This one is a toss up for me. The atmosphere is great.. love the setup, lights, everything. Great menu options as well. Food and overall experience was just ok. They don't list closing hours, just food serving hours, so I called and they said they stopped serving food at 9 but certainly won't kick you out and basically keep going if it's busy. We got there at 8:25ish and were told by the hostess they closed at 9.. ok but different than what i was told 5 min earlier. Place was dead so we were immediately seated and we quickly ordered. Appetizers were gator tail and the gnocchi. The gator was a mix of good and ok. The smaller pieces were great but larger were kind of chewy. The gnocchi however was outstanding. That with a side salad would make a great dinner. Mix of entrees ordered (grouper sandwiches, shrimp po boy, crawfish mac n cheese) they all were pretty good but nothing outstanding. The fries did look awesome though. We weren't offered dessert or second rounds of drinks, which was frustrating and we definitely felt rushed.. though our server was super nice so we just paid our bill and left around 9:15. On the way out the gentleman at the door asked "no dessert?" but since we weren't offered any and didn't want to get anyone in trouble we smiled, said no and thanked him and walked out. We'll try again another night and come in a bit earlier. read more

Food was delicious. Atmosphere was great. We had a nice table outside upstairs. Service was excellent.

Overall experience was quite good. Our server was helpful and attentive while the food was quite good. We shared chat-broiled oysters two ways, both very good and a shrimp po boy which was good. read more

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After volunteering for SCCF with others to clean up Tarpon Bay beach, we were up for a cool beverage and a light meal. We heard positive things about Mudbugs, so we gave them a try. We sat at the bar and were immediately waited on. I had a Bloody Mary and my spouse had a punch-type drink. Both were delicious. We decided to share the bayou shrimp appetizer. Our bartended told us that the shrimp do come with the heads on and that the whole shrimp is peel and eat. We never had them that way before, but we will again! The garlic, Cajun and butter sauce they cook the shrimp in is really delicious. You get a full pound in one order, which filled us up. They are messy to eat, but worth it if you enjoy great Cajun flavored shrimp. The inside is decorated like Mardi Gras and has a great atmosphere. We look forward to coming back! read more

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Stopped by for Happy Hour 3 to 6 weekdays and was treated to live music. We had a hurricane drink and mud bugs draft. For a happy hour taste we had their steak bites. Great deal and service read more

The restaurant had cute decorations. The service was great! The shrimp Po'Boy was perfectly seasoned! Worth a try!

My wife and I went here for our one of many places to eat on our honeymoon. This was by far our favorite place to eat. The service was awesome and food was delicious. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone that is visiting Sanibel. I still look forward to eating my oyster po'boy again. read more

Mudbugs Cajun Kitchen - Fried Oyster Sandwich. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

We came tonight for my daughter's 3rd birthday. The menu had something we all would like and also scratched the itch I had for missing New Orleans. The ambiance was adorable!!! Definitely reminded me of being in New Orleans!! Our service was amazing, super fast and everyone was friendly. I wish I got our servers name. He was amazing. He was so nice and friendly with our daughter! Thank you guys for making our vacation and her birthday even more special ! read more

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My husband and I love this place! It is our go-to place when visiting the Fort Myers and Sanibel area. The atmostphere is amazing, lively, and fun but not too loud. The live music is great when they have it and I love the open deck and bar area upstairs. It has a New Orleans vibe and the food does not disappoint. Our favorites are the Char Grilled Oysters. Full of flavor, hot and great to start with. Some of our favorite go to entrees are the Blackened Grouper over the bow-tie pasta and the Etouffee. You can't go wrong with either of these. And for dessert.. the Beignets! Although we never had "real" beignets from New Orleans these are amazing to us so we definitely recommend. read more

We've been coming to mudbugs for years and always look forward to our experience. Tonight was a letdown. We all ordered mojitos. They were flavorless and bland and $13!!! I was the only one to finish mine. The couple with us ordered gator tail appetizer. It was probably gator loin because every actual tail I ever had was far more tender than what they got. Three of us ordered the swamp pasta which was good but again the gator on it was tough and chewy. The other person in our party ordered the duck and we all said we'd come back just for the duck. Our waitress was sweet and fun but when it came time for the bills -- two couples, two bills --- nothing was rung up right! We were tired and managed to work it out amongst ourselves. Not a game changer, we will go back but it's a serious strike compared to previous experiences. read more

Visiting here and this place came highly recommended! It did not disappoint. Excellent bartender with perfect bloody Mary's. The beers are icy cold. The clam Po Boy was delicious perfect breading on the clams. The two appetizers were delicious. Beignets and fried pickles were shareable and good. My husband loved his Cajun burger and my friend had grilled crab oysters which she loved. Definitely try this place. Service was excellent. read more

Mudbugs Cajun Kitchen - Cajun burger - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

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Great food, great service, great vibe. Blackened grouper creole was fantastic, as was the crawfish etouffee. Beautiful day on the outside upper deck. read more

This place was so good. The baked oysters with Cajun garlic sauce were the best I've ever had. We got peel and eat shrimp that were great. My lobster roll was good. I didn't care for the dirty rice but only have Popeyes to compare it to, which I think tastes better. But everything else was great. Our server was great too. They had a guy playing music and even that was really good. He played Uncle Albert which you don't hear every day. read more

Mudbugs Cajun Kitchen - Hurricane - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

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Great place for Sanibel island. Lots of choices for dinner, preferred the appetizers, dessert were epic. Live music. Downstairs was more comfortable for cool air, upstairs was hot unless you are sitting at the bar outside. read more

Picked this place one of many places to celebrate my birthday with the parents! I've been here a few times more than my parents and I just wanted some beignets and étouffée! And I'm so happy this restaurant opened up so quickly after Ian and we are happy support local businesses! Great service and food as always. Fried the char grill oysters! So good and garlicly! Beignets were fresh and light and prefect! Every one loves all their dishes! And we had left overs for days. Seems like the shrimp po boy you get your monies worth! Can't wait for our next meal here! read more

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Dining at Mudbugs has become a staple during our annual visit to Sanibel. Last year we ate here two days in a row, and could not wait to revisit for the chargrilled oysters this year! The Crabcake Chargrilled Oysters paired with the hollandaise sauce and the Cajun Style Chargrilled Oysters have us in a chokehold. We've tried a few other menu items which were alright, but the oysters are what keeps us coming back. The service is prompt and kind, and the live music is wonderful, however do beware if you sit outside you will most likely get eaten alive by tiny but mighty bugs. read more

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Great food. Great atmosphere. Love the live music. We just sat at the bar Service is great and quick.

Stopped in on New Year's Eve. This hit the spot as usual/. The entertainment was great. Service great. The food was superb. A must stop while on Sanibel. read more

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I was traveling through the area and wanted a local restaurant with good food. This place fit the bill. They had some unique menu options. Nothing fancy but the food was good and the service was great. read more

Celebrated our son-in-law's birthday there today. Not sure why it's taking me so long to write review because it's been there many times as I am a local but I have to say today was off the chart. Service by Lindsey was stellar. She made this birthday so special. The food from appetizers Mardi Gras shrimp to calamari was cooked to perfection. Just when we thought it couldn't get better here comes the Bayou shrimp entrée, the stuffed shrimp, ribeyes, and the crawfish mac & cheese. A party of 7 and all 7 gave it thumbs up. And let's give an applause to the bartender who made some amazing drinks. They had quite the variety from white sangria to cake martini. definitely the right choice for the special birthday and the special person in our life. Thank you, Mudbugs and thank you Lindsey for making it memorable. Live Music - Yah. We have been there and we will definitely keep returning there. read more

Mudbugs Cajun Kitchen - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

Wife and I ate here one night and the food was good, portions were generous, price was a little high considering the drive from Cape Coral. We're back for another month next May and I'm sure we'll hit it for lunch at least once. If you like New Orleans food it's a place to try. read more

This place was amazing ! I planned a day trip and was looking for something good the day we arrived. I came across this restaurant and i'm happy i did ! The food was all perfect and it came out very quickly . The inside was very beautiful and it felt like you were literally in downtown new orleans. Our server was Othmane, he was very attentive and gave us plenty of time when we needed it , he recommended the deserts to get and it was overall a great experience, we will definitely be back ! read more

Mudbugs Cajun Kitchen - Cesar Salads with Chicken, Crab Cakes, and Mahi Mahi - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

Love the atmosphere of this restaurant. Great service from the moment we stepped in. Food was delicious with large portions.

The food was great. We had shrimp, crabby oysters, Mardi Gras shrimp and crawfish Mac and cheese . Our drinks were the mudbug mojito and Sanibel breeze. Everything was good. Greeted with beads upon entry. Nice vibe and music. We sat outside upstairs. We stopped there while visiting on the beach. Our server, Ottman (not sure of spelling) , is a really nice young man; Very pleasant and personable. We would love to go again. read more

This place was great in every way! We were promptly greeted when we entered the restaurant and they quickly sat us which was unexpected because we were a party of 8. The server was excellent and truly hustling. Not only did he serve us but he also made our drinks and was busing tables! We ordered the pork rinds and boudin balls. Is he pork rinds were very tasty and a huge portion. The boudin balls with the sauce was excellent and a decent portion of 6! I ordered the crab cakes and most of our party got po' boys. Everyone was full and happy with their selection. We even had some left overs. The po' boys sandwiches were double the size of most other places. The atmosphere was casual and fun so the overall dining experience was superb! Would definitely recommend. read more

We just finished a week of vacation over the 2022 July 4th holiday on Sanibel Island. We spent a week eating awesome food; any visit to Sanibel is always a treasure trove of seafood and tasty treats that we don't usually get back home. After an entire week of vacation dining, I'm hereby declaring Mudbugs to be the best meal we had all week. By a mile. My Cajun Shrimp Étouffée was truly spectacular in every way. Service was also splendid, but it's the Étouffée that I'll be thinking about for the next month. It's similar to gumbo - essentially a cajun stew served over a bed of rice. It's one of their signature dishes, and now I know why. Wow. read more

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We have been coming to Sanibel/Captiva for 30+ years. Two years ago was the first time we actually tried Mudbugs. We really enjoyed it! They are located on Sanibel and definitely have that New Orleans vibe. Their parking lot is dirt so if its raining be prepared. You can immediately tell they are a two story building. They have tables on the first floor and the second. Both times we went to the second floor because it was more open. They have stairs but also a wheelchair lift if your party needs that. My dad has a bad knee and cant climb stairs so he used the lift. They have 2 bars, one downstairs and one upstairs. The upstairs bar also has chairs around the bar and on the patio. Definitely reminded me of New Orleans. The servers are very nice, they come right away and get your drink order. Their menu is really good. Some New Orleans flair like gumbo and po' boys but also lighter items like steamed shrimp and fresh fish. We started with the hush puppies (delicious) and calamari (also delicious). We all ordered different items, fish, gumbo, fried green tomato po'boy and the steamed shrimp. The food was actually delicious. All 5 of us really enjoyed our food. My only complaint is there is only 1 restroom and if someone is in there you gotta wait. Also we visit in the summer so it is HOT! They keep the doors and the upstairs bar area wide open. The fans and AC are working overtime to try and cool it down but it just did not work. We were all so hot. Also with the doors open, there were lots of flies buzzing around. Very annoying. They do have lots of different mixed drinks which none of us ordered, we all ordered ice tea which melted so fast so it was more of warm tea. We had to ask for multiple glasses of ice. All in all this is a really great place. I would prefer to go when it was cooler or maybe in the evening. With all the doors open its a perfect location for mosquitos and flies. If you are going with a group I would say this is a perfect place for that. It has the New Orleans vibe and feel and truly makes you feel like you are there visiting Mardi Gras. Check them out next time you are in Sanibel. read more

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My wife and I had some appetizers, calamari,pork belly and Brussel sprout skewers, fried green tomatoes, clam chowder and fried shrimp poor boy,food amazon,service by O,he was fantastic,and the ambiance, We sat outside very nice except for the trucks going by. And for dessert Beignets. Excellent.A must place to try, if you don't want to go to New Orleans. read more

During a recent Captiva vacation, my family was looking for a nearby restaurant and decided to give Mudbugs a shot. Certainly glad we did. We were seated right away at a nice outdoor rooftop table. As the sun was setting, it wasn't too hot. Our waitress Samantha was friendly and very helpful. We went with the garlic beignets and pork and shrimp Brussels sprout kebabs for appetizers. Loved them both. The kids wanted more beignets and my wife and I enjoyed the kebabs. My entree was great, the crawfish etouffee with jambalaya was a flavor bomb! I enjoyed sopping up the sauce with the garlic bread. My wife and kids enjoyed their entrees as well! Had the key lime pie for dessert, it was zesty and rich! Mudbugs was a great opportunity to try some Cajun classics! read more

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Food, ambiance and service was very good we were there with friends visiting from Maryland and having an anniversary dinner, we had a nice time and some live music too. read more

Mudbugs Cajun Kitchen - Nice Cajun place - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

Food and atmosphere are excellent. The rating at 4 stars is due to the drinks. 3 of us had the "Hurricane" which says it's topped with a 151 floater. You couldn't even taste the slightest bit of alcohol in the drinks! read more

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Amazing service, food and ambiance! We came here for lunch on a whim bc sadly our two favorite local stops were no longer but glad we stumbled upon this gem! We did have to move tables from outside to inside bc the sand fleas were out with a vengeance but other than that, we loved it! read more

Mudbugs Cajun Kitchen - Jambalaya, pull boy and blackened grouper were all a+ - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

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Service was great and the food was good. May have been better but ir was cold as fans were.on high. We would have stayed for dessert and more drinks if it had been less windy! Music was really loud and I played in a band in the past. And it was maybe average but trying to be nice. Have enjoyed food all over the island, 1st and last here read more

Live music, great food, very good service. Loved the gator tail, the calamari good, and you have to have it for the sauce. Stuffed shrimp delish, etufuee was great meal as well. Definitely, if in the area, it's a must! read more

Mudbugs Cajun Kitchen - Great time with family. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

Great food and friendly service Don't order the sweet tea Nice, live entertainment and overall vibe read more

Stopped in for a late lunch/early dinner with family. Everything we ordered was delicious. Started with the gator bites. Will definitely come back! read more

I was excited to try this place due to all the great reviews. We started with fried green tomatoes (my friend) and gumbo. The gumbo was good, tasty, served with a lot of rice, just surprised there was no okra. I asked about the market price for the fresh fish, grouper, and the waitress didn't know and fumbled for an answer and said it's usually $22 for the platter. I ordered the grouper platter which comes with 2 sides. The grouper was excellent The waitress seemed annoyed when my friend asked her for a cover for the salad dressing container. We both had leftover food to go. The waitress never asked or offered a bag for our to go boxes (I had 2 boxes and 2 sauce containers. ). She didnt clear the dirty plates either. I was a bit surprised when my check showed the grouper was $34. I asked the waitress for an explanation and got one that made no sense. Please train you staff appropriately! read more

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My friend and I made a stop here after a Sanibel beach day. We had the best time! Very fun New-Orleans-esq vibe. The bartender and fellow patrons were all so friendly. Always love seeing local beers on the drink list! We ordered three dishes to share: lobster bisque, mardi gras shrimp, and the garlic beignets. Everything was to die for! We also got an order of the sweet beignets to take home. We sat out on the patio area at the bar and enjoyed the sun and the breeze. Absolutely lovely stop in Sanibel! read more

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Absolutely delicious. Drinks were very good! Waitress was wonderful, owner came out to say hello to everyone and was very personable and kind. Will definitely be back for more! read more

Mudbugs Cajun Kitchen - Cajun crawdads - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

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Nice food, large portion appetizer of brussels sprouts and shrimp was very good. I had the oyster poor boy my wife had the shrimp poor boy both plenty of shrimp and oysters on them. Ambience was really cool. Service excellent Would definitely go back. read more