It has been a year of transformation for downtown Pensacola’s Old Palafox, which rebranded from Our Palafox in the former BarSteak location at 19 Palafox Place.
The restaurant took on the name Old Palafox to capture Pensacola’s history as America’s oldest European multi-year settlement. It now uses vintage photographs of the city against exposed brick walls to paint the picture. The restaurant fuses a creative, modernized dining experience with eye-catching light fixtures, slender booths, and innovative cocktails and plates while still nodding to the traditional Gulf Coast flavors of Pensacola’s past.
“We have decided where we are going, we just want people to enjoy the journey as we get there,” Our Palafox owner, Lincoln Roland, told the News Journal at the early stages of the rebrand in January. “We feel we have arrived at that with Old Palafox.”
The menu was created to reflect where “creativity meets tradition.” After a successful Tapas Tasting Experience on May 12, which offered the public a complimentary tasting, they’re ready to show off what they have been working on.
Let’s take a deep dive into the menu.
When is Old Palafox open?
Old Palafox serves a signature brunch menu from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday through Friday, and dinner from 5-9 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday and from 5-10 p.m. on Sunday. Each menu is curated for a different experience, whether a slow and savored brunch amongst a table of friends or a lunch to refuel during the work week.
Does Old Palafox offer alcohol?
Old Palafox offers an extensive bar program, with wines from various countries including Italy, Portugal, Spain, Chile, Greece and France available by the glass and bottle.
The restaurant also shows creativity through its cocktail and mocktail creations, including signatures such as the Brown Butter Old Fashioned ($14), made with brown butter bourbon, demerara sugar, orange essence and aromatic bitters, or the sweet and refreshing Spring Fling ($8) with passionfruit, strawberry puree and lime with a chamoy rim offering “a sweet, tangy twist on spring’s boldest flavors.”
If you want something tried-and-true, there are a variety of beers on draft and in bottles and cans, including local selections from Pensacola Bay Brewery, Perfect Plain and Grayton Beer out of 30A.
What’s on the brunch menu at Old Palafox?
Since brunch is only available over the weekend, there are a variety of playful specials worth making the trip for, including a Toad in the Hole ($14) served with sausage and avocado or the classic thick-sliced French toast topped with berry gastrique and powdered sugar ($16). Other combinations combine the best of Southern seafood, including the crawfish eggs benedict with sautéed crawfish, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce and crispy baked potatoes ($18), or the crab omelet with sautéed crab meat, mushrooms and pimento cheese ($20).
Let’s talk lunch at Old Palafox
Old Palafox’s lunch menu allows you to get a taste of the flavors the restaurant is all about, but at a lower price point with lighter portions than the evening hours. You’ll notice an oyster selection, soups, salads, sandwiches and the restaurant’s popular tapas. One of the best ways to try the menu is to order small plates to taste and try, such as the soy-ginger glazed ahi tuna tostadas ($14), marinated Mediterranean-style kabobs ($14), roasted corn hushpuppies ($9), or the spinach, garlic and herb-baked Rockefeller oysters ($18-$34). However, if you would rather go it alone, you can’t go wrong with a sandwich such as the butcher’s blend Palafox Double Smash Burger ($18), a prime rib French dip ($18), or a hearty bowl of OP Gumbo ($8-$12).
Dinner time at Old Palafox
While you can still take advantage of the tapa selection at dinnertime at OP, the menu opens up to include a variety of signature plates with entrees such as a house-marinated 16-ounce ribeye ($65), a grilled fresh catch ($42) or a pasta primavera ($32). One of the signature dishes sure to give you a taste of the Pensacola area is the Shrimp & Grits with sautéed jumbo Gulf shrimp, creole sauce, pimento cheese grits and bacon nibs ($32).
Ready to visit?
Reservations can be made on OpenTable to ensure Old Palafox can save you a seat. Follow Old Palafox – OP on social media for real-time updates and information.
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This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Old Palafox fuses ‘creativity with tradition’ in lush brunch, lunch and dinner menus
Reporting by Brittany Misencik, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
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