Atlas Oyster House, Pensacola

On the waterfront in downtown Pensacola, one of the city’s most popular entertainment establishments, The Fish House Restaurant and Atlas Oyster House sit. The brainchild of the Merrill brothers, Collier, Burney, and Will, they formed Great Southern Restaurants seeing the need for new and exciting restaurants to revitalize the downtown waterfront area. 

In 1998, they purchased property on Pensacola Bay that included a former restaurant to create a gathering place venue for an upscale dining experience, beautiful views, and a welcoming ambiance. The result has been a huge success, with constant expansion that adds outside dining areas overlooking the Bay, and the addition of The Deck, a large entertainment area that is perfect for parties and corporate events. 

As The Fish House grew in popularity and earned its reputation for fine dining, crafted cocktails, and a good time, the Merrill Brothers created additional dining and entertainment options as tenants’ leases expired adjacent to The Fish House and opened a sister restaurant, Atlas Oyster House in 2002. The two complementary dining establishments thrived until both Covid and Hurricane Sally wreaked havoc in 2020, leaving considerable damage in its wake. 

Great Southern Restaurants, which also owns and operates Pensacola staples, Angelena’s Ristorante Italiano, Jackson’s Steakhouse, Five Sisters Blues Cafe, and the Palafox House event space, focused its immediate attention on getting The Fish House up and running again, which was done in short order. 

The damage created by Hurricane Sally afforded them a pause to consider ways to improve The Deck and Atlas Oyster House to better serve its guests. After careful planning led by Collier Merrill, their corporate engineer, William Merrill, and talented public relations expert, Maria Goldberg, both The Deck and Atlas Oyster House underwent extensive renovations. 

It took some time, and a lot of anticipation, but Atlas Oyster House opened its door to great fanfare, in early July. Completely reconfigured with everything new and fashionably polished, Atlas Oyster House is beautiful, with a terrific staff and outstanding fare. I stopped by last week to meet friends and take it all in. 

A few weeks earlier, after lunch at The Fish House, Maria had graciously given us a peek at Atlas as renovations were being completed. The new Atlas Oyster House has its own kitchen and staff now, and I didn’t notice any crossover offerings from the menu. The oyster bar area is in the very capable hands of Ezekiel Mason, a six-year oyster-sucking veteran. He was previously a dietary cook at the Mobile Infirmary in Mobile, his hometown.

As we sat at the bar, we learned that the oysters featured that day were from seven different locations. Three were wild caught and four were from oyster farms in the Gulf Coast area. These included Alabama, Florida, Apalachicola, East Coast, West Coast, and, of course, Pensacola Bay, which is Ezekiel's favorite. 

With lots of options for chilled or baked, I chose the Some of Everything, a dozen oysters with samples of two of their baked oysters. They were outstanding with a cold draft beer in a frosty glass, I was in heaven. My friend, who happens to be a trained chef, tells me this is her fourth time visiting since Atlas reopened. That’s saying something!

As we met friends at the bar, we talked to Bobby the bartender, who arrived from California. People piled inside filling the bar, tables, and booths, and the larger outside deck was packed. For a hot July evening, it was actually very pleasant on the deck because large oscillating fans kept temperatures reasonably cool. Everyone was happy, enjoying the scenery, drinks, and food.

I kept studying the menu with helpful suggestions from my experienced friend. I decided on another cold beer and ordered the gumbo and The Stack, a delicious small plate consisting of three lightly panko-crusted fried green tomatoes with local crabmeat salad and fresh mozzarella, five-pepper jelly, and balsamic greens. This we shared, and it was perfect. My friend had gone on and on about the S’mores Pot De Creme dessert, so we shared that too. 

It was a memorable experience and I look forward to returning soon. I enjoy eating at a restaurant bar. You get to meet interesting people, and Atlas Oyster House is no different. Alex, who is one of the managers, came by on his off day to pick up a to-go order. That tells you something, too. He had been a server and requested an opportunity to work as an understudy with Ian Jacobs, who serves as General Manager at both Atlas Oyster House and The Fish House. 

Ian has been with Great Southern Restaurants for ten years, and you can tell he is passionate, caring, and loves his job. His family moved to Pensacola in 1989, his dad was assigned to the Information Warfare Training Command Corry Station near the Naval Air Station. Ian himself was a submariner in the Navy. He lives in Perdido, where he and his wife are raising a son and two daughters. 

I asked about Thang, a special needs adult who has worked at Great Southern Restaurants ‘forever” rolling silverware, peeling shrimp, whatever is needed. He is still with Great Southern Restaurants to this day. You just get a sense of family at every Great Southern Restaurant establishment. That says a lot.

I’ll close with this. The decor at Atlas Oyster Bar is tasteful, warm, and welcoming. The little touches that Maria pointed out on our previous tour came together beautifully. There is hand-painted oyster shell wallpaper in the restrooms, and a private dining area available for small gatherings. The kitchen is brand new, and Ian is diligent in making sure the staff doesn’t overlook any nuance. 

We are so glad the wait is over, but it was worth the wait, I promise!