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What’s Your Fort Myers Dining Style?

• June 12, 2018

Image: Larry Hoffman
 
From popular chains like Chili’s to its impressive list of homegrown hot spots like The Veranda, Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille and Bistro 41, Fort Myers is heaven for foodies. Here’s the low-down to help you find your Fort Myers dining style…
 
Fort Myers Dining Style #1: The Seafood Fanatic
Of course, with the abundance of local fresh fish, shrimp and crabs, seafood is the centerpiece of many restaurant menus. Roy’s in the Bonita Springs’ The Promenade was one of the first in the area to offer Euro-Asian cuisine that recreated flavors of Hawaii and Pacific Rim in a display kitchen. For more traditional seafood, The Timbers and its adjourning Sanibel Grill sports bar on Sanibel Island offer a casual setting. The Timbers’ original location is now occupied by Doc Ford’s Rum & Grille, named after the main character in proprietor Randy Wayne White’s island-themed adventure novels.

The restaurant is famous for its gourmet finger food, fresh seafood entrees and extensive drink menu. Enjoy a seafood casual waterfront dining experience when visiting The Marina at Edison Ford’s Pinchers Crab Shack. This seafood restaurant is famous for local fishermen and crabbers fishing the Gulf of Mexico and delivering to their several area locations in Bonita Springs, Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach and Gulf Coast Town center.


Fort Myers Dining Style #2: The Steak Lover
As the name suggest, The Sanibel Steakhouse started locally and is so big with beef lovers it has expanded to locations in Fort Myers, Bonita Springs and Naples. The Cabbage Key Inn, north of Captiva and Useppa islands, is where, reportedly, Jimmy Buffett was inspired to write his hit “Cheeseburger in Paradise” after eating one of the inn’s huge, juicy burgers. The burger is almost as famous as the restaurant’s screen-enclosed dining room, where thousands of signed dollar bills from patrons are taped to the walls.


Fort Myers Dining Style #3: The Ambience Appreciator
Ambience is what draws many meeting groups to some of the area’s more unusual
restaurants. At the ultra-casual Barnacle Phil’s on the barrier island of North Captiva,
everything but the signature black beans and rice is brought to picnic tables in plastic baskets. To the north at the world-renowned Gasparilla Inn is The Pink Elephant, known for its “Floribbean” continental cuisine and one of several restaurants accessible by boat. Another
highly original spot is The Bubble Room on Captiva Island, nationally-recognized for outrageous portions of Key Lime pie and other oversized, homemade desserts.

Fort Myers Dining Style #4: The Waterfront Wanderer
Naturally, The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel is home to some of the world’s most picturesque, waterfront restaurants, including The Mad Hatter at Blind Pass on Sanibel Island, The Mucky Duck on Captiva Island, The Tarpon House restaurant at Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort & Spa, and The Lighthouse Waterfront Restaurant on Fort Myers Beach. Other fine dining restaurants include: The Veranda (downtown Fort Myers), Sea Breeze Café at the Sundial Beach Resort (Sanibel Island), SS Hookers (Fort Myers near the Sanibel causeway), Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille (San Carlos Bay) and Thistle Lodge (Sanibel Island).
 
Whatever delicious dining option you choose in Fort Myers and Sanibel this summer, book yourself a well-deserved getaway at the beachfront Best Western PLUS Beach Resort Hotel this. Whether you choose to dive in to some succulent, fresh seafood or sample the burger of a lifetime, you’ll enjoy uninterrupted views of the Gulf of Mexico from your room’s private balcony.

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