Slick Lips Seafood & Oyster House Opens in Baytowne Wharf

Fresh off the heels of another award-winning season with their first Sandestin restaurant, The Sunset Bay Café, Bryce Jarvis and his father Gary have decided to test the waters of Baytowne Wharf with the opening of Slick Lips Seafood & Oyster House.

The new restaurant, also located within Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, concentrates on fresh ingredients, locally-caught fish, and assorted fresh oyster dishes.

As the boat captain of his The Backdown 2 charter fishing boat, Captain Gary knows a thing or two about fish and their combined experience in restaurant management and menu development provides a sturdy foundation for their latest project.

“We have been looking for another restaurant opportunity and when this spot became available, we decided to go for it here,” explains Bryce. “We have a built-in traffic base here at Baytown Wharf, we are close to our other location, and this seems to be the perfect fit for us.”

The Acme Oyster House formally occupied the location and has been closed since last September/ October. The bones of the building are basically the same, but all the walls have been upgraded and the flooring and bars have been totally renovated.

“We were able to procure an 1800-year-old Cypress tree from a local sawmill and the tree is estimated to have been in the Choctawhatchee Bay for two to three hundred years. We’re having the tree finished out and we’ll have a really beautiful live-edge cypress bar featured both up and downstairs at both bars.”

The name “Slick Lips Seafood & Oyster House” came from numerous nautical and fishing terms that had been discussed by the Jarvis Family.

“My father, mother and I were at the dinner table one night spitballing names and “Slick Lips” kept coming up as a possibility. The name is intriguing, people will wonder ‘what does that mean?’ and people asking questions is always a good thing,” laughs Bryce.

The name itself derives from a local slang term for Amberjack, a reef fish that doesn’t have a lot of big, sharp teeth like a lot of reef fish do. So “Slick Lips” it is…menu items will focus on fresh fish just out of the gulf (clams, oysters, shrimp, amberjack, grouper) …whatever is fresh that day. Fresh fish sandwiches will rotate depending on what can be caught that day.

“We are trying to really pay homage to the local fishing community which is what really built this area and started the notoriety of this area,” explains Bryce.
Not seafood-based menu items are also available with rib-eye steak, chicken, slick burgers, and salad options. The restaurant is a family-oriented, casual place to meet and eat.

“We do have to have shoes and shirts on,” laughs Bryce.

Chef Jay Ammons is excited to get the ball rolling and will be offering daily lunch and dinner specials. The big draw at Slick Lips is expected to be raw oysters with four variations of chargrilled oysters sure to please even the most discerning of oyster lovers.

The bacon-wrapped amberjack dish and the Chorizo and Clam appetizer are expected to become crowd favorites. The menu is a strong one and everything served will come into the restaurant on ice…NOT frozen.

Slick Lips libations include both draft beer and bottle beer selections with cool cocktail offerings like their Game Changer, a watermelon-infused Correlejo Blanco tequila, fresh lime juice, orange curacao, and organic agave. The wine list is extensive, and all drinks seem to somehow jive with oysters!

Restaurant hours will be from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday. Phone: 850-347-5060. Address: 140 Fishermans Cove, in the heart of Baytown Wharf at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, Miramar Beach (just enter through the guard gate at Sandestin Resort, north of U.S. Hwy. 98 and follow the signs to Baytown Wharf.