The Real Macaw is a charming Key West style restaurant right in the heart of Naples. While this hidden gem is located in the up and coming Bayshore Arts District, it has been family owned and operated for the last 28 years. With an indoor formal dining room, an outdoor bar, and a stage built to accommodate live music, the entire space somehow feels both expansive and cozy. With the tropical color palette of pinks and yellows accompanied by the swaying of beautiful palm trees and twinkling string lights overhead, you'll quickly be transported to some far away island oasis. The Real Macaw's Island flair doesn't stop at the decor. You can taste the Caribbean throughout every cocktail and dish. We started our meal with a selection of their most popular libations. The true standouts were the Macaw Juice, Brandy's mojito, and the coconut martini. With 6 different rums, and 3 tropical juices, the Macaw Juice is exactly what you would hope to get out of a tiki style cocktail. Packs a punch and also super refreshing. We started our meal with a surprise of their delicious Johnny Cakes. Served with house made strawberry butter, this sweet fritter was quite a treat and prepares your palate for the sweet and savory cuisine that is to come. For appetizers we tried the calamari, crab cakes, Cesar salad, and the macadamia goat cheese salad. All four starters were out of this world. The calamari were tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce that we wanted to put on everything! The macadamia salad with its truffle vinaigrette was another crowd pleaser and we all agreed one of the best salads we've ever had. For the entree round of this culinary extravaganza, we ordered the seared sea bass, Caribbean duck, steak caribe, and the bacon cheeseburger. You could feel the thoughtfulness of each decision the chef made throughout every bite. While we had a hard time picking a winner, we agreed that the duck was the most unique. The richness of the duck was balanced nicely with the tamarind rum sauce. The portions all around were also quiet substantial. Though we certainly didn't need it, we opted to put a bow on our meal with a sampling of their desserts. All made from scratch and delicious in their own right, we feel like the stand out was the guava bread pudding. I could picture taking a piece of this to go and enjoying it with some coffee the morning after. I will be back just for that! We have officially put this hidden gem on our must do for Naples visitors and locals alike. While the ambiance alone would be worth the giving it a try, the food and service are a reason to become a regular. This is fine dining in a flip flop atmosphere. We had passed by this unassuming culinary paradise quite literally hundreds of times. Don't make the same mistake and make your reservations today! read more

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Talk about a "Hidden Gem", The Real Macaw surpassed my expectations! The atmosphere of the French-Caribbean restaurant exudes personality and Key West decor. Don't let the outside fool you, or the Art District that it is located in! My dish (and I believe all Others in my party shared this sentiment) was outstanding! The service was exceptional! Our waiter was very personable, and asked if it was our first time there, of course I had to tell him about our Dining Divas group!! Apparently our server was so impressed with us that he told the owner, Siobhan about us and she stopped by our table to introduce herself. Jeanne Harvey, Siobhan's mother started the restaurant 30 years ago, and she just recently took it over after her mothers passing to carry on the legacy of this adorable and eclectic dining establishment. Below is an article I found interesting and informative, thought you may too. I will definitely be back to suppport this local, woman owned business. I hope you are able to experience it as well! Dedication ceremony to memorialize longtime restaurateur Jeanne Harvey in East Naples BY TIM ATEN MAY 12, 2022 PHOTO CREDIT:THE REAL MACAW Jeanne Harvey BeyondWords A dedication ceremony Friday afternoon will honor Jeanne Harvey, a Bayshore Drive pioneer who founded The Real Macaw restaurant in East Naples more than 30 years ago. Collier County Commissioner Penny Taylor will honor Harvey with a plaque at 3:30 p.m. Friday while formally dedicating a new public parking lot and art space at 3321 Bayshore Drive. Harvey died in March 2021, but her daughter continues to operate The Real Macaw, Harvey's legacy Key West-style local restaurant at 3275 Bayshore Drive, just north of the new lot. Harvey, a local entrepreneur and philanthropist, was a community trailblazer instrumental in the development and success of the Bayshore Arts District. After running hospitality ventures in Spain, the Virgin Islands and Cape Cod, she opened The Real Macaw in 1992. Her eclectic personality cultivated an equally diverse and enthusiastic clientele drawn to the escapist oasis she created to serve award-winning food and drinks. "Those fortunate to know her found a fast friend with a kind heart, larger-than-life personality, and a knack for making every moment full of fun and laughter," said Siobhan Cleveland, Harvey's daughter. "This exuberance was complemented by a Brooklyn girl's self-assuredness and strength of character that enabled her to build and sustain a beloved business for almost 30 years." read more

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My new favorite restaurant in Naples! Food was outstanding. Ambiance was perfect dining under an almost full moon. The service was handled on point by (listen) Linda. Love, love, love this restaurant. read more

We stopped by for a quick bite and a few drinks but ended up wishing we never stopped in. Being the only guests in the restaurant, we sat at the bar where we were given a drink and dinner menu. The bartender told us they were out of a lot of food they we wanted but that wasn't a big deal. We settled on artichoke dip with chips. The chips came out and we definitely got the bottom of the bag with crumbs that were stale. The bartender did not bother to check on us, rather, she continued to pour herself some very strong drinks. Stale chips, not great service = we won't be back. 2 stars because the ambiance was very Florida and cute. read more

So, when you arrive be ready to feel as if you entered one of those cute little hidden gem of restaurant a in Key West. Love the vibe and they regularly have live music. The drinks are very good and the food is delish. Unique and casual! read more

We have been coming to The Real Macaw since at least 28-29 years ago. We have always loved the atmosphere, the food and the service. But tonight, we went from one stumble to the next in service. We had reservations and when the two disorganized hosts were alerted we were also patrons waiting, they figured it out and seated us. We were then told a by a woman that she would be our waitress. After a bit, a man came , took our plates and said he was our waiter. After a while we called him over when we could get his attention. We ordered drinks and he was gone. He came back once our large waters were all gone and asked our orders. We asked about the drinks and he said coming. He brought us corn fritters. Drinks came to other tables and salads too. They had a wrong salad and he said it was mine. So now I waited because our other salad never came. Drink came....asked for waters and salad. Then both our original salads came and our hot appetizer all at once. Waiter was confused and left. Salad gone, appetizer gone, waters gone. Finally came to clear plates and we asked for water. Ordered another drink. The food came and was placed in the wrong settings and he left fast. We exchanged plates and hoped he would check on us. Wanted pepper. No waiter until after the meal. Never checked on us. A manager came and asked how it was. The food was very good. But also very expensive. The new staff needs to be trained before sending them out. At another point, a busboy repeatedly tried to place an order of fritters on our table and we kept saying no. We are done here. The restaurant was busy by the time we left. But we got there at 5:00 when they opened. Miss the old days of a tight ship, excellent service and amazing food. Now it is, grab any server when you can and only accept food that is yours when the variety of meals are presented in front of you, that are not yours. Beg for drinks, stack your own plates to get their eventual attention, and get em when you can. read more

What a amazing experience. Appetizers thru desserts.. one of the few gems in Naples. Don't forget to check the calendar for good live music. read more

One of the best meals we have had in over ten seasons in Naples. Colorful Key West style building in front with laid back bar hides a white tablecloth gem in the back. Choice of indoor or open air seating at both. Started with happy hour outside then progressed to our dinner reservation also outside on a beautiful evening. Bar menu is large and shared some of the same dinner choices. Great option if you dont have dinner reservations. All staff were extremely friendly and efficent both in bar and in back. Fantastic salad with warm goat cheese, pear and macadamia nuts was split in two for us and we shared fried calamari with a sauce that had a sweet kick. Complimentary hushpuppies with strawberry butter were next then perfectly cooked fresh catch of the day mahi and shrimp scampi were our entrees. A slice of chocolate heaven ended a memorable meal. Down the street from the botanical garden and close to downtown and marinas. Spur of the moment ...enjoy food in the bar prepared by the same team. More formal dining required .....make a reservation for the back area and you'll be glad you did! read more

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3/11/22 Been coming here for at least ten years every time I visit SWFL. Real Macaw never disappoints: great drinks, wines steaks fish, you name it. Lovely outdoor setting for nighttime dining, too. Entertainment on (most) Sundays. Oh, best key lime pie in Florida - seriously! read more

caution !!! caution !!!! one of the worst restaurants in naples. horrible food service. WE POSTED THIS ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM AND NEXTDOOR TO WARN PEOPLE. THEN, HAD OTHERS MENTION THEIR POOR EXPERIENCES TOO expensive drinks and they serve ...tilapia!!! you can watch sysco trucks daily unloading frozen, farm raised seafoods. the manager should be fired. amazing how the woner doesnt know , they just lost two,locals who dine out several timesa week and live close by. we ordered a stir fried veggies and a chicken breast. $65 w/o tip!!!!! the veggies looked like. they were boiled! a small pile of slop! the chicken breast was like rubber. i called the next day and spoke to the manager. she acted all caring-and apologized. i told her we will not come back. she talked me into giving my email adres so she can send some discount coupons or gift certificate everyone deserves a second chance. a week later no email from her. i phoned again giving her the benefit of a doubt. she apologized. then, asked for my email a second time. another, week went by. i phoned again. she relies oh, well im miving have a new baby etc....weak excuses. she probably lost her home work or the dog ate it too!!! i told her never again! how do places like this stay open?! i can only assume thye make their money during highseason when all places are busy. most here are already over priced and mediocre not as bad as this one though. i can only imagine how bad it is during high season ! there is plenty of naive tourists and snow birds to rip off. pass on this place ! a few blocks down the road is celebration park with numerous food trucks that blow this llace away fr half the price on the water with live music! also, two good small mexican joints. there is a microw brewery down the road too. the manager is a joke !!! avoid !!! read more

Went for dinner at The Real Macaw. Even though we had a reservation we had a to wait (hostess apologized for the inconvenience) so we had cocktails at the bar, a mojito and a blue cheese martini. Restaurant ambiance is very casual. They had live music that everyone stemmed to be enjoying. In no time we moved to the restaurant area. Ordered an onion soup and tuna as our appetizers and steak and the ribs for our meal. We ended the feast with a key lime pie. Food was delicious and the service excellent. Everyone was very friendly. We would definitely go back. read more

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Ambiance was great- tons of outdoor seating, live music, fun vibes. Food was delicious, as were cocktails. Macadamia Nut salad was delicious and good sized (the 4 of us split 2), and the ahi tuna and duck dishes were clear favorites of the table. Shrimp scampi was also a hit. Salmon was good flavors but slightly over cooked. Our server Jerry was fabulous as well- attentive and friendly and great reccos. We got a piece of key lime pie and that was fabulous, definitely recommend. Staff was all wearing masks besides one woman (maybe a manager?) who kept coming around the tables to talk to everyone and literally pulling aside her mask to speak, which was frustrating. But tables were reasonably spread apart and beyond her, we felt safe and would come back during Covid times! Happy to have a new spot to add into our regular Naples rotation and I want to come back and check out their happy hour! read more

Met Family at the bar and was hoping to have happy hour there. It was Mother's Day and unfortunately, they were not serving happy hour. They neglected to inform the bartender of that. After he placed a food order, you can hear the cook in the kitchen yelling at him that there was no happy hour for that day. No communication among staff and No management.Totally dead with no customers. Sh*t show. read more

Seafood was very good. Cocktails were even better! We had tuna and halibut. Gelato was amazing too. Nice outdoor seating. Vegetables were a bit over cooked and our waiter had too many tables, but all else made up for that. read more

Terrible experience! over exuberant political patron (drunk) that would not accept our wishes to not debate the current political situation. Unfortunately the bartender shared there beliefs and told US that it was time to leave after 1 drink. will not return. read more

I was actually on my way to another restaurant when I passed by this colorful little gem of a place. I just had to make a U-turn and check this place out. Glad I did. This place has character, from the colorful exterior to the covered outdoor deck seating. There is three distinctive areas to enjoy here. The kinda formal dining area, the covered outdoor "bar" seating and the inside bar. They serve Caribbean Cuisine with a Key West Flair. The dining area offers dressy casual dining with meals starting at $19 to $30. with dishes like Cashew Encrusted Salmon and Caribbean Roast Duck. All sounded fantastic but were a little more than we were looking to spend. The outdoor bar area offers more casual dining for around $10 and was fantastic. I had the Classic Kobe Burger med. rare. It was served perfectly cooked. One of the best burgers I have had in a long time. It needed no condiments, just lettuce and tomato and yum. My wife had the Portobello Tower. Grilled potobello with Beefsteak tomato, blue cheese roasted peppers and spinach. Again, wonderful. Other offerings on the bar menu were Calypso Calamari, Paradise Chicken Roti and a trio of soups that sound amazing. If I find myself back in this area, I will definitely make a point to stop back in and try more of there dishes. I almost forgot to mention the live music. The entertainment this night was a man, his keyboard and harmonica. Playing an assortment of jazzy tunes. Perfect music to compliment this great diner. read more

The Real Macaw - Outdoor bar view. - Seafood Near Me - Naples, Florida

Loved everything about it! Excellent food, lovely service, a relaxed but charming island vibe in a very pretty tropical garden setting. I had the seared tuna, prepared to perfection, a wonderful salad and key lime pie for dessert. We were a party of four and we all enjoyed our evening at The Real Macaw. We'll be back and have recommended it to others. read more

Super sweet place. Love the Carib vibe in the food. Met the owner and her daughter who served us. Love that it is a family business and the care really shows. Will go back. Servers are wearing masks, which we found a plus. We would not have stayed otherwise. Thank you, Real Macaw for helping to let Naples come back to life while protecting one another! read more

Great atmosphere, accomodating staff beautiful setting with superb food. Been there multiple times.

I'm glad I chose to come to The Real Macaw for my birthday dinner. The staff was very friendly, and did everything in their power to make my night a memorable one. Our server PJ was very friendly, helpful, and attentive. The food was very playful, delicious, and flavorful. We sat outside on the patio under the string lights with live music which made an ambience that reminds you of " old Florida" - a mini paradise. read more

Horrible service. Waited 20 minutes for a drink order to be filled after 3 polite reminders. Eventually went to the Bar to get drinks myself. Ordered dinner and requested butter (pretty simple - right?) - then waited 15 minutes and reminded waiter several times.... Never got butter - ate meal anyway. Provided a more than adequate cash tip with a note on the credit card receipt that managers are not helping waiters.... Then tattoo Bartender loudly yells at me that she won't serve me because of the note (remember I provided a $60 cash tip regardless of how crappy the service was). Management is doing nothing to help their wait staff. 2 drinks and a mediocre dinner for 4.... Crappy service with an attitude. There's many other places to go. Wish I had checked Yelp reviews before we went.... Consistently crappy bartender service - Bartender with a garbage attitude - consistently crappy wait staff attentiveness - mediocre food - no help from management. Only thing going for them is their music and atmosphere. I live nearby - dine out often - will go elsewhere. This was the 2nd bad experience here - not looking to strike out with 3. read more

Our 6th visit Always good food and service Cute courtyard Seafood is solid Because an soup is fine Good wine read more

WOW! What a unique and fabulous restaurant. We passed this restaurant numerous times and decided to finally give it a try. We were so impressed and we will now refer to this hidden gem as one of our favs in the area. Hubby and I began with watermelon margaritas made with fresh watermelon purée. Off the charts good! The Johnnycakes with strawberry butter were delish and our meals were 5-star. My husband had the shrimp scampi and I had the steak salad. The steak was so tender you could cut it with a fork. The ambiance transports you to the islands and is so welcoming. Carrie, our server, made us feel like family. Shame on us for not trying this restaurant sooner! We will be back! read more

So disappointed last night. Seated at our reservation time and 45 minutes later we got our drink. No one came to our table until 30 minutes of sitting there. Wait staff was busy but there were quite a few empty tables. When we finally got drinks we wanted to order and not have to wait for waitress to return! She said she had other things to do before we could Order and she would be back. Needless to say she didn't and we left an hour after our reservation time. Maybe manager could have taken order or drink order or comped drinks when we were leaving. That was the only time we got attention. Disappointed. read more

Would give it 8 out of 5 stars if I could! Service and food were incredible. Our favorite restaurant in Naples. read more

Rude Service!! Walked in and wanted to put us at the bar Avoid at all costs. They were still open for another 1.5 hours.

Reasonably priced. Don't be fooled by the beach bar setting as you walk in. Try the duck. read more

I give every place a second chance! The bright spot of our visit was our waitress Dena. Quite honestly she was wonderful, the food however was another matter entirely. First off our appetizer was mushy bland calamari. I expect fried calamari to be crispy regardless of the preparation sometimes the sauce can make up for this but not in this case. On to entree; I chose the Caribbean Duck which sounded awesome from the menu description. Upon arrival it just looked sad. Again not crispy but further it was obviously previously frozen long term and grey. Not only was the skin rubbery but " Caribbean" implies tasty and spicy, in all actuality, it was bland, and the meat was tough. The quesadilla another guest had ordered was also tasteless. Hard to imagine that anybody could screw up a hamburger, but that was the case with our next guest. The burger was dry over cooked and not very well garnished at all. Like I say, I normally give every place a second chance, but not after a performance like this. If I do indeed go back, I will stick to sitting at the bar... read more

Been enjoying the food, drinks, and atmosphere for over twenty years. It's a classic old Florida joint with decent food and great island vibes. With all the crap going up in Naples, this is a solid escape. read more

OMG.... Hidden gem? YES! Rare and special selection of wine? YES!! Impeccable customer service? YES!!! And divine and surprisingly recipes, combined French techniques and Caribbean products and flavors? YES, and YES!! It's a Real Deal for everyone who knows how enjoyable a dinner could be!! read more

Great food, great service ( thanks Jerry!) and great atmosphere. Had the wagu beef ribeye, grilled Sea Bass and the crispy duck. We will definitely be back! read more

Wonderful Carribean setting. Excellent, charming, helpful waiter. Great service this time. From my party of six, everyone was extremely pleased with the food and wine except one of us. Guess which one??? The one that writes reviews on yelp. My black bean soup was delicious. Spicy, but good. The problem was my beef taco was a hamburger. They grilled a hamburger, cut it in half, and put each in a tortilla. Is this something new? read more

Lovely gem with beautiful courtyard dining styled in a Key West vibe! Started with tuna tartare generously layered on avocado with chips, Johnny cakes hot out of the oven with a strawberry butter that melted in our mouths. Husband had salmon and I had crispy duck-both prepared with zesty Caribbean flavors and cooked perfectly! We wanted to try the key lime pie for dessert, since all are made in house, but opted for the guava bread pudding and it did not disappoint! Fantastic! Finally, our server Christina was excellent! Professional, warm, attentive and just a delight! We definitely recommend this place and can't wait for our next visit. read more

We took friends visiting from out of town. Nice ambience but that is where it stopped. What a disappointing experience. Drinks were good. Ordered the Portobello Tower as a shared appetizer. Not a tower, a one story flat with hardly any mushroom and no plates for sharing. We asked the waiter to turn down the turbo engine fan above us, and he said it could not be done. This made for a very uncomfortable experience as it was not necessary to have it on when it was only 68 degrees outside. We ordered our food. Took a long time for the food to arrive. The waiter never came back to check on us. My dish, the special, seared (burnt) scallops in a red sauce with an overcooked stalk of broccoli over ice cold sweet potatoes. Some other unidentifiable vegetables was on the sides of the dish. Tomatoes or radishes cut in half. Did not bother to find out. The other dishes were shrimp scampi and a McCaw burger. Shrimp were very small with tails on. Served lukewarm but got cold immediately due to the turbo jet fan above us. Burger was overcooked. The waiter never asked if we enjoyed the meal and took a long time to get us the check. No intention to return to this restaurant. read more

Disappointed with how our waitress handled her masking. She kept taking it down to talk to us!! Not good. Other servers seemed better to be fair. Food was meh. Tables spaced well for social distancing. read more

I believe that the first employee you encounter in a restaurant dictates your experience. In my case the first happened to be the bartender. The four of us in our party rushed to make the tail end of happy hour which according to the restaurant's website was 3 to 6. We arrived at 5:50pm and headed to the bar. The female bartender essentially ignored us while we sat at the bar. When she did finally come over she had a serious attitude and was extremely rude. We ordered four margaritas and she made them like she was doing us a big favor. My husband gave her $40. She walks to the register, then walks back and throws the money back on the bar and says "You need to give me more money!" . I questioned the pricing as we ordered during the website's happy hour. She responds that happy hour is 3 to 5 and that I should have checked Instagram. I found the manager of the restaurant who also said happy hour is 3 to 5. I pointed out that having the correct information on their WEBSITE was their responsibility and not up to me to check all forms of social media to verify. He very nicely agreed and adjusted my bill but needed me to show him where in fact I had seen 3 to 6, which I easily did. I am giving 2 stars, which should have been at least 4, because of the nasty bartender. Otherwise, the manager, our waitress, and the food warranted a higher rating. We visit the Naples area often but I wouldn't waste my time here with all the other pleasant and fabulous places in the area. read more

My new favorite restaurant in Naples Florida is the Real Macaw. It has been in business for 23 years,I'm just sorry I just found out about it. The dinning room is beautiful, the staff are out standing. Now let's talk about the dinning. The wine list is complete and reasonably priced. My wife had the grilled peach & goat cheese salad, she raved about it. The calamari was outstanding, crispy in a wonderful sauce, perfectly cooked. When ever I see Duck on the menu I get it. This Duck was the best I have ever had. It was meaty, crispy with a hint of orange. My wife had the Chicken and she is still talking about it, very tender in a wonderful sauce. I will never visit Naples without visiting THE REAL MACAW. read more

The Real Macaw - Seafood Near Me - Naples, Florida

Love the Real Macaw Have been coming here for years and now getting around to a review. First and foremost I love the severs, both young and old!!!! Always so attentive and on their game. The owner, Jeannie, always makes an appearance to make sure everything exceeds our expectations. The food is great (we love the duck) and the drinks are bar-none the best of the best. You won't be disappointed, dine in or take out!!!!! read more

I've been coming here since it opened. love the vibe. was very good once upon a time. last two visits were poor at best. over cooked fish and beef. indifferently presented over cooked veggies. meal just plopped on the plate. very nice and attentive wait staff is the only good thing I can say about our recent experience. read more

The Real Macaw is one of my favorite restaurant. We discovered they still where doing take out. So we ordered picked up and it was seamless and the food was perfection! read more