I'm from Chicago and have loved every place I have been to down here mostly because of how nice everyone is. I went to the Beached Whale because they are right off the beach and have happy hour specials. The food was good and the prices were cheap. So why 2 stars you ask? The first person you meet is the hostess and that's the person that sets the mood to your visit. If you're a bitch that hates people you probably shouldn't work at a restaurant or be in customer service. So blonde hostess that was rude when you had to do your job to clean our table and seat us, change you're attitude or quit.
Review Source:Came here as part of a group of 20 people, they were able to accommodate us after being turned down at two other restaurants. After having the fish tacos, I'm grateful we were turned away from those other places because we would have missed out otherwise!
Service was also great, they kept drinks refilled/refreshed, accommodated our need for split checks and our waitress was very friendly (and also a MI native ,woohoo!).
Mixed drinks were a little hit or miss. I was served the smallest long island iced tea I've ever seen for about $8. It tasted good, not too weak/not too strong or sour. My friend ordered some blue drinks and one tasted like pure hairspray while the other one was great. As I said, hit or miss. Probably should stick with beer at a place like this!
All-in-all, people seemed pleased with their food selection from burgers to seafood. I had the beans & rice to accompany the fish tacos and they were well flavored, I high recommend them!
Came here for our last night in FMB. We were seated promptly to a table near a corner. Atmosphere is lively and casual. Everyone was very pleased with the food. I got the blackened grouper entree with rice and beans which was delicious. Others got the seafood combo which I'm told was very good as well. For the price it would have been nice to have two sides, but as always you pay a premium to eat on FMB. We sat inside, but the outside upper deck is where you want to be if it's warm enough.
Review Source:Went with friends for happy hour. We had wings & flat bread. The wings came "warm" so Tom took them back, 5 minutes and they were back nuked hot. Unfortunately tuff & chewy. Flat bread was not hot and not very flavorful. Tom looked after us, not the servers fault the food is not a repeat. Not the cleanest place I've been. Everyone enjoyed the view and the beer. The Fish House further down the beach was a better choice a week before.
Review Source:Great service, great food, awesome atmosphere and perfect location. This place is a winner. The menu is full of delicious food- yucatan shrimp tacos are so good. The staff is friendly and fast. They serve cheap beer during happy hour too. Great rooftop patio that overlooks the gulf and beach. An all around great beach bar and restaurant!
Review Source:We love Doc Ford's, The Beached Whale's sister restaurant right over the northern bridge on San Carlos. Â So when we heard that the rooftop deck at TBW was a great place to catch a meal al fresco/beachside, we thought we'd give it a try...think we'll be sticking to Doc Ford's from now on.
Unfortunately the roof deck was full-up when we arrived, so we had to sit in the downstairs dining room, which has very little ambiance to speak of and no view whatsoever. Â Our server was a veritable space-cadet, albeit quite lovely. Â The food was decently average (and not as tasty or well-composed as over at the Doc's). Â We sampled Beach Bread with three cheeses and tomato; Seared Ahi, sesame crusted atop a blend of glass noodles and veggies tossed with a wasabi-soy coulis; BBQ Shrimp wrapped in prosciutto; Yucatan Shrimp with crusty baguette for sauce sopping (a dish also available at DF's, where it's always perfectly executed); Grouper Tacos with papaya pico. Â For me the stand-out of the meal was the simple Conch Chowder I ordered to start my meal: fresh conch, tomatoes, and herbs in a spiced broth. Â It was excellent.
I suppose if you can manage to snag a table on the roof deck -- and during the day -- it might be worth penciling in a meal at TBW. Â Otherwise, you can bet on Doc Ford's where most tables, inside and out, have a nice view of the Bay and the food always delivers.
This spot was down the street from our vacation rental. Â We grabbed a few beers and some appetizers (buffalo wings, fried calamari, coconut shrimp)...just your typical bar food and it was mediocre at best. The rooftop was appealing but we ended up leaving to see the sunset from the beach.
Review Source:Ended up here on my birthday when Issac was looming south of Florida. Â Most other restaurants were closed so this was pretty much our only choice. Â I wasn't expecting much, but I was truly pleasantly surprised.
For apps we had: the beach bread (I think that is what it was called), fried oyesters and the mussels. Â The bread was yum. Â Probably a half a loaf and the three of us killed it. Â We actually had to order a second loaf. Â It's the perfect dish to soak up the booze. Â The oysters were really good, but I swear you only got about 6 of them. Â Pretty outrageous for the price. Â Again, we ordered a second round. Â The mussels were good, but nothing special as mussels usually aren't.
For my entree I ordered the shrimp tacos after the server and another patron suggested them. Â They were good. Â Lots of shrimp. Â And a bit of a kick to them. Â I got a simple side salad on the side.
I can't recall what my companions ordered. Â Grouper sandwich for one of them I think. Â Everyone seemed pleased with their choices.
I had a mojito for a drink. Â It was good. Â Nothing special.
If you are in FMB area and looking for the bar scene with a decent menu, you will be happy at the Beached Whale. Â Oh, and service was good, that is always important.
i was a bit hesitant when i came in - it looked a bit sketch inside. Â we sat upstairs. Â the fried shrimp are HUGE and delicious. Â i don't even care for shrimp much! Â the breading was pretty peppery, which is definitely to my tastes, but not for everyone. Â the fries were nothing to write home about but tried a bite of the rice and beans which were really flavorful and moist. Â can't wait to come back for that shrimp..
Review Source:Came here for lunch on a rainy day...sat at the downstairs bar. Very friendly staff. Ordered the shrimp yucatan tacos. Shrimp was very fresh. Whatever the sauce was, it was damn good. Lots of butter. A bit pricey, but it seemed this was the trend at most establishments at the beach that cater to the tourist crowd. I'd definitely come back.
Review Source:Came here for dinner one night about 2 weeks ago. Â We had a nice time! Â Food was good, drinks were reasonably priced, service was good. Â We ate on the top of the restaurant and that was a really nice view!! Â Only gripe is parking... I know it's hard to park anywhere in Fort Myers beach, but this was nuts! Â We ended up creating our own parking spot and luckily, we didn't get a ticket! Â But the time we left, we saw that others follow suite! Â We will be back!
Review Source:So, I had to try the mussels that everyone was raving about and I concur... They're amazing!  They remind me of Cioppino minus the fish.  It comes with hot bread that is perfect for sopping up the tomato-y goodness.  My husband tried the blackened grouper sandwich with the waffle sweet potato fries.  The grouper was on a sweet, whole wheat roll and was  standard (good but nothing out of this world) and the fries were lacking a bit of salt or something (the sauce was like a mayo-y honey mustard and not really my thing).  I did get annoyed by the flies but the doors are open and I guess they can't help that. Overall, the service is good and the mussels are worth coming back for!
Review Source:We'd just arrived in Ft Myers beach and saw the upstairs outdoor bar that looked good.
We flown from the West coast and then driven to the beach so I was thirsty. The bar maid continued to chat with her friends for over 5 minutes before we even got noticed and it wasn't that busy. Draft beer comes in one size, 12oz and in plastic cups (wtf!). Wife ordered the blackened grouper. I guessed the piece of fish wasn't more than 3 or 4 oz and for the price they charged I can't say I was thrilled. I ordered the mussels but they came in a weird tomato based sauce. Much prefer the French way of serving mussels and again portion size was small. Needless to say we never returned and found a better place close by. Yucatan on Old San Carlos Blvd.
Amazing place and great food. They have Happy Hour specials which includes mussels, wings, and flat breads ($5 each). The mussels are excellent as are the jerk wings. While they are not even close to true "jerk" (more like Mediterranean), they are very good nonetheless. Make sure to eat your mussels first as the flavor of the jerk wings will leave your taste buds numb and you won't taste the mussels. Flat breads are alright, nothing to write home about. Service is excellent and staff is very friendly.
Edit- Last couple of times we went there we had one extremely rude and condescending server in the outdoor seating area (we left) and the next time we must have sat down while she was in a bad mood but thankfully she remembered to be nice to us at the end of our meal, before we determined her tip amount.
Good restaurant - need to sit upstairs though. Atmosphere is very casual, OK for kids but I wouldn't say its that kid friendly.
Food - is generally good, crunchy (breaded with cornflakes) grouper is good, but quite expensive compared to the rest of the menu, I wouldn't say its exactly worth it. Mussels are good, clam chowder was also good.
Waitstaff are very friendly and attentive as well.
Downsides - we were there in August - lots of flies around and being upstairs there are people smoking. Watch out for the automatic 18% tip added to the check, we had a party of 6 and it was added automatically.
Overall, worth visiting
I seriously liked this beach town least of the many beaches I've been in Florida. That being said, the beached whale was the best  restaurant here. We had their happy hour specials- mussels, flatbreads, wings all under $5, beer for $2, other specials I can't remember. The mussels and baked French onion soup looked really good.  We sat upstairs..its not right on the ocean but has a view of it as well as the street (more like a 'strip' really), down below.  Servers were friendly, attentive.  I'd definitely recommend this place
Review Source:Come for the drink specials, the mussels, and the grouper. Â And then the mussels, again. Â Dip everything you can find into the sauce the they come in, or just straight up drink it.
We had the mussels (I bet you guessed that already) as well as 99 cent Yuengling (if that is not a happy hour, I don't know what is) and a few margaritas (Patron, strong, excellent.)
I recommend you eat on the roof, if you can deal with a few smokers. Â The view to one side is a bunch of flat screen TVs, and to the left - the ocean (though partially blocked, still a nice view,) and there is a great breeze no matter which direction you are looking. Â Keep an eye on the skies though, the area got slammed with a storm about 15 minutes after we finished.
I'll be back to try more things grouper related, and, of course, a boatload more mussels.
This place is laid back, and has indoor dining or outdoor 2nd floor patio dining. Â Limited ocean views, but great street views for people watching.
We went for happy hour...which has great prices! Â $.99 drafts, $5 pitchers, $3 wines...and some other specials as well...and half price wings, mussels, and flat bread.
They have their own parking which is nice...and plenty of it as long as your there early enough (unlike going down to eat at Time's Square)
3 of us shared pitchers, and we also had the mussels and wings and our bill was only $30! Â On top of it, we had a nice view of street and water (of what we could see), the service was friendly, and the food was better than good...not awesome fantastic must eat, but def better than good. Â The wings were nice and crispy on the outside, but very meaty too...and the mussels were fresh, cooked right, and tasty. Â Both were great sized servings for the price for sure. Â Next time I'm sure we'll try the flat bread, and we'll def be getting the mussels again.
We would possibly go during reg. dining hours as well, but more than likely we'll keep this place as our happy hour spot.
If you are on vacation and want to do some daytime drinking on a gorgeous day, The Beached Whale is the perfect place! Â The rooftop deck is a great location to have some apps and drinks and enjoy the weather - there is a nice breeze that comes through too. Â Looks totally divey on the outside but definitely not!
The fruity fru fru drinks are the best - wish I remembered the name of the one I loved, oops, guess I had too many!
The buffalo shrimp was really tasty and so was the chicken ceasar wrap that we split - much better than I expected for a beach bar! Â Some of other meals around us too looked good!
If you go to Fort Myers beach and don't go to The Beached Whale, you are an idiot. This is a great place to get a mean meal. Our whole table got the mahi mahi risotto and it was unbelievable.
I would suggest sitting upstairs outside, because you a great view of the beach and some serious people watching. We also came here for some beers late night and it was an above average bar, especially for Fort Myers. Live music, cougars and cheap drinks always equals a good time. Florida Boom!
Little place across the street from Ft. Myers Beach. Â Food was decent. Â Just had apps and a beer. Â
Draft selection is too basic, but good. Â I had some fried clams (awesome) and a quesadilla - shrimp scampi. Â Little short on the shrimp. Still got out for less than $25.00 for dinner and two beers. Â
Kinda divey, kinda not. Â
Too bad it wasn't directly on the beach.
This place is truly amazing, but you MUST sit upstairs to really appreciate it!! Â We have been here a few times, and love it every time! Â They have several TV's playing all the necessary sports games - BONUS!
The food was surprisingly delish!!! Â We had the mussels (they cook in this tomato bisque all day) - SO VERY yummy - and I am not all that into mussels!!!! Â We had the sweet potato fries - yes, sweet potato fries - couldn't pass that up - crispy, sweet and oh so good! Â And we had the nachos - decent (paled in comparison to the mussels!).
Do not pass up the opportunity to hang out here for a beverage or a quick meal! Â The view is nice - especially if you are into people watching!!
Enjoy!
Got the tip-off from locals that this was a good spot to try out on the Island.
And with Seafood AND BBQ comprising the majority of their menu - how the hell could they go wrong?
Certainly not with me - because those are my two FAVORITE foods.
I wish I could italicize and bold things here. Â I must resort to capitalizing stuff for intensity. Â Or doing -this- (which I hope people read as italics).
I digress.
The prices were average - around $10 for salads and sandwiches, $15-20 for entrees, more for quality meats and fishes.
The service was awesome, the rooftop seating gave a great view, and the water sucked.
But that's Florida, you can't hold it against them. Â But I do anyway.
If I was full of shit and pretension, I'd go off and say 'oooo, but the heat lamp near us didn't work and I got chilly and couldn't enjoy my barbecue shrimp to it's maximum!'
But I'm not, I understand that these things happen. Â And so should everyone else - deal with it.
I'd go back here if I lived in the area, but since I'm passing through I got lots to see and do - but I heartily recommend it.
Don't get the Conch chowder, though - I really don't think there was any Conch in it.
Fantastic service, delicious food, and a beach view. Â
As an appetizer, we ordered the taquitos. Â I typically expect all taquitos to taste the same, but these were fantastic. Â The pork was incredibly well seasoned, and served with a unique pesto sauce.
For dinner, I ordered the calamari, served with marina and my husband ordered a pork//ham sandwich. Â The breading on the calamari was light and tasty, and my bite of his sandwich was incredible! Â Â
All of the foods on the menu have cheesy beach-themed names, but most of them are a unique take on bar food that I've grown tired of. Â The variation is just enough to make it interesting, but with familiarity to know what to expect.
Carlos was our waiter, ask for him! Â He was awesome, attentive, and friendly. Â The food was up quick, our glasses were always full, and the check was there in an instant. Â
We ate on the top deck, overlooking the beach across the street. Â Walking distance from The Beacon Bed & Breakfast, Lani Kai, and a few other hotels right there. Â Lots of TV's for the sports fan, heaters outside for chilly nights.
Good Service - Ask for Carlos!
I had the Cuban sandwich. Â Very good. Â Go Cuba! Â The taquitos were a good appetizer, only four, but hey it's an appetizer, amazing pesto sauce to dip in. Â I went all out and got a key lime pie for desert, not so good, I would order the key lime pie there. Â
The outdoor dining on the roof was a good thing, and a good view of the beach.
The best part was probably the outdoor roof seating and service. I enjoyed that there was the sports games playing on the TVs on the roof and it looked out to lani kai.
Otherwise, the food was mediocre especially for the price. We had the wings, raw oysters, coconut shrimp, and taco salad. I didnt recall being very impressed and the oyster wasnt the freshest that I've had. Overall, it wasnt the best place even though someone else had recommended it.
I liked everything about my experience at the Beached Whale, to the point where I walked out knowing I'd be a regular if I lived in the area.
The roof deck overlooked the water, and the service was friendly and knowledgeable. Â I ordered the special on the waiter's suggestion, and wasn't disappointed. Â Fried whitefish sandwich with homemade coleslaw and a nice seasoned mayo. Â And it was chased down with a glass of ice tea that was refilled often and without my asking.
I walked out full and happy, which is the best kind of way to live.
The Beached Whale is located right on the main road (Estero) in Fort Myers Beach.
There's a cool rooftop area you can sit in. It's the perfect place to grab a bite to eat on the beach. The food is great- burgers, chicken, salads, sandwiches, and the prices are very reasonable.
There's a full bar in the upstairs area, too. The staff is cool and friendly. The atmosphere is very laid back and beachy.
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