Ok this place is a total dive. It was recommended to me by a local bartender who seems to know her…read morestuff. I came here after a round of golf. Everyone loved my golf hat- "play bad fast". I looked at the outdoor bar but every single seat was taken. All the outdoor tables were booked. So I went inside and saw the inside bar was also full. A table for ten and a table for 6 had departed and needed to be bussed, but both were too much for just one person. So I checked in w the hostess and she asked - booth or table. I wanted table. I got a nice table by the river! Lovely views. Exactly what I wanted. Menus were dropped and soon, Sam was checking in on me. I was so hungry, I had looked at the menu and pics on my way there. I went for the crab cake appetizer and the Gold Wave cocktail. For my entree, I was torn between the Grouper Reuben and the Sea Dog (fried grouper on a long roll, topped with all sorts of goodness). Sam said grouper Reuben was his choice. He asked if I wanted grilled, blackened or fried. I told him to surprise me. For my side, I had the choice of (more) coleslaw (it has coleslaw instead of sauerkraut), fries, sweet potato fries, or a side house or Cesar salad for $4 more. I went w the house salad and their standard citrus vinaigrette. Salad and crab cake came out first. Salad was a huge portion- romaine (some pieces needed better washing), red onion galore, halved cherry tomatoes and cucumber slices. It was great, but needed croutons. The crab cake was the perfect size for one person. It had a whole grain mustard remoulade sauce. Yum! It had some filler but also had a lot of crab. I enjoyed it. The grouper Rueben came out hot!!!! Served with a side of coleslaw and a pickle. I added some needed salt. Boy that fish filet was huge. Sam had put it in grilled for me. Healthy. Nice. I ate half and then I was stuffed. I filled up on the salad and crabcake apparently. I enjoyed the views of boaters going by. It started to rain hard and the folks outside just stayed there. The overhang must've been protecting them well. My server, Sam, was around often to answer my questions. Apparently the grouper Reuben market price is only $21. And if you want redfish or mahi, the price is the same- $21! That's crazy. What a deal. The gold wave is made with Elijah Craig; Good ol Kentucky bourbon. And for dessert, they have cheesecake, peanut butter pie, mud pie, key lime pie, coconut sorbet and orange cake (which he says is a local favorite). I was too stuffed to buy but happy to hear the list. Overall I had a wonderful meal and service was really good. I would recommend adding croutons to the salad, and cleaning up the bathrooms regularly. This place ain't fancy. It's a dirt parking lot. The tables are naked. Folks come casual. However, the prices are great and the food does the talking. Come check them out.

This visit was two years since the last. We were seated…read moreright away and our drink order taken within minutes. We ordered an Arnold Palmer and a Ponce De Leon margarita, mozzarella sticks, shrimp basket, chicken fingers basket and (2) Florida orange cakes to go. Mozzarella sticks- average. Shrimp basket- good but tropical slaw was store bought with pineapple added. Chicken fingers- good not great, onion rings, good not great . Margarita- strong. Biggest problem- from 9-18 people just standing around talking, making staff walk around them. Other problems- some people just walk in past the front desk and just seat themselves ( the privileged). Total bill with tip $100 . Don't need to travel a half hour to just be ok. Won't be back.

Server, Tommy, was excellent. Our meals came hot and were delicious. Love their meatloaf!read more

Lots of nice lunch choices. Very good food esp Philly Cheesesteak egg rolls. Service excellent…read more Bloodmarys were a little bland. Would definitely go back.

Our group had been boating for a few hours and were able to pull up at the dock around 3pm. There…read morewere plenty of spots. The dock was well maintained and the restaurant/bar has a decent feel with sand all around. It was a super hot day so we made our way inside and snagged one of the few tables that was in there. My brother and I made our way to the bar outside to order drinks for our group. We ordered 2 watermelon mojitos, a margarita, and a strawberry lemonade. The drinks were all served in regular plastic solo cup size cups. I paid $80. This is astronomical especially for what we received. I'm not new to the island hopping life but this was way overpriced. The Watermelon mojito had a sort of phoney taste to it. Maybe it was not fresh juice used. I was told the margarita was just mehhh. But that price for 3 alcoholic drinks and 1 plain lemonade still gets me. This is definitely not the spot to stay for a long time and enjoy many drinks over an afternoon.

BEWARE! SHADY 20% tip automatically added to bill labeled as "OPERATIONS CHARGE" (or similar name…read moreif i remember correctly) so that maybe you don't notice and still tip additional. Also, the bartenders lie about the prices to intentionally mislead customers. Extremely OVERPRICED drinks! I'm debating alerting the BBB about my experience. Mainstay offers a 16oz glass or a 20oz 'bucket' mixed drink choice. When ordering, I asked the male bartender on 3/17 (St Paddy's) the difference in prices and was told that "The bucket is a better deal if you plan to order two or more drinks since it's only $2 more and you only pay the extra charge for the bucket on the first drink". Great - i planned to order 2-3 drinks so it made sense for me to pay extra for the 20oz 'bucket' drink. When I went up to order my 2nd drink it was a female bartender who took my order this time. I held my empty 'bucket' up to show her I had already purchased it and ordered the Mai Tai in a bucket. I asked if I need to give her my bucket to refill and she said 'no, hold on to it we'll give you a new one'. Well, she did give me a new one but she also charged me $13 AGAIN for the 'bucket' charge. So I paid $20 for the drink + $13 for the bucket. $33 for the drink. The 16oz drink is $18. Bartenders intentionally mislead customers. BEWARE OF THIS PLACE.

In the ten years I have lived in Florida, my favorite restaurant has not had fried oysters as a…read morespecial. Well they did and they were outstanding!! I am a fried oyster expert and they were wonderful. Follow them on Facebook so you know when they have them. Then risk a speeding ticket because everyone else wants them as well. Goodbye Blue Dog , I will miss you as I relocate to back to South Carolina. You know I will visit!

Waitress was absolutely delightful, friendly, attentive and informative... she even orchestrated a…read morehappy birthday group song for my 93 year old mom. Grouper Reuben was delicious. She crab soup was excellent. Stone crab claws, for appetizer were very tasty and local. Island vibe decor and atmosphere is fun and very appropriate. Smoked mullet is a local delicacy and quite good

Stopped for drinks and lunch at this beautiful waterfront restaurant in Matlatcha. The bartender…read moreand the waitress were very friendly and attentive. The drinks were very good ( painkiller and key lime crusher)and the food was delicious. We shared alligator bites and mussels ...... the mussels were very "meaty" and some of the best ever!! Very enjoyable experience with an amazing water view. Definitely will be back!

This place was awesome and surpassed expectations for touristy restaurants. The location is perfect…read moreand it's in a sleepier side of town in Cape Coral. They offer complimentary valet which came in handy as we wrapped our meal there was a storm blowing in from the gulf that the staff handled really well given their familiarity with Florida weather. The food was terrific, the fried gator bites were a hit my kiddo. The blackened mahi tacos were very filling and the seasoning on everything was really good. I'm always hesitant with touristy places bc they're often over priced and you don't get the value for the money but not here. The views are amazing and the food was even better. Our server was well versed in the menu and made great recommendations and she was very kind and efficient.

I don't usually give five stars, but this place really impressed me. We sat at the outdoor bar, and…read moreRoss, our bartender, was fantastic--super friendly and attentive. I ordered a Bloody Mary, and my husband had a beer. The Bloody Mary was exactly how I like it--perfectly made and delicious. For food, I had the lobster benedict, and the lobster was incredibly fresh and full of flavor. My husband ordered the "Beef on weck" (not sure on the spelling), and he really enjoyed it--added a little horseradish and called it a win. It did get a bit sunny, but they brought out bar awning to keep things comfortable, which was a nice touch. Overall, a great spot--sorry locals, your hidden gem might not stay hidden for long!

If you are so strick on your allowance with pets, you should only restrict to service animals only!…read more Very hurt , humiliated and quite frankly embarrassing in front of other customers by the gentleman working there telling me to keep things belonging to my pet off the table! Then they slammed down a laminated set of RULES listing all the DON'TS! Someone mentioned it was a health law!? Either you allow the pets or you don't but don't put all these rules! I've never seen anyone do this!?? Help me out here! If you don't want pets, just say so, service animals only! I ended up leaving your establishment never to return! I have a small Maltese in a small stroller and a most friendly, loving dog! Half the time, he's asleep Save customers the humiliation and even if you say pet friendly, say no pets please! Beware of mean humans! I don't care how popular the place if you can't have good people working for you! Totally heartless! I guess they're only as good as the management and establishment Never again!

Beautiful old Florida ambiance, our server was fantastic, she gave us great recommendations, was…read morepunctual and attentive to our table. Accommodated some special requests for us. Drinks were very well done. Had the special fish dish. Panko encrusted red snapper with a tasty hollandaise sauce, which was best fish I've had in Florida this year. All in all fantastic. We will be back asap.

Tarpon Lodge & Restaurant is our date night location. So much charm! Indoor / outdoor dining in a…read morebuilding dating back to 1926, screen door out to the beautiful grounds, amazing food and wine menus and finally the SUNSETS! The menu focuses on locally sourced ingredients, served with Pine Island flare. The service staff is knowledgeable, attentive without being intrusive and always smiling. They really make you feel welcome and part of the family. Plenty of on-site, free parking. Make sure to plan your visit to walk the grounds and take in a sunset. Regardless of where you are in the cape or surrounding area, Tarpon Lodge restaurant is worth the drive. Cheers!

Just had awesome fish tacos (cobia) at the Pink Elephant. Always in search of better than average…read morefish tacos and they did not disappoint. Plenty of meaty fish similar to mahi. Delicious topping & sauce. Highly recommend. They come 2 per order and they split them on plates for us since we just wanted a snack (only went in for a drink). The onion rings were also way above average, crunchy and delicious! Austin the bartender is really sweet and keeps the customers happy. Enjoyed sitting at the bar so he could serve us again. Don't recommend going on a holiday weekend though. What were we thinking? Well the beach had no parking and the streets were very busy. Glad we found a place to park at the pink elephant. We just wanted a little beach outing for vow-renewal "anniversary." Wink. Probably going again soon on our engagement anniversary!

Sadly this was a big let down. This summer my friends came to visit and this was on their to do…read morelist. We drove 45 mins away to come here. We sat outside and it was very hot. The waitress took our order and besides being served our food from the runner, we didn't see our waitress again. My friend who has an allergy was served the wrong food and we never received refills on our drinks, water, etc. The food was good. Presented nicely and pretty good portions. I finally had to get up and go find our waitress inside at the end to get our check to leave. Would have loved to have a good experience. May try one more time.

Menu is 5-6 pages Food portions are huge…read moreFast friendly service Great decor & music Guacamole table side is good

Amazing guacamole! Beautiful interior and delicious food! Only challenge was getting the wait…read morestaff's attention, but it was Cinco de Mayo!