I've been here many times for breakfast, and I have never had a bad meal. This last time, I had a rum runner that was so good, I had another. I've had the quiche; eggs, bacon & fruit; and omelets, and I've never been disappointed. I keep saying I'm going to try the salad bar some day, because it looks good, but so far I've only seemed to manage breakfast. Spectacular view. I'll go back every time I'm lucky enough to be on the beach.
Review Source:Waited and waited for breakfast. Â Than we sat at the bar (with kids bcuz the hostess said it was OK). Â Waited. Â Bartender finally comes over and tells us kids can't sit at the bar. Â Huh? Â Hit up the hostess again. Â Two tables open. Â She won't seat us. We left. Â Nobody took responsibility for this. Â Losers. Â I'll never go here again. Â Ever
Review Source:We wanted a good breakfast on the beach. Â We were pleased to be offered a choice for a window seat. Â We were willing to wait to be by the window. Â Fortunately, there was one available.
It was a good thing we were by the window so we could while away the time watching the people, the birds, and the water. Â We had no idea it would take so long to get any food. Â I don't think our server Jennifer could apologize more. Â I lost count she said it so often.
The sausage gravy and biscuits were average. Â They needed more seasoning, but a few dashes of pepper solved that problem. Â The home fries were perfect...crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle.
The spinach and Swiss omelette was mediocre. Â They used cooked spinach which I'm guessing had been frozen. Â The worst part.....I'd order the omelette with Swiss, spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes. Â Jennifer was willing to take it back, but the wait had already exceeded my patience, so I didn't want to risk it. Â She removed the charge and continued the apologies. Â
The fresh fruit was indeed fresh. Â It seemed as though it had been prepared that morning.
My son ordered a side of "corn hash.". Â Yes, that is how it read on the menu. Â Seems they didn't read the can label well enough...and it did seem like it came from a can.
He also ordered the Eggs Caliente. Â It had flavor, was loaded with cheese, but wasn't very spicy. Â Not sure where the "caliente" was, but it was an average dish.
At least we were on the beach! Â Sure wish Robert Irvine had been with us!
My wife has eaten here twice, I just once. We probably won't be back.
The first sign that this might not be the best place for dinner is when the dining room is less than half full on a Saturday night in high season. It's a restaurant right on the beach in Ft. Myers Beach, so of course, it should be packed. There should be a line waiting out the door for seating (like there is for some other local restaurants).
Hostess was nice and seated us right away at a table right next to the windows overlooking the Gulf and beach. We looked over the menu and it had a nice selection of seafood and steaks. The wine menu offered only one type of cab by the glass, with many by-the-glass selections blacked out.
By the time the waiter came over (again, the dining room was not busy), we were ready to order. No specials were offered.
When my wife ordered her filet mignon, she asked if it came with any kind of sauce, like a demi glace. The waiter looked at her like she was asking if it came with a banana. He asked, "You mean can we bring like A1 or Heinz 57 with it?" Really? Wow.
She nonetheless went with the filet and I ordered the Steak Diane. We then were told we could visit the salad bar for our salad. Salad bars -- a throwback to the 1970s -- are still a surprising staple here in the greater Ft. Myers area. It was not the biggest we've seen, but had enough of the basics to put together a good salad. We didn't see any bread, and none was ever offered to us (I don't get restaurants that don't offer you bread beforehand, considering its minimal cost to do so.)
Our dinners arrived after we finished our salads, so the timing was good. My wife's filet had a good sear that bordered on being burned on the ends, but when she cut into it, she found it was a little underdone from what she ordered. Since it's a good cut of meat, she ate it as it was. She said it didn't taste like it was seasoned. At all. What an expensive disappointment.
The onion mashed potatoes, however, are a real treat.
My steak Diane was also nicely done, but I was a little put off by the mustard streak added to the sauce as a decoration. Because mustard is such a strong flavor and it wasn't used sparingly, it overwhelmed the other flavors of the sauce and meat. Mustard meat? No thanks. I ate what I could.
When our dinner was brought out, our waiter failed to clear our salad plates (or even ask if we were done with them). Mid-way through our meal, the busboy comes over -- with his dish bucket half full and right next to us while we were eating -- and asked if we were done with our salad plates. Really? Thanks for that image of half cleaned off plates and smelly dishes while I was trying to digest my mustard meat.
We passed on dessert, having had enough of this mediocre meal. The prices were what you might expect for a beachside restaurant, but not as high as some restaurants on the island.
On my wife's previous visit, she had the BBQ ribs, which she liked and would recommend. The services was better during that visit as well, she says.
I'd give this a 2 1/2 stars if I could, but I'm rounding down because of the rude treatment of my wife by the waiter when asked about a sauce accompanying her filet, and the mediocre food. I don't mind eating mediocre food, but I'm not going to pay a premium for it. You might come here for the sunset view once (it's outstanding), but just know what to expect.
Went for dinner and basically unimpressed. The food and drinks were simply OK across the board. The view is certainly nice, and the outdoor bar is hopping. But I'd say stick with the bar only and dine elsewhere. The breakfast reviews seem to be uniformly positive, but we weren't there for breakfast, so I can't comment on that.
Review Source:The view is fantastic-the experience forgettable with an overpriced menu & amateurish service. We ordered a Spanish sparkler that was the best price/value) on their list and  one order of grouper fingers the bill ws $45 with tip- you're better off with cocktail and app. in one of the open air bars up or down the beach with sunset view and dine elsewhere.
Review Source:I love this place!! I have been coming here for years and years. The Cottage has the best Oysters Rockefeller ever. And I'd like to echo the previous comment about the fried pickles -- they are amazing!! :)
As far as parking goes, I've never parked here, but it certainly doesn't look very fun at times. If you're already out on the beach though, it's just a short run up the steps, easy peasy. :)
They CAN get busy, especially on beach-friendly holidays (the last time I was here was 4 July 2010)... and on days where the beach is slam packed, it means this place is slam packed, too. On days like that, the service does suffer a little bit and is generally unremarkable -- but I guess that's to be expected.
Over all this is easily one of my favorite places on the beach. Definitely a FMB classic. :)
I finally decided to try this place after reading so many nice reviews in here.
First of all when you go make sure you either park valet or really wait until someone leaves the restaurant because there was really no parking space when we got there around noon in October.
Second, when you first see the restaurant you are taken aback because it definetly looks different than the pictures they have on their website.
Third, we walked in and the place was loud with people talking to which we thought that since it was so busy the food must be good. WRONG! The food was subpar at best. We spend 80$ for two of us (for banquet salads, mahi mahi platter & NY Stake with very poor veggie sides) and in between one of the waitresses started vacuuming right next to us (which added to the level of noise) because there were animals footprints in  the floor. The waitress  (even though nice) didnt know why there was a asterix next to some foods.
I mean you could not make up this stuff. Unbelievable!!!
For the amount of money we spent let me tell ya you can find better places in town. The restaurant is banking on the location and the nice view cause it seemed like it wasnt renovated in a decade.
If you're going just for a quick coffee in the morning and to enjoy the view, it might be worth it .....but anything else you can find better somewhere else. Trust me!
This is the only place on The Beach we go for breakfast. Heck, it's only one of the few places we go anywhere for breakfast ( we're locals).
Parking is never a problem, in season or out, with the friendly valet dude. Â Hostess attitude is usually great, depending on who's working. The A/C can be a bit chilly so don't forget to take a sweater. The view of the Gulf, the beach, and who's on the beach is wonderful.
Oh...the food?... We've only had breakfasts so we can't vouch for lunch or dinner. Â But we've never had a meal we didn't love here. The Eggs Benedict is good, the omlets great, and the pancakes the best I've had anywhere. And...$3 Bloody Marys or Tequila Sunrises with your order.
Go! Â Enjoy!
Everything but edible food. A/C dining available right on the beach with awesome view. Waitstaff fine.  My sister and I ordered the Belgian waffles. The batter was frankly rotten; the waffles were sour and after we sent ours back the waitstaff started telling other customers that waffles were not available right then. My daughter's mac and cheese was  actually Kraft macaroni and cheese which had been baked.  I am certain of these since I eat  Kraft mac and cheese frequently. The "blackened" fish taco trio was flavorless.  Crab cakes appetizers and Cajun shrimp appetizers were very average.  The people next to us sent their food because because it was cold. This place has location going for it and I guess that is why it gets away with serving frankly unacceptable food.  Maybe the cocktails are good.
Review Source:We had an overall nice dinner with a big salad bar but an otherwise limited menu. Not many vegetarian choices. We were stuck in a corner which was nice because it was quiet, but we were pretty secluded. The restaurant is right on the beach and has a nice view, except that at night there aren't many lights or anything on the beach.
I felt it was a little pricey, but might consider going again; I'd describe it as a nicer casual dinner location. Service was polite, but unremarkable. The bar looked fun and had TVs as well.
This restaurant is tucked away and hard to find, especially with all the commotion of Estero Blvd. Â As John D. said, it is a parking nightmare to find a spot. Â The valet is there to park for you but they park the cars behind others. Â The hostess could use some prozac.
The atmosphere is laid back with ample seating behind bay front windows with an awesome view of the beach and ocean. Â This is probably one of the few places to eat that actually has a running A/C.
The food was good but not great. The lovely misses ordered the grouper sandwhich and I, the oysters on the half shell. Â I wished I would have ordered the sandwhich. Â The oysters were large and did not appear fresh. Â The sandwhich looked very appetizing but not worth the price. Â From her accounts, it tasted great and appropriate portion sizes.
Our waitress and the rest of the staff were very nice but it took a while for our food to get to the table. Â All in all, it was not a bad experience but I would venture out and try some other place . . . or go straight to SOB's (Smokin Oyster Brewery).
Still a bit of a parking nightmare, but there's usually a valet guy to help you out. This is a popular breakfast and lunch joint if you're down at the beach. Our food and service was above average, although the hostess at the door could have cared less. The best thing about this place is actually the view - it's right on the beach and overlooks the Gulf and what's happening below on the sand.
Review Source:
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,607 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,970 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,306 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,904 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,983 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
