Even though I have been to Captiva 10+ times I had never eaten t Captiva House. Boy have I been missing out!!! The decor was very nice and cheery, the service was excellent and the meal was one f the best I've ever had!!!! Crab bisque that was so flavorful and rich and so full of delicious crab that the soup had to be chewed. Lobster cargot that was lobster in a phyllo dough using the same herbs and spices used in escargot, Grouper with mango salsa and rice pilaf that just melted in my mouth. Cannot wait to go back tomorrow night!!! Want to try some other menu items but might get the exact same thing again!! Perfection!!! Please don't review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you're connected in any way to the owner or employees. read more

Old is absolutely correct. I was intrigued by the charm of having a piano playing as we dine, however the music was more appropriate for a funeral than for a nice dinner. We ordered the ahi tuna to start, which was lovely. My husband ordered the lobster ravioli which was bland. I ordered the snapper wrapped in a phyllo. Sounded amazing, but was Inedible. The fish was so dry that I removed it entirely. When I told the waiter about the overlooked fish, he said " I'll tell the chef." And that was it. Seriously, that was it. Nothing was done to correct the error. The sad fact was that the experience left me forgetting all about the gorgeous crust on the key lime pie. My husband just reminded me of it. read more

This review is solely for the 2017 Thanksgiving day buffet. We have been attending here for over 20 years for either the Thanksgiving and/or the Christmas day buffets. Generally the meal is eaten in the restaurant called the Old Captiva House. This year when we made our reservation, we were told we would be seated next-door in the Crow's Nest which is essentially a bar. We were told the identical food would be served in that location. We were disappointed in many ways for this festive meal. Firstly the main restaurant has old world charm which was missing in the tavern. A large television was showing a football game in the bar which distracted from our holiday meal and conversation. Instead of chafing dishes, the food was served in foil pans. The turkey was very dried out at the carving station. We had a 6 o'clock reservation and I'm sure it was under the heat lamp since noon and left to dry out. They ran out of fresh plates and I had to point that out to them. The waiter was fine but not sure we were being served the same food as the main restaurant. In other words we felt as if we were second class citizens, paying the same first class price of $55 pp. Iced tea ($3.75) and coffee ($3.25) extra! They added on an 18% tip which is a bit high for a buffet, but acceptable. In summary, we would have a hard time returning for a future holiday buffet. There are better choices at a more reasonable price point. read more

Where to begin. We informed our waiter that our son had a serious nut allergy and were assured that his entree would not include nuts. After his meal arrived and he began eating we noticed sliced almonds in the rice accompanying his fish. They apologized and removed the meal from the bill but this is unacceptable. My son could have died tonight. While this was going on they were screwing up my wife's steak. My wife and other son ordered steaks the same way - medium. His was fine, hers was blood raw- gummy red inside. We sent it back and it comes back ten minutes later completely grey. Overdone. They apologize and order up a fresh steak. It comes out and unbelievably is even more raw than the first one. How hard is it to cook a frickin steak? Needless to say this place is not worth your time. read more

Short story, don't go here if you have ANY allergies. We went for my wife's birthday and we are lactose intolerant and I'm allergic to garlic. The waiter went back and forth with the kitchen and basically said we couldn't get any of the apps or salads. Not even oil and vinegar. Then we were told we could get the special which was stuffed flounder with coconut rice instead of the polenta. The meal came and it was polenta. The waiter said it was dairy free. Clearly not. Then the chef came and took the plates away apologizing. The manager came to us and said sorry and that she would take our entrees off the bill. Gee thanks for not charging us for a meal we couldn't eat. I told them that was not enough since we now had to go somewhere else for dinner. The server disappeared, the manager was NOT professional. No comp drink. It was not busy. We went to the lazy flamingo and had great service and a beer. Never again!!! read more

We made reservations without knowing the restaurant was currently under renovations. The restaurant is currently located at The Canoe and Kayak club on the Tween resort property. The atmosphere was cute and cozy. We ate outside on the deck. The service was attentive without being annoying. The food was fantastic. My husband had the blue claw crab bisque. A large mound of crab with delicious soup poured on top. My daughters has the grilled caprese salad which was also great. I had the Sea Bass for dinner. The fish was cooked perfectly with cheesy polenta and fresh veggies. So good!! My husband had the lamb and my daughters had the red snapper. All was excellent. I didn't have dessert but I did sample the Key Lime Pie my husband ordered. It was excellent. Forgot to mention the cocktails were great! We will be back for sure on our next visit to Captiva. Looking forward to seeing the renovated space, but loved the Canoe club as well!! read more

Horrible service, food, and atmosphere! We were staying at the resort, which I do not recommend ( that's a whole other review). We were told when we walked into the completely empty restaurant that we needed reservations by an unfriendly older lady at the entrance. So we went to the hostess station and nobody was there. We waited and waited.... Finally we asked the lady at the entrance if we could be seated. She rudely told us we had to wait for the hostess. My bad, I thought they were suppose to be waiting on us. Finally the most unfriendly stuck up woman came and sat us down. She never sparked a conversation or asked us if we wanted drinks, much less give us a wine menu like she did the 2 couples that came after us. Finally we received service from our waiter who was decent. We started with the Brie appetizer and the entire sliced apple they served with it was brown and rotten!! How did it even get out of the kitchen from a "fine dining" restaurant. We told the waiter and he said "oh ok.,," and that was it. I ordered the scallop dinner special and was sick in the bathroom all night! The restaurant was just as unkempt and unclean as their accommodations. read more

Always a gorgeous choice for an evening in December. The decor is very merry and would make any child or the one within feel special! The Uber lighting, choo choo train w stuffed animals and presents are adorable. A little girl w her doll was engaging each, making her doll wave at the toys. White tablecloths and fairly subdued atmosphere were relaxing. The menu is eclectic w a sushi bar insert! The standard item fare has duck breast, steaks, seafood specials, oysters and lovely sides. My date ordered the small plate of steak w Gorgonzola sauce, mashed potato and carrot w asparagus. The steak was cooked perfectly medium rare w good flavors excepting the sauce was not attractive nor necessary. I had a tuna roll and tuna nigiri which to be fair.......just wasn't quite at its peak. The nori had a very raw off taste, too papery. We found a bottle of Italian red Barolo 2011 that was exceptional noting the list does not have the year of the wine so beware, ask for the years available in your decision esp if you plan on a $75 bottle or up. Our mixed review again rests on quality of food. Prepare yourself for some great successes and some near misses. The service was fine, our waiter made every effort to do everything he could to make the evening flawless. The appetizers looked real interesting, e.g., crispy duck roll. We also ate breakfast the following morning w the buffet. Breads, fruit, coffee, pastry and juices are standard as well as ala carte eggs, waffles n all you would expect. The Bloody Mary was standard bottled mix, heavy on the harsh cumin like flavors. Take your children to see the Christmas lights!! read more

This is another in our top-five Island fine dining restaurants. The elegant dining room was made all the more so with live piano music in the background. Expertly crafted martinis led the way with a slightly disappointing oyster starter, Oysters Alexander, if only because they were fairly small and only four to an order. Their preparation left me so wanting more! My wife's starter was sublime! Called Lobster-cargot, I would better describe it as a lobster pot-pie with an unbelievably delicious puff pastry. She gave up a few bites! I opted for the night's special, Thai Curry Red Snapper which was excellent in every respect! The restaurant does dessert better than anyone. Delicious classics, like Key Lime Pie and Coconut Cream Pie, are put into "shots" which are small, square, (probably) 4-ounce glasses, delicately layered with the dessert's ingredients, a visual delight and good for 5-6 bites, just perfect to end a superb four-course meal. The service was outstanding and all around, this restaurant hit on all cylinders! read more

This restaurant is so beautiful especially for dinner when it is all lite up! The food is beyond delicious and our service was fantastic! A little pricey but completely worth it!!! I definitely recommend this place for an amazing dinner!! read more

A terrific location in a resort where the Gulf and bay are a mere 100 yards apart. Housed in what was originally a schoolhouse in 1914 the outdoor lattice laced roof eating area steps from the Gulf of Mexico is a seductive place for dinner. Though pricey, the food is creatively prepared and presented. Choose an evening where the temps are mild, the breeze is blowing and you have two hours for dinner; eat outside and you will be glad you came. read more

My wife and I were at tween waters for an anniversary and went to the captiva house for breakfast. We decided to order from the menu instead of the free meal. This was a mistake! Tasteless scrambled eggs, over seasoned hash brown potatoes and dry toast. My wife covered hers with ketchup to make the food palatable. The resort here is quite nice but the food is not good in our experience. read more

Don't know what all the downers are about, had a wonderful meal here. Nile was our server and he was attentive and professional without being over bearing. Had the Escargot and Baked brie as appetizers very tasty. The Breads served are homemade and delightful, they had an olive loaf that was particularly yummy. I was in the mood for meat and did not see the bone-in Veal chop that I read about, Nile went to the kitchen and came out to say that they did have a pork shoulder that they could accommodate me with even though it was not on the menu. It was outstanding fall off the fork heaven. My wife had the seared Ahi Tuna she was a little less impressed with hers but, gave it a 3 of 5 rating (we are sushi afficianados so we are used to very high grade tuna. Overall wonderful meal and would definitely return again. read more

I wanted to like this place so much and the web site made it seem like it would be great. Sadly, it's old fashioned in not a good way, serving to later middle age plus crowd and with very predictable middle of the road food. Staff is kind and proficient and I'm sure sunset must be lovely but it was not an exciting dining experience for us. read more