Ridgeway Bar + Grill-3rd St.
Sarabeth's

Louie's Backyard
Blue Heaven

Whoops. Those last 2 are in Key West. Sorry.

There is a Sarabeth's in Naples?

The restaurants on Fifth Avenue South are going to be your closest.

For being right on the water, the very casual but popular Dock at Crayton Cove (quite a long walk, though) and The RiverWalk at Tin City are perhaps your best bets. Pretty good food and a fun lively atmosphere. Hopefully when it's warm enough they are both open to the water, but if it's a bit cold they lower the plastic "windows" and really change the atmosphere.

Trulucks for seafood and Lurcat (modern bistro food?) are perhaps the most expensive and upscale of the places on Fifth Avenue, but really very good.

I really like Pazzo for modern Italian and its sister restaurant Chops which features fine steaks and sushi. But their third restaurant, Yabba which is kind of Carribean is probably not worth a visit in my book.

I really like the small Bistro 821 -- which kind of started the trendy restaurant move on Fifth Avenue. If you go, ask for Doug to wait on you and tell him Patrick from Fodors sent you.

Most of the many others on Fifth Avenue are pretty much hit or miss if you ask me.

Have fun.

Oh, my. The Sarabeth's is in Key West too. I got too much sand on my brain from Hurricane Sandy. I am sure about Ridgeway tho.

Oh, too bad. I'm away from Naples at the moment and for a minute there I thought maybe we DO now have a Sarabeth's. By the way -- Jane's Cafe on Third Street South is a good "Sarabeth's look alike) for breakfast!

Great restaurants here in Naples. So far we have been to Docks which was fun but had average food. The followings night we went to Trulucks and the four of us all loved our choices. I had trout. Friday night I couldn't get a reservation at any of the restaurants I wanted and settled on Bice which was a pleasant surprise. There were 8 of us and we all enjoyed our meals. I had the spinach/ricotta ravioli which was excellent. The wedding was last night at The Strand which was a beautiful outdoor setting for a wedding with excellent food. Tonight went to Pazzo and loved it! Tomorrow we are eating at Bistro 821. I am finding that Patrick really knows the Naples restaurant scene.

KathyK, thanks, although I'm pretty much living in New Jersey right now so feel I may be slowly losing my "edge" in Naples.
Good news about Bice. I do like their food, but haven't been in nearly two years as I couldn't stand their "attitude" and ineptness. I met a Fodorite there for lunch and when we asked what their "special house wine of the day" was, all the waiter could say was "it's from NEAR Italy". What does that mean -- a Croatian wine? And when a newly registered AA friend of mine dined there and he and his date declined alcoholic drinks, the waiter actually said, "what, no drinks? What's the matter with you?"

Trulucks really is special. My partner and I can't wait to go there first when we spend a couple weeks in Naples in December. Our favorite server, Betty, has actually been living in my Naples townhouse all summer, waiting for her new house to be finished.

We have experienced Bice's attitude, and rudeness in both NY and Chicago. They must not want customers to return.

OH, yes, Bice in NYC. Where we sat down and immediately a waiter started pouring sparkling water in our glasses. I said, "we don't drink sparkling water" and he rudely exclaimed, "then you should have said that before I opened the bottle and started pouring." Huh? Why couldn't he have asked us?

But glad it worked for you, KathyK! I think they've learned in Naples they have to be a little more "customer friendly".

Back from a great trip to Naples. We ended up the week having dinner at Campiello (sp?) and Bistro 821. Loved them both. Patrick, Doug was working at Bistro 821 and he was a delightful server. We took advantage of the dinner for 2 special which is 2 entres and a bottle of wine for $30. Nice size portions and good quality food. Thanks again for your suggestions. Siesta Key had been my favorite spot in Florida, now I'm not so sure.

We have just returned from a 6 day stay in Naples which was 4 days too long for both of us. Apart from the main activity of eating in over priced mediocre restaurants we could find no redeeming features or character to the town. Northern Florida towns, i.e. Seaside and Destin have much more to offer and nicer beaches. IMHO.

Yes, it's true, Naples does not appeal to everyone, and some may prefer places like Destin -- or Disney World -- or even Ocala. I know many people who are bored with fine dining and much prefer the fun of Applebee's or Cheesecake Factory. And there are those who think a BMW or even Lexus is overpriced when a Kia will get you there just as easy. Everyone has his own levels of taste and interest.

Lateagain, I'm sorry you only went to the mediocre restaurants in Naples -- and yes, I agree there are some. It's too bad you didn't seek out FINE restaurants instead by checking in advance since it sounds like that's what you would have preferred. Or if you prefer really casual, fun places with good food -- did you seek out some of the really fun nearby "dives" like in Goodland or Everglades City -- or did you just stick to the Fifth Avenue trendy restaurants?

I take it you also didn't visit the museums, concerts, or theatres, or do any of the boat trips, boardwalks, nature walks, zoo, conservancy, or gardens? Or the historic homes or nearby spots? Or the deep sea fishing or sailboating? Of shopping at the large nearby outlet mall if the expensive shops and galleries (of which there are many) didn't appeal. I'm curious what things you do in Seaside or Destin that is "more" than what Naples offers?

NeoPatrick you have just contributed to another reason Naples is so up itself. It is pretentious. You ask what makes Destin or Seaside better for us than Naples, the people, NeoPatric, the real people.

Actually, Latagain, what I would love -- since this is a travel forum -- if you'd tell us what restaurants you went to that were mediocre. It really doesn't do any good for other travelers to just suggest that a town has only overpriced mediocre restaurants (unless you tried all the hundreds of them and ALL were overpriced and mediocre), but we would appreciate hearing specifics of restaurants which were disappointing along with the reasons. This thread was started for that sort of purpose. You might also note that the OP had a good time and enjoyed meals -- perhaps partially because she posted here first and sought out recommendations from locals or other visitors. I did click on your screen name and can't help but notice that you did not ask any questions before going to Naples -- perhaps that would have insured you of a better time -- not only with dining, but in pointing out the many things to do since you obviously didn't find them.

Lateagain, after reading you last post, which I didn't see when I just posted, why do I have the distinct feeling you did not even "just return from a 6 day stay in Naples"? You wouldn't have just made that up so you could point out how pretentious Naples is, now would you? Besides, didn't you just spend a great time in Cocoa Beach? Why did you book 6 days in Naples if you think it is pretentious?

Lateagain, fun places and dives are everywhere, including Naples. This time of year Naples and south are the best beaches in Florida. Maybe you are a college student that prefers Destin, or the Disney atmosphere of Seaside. Real people, get real!!

I found Naples to be different from other Florida cities I have visited. It has an upscale feel rather than a "beachy" feel. There is no way the restaurants are overpriced and mediocre. We spent alot of money at Trulucks and it was worth every penny. I found the price of entrees at the other restaurants we visited similar to prices of comparable restaurants in my home town. And the food was great.

KathyK, yes, but to some people "upscale" means pretentious. To me, pretentious is pretending to have gone somewhere you hate just so you can post how beneath you it is! Now THAT is pretentious.

I guess a lot of it is in the eye of the beholder. My great-grandparents bought property in Naples (9th Ave. S) back in the 1940's and that property stayed in my dad's family until 2001, so I grew up going to the beach in Naples, as we spent two weeks there every summer for over 20 years. It was the "beach town" of my childhood. I never thought of it as "pretentious" and didn't even realize it was upscale until I was older and people would say, "You vacation in Naples? That's a money town!" My dad used to bemoan the loss of some of the Old Florida charm as buildings on Fifth Ave were renovated and Starbucks and other chains moved in, but I loved the "progress"! At any rate, now that I am older and we vacation other places, I have realized that Naples is not pretentious, it's wealthy, and vacationing there for so many years has poisoned me for vacationing in other "touristy" beach spots. So, back to my original statement, I guess what is pretentious to one might be "real" to another and what is "real" to one might be a tacky tourist trap to another. Also, to connect to the food comments, we had many, many wonderful meals at Naples restaurants. We haven't been down there in 5 years, but knowing that Trulucks and Pazzo's are alive and well makes me happy!

Great to get some passion back in this forum.

BetsyinKY, how astute of you! I'm also amused when people bemoan how expensive and upscale EVERYTHING is in Naples. It is the home of the swamp buggy races, for God's sake! Talk about unpretentious. If people don't like expensive and trendy, there are always grouper Ruebens at Buzz's Lighthouse or old fashioned waterfront seafood at Kelly's Fishouse, or picking up stone crabs from a fisherman or even at Publix and digging in at a picnic table. Or a local's favorite -- cheap breakfast at the Cove Inn Coffee Shop. People who think it's all "pretentious" and expensive just didn't do their homework.

Betsy, you also make me smile with the comments about the transformation of Fifth Avenue. When it really got "redone" and took off in the late 90's, I had friends who actually said "I miss the way it was" to which I replied, "what do you miss? All the empty storefronts with the for rent signs?"

Hey, Honoria_Glossop, good to see you here. Did you like my comment about when we had lunch at Bice's?

Granted, some of the restaurants I went to were populated with alot of weathly looking people, but I spent alot of time on the beach during the day with alot of unpretentious people. I have never seen so many overweight middle aged to older women in 2 piece bathing suits! Have not seen that anywhere else. There were alot of people from Europe, maybe that is more accepted there than it is in the US. I saw all kinds of people in Naples.

Neo, now you've done it! I was already feeling a little "homesick" for Naples due to this thread and you had to go and mention Kelly's. I swear, I don't think I've ever had better hushpuppies or key lime pie anywhere!

Your friends sound like my dad, in terms of the reaction to Fifth Avenue. Every summer when we would come down and see that something else on that street had changed, Dad would shake his head and start mumbling about how it looked when he first started going down there with his grandparents. Of course, my sister and I were the opposite...we couldn't wait to go try the new restaurant or check out the new shop that had appeared. I have so many good memories of riding bikes all over Olde Naples. We would ride all the way over to Tin City to go to some little candy store over there (talk about a tourist trap!) Sometimes we would ride all the way down Gulf Shore to Gordon Dr. and out past the Port Royal Club to Gordon Pass. We loved to look at all the huge houses.

Good times, good times! This makes me want to take a trip to Naples soon.

Hi NeoPatrick....I remember our lunch at Bice! Just don't get to Fodor's much anymore. I really like Barbatella these days, when I actually get down to your area. Most of my time, I'm in Fort Myers and barrier islands. Have a great Thanksgiving. HG

Re: New York Bice, at least the one near the Peninsula off Fifth. A friend and I were shopping, went there for an early dinner before theatre and ordered a bottle of Champagne. The waiter came out, popped the cork, and sat it on a ledge, no ice and proceeded to chat up some of his regulars...people I recognized from movies and left us to fend with warm wine. I finally got up and took the bottle to the mgr. who got someone to fetch ice. They came and slammed it on our table, the nerve of two women!! Dinner was uninspired and I have never returned. Too many great places to waste my $ there.

Honoria_Glossop -- Barbatella? How good is it? I only spotted it on my last trip back which was in May. Is that a "must do" when we come down this next month?

Neo: I love Barbatella! Great wines. Where can you get a brunello by the glass in Florida?

Sit outside or in the bar area, not the Siberian dining area (where the cute flower shop used to be). (I imagine many won't know what it means to be seated in Siberia any more)

Photos in the bar definitely bring on a La Dolce Vita vibe.

I had orchiette with broccoli rabe and spicy sausage. Excellent bread. People were raving over their pizzas.

Well, I just returned from two weeks in Naples. You are so right. We had a great dinner outside at Barbatella -- Peter LOVED his linguini with clams -- the most authentic version outside of Italy -- despite the fact they were pretty short on clams. I had a fantastic rotisserie duck entree.

A few days later we joined friends there for lunch -- sadly it was raining so we had to sit inside -- in the cute bar area, not that long "Siberian" dining room you refer to. We had absolutely wonderful thin crust pizzas and super salads.

I'll also report on the new Chapel Grill, which is in a restored historic small church at the corner of 8th Street South and 7th Avenue South. I ate alone my first night there at the bar -- quite good. We had planned to return to the dining room which looks really quiet and refined (as opposed to the frenzied loud places which are all the rage now), but we just never found time.

Also had an amazingly good dinner at Bleu Provence -- sitting in the garden and being pampered and totally NOT rushed.

And of course we hit Bistro 821, although my friend Doug had been "banished" to serve a private party upstairs. Still our service was great and so was our food.

The new Alberto's on Fifth was also excellent -- although I'm frankly wondering why 90% of all the restaurants that open these days are basically Italian.

Swamp Buggy races? WHAT?!? NeoPatrick I cannot believe you didn't tell me about this!!

I have to throw Tommy Bahama out there. The hubs and I had a fantastic lunch there back in the fall.