As summer approaches, recreational golf season is in full swing. The perfect excuse to take a vacation or just unwind on the weekend, a day spent on the course is tough to improve—except with the promise of great food and wine afterward. These 15 restaurants are in close proximity to world-class golfing, and their first-rate menus and award-winning wine programs will ensure you finish the day a winner.
For more wine-and-food destinations around the world, search all of Wine Spectator’s Restaurant Award–winning restaurants, including all our Grand Award recipients.
Do you have a favorite you’d like to see on this list? Send your recommendations to restaurantawards@mshanken.com. We want to hear from you!
Note: Opening hours and menus are subject to change as the industry continues to adjust to evolving regulations.
Bern’s Steak House
1208 S. Howard Ave., Tampa, Florida
Telephone (813) 251-2421
Website www.bernssteakhouse.com
Grand Award
Now open for more than 60 years, Bern’s Steak House is a Tampa institution in close proximity to a wealth of golf courses. The restaurant is renowned not only for its dry-aged steaks and fresh produce grown on the Bern’s farm, but also for its colossal wine list, now overseen by wine director Eric Renaud. Bern’s has been a recipient of the Grand Award since 1981; today its list has 6,600 selections, including more than 150 wines available by the glass. The program covers a number of important wine regions, including Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhône, Piedmont, Tuscany, Australia, Spain, Germany and California. For those with any room left after steaks or the many other dishes on chef Habteab Hamde’s menu, one of the restaurant’s unique features is the Harry Waugh Dessert Room, where guests can enjoy a range of desserts, along with Ports, Sherries and Madeiras.
HMF at the Breakers
The Breakers, 1 S. Country Road, Palm Beach, Florida
Telephone (561) 659-8480
Website www.thebreakers.com
Grand Award
A stone’s throw from the Atlantic Ocean, the restaurant now called HMF at the Breakers has earned a Grand Award at the resort since 1981, and today serves creative small plates under its vaulted ceilings and chandeliers that evoke old-school Palm Beach. The glamor is enhanced by HMF’s massive and meticulously organized 2,050-selection wine list, overseen by wine director and Master Sommelier Virginia Philip (the restaurant boasts a second MS, Juan Gomez, on its sommelier team), with strengths in Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Rhône, Champagne, Tuscany, Piedmont and California. Wines are poured alongside chef Joey Tuazon’s menu of small-plate dishes, such as yellowfin tuna tartare, swordfish souvlaki, duck empanadas and garganelli with Maine lobster. For some sport before dinner, the Breakers boasts two high-caliber golf courses: the historic Ocean Course, created in 1896, and the Rees Jones Course, a more modern counterpart 10 miles from the resort grounds.
Restaurant Latour
Crystal Springs Resort, 1 Wild Turkey Way, Hamburg, New Jersey
Telephone (844) 414-9893
Website www.crystalgolfresort.com
Grand Award
For an East Coast golf retreat that aces wine and dining, head to Crystal Springs Resort in northwestern New Jersey. The resort is home to six golf courses for all skill levels, as well as a Grand Award–winning wine cellar at its Restaurant Latour. Chef Aishling Stevens’ contemporary American fare can be enjoyed in the form of her three-course and seven-course prix-fixe menus (options begin at $110). Featured dishes include cuttlefish with oxtail, glazed quail with squash, rabbit roulade and parsnip cake. As for wine, the 4,950-label list has earned a Grand Award since 2006; highlighting bottles from Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhône, Champagne, Italy and California, the program is managed by wine director Susanne Wagner.
Baleen
La Playa Beach & Golf Resort, 9891 Gulf Shore Drive, Naples, Florida
Telephone (239) 598-5707
Website www.laplayaresort.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Naples, Fla., is a popular travel destination for golfers, and LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort is among its draws. The resort’s Baleen restaurant overlooks the waves, with a few tables on the beach itself. Chef Steven Conner’s menu enhances the seaside atmosphere with a focus on seafood, offering dishes like lobster bisque, tuna tartare, grouper tacos and fried calamari with sesame-ginger vinaigrette. Wine director Martin Diehr’s 890-selection list has earned a Best of Award of Excellence since 2011 and homes in on wines from California, Italy and France, especially Burgundy. You can hit the links at the resort's own course or one of several nearby.
Charlie's Coastal Bistro
8 New Orleans Road, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Telephone (843) 785-9277
Website www.charliegreenstar.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Some of the best golfing in the country can be found on South Carolina’s Hilton Head Island, which offers an abundance of courses and pristine beaches. After a day in the sun, you can cool down with a great meal and a glass of wine at Best of Award of Excellence winner Charlie's Coastal Bistro (formerly Charlie’s L'Etoile Verte). Having earned its first Restaurant Award in 1993, Charlie’s has accumulated an impressive cellar to complement its homey French atmosphere. Today, wine director and co-owner Margaret Pearman’s list features 615 selections, with a focus on California and France, especially the Rhône Valley and Bordeaux. Additional picks from Italy, Argentina and farther abroad bring more diversity. Chef Josh Castillo’s menu (handwritten daily) celebrates local seafood with dishes like parmesan-crusted Atlantic cod, sautéed flounder in a meunière sauce and mahi mahi with mango vinaigrette.
The Circular
The Hotel Hershey, 100 Hotel Road, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Telephone (717) 534-8800
Website www.thehotelhershey.com
Best of Award of Excellence
There’s a lot for a golfer to enjoy while visiting Hershey, Penn., and it’s not just milk chocolate and rollercoasters (though we recommend those as well). While staying at the Hotel Hershey, they can spend their time at the two-course Hershey Country Club, which Milton Hershey himself established in 1930. Or, they can take a table at the Circular, the hotel’s Best of Award of Excellence–winning restaurant. California and France form the core of wine director Caitlin Ensminger’s 600-label program; fans of sparkling wine will find no shortage of Champagnes and domestic bubbly, and that isn’t even to mention vast selections of Burgundy, Bordeaux and Napa Cabernet (featuring verticals from Duckhorn, Beaulieu vineyards and more). Chef Bart Umidi’s steak house menu is a fitting match for the Circular’s wine, offering tuna tartare, Pennsylvania duck, stuffed delicata squash, filet mignon, a plate of regional cheeses and, of course, chocolate-based desserts.
Lautrec
Nemacolin, 1001 Lafayette Drive, Farmington, Pennsylvania
Telephone (724) 329-1000
Website www.nemacolin.com
Best of Award of Excellence
While the two courses at Pennsylvania’s Nemacolin resort are eye-catching for golfers, the resort’s Lautrec restaurant is certain to grab their attention after they’ve played a round. Wine director Wade Hill oversees a massive, Best of Award of Excellence–winning selection of 1,200 wines, packed with bottles from Burgundy, Bordeaux, California and Italy. (The restaurant claims theirs is the “largest working wine cellar in Pennsylvania.”) These join Kristin Butterworth’s seasonal, seven-course tasting menu of European-influenced dishes, which guests enjoy in the presence of six lithograph prints by famed French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, the restaurant’s namesake.
Main Dining Room
The Greenbrier, 101 Main St. West, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
Telephone (434) 258-8502
Website www.greenbrier.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Situated in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia, the Greenbrier has been a travel destination since its founding in 1778; guests have long come to bathe in its restorative spring waters. Today, the resort’s five golf courses—some host to PGA Tour events—as well as picturesque grounds, casino, mineral spa and renowned dining attract patrons from around the globe. The wine list at the resort’s upscale Main Dining Room, overseen by Mike Deskins, earned a Best of Award of Excellence in 2016 and now offers 885 selections, many from California, Oregon, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Spain and Italy. The American- and French-influenced menu features dishes like a terrine of foie gras, creamy onion soup, chicken breast stuffed with herb mousse, seared Chilean seabass and grilled Spanish octopus.
Merriman’s Kapalua
1 Bay Club Place, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
Telephone (808) 669-6400
Website www.merrimanshawaii.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Maui famously provides myriad golf options, and when it comes to food and wine, the island delivers in spades as well. Best of Award of Excellence winner Merriman’s Kapalua is a particularly good choice. Experience the ocean breeze on their open-air lanai as you sift through wine director Zack Musick’s 550-selection list, which highlights family producers and features depth in California, Italy and France. Fans of Burgundy and Champagne will be particularly pleased with the French options. Chef Adam Rzeczkowski’s menu features primarily local ingredients, capturing the flavors of the island with eclectic dishes like kalua pig quesadillas with kimchi, mahi mahi ceviche with wild shrimp and scallops with parmesan-potato gnocchi. If you’ll be traveling beyond Kapalua, you can discover Merriman’s sibling restaurants throughout Hawaii, including the Award of Excellence–winning Waimea location.
Ristorante Paoletti
440 Main St., Highlands, North Carolina
Telephone (828) 526-4906
Website www.paolettis.com
Best of Award of Excellence
In the Appalachian Mountains, surrounded by the Nantahala National Forest, the North Carolina town of Highlands is a great base camp for hiking, chasing waterfalls and, of course, golfing. Don’t let the bucolic setting fool you: the dining is top-notch. After a day in the great outdoors, you can dine at Ristorante Paoletti, a Best of Award of Excellence winner since 2005, and sip one of the 750 labels on wine director Kyle Tarczynski’s list. The program is packed with wines from Piedmont, California, Bordeaux and Burgundy. Beyond wine, chef Kevin Paoletti offers a sophisticated take on hearty Italian classics like eggplant lasagna and spaghetti alla carbonara, as well as other delights like grilled rainbow trout and a spiced Cervena elk rib chop.
Seagar's Prime Steaks and Seafood
Sandestin Hilton Beach Golf Resort & Spa, 4000 Sandestin Blvd. S., Miramar Beach, Florida
Telephone (850) 622-1500
Website www.seagars.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Visiting golfers have a staggering four courses to choose from while staying at Florida’s Sandestin Hilton Beach Golf Resort & Spa. They can also spend their time enjoying Seagar’s Prime Steaks and Seafood, the resort’s very own Best of Award of Excellence winner. Steaks and seafood are the stars of chef Lee Guidry’s menu, which features everything from Maine lobster and diver scallops to truffle fries to a 24-ounce porterhouse (one of many cuts to pick from). But it’s not just about the food. Wine director Paul Schoeneberg has prepared a 600-label wine list that focuses most heavily on California and Italy. That means there are plenty of Napa Cabernets, super Tuscans and Barolos, joined by bottles from Bordeaux, Rioja, Willamette Valley and farther abroad.
Stillwater Bar & Grill
The Lodge At Pebble Beach, 1700 17 Mile Drive, Pebble Beach, California
Telephone (800) 654-9300
Website www.pebblebeach.com
Best of Award of Excellence
On California’s Monterey Peninsula, the Lodge at Pebble Beach boasts five picturesque golf courses. Overlooking Stillwater Cove and the gorgeous 18th hole of the Pebble Beach Golf Links is the resort’s Best of Award of Excellence–winning gem, Stillwater Bar & Grill. The restaurant’s wine program, overseen by Wendy Heilmann, features 1,300 selections—including several California bottlings exclusive to Pebble Beach—with depth in California, Italy and France (particularly Burgundy). Chef Alex Ramirez serves up California-inspired dishes like Dungeness crab cakes, live Monterey Bay abalone and nori-seared yellowfin tuna.
A.R. Valentien
The Lodge at Torrey Pines, 11480 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California
Telephone (858) 777-6635
Website www.lodgetorreypines.com
Award of Excellence
Guests will find plenty of respite at the Lodge at Torrey Pines after spending a long day playing 18, or even all 36, of the holes at Torrey Pines Golf course. The Lodge’s Award of Excellence–winning A.R. Valentien is a great place to start, especially if your palate leans towards California. The Golden State features heavily on wine director Paul Krikorian’s 300-selection list, with plenty for fans of Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel (plus a bit of Champagne for good measure). These are served alongside a regional menu from chef Kelli Crosson, who prepares dishes such as caramelized sea scallops, crispy-skin sable and roasted brisket with butternut squash kugel. When not golfing or dining, take the opportunity to explore the hotel, an excellent example of early 20th-century Craftsman architecture.
Seahorse Grille
Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, 200 Ponte Vedra Blvd., Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Telephone (904) 285-1111
Website www.pontevedra.com
Award of Excellence
Golf is so important to Jacksonville’s Ponte Vedra Inn & Club that a set of clubs are featured on the Florida resort’s coat of arms, along with a pair of seahorses (appropriate for a beachside hotel). These fish lend their name to Ponte Vedra’s Seahorse Grille, which has held an Award of Excellence since 2016. Wine director Michael McGee oversees a 265-label wine list with strengths in California and France, especially Bordeaux. This means there are many full-bodied reds to pair with chef Hermann Muller’s menu of steak house classics and seafood, including garlic shrimp, oysters with bacon and a filet of beef with tomato butter. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer diners picturesque Atlantic views during their meal.
Vue 1913
Omni Grove Park Inn, 290 Macon Ave., Asheville, North Carolina
Telephone (828) 252-2711
Website www.omnihotels.com
Award of Excellence
When golfing at the Omni Grove Park Inn, it’s difficult to say what’s more impressive: that you’re surrounded by the breathtaking Blue Ridge Mountains, or that the course was designed by the legendary Donald Ross (a disciple of another golf legend, St Andrews’ Old Tom Morris). You can mull it over while enjoying a meal at the resort’s Award of Excellence winner, Vue 1913, where wine director and general manager Mark Palmer has put together a California-led list of 185 wines. This includes a robust by-the-glass selection, which features well-known names like Grgich Hills and Stag’s Leap. The list is fleshed out with wines from farther abroad, including Oregon, Washington and Argentina. These wines should pair deliciously with chef Patrick Cullum’s American menu, whether you pick the Wagyu tartare, saffron arancini, elk tenderloin or 16-ounce, dry-aged New York strip.
