Favorites on the sushi menu are the 850 Roll, a fried roll with shrimp, cream cheese, avocado and tempura crunches topped with baked scallops, sweetened krab salad and eel sauce for $13.95. Another is the Niceville Roll with shrimp, cream cheese, green onions, masago, avocado, tempura crunches, spicy baked krab salad and eel sauce for $12.95.

NICEVILLE — The former Ernie's Dockside Café and Oyster Bar on Bayshore Drive opens as a new eatery Saturday.

The Wharf 850 is a waterfront restaurant serving steaks, fresh local seafood, sushi, handmade flame-fired flatbread and more. The owners are Casey and Jami Jones of The Big Red Truck in Destin, along with business partner Trish Dalton.

Developer Jay Odom, who owns the building, approached Casey in October about turning the large property into a new restaurant. Casey, who already owns another restaurant including the food truck, said he just couldn't pass it up.

"It just felt right," he said. "We have a sushi bar and the best seafood and steaks in Niceville. We want this to be a place where people can come here on date night, but people coming off the docks in their bikinis can also feel comfortable throwing something over it and coming in."

Casey said just like he did with his other restaurants, he adapted the menu based on the equipment provided. There was already a sushi bar and pizza oven installed, so he made sure the menu would use both.

Favorites on the sushi menu are the 850 Roll, a fried roll with shrimp, cream cheese, avocado and tempura crunches topped with baked scallops, sweetened krab salad and eel sauce for $13.95. Another is the Niceville Roll with shrimp, cream cheese, green onions, masago, avocado, tempura crunches, spicy baked krab salad and eel sauce for $12.95.

Casey also recommends other items such as the Surf and Turf for $32.95, a choice of fresh fish, gulf shrimp, sea scallops or snow crabs served with an 8-ounce filet. He said the $3.95 side of Mrs. Lita's Green Beans will also make your taste buds scream.

Burgers, including a vegan burger, run for $10.95. There are also po-boys, pastas and salads.

The menu and prices may change following the grand opening Saturday.

A large upper deck, including outdoor and indoor seating, can hold about 300 guests. There is also a downstairs seating area for 80 people that will be used for customers waiting to be seated upstairs. An Airstream trailer is set up as an oyster bar, where guests can order from while they wait with a cold signature Wharf 850 beer.

Casey said there will be live music on the upper deck overlooking the marina below.

The restaurant will be open Monday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Brunch will begin July 7 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and the regular menu will be offered until 8 p.m.

Casey said he wants the Niceville community to know The Wharf 850 is a family environment.

"We're here to stay," he said. "This is a place for people to come and to hang out. We're not a fine dining establishment, we're just a really good establishment."