Red Fish Blue Fish returns after six months of renovations, bringing more seating, entrees
After a six-month service hiatus for renovations, Pensacola Beach's Red Fish Blue Fish is back open for business with a fresh look, menu and schedule.
Wednesday marked the reopening day for hungry beachgoers and generated about 400 guests, made up of about 60% Pensacola locals, according to Manuel Rodriguez, corporate director of food and drink for Innisfree hotels.
Rodriguez said the restaurant's shutdown was necessary to construct a larger kitchen to keep up with growing demand. The new and improved kitchen space is now three and a half times larger, with about 80 extra seats for customers to choose from in the dining room and a new oyster bar showcased in the center of the restaurant.
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Some of the new menu features returning guests can keep an eye out for include a head-on whole yellowtail snapper fit to feed two and Blue Fish fries loaded with crawfish queso and Conecuh sausage.
Rodriguez said the restaurant will continue to prioritize using local fish and local shrimp on its menu, as well as improve its staff service.
"We're super pumped," Rodriguez said of the changes. "One of the comments that I received (Wednesday) was from a lady that said, 'Look, I used to come here. But most of the time I got drinks and would enjoy the view. Today we had dinner, and everything — the changes that you guys did were amazing. We loved the food; we loved the service. I mean, you guys improved all that.'"
With the changes, guests will also be able to scan a QR code to see photos and videos of the restaurant’s specials while they wait for a seat.
Until the kitchen is fully staffed, the restaurant will be operating with bar service from noon to 11 p.m. and kitchen service from 3 to 11 p.m. Thursday through Monday. The restaurant will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
Rodriguez said Red Fish Blue Fish eventually plans to have a lunch service that will begin at 11 a.m. and the restaurant will be open all seven days of the week.
In the meantime, Red Fish Blue Fish will have a bar menu available from noon to 3 p.m. starting next week.
“We're super excited that that we took our time to craft our recipes, to train the staff ... we’re planning on keeping that going,” Rodriguez said.
More updates and information can be found on the Red Fish Blue Fish website and Facebook page.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Red Fish Blue Fish reopens on Pensacola Beach after six month remodel
