Cosmo's means great food, giving back to the community

John Mullen • May 24, 2018

Jodi & Brian Harsany of Cosmo's Restaurant & Bar

Cosmos giving to the community
Orange Beach, AL - (OBA®) - Brian and Jodi Harsany have built a solid reputation for community involvement in more than 20 years of being in the restaurant business in Orange Beach.
 
But there’s a really good reason for that, Brian says.
 
“We’re just very fortunate and happy the locals have been in our favor, the community,” Brian said. “People say ‘you do so much for the community’ and I say because the community does so much for us. If we take care of each other then we’ll all be all right.”
Cosmo's namesake, Cosmo

Harsany was relaxing in the bar area of his iconic Cosmo’s restaurant on Canal Road, the flagship of the five restaurants he and Jodi now own in the city. They took over the Ivan-ravished courtyard-type building in 2006 and built it into an icon of the Gulf Coast culinary scene.

 

“It was empty and a bakery café before that,” Brian said. “It opened just before Ivan. Everybody struggled that winter after Ivan because there was so much destruction. It sat empty from the fall of ’04 until we came in in May of ’06.”

 

Brian had managed Bayside Grill at Sportsman Marina for more than 10 years in his first job at the beach. He left there to enter a partnership that lasted just seven months.

Chicken Roulade

“When I stepped away from that partnership I didn’t have any plans but took our ideas that we had sort of come up with back off the shelf and started talking about it,” he said. “I had three ladies three straight days say something about this spot. I think there’s something to it when three people who don’t know each other say ‘you ought to go check out that spot.’”

 

They named their new place after one of their pets, Cosmo, and the restaurant took off. Cars spilled out into the roadsides, grassy areas and even parked across the street to cross busy Canal Road to get at the tasty fare coming out of Cosmo’s kitchen.

 

The secret to this rousing success?

 

“I don’t know,” Brian said with a laugh. But he knows how he wants his restaurants to operate and believes it is usually something as simple as doing things right.

 

“I think we did really well with executing and people knowing that our hours were going to be consistent, our food was going to be consistent and our service would be consistent,” Brian said. “They know what product we give and feel very confident whether or not to recommend it or when they come in themselves they are going to get what they expect.”

 

He and corporate chef Jack Baker have worked together since the mid-1990s and the recipes they have forged have proved popular and developed loyal followings.

“Our guests aren't happy if we take any items off the menu,” he said with another laugh. “There are many lunchtime guests we take a menu to just as a courtesy. If a particular server waits on them they just verify they are going to eat their usual and then they go place the order. Some people haven’t deviated in years from what they order here.”

 

One of the most popular dishes sort of happened by accident. Our Banana-leaf-wrapped fish would vary the, based on what was available.


“A local chef mentioned how he enjoyed the sea bass in banana leaf and it made the list of 100 things to eat in Alabama, before you die.” Brian said. “If we deviated people would get upset about it so now it’s always sea bass.”  It comes rubbed with a special blend of herbs and seasonings, wrapped in banana leaves and baked. It’s served with house rice and lemon garlic asparagus.

But it’s not Brian’s personal favorite. In a world of seafood along the beachfront, he’s just not a big seafood guy.
 
“It’s not my thing,” he said with a shrug. “I’m not a real big fish guy. I love fishing, I’ve always worked in seafood restaurants. It’s just not my favorite.
 
“My favorite’s the chicken roulade. It’s a gruyere cheese asparagus rolled up and wrapped in bacon with a sage and leek cream sauce and parmesan risotto.”
Pecan-encrusted redfish from Cosmo's

You’ll find plenty of delicious seafood from pecan-encrusted redfish, Cosmo’s famous crab cakes or even Alabama-raised catfish. But if you prefer barnyard fare try Brian’s favorite chicken dish or you can get a tender filet or ribeye cooked to order.

 

The redfish is encrusted with chopped pecans and Japanese breadcrumbs, lightly sautéed and topped with meuniere sauce. It comes with “dirty” risotto and lemon garlic asparagus. You have the option of adding sautéed crab meat on top.

 

You’ll find traditional fried seafood of any variety as well as po’ boys and other sandwiches at Cosmo’s. Check out Cosmo’s page on the OBA Community Website.

 

Cosmo’s also has an extensive sushi menu that’s served all day on Saturday and Sundays and starting at 3 p.m.

 

In the offseason, a regional menu lets the kitchen stray from the popular menus to offer up some variety for the fall and winter.

Cosmo's sashimi sushi roll

“We have a lot of fun in the fall and the winter running our regional menus because it allows the chefs to really explore some new cuisine,” Brian said. “We have through the years added items to the menu through those regional menus just because of the popularity of them in just a two- to three-week period. One of them being the redfish.”

 

Back to the community theme, recently they, along with several other businesses on the coast, were involved in the Paw Ball with the Orange Beach Police Department Benevolent Association to raise money for another canine officer. The event at the Perdido Beach Resort raised more than $20,000.

 

“It was a huge success,” Brian said. “We gave them a check for $20,000. I believe our goal was $16,000 for a new canine. This will make sure that no canine officer has to work extra shifts.”

 

The Harsanys also own and operate Cobalt at The Restaurant, GTs on the Bay also on Canal Road and Luna’s Eat and Drink. Maggies Parlor and BuzzCatz’s Coffee & Sweets all in the Cosmo’s courtyard.

Share this article w/ Friends...

Foley's New Public Library
By Guy Busby July 25, 2026
Foley, Ala. — (OBA) — Foley is getting a much larger, more feature-rich public library at a new location on East Orange Avenue. The new facility will offer residents twice the space of the current building and bring a wide range of new services and programs to the community. A grand opening celebration is planned in A
Aerial View of CHaRM Recycling Facility In Orange Beach
By OBA Staff July 25, 2026
Orange Beach, Ala. — (OBA) — The Solid Waste Disposal Authority of Baldwin County has opened a new Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials in Orange Beach. The facility is the third CHaRM location the authority has launched since August 2025 and is also the largest of the three currently operating in the county. The open
Gulf Amberjack
By OBA Staff, from David Rainer’s Outdoor Alabama Article July 25, 2026
Orange Beach, Ala. — (OBA) — A new multi-year scientific study has found that the Gulf of America holds roughly twice as many greater amberjack as federal fisheries managers have estimated. The research, which used the same methods developed for the landmark Great Red Snapper Count, involved 11 institutions across the
Pat McClellan making Mac Davis laugh at the Flora-Bama on Nov. 9, 2019
By K. Cooper July 24, 2026
Perdido Key, Fla. — (OBA) — Pat McClellan, co-owner of the Flora-Bama and one of the Gulf Coast's most recognizable names, passed away peacefully in his sleep Wednesday evening. McClellan came to the Gulf Coast after a decorated career in the U.S. Navy and the hospitality industry. He is remembered not only as a busi
A Work of Art of Orange Beach winner of the 2026 Blue Marlin Grand Championship
By OBA Staff July 24, 2026
Orange Beach, Ala. — (OBA) — A Work of Art of Orange Beach won the 2026 Blue Marlin Grand Championship at The Wharf. The team became the first three-time winner in tournament history and caught the event’s heaviest blue marlin. The victory came during a tournament that set records for both fleet size and prize money.
Downtown Foley
By OBA Staff July 24, 2026
Foley, Ala. — (OBA) — Foley Main Street has launched a new community giving initiative, the "Friends of Downtown Foley" program. The effort allows residents and supporters to directly invest in the artistic and cultural growth of the city's historic downtown district. The program was created by the Foley Main Street C
Gulf of America Jeep Fest 2026
By R. Peevy July 24, 2026
Gulf Shores, Ala. — (OBA) — Drive around the South, especially near the coast, and you will notice a special group of drivers who enjoy taking off their tops, some who greet you with special waves, and others who even have funny little ducks across their dash. For the Jeep enthusiast, the spirit of adventure is never c
Gulf Shores Police Cruiser
By OBA Staff July 23, 2026
Gulf Shores, Ala. — (OBA) — Gulf Shores police officers arrested eight people Wednesday after an armed robbery at a home in the 5500 block of Lemon Tree Lane. The suspects—six adults and two juvenile males—face multiple felony charges. Officers located the suspect vehicle within one minute of responding to the call. N
Makos on Main
By K. Cooper July 23, 2026
Orange Beach, Ala. — (OBA) — Orange Beach City Schools invites students, staff, and the community to celebrate the start of the school year at the annual Makos on Main Parade. The event will be held at The Wharf in Orange Beach and is free and open to the public. Students from Pre-K through 12th grade will march toget
Orange Beach Officers secure a boat that got loose during T.S. Bertha
By K. Cooper July 23, 2026
Orange Beach, Ala. — (OBA) — An Orange Beach resident, Maria Hawkins, found more than she expected while checking their property Wednesday morning after Tropical Storm Bertha. A boat had washed up near their dock overnight. Hawkins spotted it after waking up and stepping outside to survey the damage. What followed was
Show More