I received a handful of requests for a blog post dedicated to Sanibel Island restaurant recommendations and heeeere ya go! My grandma has visited the island nearly every February for more than 25 years with family and friends and I’ve been fortunate enough to tag along and visit Sanibel a bunch of times!
Some of my favorite activities include shelling on the beach (Sanibel’s beach is packed with some of the most amazing shells in the world), exploring the island by bike and dining out at local restaurants.
Below you will find my favorite restaurants on the island for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Breakfast
This place is also a fun lunch spot, but it is well known for its phenomenal breakfast dishes. The décor is eccentric, bright and cow-themed, making it a fun and entertaining place to visit with children and family.
My recap: The Island Cow
If you like simple, delicious breakfast food, the Over Easy Café is a great spot! Dine outside with your dog and a hot cup of coffee served in one of their adorable mugs. For those looking for healthy breakfast fare, the Over Easy Café offers veggie-packed omelets and fresh fruit and yogurt parfaits.
My recap: Over Easy Café
A comfortable, cozy restaurant, The Lighthouse Café has an atmosphere that is warm and welcoming and perfectly “Sanibel” with lots of pictures of the island’s lighthouse hung on the restaurant’s walls. Along with typical breakfast fare, The Lighthouse Café also offers many seafood-themed dishes, including seafood benedict and a seafood frittata. A must try: The whole wheat blueberry hotcakes!
My recap: The Lighthouse Café
Lunch
Gramma Dot’s is located on the Sanibel Island marina and is a fun place to dine since you’re surrounded by boats! The clam chowder is unreal and the homemade chips that come with nearly every dish are sprinkled with the most delicious seasonings. Though seafood is the way to go when you visit Gramma Dot’s, their menu also includes burgers and chicken sandwiches if seafood isn’t your thing.
My recap: Gramma Dot’s
I recommended this place above for breakfast, but it’s a wonderful lunch spot, too! Fabulous dishes include the ultimate steamer, Uncle John’s moolicious muscles and the sesame seared tuna salad.
Dinner
If you love seafood and a casual, lively atmosphere, The Lazy Flamingo will be right up your alley. Shellfish and peel-and-eat shrimp are a staple here! I always order “The Pot” packed with clams and oysters that are steamed in beer and special spices.
My recap: The Lazy Flamingo
If you’re looking for an upscale or romantic dining experience, The Mad Hatter is the place to go! Make sure to make reservations so you’re able to see the sunset while you dine because the view is breathtaking. I highly recommend the spiced watermelon salad and seafood trio.
My recap: The Mad Hatter
Dessert
If you plan a trip to Sanibel Island you have to visit The Bubble Room. This place is decorated with the most ridiculous Christmas-themed toys and knickknacks and simply must be seen. While I wouldn’t really recommend visiting The Bubble Room for dinner, popping in for dessert is a must! (We typically get a few pieces of cake to go.) You can’t go wrong with any of The Bubble Room’s ginormous slices of cake (one piece is plenty for two people) and my family’s favorites include the orange crunch cake and the coconut cake.
My recap post: The Bubble Room
If you’re an ice cream fanatic like me, Pinocchio’s is the place for you. The ice cream is homemade and features a bunch of original flavors. Though long lines are typical outside of Pinocchio’s, they move fast and soon enough you’ll have a generous portion of ice cream topped with a signature animal cracker to enjoy! I highly recommend the chocolate caramel sea salt gelato. My family and I also adore the Sanibel Krunch which features creamy vanilla ice cream with toasted coconut, delicious chocolate and crunchy mixed nuts, along with other “secret” ingredients.
My recap: Pinocchio’s
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More recommended restaurants that I have not personally visited, but have heard wonderful things about from family, friends and blog readers:
Question of the Afternoon
- If you were to type up a dining guide for somewhere you’ve lived or a special place you’ve visited multiple times, where would it be?
I think Sanibel is the only vacation location I’ve been to multiple times, but since I lived in Orlando for several years, I always have a bunch of dining recommendations for those visiting my former hometown!
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Having lived in Kansas City, MO and spent a lot of time in Cincinnati, OH I would love to recommend some great places in both of those cities. My hometown would be nice to write about as well. We have a lot of great local eateries that deserve a couple forks up!
Ps. I think I need to visit Sanibel Island now as it looks beautiful and relaxing!
that ice cream looks DELICIOUS!!!
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Julie–I am a long time reader. I think Sanibel might be our next family vacation. Thank you for the suggestions and information! I have a 8, 7, and 3 year old. We love excursions. We don’t like to lay around too much when on vacation. My children are BUSY! So, what do you think? Would Sanibel be the place for us? If so, where do you recommend staying? Thanks. Elizabeth
hi elizabeth! sanibel really is such a fun place. as far as whether or not it’s a place to take kids, i think that depends. most of the restaurants listed above are very kid friendly and there are always a ton of kids at the beach (specifically by the lighthouse) and every time i’ve visited the island, i’ve seen dolphins at least one day, which i think kids would love! the shelling is great and the beach always has a ton of amazing shells, starfish and sand dollars to look at which i always thought was fun as a kid. you can also rent bikes and ride around the island (they have really near four-person bike things) and there’s a nature reserve (ding darling) that many people visit. captiva is a short drive away, and a BUNCH of families love staying at the south seas plantation. i’ve heard they have a lot of activities for kids. in sanibel, i recommend sanibel moorings as a great place to stay. the condos are clean. there are always kids at the pool and there’s easy access to the beach with showers when you come in.
Julie–thank you so much!! Hubs and I are checking it out right now. I really enjoy your blog. You and Ryan seem to have a precious sweet, genuine love for each other and life. I am also now a huge fan of garam masala- thanks to you! Will keep you updated on vacation plans! E
Is the blender giveaway still open? When I click on the post to leave a comment nothing comes up.
it is but i’m having issues with the comments section and am working with my web guy right now!
I attended a destination wedding in Captiva, and we visited the Bubble Room and Over Easy Cafe – both great recommendations!
All of the restaurants look delicious but I think I would be most excited to visit Pinnochio’s Ice Cream…man that looks good!!
The Bubble Room was our favorite place to go! Haha I have a picture of me holding two giant slices of cake, one in each hand, at the Bubble Room!
Probably Sanibel Island too! I’m from Wisconsin but have been there a number of times because that is our favorite vacation spot and of course we always try lots of new places when we visit!
Can I just go visit the Bubble Room to die? That cake…oooo…..
I live in Fairbanks, Alaska and even though our town is small, there are a few special places I would recommend. One of the best restaurants is the Thai House. They have the best green curry and spring rolls. Another favorite is the Turtle Club and their specialty is prime rib. It melts in your mouth.
We have some pretty fun bars as well. Alaskans are pretty relax and some bars allow dogs. We love our dogs!
Julie and readers who have been there: you’re probably going to think I’m nuts vacationing there in a seaside paradise being a vegetarian, but, well, I’m going there this year … and I can’t wait. But I’m a little nervous because while my hubby and I are vegetarians, the rest of the people in our party are not. I have tried to research some restaurants for lunch/dinner that serve some non-meat or cheese dishes, but haven’t seen much. Can you provide any advice?
Wow! I’ve never been to Sanibel Island, but now I want to go. I’ll go anywhere for good food!
I actually blog about places I eat and am currently doing a lot of Chicago restaurants. There are sooo many great ones! However, when I went to Bermuda and stayed at the Fairmont Southampton, we ate at every single restaurant they had on property. I feel like I could easily do a dining guide for that. http://happyhoyt.blogspot.com/search?q=bermuda+food
Another place I could do is Epcot at Disney World. I love to eat there! In fact, we have eaten at every single country. http://happyhoyt.blogspot.com/2012/03/disney-food-at-epcot.html
I could go on and on…thank goodness I do your circuit workouts because you can tell I am passionate about food!
O, memories! My grandparents used to live on Sanibel and I remember the amazing cake tray from the Bubble Room!! That place was a must every time we visited. Glad you enjoyed it!
Love Sanibel-have gone there almost every year for my whole life and my parents have a place there now.
Gramma Dots has the best coconut shrimp I’ve ever had! I love that place! Pinnochios is a must stop for Ice Cream.
One of my other favorites is the Timbers, where anything I’ve had is good, and their apple crisp is no joke one of my favorite desserts of all time!
The other thing that people should try is driving up to Captiva for dinner at the Green Flash, we usually stop right over the bridge at the beach right there to watch the sunset, then make our way up to the Green Flash for dinner.
It would have to be New Orleans. I grew up there and lived in the uptown area most of my life. The food there is out of this world good.
Love all those restaurants you listed above! Having lived in Ft Myers for 6 years, I frequented sanibal and captiva and have been to everyone except Over Easy Cafe.
I currently live in Nashville and this place is a foodies dream! All sorts of foodies are welcome: vegan, vegetarian, meat lovers, market lovers, dessert lovers etc! Gah! So in love with this city! I will never turn back to Florida!!
We’ve only visited Marco Island, Florida twice now, but we’ve found some really great spots that I would recommend to others. And of course, now that we’re in Atlanta, we’re trying out all of the great restaurants! 🙂
I haven’t visited the same spot multiple times but, I live in Memphis, TN and I always get asked wehre the best BBQ is anytime someone comes to visit! After years of getting that question, I started visiting them all and I now have a top 10 list 😉
For me, it would be Mackinac City and/or Mackinac Island, MI. I’ve visited many times, and I’d like to think that I know most of the hot spots ;).
Awesome! I live in Fort Myers so this was fun to read. Thanks.
We have visited all of the restaurants you listed except The Mad Hatter. Don’t know why, just haven’t yet. We also like The Mucky Duck on Captiva Island. Sunday morning is my favorite day to visit The Lighthouse Cafe as they make the most delicious creamed chip beef. And do try the call ahead seating at The Lighthouse Cafe…..it shortens the wait tremendously.
Another good restaurant is the Sanibel Cafe.
I will have to try the gelato at Pinnochio’s. I always get the Sanibel Crunch…..my favorite.
I’m originally from New York, but I could definitely create a visitor’s dining guide to Savannah (where my grandparents live) or the Outer Banks of NC (where I’ve lived for two years). I love the idea of sharing the great spots you’ve found, especially the little hole-in-the-wall places that a visitor might not stumble upon without a recommendation!
Two things that I have learned from this post are that there seems to be A LOT of delicious food found at Sanibel Island, AND the restaurants have really funny names! 😉
This post makes me miss Sanibel so much! The Island Cow and Lazy Flamingo are my two favorites (love peel ‘n eat shrimp!), and I have yet to try Over Easy Cafe. My mom and sisters rave about it, so I definitely need to go the next time I’m on the island. 🙂
Julie – your timing is incredible! I’m flying to Ft. Myers Beach tomorrow and plan to hang out on Sanibel this week, as well. I cannot wait to try out all of these hot spots! Thanks! 🙂
I would probably do a guide for Wildwood, NJ (and include the best seafood restaurant ever – the Lobster house – even though it’s in Cape May (close enough)). I spent 4 summers living in Wildwood.
My family had been going to sanibel and captiva every year for 17 years, and I’m so happy to hear you speak so highly if it! We love it there and dread goog home at the end of the vacation. We share a lot of the same favorites ( lazy flamingo, island cow, Pinocchios, the bubble room – who doesn’t love gigantic cake and crazy decor?). Some of our other favorites are rc otter (similar to the island cow), cantina captiva, the blue giraffe, and the island bistro. The whole atmosphere down there is just so friendly and inviting, I can’t wait to go back down! I’m looking forward to trying your other favorite restaurants, I’ve never been to some of them. Thanks!
I used to live in Notting Hill, London, and my favorite place for brunch was Ottolenghi (http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/). The food is so fresh, beautifully presented, and they have a great mix of exotic and traditional dishes. They also definitely do not have a shortage of awesome dessert choices 🙂 P.s. LOVE the look of that chocolate ice cream, and I LOVE their idea of putting mixed nuts in it! Sounds like a party in the mouth ;p
Considering I’m making a trip that way next month, I’ll be bookmarking this for later 🙂
A dining guide for my current area (Chapel Hill/Raleigh, NC) would be awesome as well as the city I used to live in (Asheville, NC). I recently ate at a little cafe near the Cape in Massachusetts (Sweet Caroline’s Cafe in Buzzard’s Bay, MA) and would seriously go back just to eat there!
I always feel like a jerk when I vacation at the beach because I am allergic to fish/shellfish and it’s such a pain for the restaurants to use separate stuff. A lot of them look at me like I am INSANE when I say I’m allergic because, hello, I’m at the beach.. but seriously, there aren’t that many options besides seafood!
Oh man the island cow sounds amazing! My fiance is obsessed with cows, he would love that place! I would write recommendations for Hawaii food places, I’ve spent three summers there and have gotten to try so many amazing restaurants.
Tennessee! We’re are regulars. We go at least once every year. Some times twice. If you’re ever feeling like you wanta go I have some pretty places i know to stay and eat at. We recently just stayed at this awesome cabin by an apple orchard that had an apple orchard restuarant and they grow and sell their own vegetables and fruit and honey. It was rockin’. And there was a hot tub on the back porch…o m g
Sanibel is where I got married 🙂 Fort Myers is where I grew up.
Sanibel is the best! And love love love the Island Cow, such a cute place.
I could do a restaurant guide for the Myrtle Beach area. I lived there for a few years and have been on a few vacations there. I actually made up a little tour guide for some friends who are planning on visiting the area in a couple weeks, and it was really kinda fun!
Every summer for the past 8 or so years, my mom and sister and I stay a week in Mexico Beach, Fl, on the Gulf Coast. It a very small place with an old beach town atmosphere. Fishermen love the place because all the boat launches are free and have free trailer parking. Usually we wait for the fishing boats to return every afternoon and mosey on down to the pick out our dinner. Since it is a small town, there aren’t a lot of restaurants. But by far the best tuna taco I’ve ever had comes from Killer Seafood. We love this place and go every year. There are other restaurants a short distance but our favorite is Killer Seafood. BTW: They were written up in Southern Living.
Oh my gosh, yum! I wasn’t hungry two minutes ago and now I am craving ice cream and cake in the worst way.
I will definitely need to keep this post in mind before my boyfriend and I visit Sanibel this summer–thanks for sharing! 🙂
This is an awesome guide- I wish there’d be one for the places I’d visit! I would love to see a recommended guide on your Europe travels? I’m going there in June/July. I know you blogged about the experience, which I’ve already read and bookmarked for future reference but would be interested in seeing it in a ‘guide’ format 🙂
Sanibel sounds so fun!! And I love all the names of the restaurants!
I love going on family holidays soooo much. I miss it!
This post made me miss home so much! I grew up near Bonita/Ft. Myers Beach and I miss all of the local restaurants! Now that I’m in Orlando, I could definitely give lots of recommendations here. Especially since I have been able to explore outside of the UCF area the last few years.
The goat cheese pillows at the Mad Hatter are probably the best thing I’ve ever eaten! So delicious. My fiance loves the spiced watermelon salad too. Thanks for the recap.. I live a few miles away from Sanibel and there are some restaurants on your list I’ve never heard of! It’ll be fun to try them.
Holy Cow, I totally forgot about the Bubble Room! They have the biggest slices of cake ever. Great restaurant guide, thanks!
Soo I just got to catching up on your posts from this weekend and I was actually JUST in Sanibel yesterday! Although I live in Chicago, we are planning our wedding somewhere in Florida and we made a trip this weekend to look at some spots. We visited both Sanibel and Captiva yesterday afternoon and it is absolutely beautiful there!
I don’t know if there are many vacation spots I’ve been to multiple times, but this summer I went to my boyfriend’s family vacation home in Cape May, NJ, and he brought me to his family favorites of the Mad Batter, the Blue Pig at Congress Hall, and Tommy’s Hot Dogs–all of which I’d recommend.
In my hometown though, I guess my reccs would be for The Charles Lucas Confectionary and Wine Bar, and Jose Malones, which I know Courtney of Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life is a big fan of, as well. Good stuff!
The Island Cow was one of my favorites on Sanibel! Oh, it’s been to too long! 🙂
I moved to Atlanta in July and can’t get enough of all the good restuarants here! I keep wanting to go back to the places that are great but also want to try new ones since there are so many we haven’t been to yet!
I’ve been to the Island Cow and loved it. As far as destination guides…I think Chicago may have been my favorite. Such a user-friendly city!
You forgot Jerry’s! It’s a grocery store, but the attached cafe has a great breakfast too!
My family goes to Sanibel every year! Love it. Some of our favorite restaurants was the Sunshine Seafood Cafe and Cantina Captiva, both on Captiva (the island adjacent to Sanibel). My fam was there this past week, while I’m stuck at college :/ At least spring break is right around the corner!
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