Fodor's Expert Review Mangrove Restaurant

No pretense here—instead, you're seated on the second-floor veranda of the chef-owner's house across the street from the water in Cattle Landing village just northeast of Punta Gorda. You'll find different dishes every evening but usually with a choice of seafood (snapper, snook, or shrimp) or a hearty dish like a thick pork chop or lasagna. It's all delicious and inexpensive, and it's BYOB so bring your own beer or rum. Because it's a little away from the main downtown area, most guests are local residents or expats, not tourists.