LaPaz has been my favorite restaurant my entire life so I’m honestly shocked that I’ve never dedicated a blog post to this fabulous Mexican spot until now.

I grew up begging my parents to eat at LaPaz and then worked there as a hostess and food runner all through high school. I’ve spent many hours at LaPaz and have passed my love of Mexican food onto my kids!

The whole vibe at LaPaz is funky and bright. It’s owned by the same family as Harbor Docks, Local Market, and Camilles, so you’ll find lots of family fishing photos, Mexican art, and all sorts of eclectic wares.

I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I’ve tried everything on the menu at LaPaz over the years. I’m partial to the nachos and tamales, but these days we usually go on Taco Tuesday to enjoy the $2 street tacos.

You can choose from chicken, pork, or steak and they come in soft corn tortillas with cilantro, chopped onions, cotija cheese, and spicy green sauce. A couple of those and a couple margaritas and we’re set!

I enjoy the skinny margarita (or blood orange when available), while Jason loves the Lapazarita.

There is a menu of traditional favorites, but I always check the specials. You can almost always find a dish featuring the freshest seafood from Harbor Docks in an inventive Mexican preparation.

Recently we tried snapper ceviche tacos that were refreshing and light.

The Snapper al Fresco was AMAZING! Blackened red snapper with fingerling potatoes, jalapeno bacon hash, chili lime beurre blanc, and pineapple salsa. Yes. Please.

Back to the tamales…they are worth mentioning twice. I’m not sure these would be considered the traditional way to prepare tamales, but they are huge and overflowing with chicken or pork, almonds, all sorts of savory Mexican spices, plenty of melty cheese, and chili sauces. These have become Jason’s favorite!

The most recent time we visited LaPaz (ahem…three days ago), I had the sweetest lady come up to me and say she follows me on Instagram and she and her family had been trying out all the spots I recommended, so of course they had to come to LaPaz. It’s so fun to be recognized from time to time and realize that people really do pay attention to what I say. I love to eat, and I’m a champion for our local, home-grown restaurants (and all businesses) on the Emerald Coast and love supporting the hardworking folks behind them.

That said, you know my family and I will continue to eat at LaPaz from now until eternity! And we are especially excited because our new house is within walking distance of LaPaz and Local Market. At least we can burn off some taco and donut calories.

LaPaz Restaurante and Cantina
950 Gulf Shore Drive
Destin, FL 32541
850-837-2247