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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.
25091 Bernwood Dr., Bonita Springs, Florida, 34135, USA
Known For
- Slow-cooked turkey and roast beef
- Chipped beef for breakfast
- No reservations (but a call-ahead wait list on weekends)
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner, Reservations not accepted
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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.
255 13th Ave. S, Naples, Florida, 34102, USA
Known For
- Casual, fun vibe
- Wide selection of beers
- Live music
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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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.
2500 Main St., Fort Myers Beach, Florida, 33931, USA
Known For
- Caribbean-inspired cuisine
- Seafood nachos
- Live music most nights
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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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.
4600 Summerlin Rd., Fort Myers, Florida, 33919, USA
Known For
- Authentic Philly cheesesteaks
- Good, inexpensive breakfast
- Closing by 8 pm
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun., Reservations not accepted
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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.
5848 Cape Harbour Dr., Cape Coral, Florida, 33914, USA
Known For
- Coconut fried shrimp
- Seafood potpie
- Rumrunner cocktails
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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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.
12995 S. Cleveland. Ave., Fort Myers, Florida, 33907, USA
Known For
- Pho soup
- Two-for-one breakfast deals
- International cuisine
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. June–Sept.
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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.
480 S. Collier Blvd., Marco Island, Florida, 34145, USA
Known For
- Beautiful Gulf views
- Homemade fresh pasta dishes
- Award-winning Italian cuisine
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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.
13361 Metro Pkwy., Fort Myers, Florida, 33912, USA
Known For
- Fried seafood
- Great burgers
- Online coupons for free kids’ meals
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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.
4521 Del Prado Blvd., Cape Coral, Florida, 33904, USA
Known For
- Duck royal with pineapple, tomato, and red curry
- Stir-fry dishes
- Special fried rice with meat and seafood
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch Sat.
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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.
900 S. Collier Blvd., Marco Island, Florida, 34145, USA
Known For
- Seasonally inspired small plates
- Chef's loaded nachos
- Famous crab cake sandwich
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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Nestled in a hidden expanse of twisted mangrove trees and flowing canals is one of the area's best restaurants for casual fine dining. Restored wooden rowboats and modern chandeliers hang from the ceiling of the main dining room, which is packed almost every night in season. The food is a serious celebration of the sea with Southern accents, like their signature coastal pan roast with fresh Gulf fish. The adjacent Claw Bar at Tierney's Tavern shares the same kitchen but focuses on chilled shellfish and other Southern delights with nightly live music and a more casual vibe. Saturday lunches are surprisingly quiet and a perfect time to snag one of the coveted tables closest to the windows.
799 Walkerbilt Rd., Naples, Florida, 34110, USA
Known For
- Crab bisque
- Coastal pan roast with fresh Gulf fish
- Live music
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch May–Nov., Reservations essential
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Since 1975, this restaurant has consistently drawn crowds of diners who occupy themselves with walking the beach and watching the sunset while waiting for their names to be called for a table indoors or out. A little Brit, a lot Florida, the menu features specialties such as barbecued shrimp wrapped in bacon appetizer, crab cakes, fish-and-chips, and frozen Key lime pie.
11546 Andy Rosse La., Captiva, Florida, 33942, USA
Known For
- Fish-and-chips
- Fresh seafood
- Frozen Key lime pie
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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A casual long-timer and a favorite for a quick breakfast, filling lunch, and sunset dinner, Plaka—named after the historic neighborhood in Athens—has typical Greek fare. Expect standards like moussaka, pastitsio, gyros, and roast lamb, as well as burgers, sandwiches, fried seafood, and strip steak. It lies along a row of casual sidewalk restaurants in a pedestrian mall near the beach. There's indoor dining, but grab a seat on the porch or under an umbrella on the patio for the best people-watching and sunset view.
1001 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach, Florida, 33931, USA
Known For
- Gyro platters
- Pastitsio (Greek lasagna)
- Sunset views
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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A favorite of business and government bigwigs, the Veranda serves imaginative Continental fare with a trace of a Southern accent for dinner. The restaurant is a combination of two turn-of-the-20th-century homes, with sconces and antique oil paintings on the pale-yellow walls and a two-sided central brick fireplace. Notable menu items are tournedos with smoky sour-mash-whiskey sauce, rack of lamb with rosemary-Merlot sauce, herb-crusted honey-grilled salmon, and a grilled seafood sampler with prosciutto cream fettuccine, all served with homemade honey-drizzled bread and corn muffins with pepper jelly. Ask for an outdoor courtyard table when weather permits.
2122 2nd St., Fort Myers, Florida, 33901, USA
Known For
- Fried-green-tomato salad
- Courtyard dining
- Fresh seafood
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch.
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Here Naples takes a youthful curve—island music sounds on the umbrella-shaded courtyard at this, the prototype for the national chain inspired by the Tommy Bahama clothing label and furniture line. Indoors and out, everybody's munching sandwiches, salads, and grilled seafood and meat dishes made with a tropical flair.
1220 3rd St. S, Naples, Florida, 34102, USA
Known For
- Coconut fried shrimp
- Fantastic crab bisque
- Island-style setting
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You'll feel as if you're dining in a home at this intimate bistro, which serves creative American-Italian-Asian fusion cuisine, and that's exactly how the owners want it to be—inviting, warm, and welcoming. The menu is full of home-cooked classics, but you'll also find chef specials that change with the season or an inspired whim. Customer service is always top-notch.
241 N. Collier Blvd., Marco Island, Florida, 34145, USA
Known For
- Incredible crispy duck
- New Zealand rack of lamb
- Excellent service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sept. No lunch
