Flora & Ella's Restaurant

This was a good place, but unfortunately it is closed

EMERGENCY!  LaBelle landmark will close soon.  Home of my favorite home-made pies.  I drove an hour just to show them off to an out-of-towner last season, who swears he has cream pie where he should have brains.

But the land was bought by local real estate behemoth Bonita Bay back in '05, and the Flora & Ella lease runs out March 31, 2011.

The sales price of the property in 2005 was $1,260,300. The Hendry property appraiser says the parcel is worth $834,000 on the 2010 valuation. Hendry real estate taxes were $18,622 last year.

SOMEBODY step up and continue Flora & Ella's family's legacy, please!

A first review?  How can this possibly be a first review of Flora & Ella's?  It's been there a gazillion years and it's legendary in SW Florida.

This restaurant defines good food and family style.  It is just the good stuff your grandma used to make.  Pot roast.  Open face roast beef sandwiches with mashed potatoes and gravy.  Turkey and stuffing.  Meat loaf.  Corn bread mufins.  Mac and cheese.  Good stuff.  Large portions.  Sweet tea.  The menu is a target rich environment.

And Pies!  Big, fresh baked pies!  Giant slices of pie!  With flakey crusts, and meringue.  Piles and piles of meringue.  Like a 50's bee hive hairdo.  All kinds of pies.  Sweet and delicious.  

This is the real version of what Cracker Barrel would like to be.

It would be worth timing a trip across the tip of Florida just to have lunch here.  Try the pies.