, 2001 for lunch. i had the fish tacos which were very tasty and my wife had the popcorn shrimp, also excellent. this place is a blast to visit and the food is always good. the only complaint i had is that a lady walked in off of thebeachwith a dog. not only was she allowed to keep the dog in the restaurant, but the waitress even brought her a high chair for the dog to sit in. unacceptable.

-----30 sep, 2010-----

great lunch. my wife and i had lunch at schooners on monday of our vacation and were very impressed. the place was very busy, but the service was good and the food was excellent. plus, nothing beats having a relaxing lunch while watching the waves beat the shore. superb!


visited schooners again for 2016 vacation (october).  seems we're never disappointed with this place.  we tried the loco shrimp this year and omg, it was wonderful.  get there early and get a tall booth out by the rail so you can enyoy the sunset.  amazing!  always enjoy the wonderful service!

the biggest ripoff on thebeach& terribly overrated. i wouldn't suggest this restaurant to anyone. the service is absolutely abhorable. we had gone there for an early supper with plans to eat there, but couldn't seem to get waited on. after having to ask for a server to please wait on us, we ordered 2 drinks that were absolutely undrinkable (they were left sitting, untouched on the table when we left). when we couldn't seem to keep our servers attention for more than about 10 seconds at a time, we changed our minds about staying for dinner (we only had a few days for vacation . . . . we'd still be sittin there right now if we had stayed to eat). we went elsewhere to eat and were waited on promptly & very efficiently. i might add that montego bay is one of the very bestttt places to dine in pcb. food & service is top-notch. schooner's got $20 out of us that day, but you can bet it's the last dollar they'll ever get from us.