News Bites: Find out what's cooking in the Pensacola area's dining scene

Another new month means lots of updates from your favorite restaurants in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties to sink your teeth into. See some of the new menus we're excited for you to try, a new twist on the food "flight" trend and two restaurants that are entering a new chapter in our latest batch of News Bites.

New food to try

Bar515 Cocktails & Tapas

4495 Chmuckla Highway

Pace’s favorite trendy tapas bar has revamped its menu with plenty of new tapas, entrees, cocktails, $20 margarita flights and even a weekend “Mid-Day Munchies” menu now available on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. The former South Market opened as Bar515 in 2021 and has been growing a following for its live music, creative dishes and funky atmosphere. Along with the new menu comes news hours: Bar515 is open from 4:30-10 p.m. on Wednesdays, 4:30-11 p.m. on Thursday, 4:30-11:30 p.m. on Friday, noon to 11:30 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday, per the restaurant’s Facebook page .

Here a few of the new menu standouts to get excited for:

Food:

• Spiced Apple Pork Chop: Braised 12-ounce Duroc bone-in pork chop, miso, sweet potatoes, bacon collard greens and warm spiced apple compote ($35)
• Hatch Smash Burger: Fontina cheese, grilled hatch green chilis, lemon garlic aioli and bacon ($20)
• Pesto Feta Dip: Garlic, basil, lemon and served with pita and cucumber. ($14)
• Black Truffle Ribeye: 14-ounce ribeye, black summer truffle butter, roasted cauliflower puree and lemon honey brussels sprouts ($50)
• Bacon Wrapped Dates: Blue cheese mousse and maple glaze ($16)

Drinks:

• Habanero Casanova: House infused pineapple, habanero tequila, lime, agave, sweet and spicy rim ($13)
• Summertime Sadness: Aperol, strawberries, Santa Marina Prosecco, club soda, seasonal fruit ($13)
• Lavender Lemon Drop: Pink Whitney Lemonade Vodka, house-made lavender, lemon, simple, A & D signature rim ($10)
• Blueberry Solstice: Horse Soldier Premium Straight Bourbon, blueberry, lemon, orange bitters topped with Santa Marina Prosecco. ($14)
• Days That End in Rye: Hemingway Rye Signature Edition, absinthe wash, Paychaud’s bitters, simple ($15)

Doncha Peruvian Food

3103 E. Strong St.

Doncha Peruvian Food joined the East Pensacola Heights neighborhood last December, bringing the best of their Fort Walton Beach location to Pensacola. Now they're debuting a new menu of “limited time specials” for those ready to mix up your lunch or dinner routine. Some of the menu standouts include:

• Tortellini con Langostinos en Sala de Chupe: Cheese tortellini tossed in a cream based mild Peruvian red pepper sauce and topped with sauteed shrimp. $22.50
• Pulpo a la Chalaca: Fried green plantain bowls filled with seasoned chopped octopus, onion and Peruvian corn tossed in fresh lime juice. ($18.50)
• Arroz Chaufa Especial: Choice of shrimp or mixed seafood fried rice topped with fried fish and a creamy lime drizzle. ($21.50)
• Pollo Chijaukay: Breaded and fried chicken thigh with soy sauce based sweet glaze, sauteed snow peas and bell peppers and served with fried rice. ($18.50)
• Alitas Acevichadas: Naked fried chicken wings topped with a tangy ceviche-based cream sauce and fresh diced Peruvian salsa. ($16.50)

Covington Mercantile & Coffee Co.

5675 Highway 90

This family-owned Milton coffee shop that opened its doors in the summer of 2023 is expanding its footprint to dive into a new breakfast and lunch menu. This includes a line of gourmet waffles, homemade Texas chili, house chicken salad, burritos, nachos and quesadillas. Some of the menu stand-outs include:

• The Milton: A cheese, bacon, kale and garlic aioli filled quesadilla grilled and served with a side of zesty pico de gallo salsa. ($9.50)
• The ABQ: Corn chips smothered in the Covingtons’ famous bacon green chili queso topped with seasoned ground beef and a medley of beans. The dish is described as a “burst of flavors with a hint of green chili, garlic, tomatoes, and our secret spice blend” on the Covingtons’ website. ($9.50)
• Sid’s Famous Texas Chili and Cornbread: While sold separately, the two are a match made in heaven. The cornbread is a “perfectly baked, deliciously spicy jalapeno cornbread” and a “flavorful southwestern chili made with beans, ground beef, tomatoes and a special mix of spices!” ($8.50 total)
• Awful Waffle: “This waffle is awfully large and awfully delicious,” the website states. It is made with two full-sized, made-to-order Belgian waffles stacked with creamy peanut butter, drizzled with raspberry and strawberry puree and smothered in chocolate sauce, garnished with whip cream and crushed Oreo. ($15.50)
• Biscuits and Gravy: “Three of the fluffiest biscuits on this side of Highway 90 topped with a delectable layer of house made black peppered sausage gravy,” the website states. ($7.50)

HQ Korean BBQ & Hot Pot

4958 Bayou Blvd.

Pensacola's HQ BBQ , a Korean barbecue restaurant that opened in January, is now offering an all-you-can-eat weekday lunch as of May 1. The lunch is $22.99 for adults, $11.99 for children 3-feet to 4 1/2-feet tall. Children under 3 feet tall are free.

Lunch is served from noon to 3:30 p.m. Guests have the choice of beef, chicken, seafood, pork and vegetables, almost all of which are carried over from the dinner menu. This includes items like their beef bulgogi, garlic chicken, spicy shrimp, pork belly, shiitake mushrooms and zucchini. A soft drink is also included with the lunch price.

New flights to take

P’Cola Bistro

3102 E. Cervantes St.

East Pensacola Heights family-owned and operated breakfast and lunch restaurant has won Pensacola over since opening its last winter. Since then, they have been regularly making additions to their menu to meet their customers' needs. Their latest change is the addition of a mimosa flight board now available for $15, which lets you experience blueberry lemon, strawberry elderberry, peach and cranberry flavored mimosas. More information can be found on the P'Cola Bistro Facebook page.

Fannie Lou’s Ice Cream

3103 E. Cervantes St.

When stepping inside Fannie Lou’s Ice Cream , a world of homemade creamy delights where the ice cream is churned in the back, it’s a tough decision which will be the winning flavor to order that night. Will it be something brand-new, like the Strawberry Pretzel Cheesecake, mixed with sweet strawberries and salty pretzels, or an old classic like the best-selling Pelican Poo with Oreo cookies, marshmallow swirl and fudge graham pieces? Now, decisions just got a little bit easier with the addition of the Fannie Lou’s Flight Deck, allowing for six scoops for $8.25 or 12 scoops for $16.50 on cake or sugar cones. Flights are available dine-in only.

Closures and new chapters

Zaytouna Greek and Lebanese Restaurant

440 E. Chase St.

Zaytouna , a Mediterranean restaurant specializing in Greek and Lebanese cuisine, has closing its doors in Pensacola. Zaytouna was opened under the same ownership as Alabasha, a popular restaurant group in Louisiana. The owners of In & Out Kitchen , another Greek restaurant located at 8084 N. Davis Highway, haven taken over the former Zaytouna location and launched a new eatery, Levant Mediterranean Grill. Levant held its soft opening on Saturday, May 4, from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Public Affairs Gastropub

500 E. Heinberg St.

Doc Hop Shop’s resident food truck, Public Affairs Gastropub , will be running one final menu before moving onto a new chapter. The menu, nicknamed the G.O.A.T., represents the “greatest hits” of the food truck's rotating menus over the past year and a half.

“This is actually going to be a transition for me to things beyond the food truck. So be on the lookout for that in the next couple months,” owner Doan Truong posted on the food truck’s Facebook page on April 7. “I’ll keep everybody (informed). But again, I just want to say thank you so much for the past year and a half of just support that I’ve had from you guys. I could not ask for a better community to do it with.”

Some of the greatest hits include:

• Char sui banh mi : Char sui pork, banh mi spread, cucumber, pickled veggies, cilantro and toasted baguette. ($16)
• Alabama chicken sandwich: Smoked chicken, bacon, provolone, white barbecue sauce and brioche bun. ($14)
• K-Poppers: Popcorn chicken, Korean Gochujang, kimchi aioli, sesame seeds, cilantro on a bed of fries or tots. ($15)
• Sharkbite burger: Bacon, Doc’s Sharkbite beer cheese, caramelized onions, mayo and brioche bun. ($17)
• Char sui rice bowl: Chinese BBQ pork shoulder, steamed jasmine, tare glaze and green onion confit. ($15)

Stay tuned on the Public Affairs Gastropub page for information.

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This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: News Bites: Find out what's cooking in the Pensacola area's dining scene