36 Best Restaurants in The Lower Gulf Coast, Florida

Here it's all about enjoying one of the most indulgent, pampered meals you'll ever eat—and it's best not to show up in flip-flops, jeans, or shorts (you probably won't be turned away for dressing casually, but you will feel uncomfortable). Formally trained waitstaff attend to your every need in this temple of traditional Italian cuisine. A dramatic wine tower hovers over the main room; the plush private booths surrounding it are the best tables (call early to snag one). The taste circus begins with an amuse-bouche. Pick between antipasti, crispy flatbreads, and wholesome soups before moving on to homemade pastas and grilled meats. Absolutely try the butternut squash ravioli, an inventive version with citrus-tomato butter and truffled almonds. The evening ends with a complimentary nightcap. There is also a great prix-fixe menu.

Just across the street from the beach, this wonderfully historic restaurant is casual, comfortable, and considered by many to offer the best fine-dining experience on Captiva Island. Entrées include seafood dishes like the blackened snapper with watermelon cucumber salad, and land dishes like pomegranate-glazed lamb chops. Tempting appetizers, creative salads, and tantalizing desserts round out the menu. The restaurant has its own baker to create its sweet and savory breads and cakes. No need to dress up; island casual is welcome. Make time to enjoy the fantastic sunsets at the beach.

The setting at this intimate but lively restaurant is refined but rustic, with wood repurposed from a dilapidated Florida barn and 1940s-era bricks reclaimed from a Chicago firehouse. The Sicilian-born chef (and part-owner) eschews an ornate menu and instead offers simple, finely produced Italian dishes. The signature fennel sausage is made using a family recipe, and the kitchen cures its own pancetta, makes its own mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, and extrudes its own pasta. Seasonal dishes like rabbit and wild boar shine; the tortelloni with braised short ribs pleases nightly.

The city's hottest upscale restaurant draws a crowd of connoisseurs to a modern, coral-stone dining room that spills out onto the sidewalk. The menu changes nightly, and the Venetian-born chef puts a New World spin on traditional Italian favorites, which are seasoned with different types of sea salt from around the globe. The finest quality meats and seafood, much of it sourced from local farmers and fisherman, are used in all the dishes.

Health-conscious foodies, hipsters, and retirees mix equally at this farm-and-sea-to-table bistro, which, as the name suggests, stocks its kitchen almost exclusively with items from local suppliers. Though it's in a strip mall a few blocks inland, it has a polished interior that manages to evoke both the beach and the farm. Choose from healthful options like a super-food salad or more indulgent dishes such as pork shoulder au jus with mango mustard.

The signature restaurant of the trendy Luminary Hotel & Co. truly shines, offering fine dining in an inviting, sophisticated atmosphere. The menu is brimming with modern takes on seafood favorites, including flavorful deconstructed stone crab. Outdoor seating is available.

In the midst of a warehouse-size store, this comfortable bistro, accented with stunning Florida photography from Alan Maltz, is a local favorite. The marvelous sesame-seared tuna lunch salad with Asian slaw and wasabi vinaigrette exemplifies the creative fare; for dinner, try the barbecued baby back ribs, macadamia-crusted grouper, or any of the day's finely crafted specials. The bar serves light nibbles and happy-hour twofers. While waiting for your food, visit the attached shop filled with everything from affordable trinkets to pricey island wear.

Don't be fooled by the cheesy glowing sign visible from the highway—most locals swear this is the place for fresh seafood, which is why you need a reservation even in the heat of summer. The setting is whimsical (portholes, antique bronze diving gear, colorful fish sculptures), and the dishes are eclectic, often featuring Asian-inspired preparations. The signature miso-broiled sea bass with citrus-ginger butter strikes the right balance between sweet and savory; the ginger-steamed halibut with soy-lime dressing and the herb-grilled tuna with warm goat cheese and seared diver scallops are also winners.

The mood cast in the well-appointed dining room and the romantic Gulf-view patio that spills onto the sand makes a meal here the perfect Florida dining experience. There's only one small problem—lighting is so low at dinner that you can't read the menu, even with its built-in flashlight, which is too bad, because it means you also miss the effect of the beautifully presented dishes. An impressive prix-fixe option includes a starter, entrée, and dessert.  Schedule your dinner outdoors to catch gorgeous views of the sunset.

The wine bar at this popular trattoria has a communal table, crystal chandeliers hung inside birdcages, and a wine dispenser that lets you sample 30 of its more than 100 Italian (of course) wines by the 1-, 3-, or 6-ounce glass. The brick dining room, with 150-year-old recycled flooring, is more casual and open to the kitchen; the central patio is shaded and relaxed. Straight-up and expertly done classic Italian dishes include bruschetta, fried calamari, lasagna, and wood-fired pizza. Save room for the gelato, though.

Loyal fans flock to bustling 5th Avenue South year in and year out to indulge in this restaurant's chic Persian atmosphere and cuisine. Favorite dishes include plum lamb with tomato-pomegranate sauce, ginger apricot shrimp (which was featured in Bon Appétit), and spicy beef in saffron sauce—all made on-site and completely from scratch.

Luxurious yet simultaneously resort-wear casual, this restaurant draws everyone from young businesspeople to local retirees. Sushi and such Pacific Rim inspirations as shrimp spring rolls rub elbows with beef carpaccio and watermelon salad with goat cheese and pecans; grilled seafood and fine cuts of meat like dry-aged rib-eyes or strip steaks come with your choice of nine sides that include "wild" sherry-laced mushrooms for four-cheese mac. For dessert, sip a Special K Express martini, made with a full shot of espresso. Dine alfresco or inside with a view of the kitchen. There's a second location in Bonita Springs.

Its flavor-bursting food and its propensity for using fresh, quality ingredients keep Cibo (pronounced chee-bo) at the head of the class for local Italian restaurants. In contrast to the sophisticated black-and-white setting, the menu is colorful, from the classic Caesar salad with shaved Grana Padano to the spaghetti and meatballs, salmon piccata, and veal porterhouse with porcini risotto. The lasagna Napoletana is typical of the standards set here—a generous square of pasta layered with fluffy ricotta, meat ragu, mozzarella, and the totally fresh-tasting, garlicky pomodoro sauce.

This restaurant brings Provençal joie de vivre and flavor to Naples with dishes that are sometimes made using exotic ingredients but are always prepared to perfection. The narrow dining room, with yellow-striped awnings and windows inset with mirrors and flower boxes, suggests a French sidewalk café.

Burgers, conch fritters, and chicken wings draw mostly locals to this neighborhood bar. Order at the counter, and take a seat indoors or outdoors on the sidewalk. Try the peel-and-eat shrimp, sushi, mussels marinara, chicken bistro salad, or fried grouper basket.

For dependably well-prepared food with a water view, Doc Ford's is the top choice in Fort Myers Beach. A spin-off of a Sanibel Island original, its name and theme come from a murder-mystery series by local celebrity author Randy Wayne White. Diners rave about the Yucatan shrimp—steamed in the shell with spicy Key lime butter. Other choice picks include the beach bread, pulled-pork sandwich, banana leaf–wrapped snapper, shrimp and grits with tomatillo sauce, and penne with rock shrimp. Live bands play Wednesday through Sunday.

You'll get authentic, critically acclaimed, unpretentious Cuban specialties at this simple storefront café a few miles inland. Stick to the basics, like the lemony lechon asado (slow-roasted pork basted with garlic) or ropa vieja (shreds of flank steak simmered in tomato sauce with heaps of peppers and onions). Prices are good, considering that one entrée is enough for dinner and lunch the next day and that it comes with salads, big slabs of toasted garlic bread, and two sides. The bar is wine-and-beer only; the mojitos are faux-jitos but still pretty tasty.

We may say tomato or tomahtoe, but in Italy, they say pomodoro. Start with hot, crusty, garlic-glazed rolls, and Caesar salad with a flavorful Romano dressing; from there you have your pick from combinations of classic Italian subs, pastas and sauces, pizzas, and proteins. The same menu applies for both lunch and dinner, but with different pricing. It ranges from standard veal parmigiana and lasagna to gnocchi pomodoro (smothered in fresh tomatoes and basil) and chicken Sinatra (battered and layered with prosciutto, eggplant, roasted peppers, and fresh mozzarella in lemon wine sauce).

Revered by many—including Katharine Hepburn in her time—for its homemade ice cream, this is also a good spot for comfort food and fresh seafood. Housed in the town's historic depot, it offers indoor and patio seating in an all-American setting. Expect slow service in season, and paper plates with plastic utensils. Be sure to order a piece of the homemade, award-winning Key lime pie.

Watch boats coming and going whether you sit inside or out at this rustic Old Florida–style restaurant right on the docks alongside the Intracoastal Waterway. When the weather cooperates, enjoy the view from the shaded outdoor tables. Inside, a rustic shack gives way to a more formal dining area in the back; there's a bar upstairs with sweeping views, pizza, and live music nightly. You can't miss with grouper or shrimp from the local fleets—delicately cornmeal-breaded, stuffed, or dipped in rum and coconut. Landlubbers can choose from ribs and steak. This is true Fort Myers Beach style, meaning service can be a bit gruff—and slow.

A mostly local clientele populates the cheery dining room with its Philadelphia allegiances, offering a great cheesesteak. For breakfast, don't miss the incredible Texas French toast with homemade caramel and pecans, Carbon's malted Belgian waffles, or eggs and homemade hash with Boar's Head meat. Besides cheesesteak, lunch specialties include Boar's Head hoagies, burgers, in-house-roasted beef or turkey sandwiches, and other comfort food—all served until 3 pm.

Locals come for affordable sandwiches and seafood in the vaulted, vine-twisted courtyard of this traditional pub, which has been tucked away from the shopping traffic of upscale Third Street since 1990. It's an everybody-knows-your-name kind of place, with jars of pickles on the tables; friendly bartenders; and a menu of fried "ungrouper" sandwiches (made with "mild flaky white fillet" as grouper numbers wait to make a comeback), burgers, chicken salad, nachos, and fried gator tail. There's musical entertainment Wednesday through Sunday year round.

For something more contemporary than Fort Myers Beach's traditional shrimp and seafood houses, head to San Carlos Island on the east side of the high bridge where the shrimp boats dock. Parrot Key sits marina-side near the shrimp docks, offering a casual vibe that exudes merriment with its Floribbean cuisine and island music. Lunch menu served from 11 to 4 includes a nice selection of sandwiches, soups, and salads. For dinner, entrées are generous in size and include plenty of fresh seafood and landlubber choices. There's live entertainment most nights.

From the bread (Amoroso rolls) to the corned beef, almost everything here comes from Philadelphia. Not only are the cheesesteaks delicious and authentic, but the burgers and other sandwiches are excellent—and the prices are among the lowest around. Stay for an old-fashioned shake, or join the Philly natives for pork roll and scrapple at breakfast. The strip-mall café occupies two rooms sided with natural wood board-and-bead paneling. Signs at every table humorously reveal "25 Ways to Tell You're from Philly." If you come for dinner, plan on eating early because the restaurant closes at 8.

This restaurant is surprisingly affordable, considering the luxury condo development that rises around it and the size of the yachts that pull up to the docks. Caribbean in spirit, with lots of indoor and outdoor views of a mangrove-fringed waterway, it serves bistro specialties such as conch fritters, seafood potpie, and bronzed salmon; the warm chocolate bread pudding is addictive. The bar staff is affable and welcoming.

Irish omelets, Belgian waffles, crepes, steak au poivre, Vietnamese sea bass, Waldorf chicken salad: this eatery's extensive menu clearly travels farther abroad than its name implies. And it does so with utmost taste and flavor, as its faithful local clientele will attest. The best deals are the lunchtime Vietnamese entrées and chicken egg-drop soup. The restaurant is known for its gigantic bowls of pho (traditional soup), which can be ordered any time of day (some people have them for breakfast). It also offers three-course Vietnamese or Parisian dinners for $30. Leave room for crepes à la Grand Marnier, prepared table-side. The interior is pleasant, if a bit old-fashioned, but provides a soothing surprise in this busy part of town with its fireplace, floral motif, and classic columns.

The name means "salt and pepper," an indication that this palatial restaurant with terrace seating overlooking the beach adheres to the basics of Southern Italian cuisine. Everything—including the pasta, sausage, and ice cream—is made on-site, and the simple, artfully presented dishes explode with home-cooked, long-simmered flavor. With the exception of a handful of pizzas, lunch is more eclectic than Italian.

Families, retired snowbirds, and other seafood lovers flock to this bustling restaurant, where the staff is vivacious and the colorful wall murals are cartoonish. Southern-style deep frying prevails—whole-belly clams, grouper, shrimp, onion rings, hush puppies, and fried pork loins—though you can get certain selections broiled or blackened, and there's some New England flavor with seafood rolls at lunch. Create your own combo by selecting two or three fried, broiled, or blackened choices. Kids love this place for the buzzing atmosphere, and parents love the inexpensive kids meals. For more savings, the restaurant offers a "Kids Eat Free" promotion on Monday and Wednesday.

Lunch and dinner menus at this Cape Coral fixture let you design your own stir-fry, noodle, or fried-rice dish. Dinner specialties include fried crispy frogs' legs with garlic and black pepper, a sizzling shrimp platter, fried whole tilapia with curry sauce, salads, and pad Thai (rice noodles, egg, ground peanuts, vegetables, and choice of protein). Get your food fiery hot or extra mild. Two traditional Thai tables allow you to sit on floor pillows (conveniently with backs), or you can opt for a more conventional table or booth.

Head to this popular spot for casual dining with a view of the beach and a menu of munchies, sandwiches, burgers, seafood, and steak. The lively sports-bar scene adds to the fun indoors; a porch accommodates alfresco diners—just beware if you leave your table that the porch has no screens, and the local gulls are thieves.