Best meal on the island! Only thing better than the meal was our server Millie . Definitely on…read morethe list to come to when we are in the area again.

This restaurant came recommended to us by our friends and it didn't disappoint…read more A very welcoming decor in the main dining area with nice views of the marina/inlet. The creative menu offers many seafood and meat lovers options to choose from. My wife and I try to get as much grouper as we can when in Florida and there are two unique dishes we ordered that were just delicious: Stuffed Grouper and their "Cafe De Paris" prepared Grouper. The AuGratin potato side dish went well with our entrees and house vegetable. As much as I like key lime pie, their sorbet version was nice but I wouldn't write home about it. Our server was pleasant and on point without being overbearing. No question one of the premier restaurants in Sanibel/ Captiva Island.

This is by far my favorite place to have dinner on Captiva Island. The food is excellent and the…read moreService is wonderful. We went twice in one week.!

My wife and I were tired of the same 7 restaurants that we seem to visit every time we come to…read moreCaptiva. The fact that 3 of those 7 have been permanently (or semi-permanently) shut down notwithstanding- we finally decided to explore a few new places. Sunshine popped up in Yelp! and it sounded interesting and looked like a cute little place (according to the wife) If you're not specifically LOOKING for it- you'll easily miss it, if that makes sense. It's located right next to RC Otters (their outside seating seamlessly segues into Otters' outdoor tables) and there's very limited parking. They do, in fact, have their own parking lot but, due to hurricane rebuilding construction, it's quite difficult to figure out the maze-like separation of fencing and one-way arrows, ha ha! Once we found a spot and wandered over to the restaurant, the hostess/waitress (and, I suspect? part owner?) came out to greet us. We were seated -outside at our request -at a nice table underneath an outdoor pavilion-style area. Ceiling fans were abundant and the air was redolent with the aromas of cooking from more than just one or two kitchens! My wife and I ordered the Focaccia bread with roasted garlic and a balsamic reduction, and the Lobster Bisque. The bread was-- JJ Walker style-- DY-NO-MITE! And the two condiments really worked well with amazing bread. My wife's soup was fabulous- it came in a crock baked with a puff-pastry shell over the top. Each bite composed of savory pastry, large chunks of lobster meat, and a sherry-sweetened seafood cream broth. We cleaned our respective plates with much sharing and crumb-making! My dinner was the Chef's take on Paella. It was very interesting- adding capers, Kalamata olives, and artichoke hearts to the standard shrimp, clams, chicken, and Chorizo, served over tender rice. My wife's dish was the star of the show- she had the fish special: Chilean Sea Bass with a Sweet Thai chili sauce served over blah blah blah with a side of whazzawhoozit. I'm sorry- the fish was SOOOO good that I've forgotten what else was on her plate! Either way- the piece of fish was absolutely enormous and the sauce was just fabulous. I'm fairly certain there were a few shrimp gracing the plate as well, but again- THAT FISH! We were both so insanely full that we didn't even think about perusing the desert menu. I'm sure that whatever they may have had on offer was fabulous but we just couldn't eat another bite. The service was impeccable. The food was to die for (That FISH!!! That SOUP!) and even the ambiance was totally "island time!" Sunshine Cafe is now on our rotation for next year! I highly recommend stopping in for a bite if you have the opportunity! EDIT: as noted in another review- my wife ordered the Sea Bass "special." While we never saw the special on the menu (it was read off to us as we sat at the table) we were also NOT informed about the "Special surcharge." It was $22.00. Look- I'm not a cheapskate. I don't usually look too closely at the prices while we're out dining on vacation. I'm a ridiculous tipper. If the service was decent- I'll always give 20, 25, even 30%. NOT all that long ago, I gave a $100 tip on a $200 bill. BUT- backdoor and hidden charges make me wildly upset. The Sea Bass was amazingly good. But it was $70.00 instead of $48.00 thanks to the "special surcharge". I took 2 stars off for deceptive pricing. I WILL examine the next check very carefully. I do NOT include tax and surcharges on the amount that I tip on. This will be reflected in my next tip, as well. Grrrrr!

This was the best dining experience we had on island. We'd made reservations (highly recommended)…read moreand we were welcomed and seated right away. We had very good service throughout even though they were busy. We weren't rushed. We dined leisurely but without gaps between courses. We shared a Caesar salad to start. It was a good appetizer. For my main entree, I had the lamb chops. There were two double chops perfectly cooked to my request -- crisped on the outside. They were delicious. And served over mashed potatoes with asparagus and carrots. The portion was large. My husband had the burgundy braised short ribs. The meat was tender and flavorful. He said the sauce they were in was just rich and wonderful. We were too full to try any of their desserts. As we were leaving, we both said that this restaurant is a "keeper". We wished we'd been here sooner.

Our last night on Sanibel Captiva and my wife had made reservations for the end of my Birthday…read moreVacay. So glad she did! After a friendly welcome, we were seated and our server Eric took our drink orders. After looking over the menu and hearing the tempting Specials for the night, we chose our meals. We shared a Caesar salad and I had the Short ribs over red bliss mashed potatoes. YUM! My wife had the Lamb chops, charred and cooked to her desired temperature. She loved them! We looked at the desert menu but were pleasantly full and gave dessert a pass. Great ambiance, great service, Great food and a wonderful evening!

This was my favorite place for dinner while visiting Captiva. I really enjoyed the grouper rueben…read moresandwich which was unique. I would recommend getting the grouper grilled instead of fried. Limited wine list and somewhat expensive too. The restaurant looked to be remodeled after the recent hurricane . Note that you will need a resy for dinner during high season. Everyone in our group enjoyed the food overall. Would recommend.

Excellent food. Had the salmon delicious! Calamari was plentiful delicious. Something new we tried…read morethe swamp cabbage fritters which is heart of palm and the dipping sauce was delicious. Meat loaf was amazing! My son's cheese burger was simple but Delicious. I told him it tasted like gourmet whopper! Drive an excellent a love the ambience! Best meal we had all week! We stayed at the South resort! No wonder the south seas resort doesn't allow us to take the golf cart this far on the island! We will definitely be back to this place!

We came to the Keylime Bistro to get one thing- Key Lime Pie, of course!!…read more Honestly, it was quite expensive. $10 per pierce- buttt when we saw the size of the slices, you at least get a bang for your buck. We also just walked in after dinner one evening and one of the servers got us rang up and got our dessert pretty quickly which was nice. The key lime was lovely. It was the right amount of tart, along with the whipped cream and some tart raspberry /lime syrup and it was a splendid combination. It was the perfect dessert to enjoy after a nice beach day and staying in paradise on Captiva. Can't speak for the actual food but the restaurant is super adorable and has half indoor and half outdoor seating and it's really nice. Plus, great key lime pie!

Every year since 2004, with the exception of 2020 and after Ian, we have visited Captiva and always…read morehad lunch at the Keylime Bistro! We absolutely loved that place!! We were so happy to see that they rebuilt and the outside, in particular, looks almost the same! We have always ordered the crab cakes, spinach salad, and Keylime pie. My friend, who lives here, also ordered a Keylime martini. First of all, our waiter, Sal, gave her an outdated menu, so when she ordered the martini for $10, she was charged $15. Then the crab cakes came and they now look like they came from Costco. We asked Sal if they were made in house, and he said they were. Really? Today we ate at the Fresh Catch on Ft Myers Beach. I am posting pictures of the 2 crabcakes from Keylime. which cost me $18.00 and the 3 crabcakes I bought today for dinner at the Fresh Catch Bistro on Ft Myers beach for $15.00. If you're reading this, you decide which ones you wanna buy.

Fantastic restaurant here on North Captiva Island! Great quality and awesome service!read more

Our family loved this quaint setting & delicious food! Portions were very generous. The bolognese,…read moreMahi special, crab cakes, bone-in wings, (huge) kids-meal cheeseburgers, and peanut butter pie will bring us back next time we're in North Captiva.

You first walk into The Shipyard, with an expansive bar and loud trivia. The bar (and bartenders)…read morewas a nice experience. Maybe if you like a lot of noise and playing trivia, that would have been your thing. Me? I was thankful when our names got called for our table up in the Crow's Nest. The view is beautiful up there, and from the time we were seated until the time we left, I felt so VIP and taken care of. Shrimp and crabmeat cocktail was perfect. Wedge salad was exactly what I wanted and more! Maybe it was simply the heirloom cherry tomatoes, but it was such a pretty, perfect salad (and im not even a salad girl!). My lamb was equally perfect, and while my husband fretted if the half order would be sufficient for me, I can testify that it was, and then some! The accompanying carrots, asparagus, and smashed potatoes were each deftly executed and delicious in their own right; not just an afterthought. Wine menu was deemed nicely done by my husband....he loved his steak and the overall experience. The nicest, most satisfying dinner we had while on Captiva.

We have been here three times- it's the best restaurant around, I don't know how the reviews aren't…read morehigher. Dessert could use a little attention but apps, drinks, meals- everything is a 10/10 here. The view and service equally meet this 10/10 rating.

I am giving RC Otters five starts because it has been a solid place to visit in Captiva for…read moredecades, and it also served me the most amazing end of vacation Bloody Mary ever just two weeks ago. Island eats are meant to be enjoyed on island time - without a rush, in good company, and in the sun. I've been coming to RC Otters since I was a little kid and rented the house down Andy Rosse lane by Mucky Duck. It used to be one of our treats to eat there for breakfast instead of at our house during our summer vacations. This past visit - we missed the breakfast cut off and had lunch there. I opted for the grouper sandwich. Something about a fish sandwich on an island is just luxury to me. They offer it grilled, blackened, bronzed, or fried. Bronzed sounded intriguing to me which is a mix of savory with a hint of sweet. Wow. It was awesome. I also ordered a bloody mary which was delicious. My sister in law got the ribs and loved them. Everyone else got the fish sandwich. Service is so friendly, and they usually have live music going on. A great, affordable place to enjoy a meal. They also have a lot in front for parking, but it's very walkable if you're staying in a house nearby or even the south seas resort.

RC Otters fits right in with the adorable and small central road of Captiva where all the eats &…read morebusinesses are. With its multi-colorful exterior it makes you feel in vacation mode just looking at it. They have an equal amount of indoor an outdoor seating, and we opted for outdoor when we came for breakfast. RC Otters is open the earliest of the few restaurants on Captiva, aside from Starbucks if you count that. All of the standard breakfast offerings were on the menu, plus a special of theirs is a breakfast sandwich that's an omelette wedged between two pieces of french toast. Kind of fun. The food was good, nothing stellar but it was decent. It was altogether an enjoyable morning with the colorful setting. They are open all day for other meals so can't speak to how the lunch or dinner food is, but we enjoyed the breakfast.

Absolutely amazing and worth the drive! We have plans to go back very soon. Prices are spot on and…read morethe service was incredible. If you have been thinking of headed there do it soon before season arrives I promise you will be very happy As soon as you walk in you can't help but smile.

We were visiting Captiva Island and decided to go to The Bubble Room for dessert. There's…read morerestaurant parking, which gets tight, but they do have an additional lot across the street. Note the hours - we came around 3pm and it was closed! They close between lunch and dinner and reopen at 4:30. There are a few other Bubble Room businesses on the block - an emporium (gift shop) an ice cream shop, so we were able to check these places out while we waited for the restaurant to open. They also have a few fun photo ops outside the restaurant, which gives you a good taste of what you'll find inside. In one word, I would describe The Bubble Room as kitschy. There's nothing extraordinary to see here that makes this place a "must visit" - no need to go out of your way. It's Christmas year-round here, which makes it whimsical. The staff were upbeat and engaging, and they were able to jazz up their uniforms to show their personality. When I visited the women's restroom, I thought it was chuckily that they had lots of male photos on the walls. I imagine the men's restroom returns the favor. The restaurant was filled with aromas of their freshly baked bubble bread and cinnamon rolls. Having just eaten lunch, we came here for dessert only, but the delicious smells made us wish we had room to eat another meal. The Bubble Room has a fun drink menu - many other diners were imbibing. They brought out a dessert tray showcasing the different cake slices and to give you an eye for size. As a chocolate lover, I was tempted to get a chocolate slice (and even the Tropical Breeze which was a yellow fruitcake type looked good), but my research on Yelp told me that the Buttercrunch cake is not to miss! Yelp did not steer me wrong ~ I enjoyed my Buttercrunch cake! If you like butterfingers, chocolate, ice cream, and an Oreo crust, this is the slice for you. The cake slices are huge - great for sharing, so no need to be selfish and order a whole slice for yourself (if you do, you'll probably have leftovers). While I enjoyed my slice, I feel like The Bubble Room relies on its kitsch and quantity rather than quality. I recommend taking the time to get out of your seat and exploring the different rooms to look at all of the decor. Knowing what the Bubble Room was all about, we took the liberty of walking around and looking at the different rooms, and there are several floors - but I wish staff encouraged us to do it. Maybe because we only came for dessert, we got an abridged experience. I'd call The Bubble Room a one-and-done tourist attraction that serves food, quirk, and cake.

Wife ordered fish and chips, it was cold and raw. I ordered a grouper sandwich tasted like catfish…read more Paid $90 for what I consider garbage.

They have very nice lobster tails, fresh fish and crab cakes. They are at the farmers market. It…read moreis a little pricey, but what do you expect on a island