Food & Drink

Michelin-Starred Chef Akira Back to Open Rooftop Restaurant Above Maritime Park

The globally renowned chef—with 28 locations from Paris to Hong Kong—will bring his signature Japanese-Korean cuisine to the top of the Reverb by Hard Rock Pensacola when the hotel opens in 2029.

Pensacola is getting a rooftop restaurant unlike anything the city has seen before. Michelin-starred chef Akira Back—a Seoul native, former professional snowboarder, and operator of 28 acclaimed restaurants worldwide—has been tapped to open a namesake rooftop dining concept atop the Reverb by Hard Rock Pensacola at Maritime Park, with an opening targeted for 2029.

• The announcement was made jointly by The Dawson Company, Corporate Contractors Inc. (CCI), and Hard Rock International—the three entities driving the Maritime Park mixed-use development on Pensacola’s downtown waterfront.

A Global Brand Lands in Pensacola

Akira Back’s culinary empire spans Paris, Hong Kong, Dubai, Singapore, Toronto, and Delray Beach—and Pensacola is now on that list. Over the next two years, Back plans to expand to 10 additional locations, including Rome, Taipei, and Manila.

“Pensacola has an incredible energy and authenticity that immediately inspired me. Bringing this concept to the rooftop at Reverb is about more than food—it’s about creating an experience that people feel.”
— Chef Akira Back

Back is known for fusing modern Japanese cuisine with his Korean heritage, contemporary technique, and visually arresting presentation. His Pensacola menu will feature signature dishes that have earned international followings:

• AB Tuna Pizza—wafer-thin crunchy crust, umami aioli, ponzu sauce, tuna sashimi, and micro shiso
• 48 Hour Short Ribs—Australian wagyu slow-cooked in a traditional galbi jjim marinade
• Nazo 9—a mystery box of nine chef-selected dishes revealed tableside

The rooftop space will pair the food program with a curated cocktail menu, premium sake selections, golden-hour sunset service, and late-night DJ sets at a pool terrace overlooking Blue Wahoos Stadium and Pensacola Bay.

The Maritime Park Vision

The Akira Back restaurant is the crown jewel of a larger mixed-use development taking shape at Maritime Park, co-owned and developed by The Dawson Company—a Pensacola-based firm with roots going back to 1969—and CCI/Hendricks Holdings, led by renowned Wisconsin businesswoman Diane Hendricks.

The development is designed as a live-work-play district anchoring the next stretch of Pensacola’s downtown waterfront. At its center is a 21,000-square-foot public plaza envisioned as an open-air gathering space connecting Palafox Street’s existing energy to the bay. Plans call for:

• Morning yoga and cafe service at street level
• Shaded public seating, art installations, and pedestrian flow from Blue Wahoos Stadium
• Live music and Foo Foo Fest programming in the plaza
• A residential component creating a permanent community on-site
• The Reverb by Hard Rock Hotel is the anchor hospitality tenant

“This is more than a restaurant—it’s the culmination of a vision to create a destination that captures the energy, creativity, and future of Pensacola.”
— Tamara Bowens, President & COO, The Dawson Company

Hard Rock’s Take

Hard Rock International’s SVP of Hotel Operations, John Rees, framed the pairing as a natural fit for the Reverb brand—a music-forward hospitality concept targeting a younger, culture-driven traveler.

“Together we are bringing a level of energy, sophistication, and global relevance to Pensacola that will resonate far beyond the Gulf Coast.”
— John Rees, SVP Hotel Operations, Hard Rock Hotels

Hard Rock International operates in nearly 80 countries across more than 300 venues, including hotels, casinos, cafes, and live music locations. The Reverb by Hard Rock is positioned as the company’s music-first boutique hotel concept.