"Leans into the tropical tiki vibe without any of the expected kitsch." That is how a MICHELIN inspector summed up The Daytrader Tiki Bar & Restaurant. The same entry mentions outdoor seating that includes spots "resembling tiny beach shacks." The Daytrader sits at 2236 E County Hwy 30A, Units 4 & 5, at the entrance to the Coleman Beach Pavilion. It has been there since 2023.
In June 2026, MICHELIN published its first Florida guide covering the whole state. The Daytrader was named a Recommended restaurant, and its bar manager, Rhianda Smith, won the MICHELIN Exceptional Cocktails Award. Seaside's part in that first statewide guide is mostly a bar award. It went to a room that posts daily hours and sits a few steps from the sand.
Four Special Awards in the State, and One Landed on 30A
The 2026 Florida selection covers 200 restaurants across 41 cuisine types, from the Panhandle to Key West. Two of them earned new One Star ratings: Emelina in West Palm Beach and Mutra in Miami. A Mano Panino in Pensacola was the Panhandle's new Bib Gourmand.
The special awards were scarcer. There were four for the entire state:
- Exceptional Cocktails: Rhianda Smith, The Daytrader Tiki Bar & Restaurant
- Sommelier: Juan Valencia, Ômo by Jônt
- Outstanding Service: Christopher Tegreeny, Salt
- Young Chef: Jada Vidal, Kinjo
Across Seaside and the nearby 30A towns, the complete lists name just two restaurants. Both are new Recommended picks, and the same chef-owner runs both: The Daytrader in Seaside and Roux 30A in Grayton Beach. Neither earned a Star or a Bib Gourmand. That makes Smith's cocktail award the only individual honor MICHELIN gave anywhere on this stretch of 30A. It also carries a person's name, which separates it from the rest of the local list.
On June 30, Walton County commissioners and Walton County Tourism presented commemorative plaques to The Daytrader, Roux 30A and Evie Mae's BBQ in Miramar Beach. Chef Nikhil Abuvala called the guide "one of the most well-respected guides in the entire world." He said it was among "the most amazing things in the entire world" for him that it had "finally" come to Florida and recognized his team.
What the Award Is Actually For
According to VIE Magazine, tiki specialist Gregory "Bootleg Greg" Genias designed The Daytrader's drinks program. It now changes under Smith, who works closely with Abuvala on seasonal and limited-time cocktails. That means the award honors a menu that keeps changing, so what you're served in October may differ from what the inspectors tried.
The menu currently posted is undated. On it, most specialty cocktails cost $16 to $22. One drink is priced well above the rest:
- Daytrader's Remedy, $38. The menu calls it a "Medical Mai Tai." It's made with Appleton Signature and Wray & Nephew rums, passionfruit, almond orgeat, orange, pineapple, nutmeg, cranberry bitters and lime.
- Rumpanion, $22. Made with the same two Jamaican rums, plus cherry, orange, pineapple, allspice, ginger, strawberry and mango.
- Summer Camp Mojito, $18. Campesino silver rum, watermelon, strawberry and mint.
- Hot In Here, $19. Ghost pepper tequila, guava and togarashi salt.
- Tiki It Easy, $17. Glendalough botanical gin, Munyon's Paw-Paw, Fever-Tree tonic and rosemary.
Costing nearly twice as much as the next drink, the Remedy is clearly meant to be the house showpiece. The rest of the list stays in the range of a good beach-town bar. That price spread fits the inspector's note about tiki without the kitsch. You can order the full Mai Tai or just get a gin and tonic with paw-paw.
The Inspector Started With Snacks
The inspector's food notes read like a bar order. The entry begins with shareable boiled peanuts seasoned with anise, ginger and togarashi. Next come pork lumpia with sweet chili sauce and crispy tuna rice with lime oil, lava salt and fried garlic. It ends with a coconut custard cream pie, described as "not-too-sweet," with mile-high meringue and passion fruit sauce.
On the Daytrader's own food menu, the Tuna Crispy Rice is $18 and the Maui Fries are $12. Larger plates include the Sloppy Koa at $21 and the Maui Burger at $23. The Lobster Poor Boy is market price. Seaside describes the restaurant as having both indoor and outdoor seating.
So a MICHELIN-recognized drink and the dish the inspector named can cost about $36 together, ordered at a beach pavilion in the middle of the afternoon.
The Grayton Half of the Same Kitchen Runs on a Clock
Roux 30A, at 114 Logan Lane in Grayton Beach, is the other half of Abuvala's MICHELIN pair, and it works very differently. Its inspector wrote that it "charms at first sight." The entry praises the communal tables and the counter seats that face an open kitchen, where the team serves a seasonal, contemporary American tasting menu. VIE says the tasting menu changes every week.
Dinner at Roux comes in two seatings. At 5 p.m., you choose a three-course or six-course menu, and that seating wraps up by 6:45 p.m. At 7 p.m., the six-course tasting menu is served at a slower pace. A Chef's Counter puts diners face to face with the kitchen. Reservations go through Resy. Resy also lists a Thanksgiving Feast at Roux on Thursday, November 26, 2026, from noon to 7 p.m. Roux doesn't publish a per-person price for its regular tasting menu.
The two places are just a few miles apart, so one chef's MICHELIN recognition can fill an evening. Try a Rumpanion at the Pavilion in the late afternoon, then drive west for the 7 p.m. seating in Grayton. Or book the 5 p.m. seating first and come back to Seaside for a nightcap. Of the two, only Roux works around fixed seating times.
Fitting It Into a Seaside October
The Daytrader's website lists daily hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. MICHELIN's directory gives longer hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. on weekends. The restaurant's own posted hours are the ones to trust. Neither source says anything about off-season changes, so call 850-273-8189 before planning around a late visit.
Several October evenings in Central Square fall within those hours:
- Sounds of Seaside, Wednesdays, 5 to 7 p.m. Roman Street plays October 7, Max McCann October 14 and BOUKOU GROOVE October 28. The October 21 act is still listed as TBD.
- Central Square Cinema, 7 p.m. at the Seaside Amphitheater. The lineup is Hoppers on October 9, Hotel Transylvania on October 16 and Coco on October 23.
- Halloween in Seaside, October 31, 4 to 7 p.m. It's followed by Wonka at 7 p.m.
- Seeing Red Wine Festival, November 5 to 8. It spreads across Central Square and other venues in town.
The Wednesday music ends at 7 p.m., which leaves two hours before The Daytrader's posted closing time. The 7 p.m. movies start just as dinner at the Pavilion would be ending. Because the drink list is seasonal and Smith is the one changing it, the cooler months are a good time to see what she does next. VIE describes her current role as working with Abuvala on "seasonal offerings and limited-time cocktail creations."
If you'd like to be a short walk from the Coleman Beach Pavilion and the Wednesday music in Central Square, Brooke Kromer and the Kromer Collective team can show you the Seaside cottages close to both, quietly and on your schedule. View Properties.
