Good was a little pricey but great. Love the dockside restaurants and this one is definitely worth going to.

The burgers are yummy and the turtle dessert is awesome. Float in for a good time. Loved the Chambord margarita. Don't forget to leave a dollar on the ceiling. read more

Cabbage Key - Looking out the back from the deck. - Seafood Near Me - Pineland, Florida

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So, I will preface this by saying I have allergies and that is why my experience was so bad. The one star here goes to the informed manager and waitress. They were honestly trying their best, very knowledgeable, and somewhat sympathetic and they single-handedly get this star. If you go on a trip to Cabbage Key, this is literally the only place you can eat. If you went on a cruise and call the cruise line ahead of time to ask if they know if they can accommodate allergies they say "probably" and then tell you to call this restaurant. You call, they say "uhh talk to your server," and hang up. So you get there. You arrive to the only restaurant on this island. You see inflated prices on the menu and ask your server about your options. They tell you it's not looking good and even the f***ing salad dressing has gluten in it (yeah they only have one salad dressing) and their kitchen is small so cross contamination is highly likely. They offer you a burger patty on a plate of lettuce for $18. You ask for more veggies with that or even steamed veggies, they say they can't do that unless you pay $7 extra for a side salad. You throw your hands in the air and say just give me the burger. A plate comes to you with two tomato slices, three piece of lettuce, two pickles, and a burger patty. Aren't you glad you paid $18 for this? Aren't you glad you packed food for the boat ride? They are lucky you didn't get sick! IF YOU HAVE ANY SERIOUS ALLERGY DO NOT EXPECT TO EAT HERE. Especially a shellfish allergy! Their menu is exclusively fish-based except for their "claim to fame Jimmy Buffet burger" and chicken on a glutenous salad. Oh and the rice has gluten in it. I know island food is tough, but all they need is one safe meal to accommodate so many. If you like to be trapped on an island with one restaurant and no options by all means go to this place. read more

Any chance you get, take Island Girl Charter from Pine Island over to Cabbage Key! The restaurant has an awesome atmosphere, staff is friendly & food is amazing. 10/10 recommend to Shrimp Salad. Only 41 steps to the top of the tower & see a beautiful panoramic view! read more

Joe on the dock was very friendly and helpful. Food was great and it's always an incredible experience.

TOURIST TRAP ALERT! Such a nice place with lots of potential too sad it is a disappointment. The restaurant menu is very limited. This is a place for the family but the restaurant does not have a kids menu. The food mediocre. They are famous for there "cheese burger in paradise" but there is nothing special with the burger. It is an uninspired, boring regular burger. It is clear that this family owned island is living off the reputation and fame created by Jimmy Buffet. They are not working in building and improving the reputation already created... read more

So it is an adventure to be here but it is always fun and the atmosphere is fun. You are eating on an island and an island cafe. So if you want a plastic clean chain restaurant go some place else and save us from having to hear you complain. This isn't a place to take seriously, good burgers and great shrimp. Good drinks too. I love walking the island afterwards and hanging out. The idea that Jimmy Buffet's Cheese burger in paradise was inspired here seems reasonable to me and makes the adventure even more fun but the history of everyone who has come over the years makes this place a island treasure much more akin to the Caribbean. So relax order a cocktail and soak it in. read more

Cabbage Key - Lunch time - Seafood Near Me - Pineland, Florida

This is my third time here. I go here when I get dragged along by my father in law fishing as it's almost the only place to eat. The dock master was almost the rudest person I've met. He yelled and yelled at me to throw him a rope and when he caught it he yanked it so hard I almost fell in. He put us in so we had a four foot drop to the dock. Perfect for my 70 year old father and wife and two kids. Anyway that was a nightmare. When we were leaving I tipped him and he practically spit at me because I guess it wasn't enough!?? Inside is very novel with dollars all over the walls. Interesting. The service inside was a little better. The menu is over priced and very limited. The food quality was awful for the trouble. I will NEVER go back here. Pack a sandwich instead. Crowded too. read more

Cool little spot right on the water at the top of captiva island. If you're looking for a drink or bite to eat, your options may be limited being that you're boating, and this is an island, so this is probably your only choice! Which is neither a good or bad thing. They have bottled beer, no draft. No friers so you're limited to cole slaw or potato salad for sides. They have a pretty decent clam chowder. Their cheeseburger is actually pretty good, so I would recommend sticking to that. Other than that, they do stone crabs, which are a little expensive, but hey, it's stone crabs. read more

What a great meal we had tonight! Along with the specialty drinks, company, and food, we really enjoyed!!! read more

Cabbage Key - Sunset off Watertown - Seafood Near Me - Pineland, Florida

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What a cool island and spot to enjoy your day or vacation. You can only get here by boat they have plenty cottages and a great restaurant. I recommend the cabbage creeper drink very tasty! The island has a cool trail and beautiful lighthouse that overlooks the ocean. Cool history and very nice staff. read more

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Who knew off the beaten track is so good!! The restaurant at Cabbage Key is awesome, great atmosphere, staff and food!! A trifecta Seafood Chowder - Excellent Hamburger was delicious one of the best ever had! Blackened Mahi Mahi, black beans and rice just superb!! A terrific experience for sure read more

Come for the hand pressed, perfectly cooked burger, finish with a true Floridian slice of Key Lime pie. Thank you Marcie and crew. Great job! read more

How fabulous that our friends wished to celebrate a wedding anniversary by booking rooms on this amazing island! We drove our boat from Pineland with our luggage and a cooler in about 15 min. A golf cart delivered our haul after checking in at the dockside gift shop. As night fell, the atmospheric lighting, huge shady trees and scent of fresh sea breeze lulled us into a holiday celebration mood. Our dinner seating was ideal, the service was exceptional and winsome wine and cocktails were on offer. love this place at night. We idled on our private screened porch w a view and talked, sipped, and soon slumbered. This is a bit like a fish camp experience mixed w tropic and surrounded by great staff and folks. The weekend was superb and the owner ensured our buddies had a great time. This place exceeded our expectations and evening menu choices were tasty n perfect. read more

Cabbage Key - View from our private porch on Cabbage Key! - Seafood Near Me - Pineland, Florida

We took the captiva cruise out to Cabbage Key on our trip to Florida to visit my parents and we had lunch here. The atmosphere was neat with all the money hanging on the walls and ceilings. The service was great and the food was pretty good. We had the chowder, hamburger and mahi mahi burger. The hamburger was by far the best tasting option. I was kind of disappointed in the cost of fresh shrimp and the crab claws. I would have hoped being on the coast would have helped bring the cost down a bit but I guess they have a "captive" setting so they can up the price. I'd defiantly recommend this cruise and this stop. We had a great lunch and then a walk around the island. read more

Cool place to go by boat if you can find a spot and its not too packed. Not sure if it's always slammed but we had to wait for about an hour and a half and the service was not so great. The staff all seemed miserable like they just hated their lives working there...food was decent but not amazing. Not so sure I will be back. read more

Cabbage Key - Seafood Near Me - Pineland, Florida

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Don't look for freshly prepared food or for the mythical Jimmy Buffet 'Cheeseburger in Paradise'. All food is catered from the mainland and put on plates after being warmed up. They serve way better burgers at MD's or Wendys at a fraction of the price and the service is the same. This place isn't worth the stop because it is just another intelligently marketed tourist trap. As for the dollar bills... again a proof of unoriginality ... I heart the same story in Barnacle Phils on North Captiva, some bar in Matlacha, another restaurant in St James City and in the original, which is a bar on route 66 in Kingman, AZ. The crappy harbormaster will be waiting for you to cash your tip... his willingness to help you moor is accordingly to the length of your boat! read more

Absolutely terrible! The only reason this does not get 1 star is because our server was so friendly. This restaurant is a complete dump. The floors are dirty, chairs dirty with food, menus ripped and stained, bathrooms marginal. I don't have a lot of positive things to say about this place. The menu is tiny and the food is awful! My husband ordered the grilled Mahi sandwich and said it was tasteless -- totally bland. I ordered the salad and added shrimp to it. At first glance I wasn't interested in the salad as I thought it would be boring. However, at second glance I saw that it came with black beans on it. So, I ordered it but without the carrots. Sure enough it arrived with carrots and 11 beans. Yep, 11 beans. Technically, it had black beans on it, right? But 11 beans? C'mon! Who wants just a plate of lettuce? There were two little slices of cucumber and a half of a tomato, cut in half. They couldn't even chop the tomatoes. There was just no care at all in the food prep here. Our server apologized for the carrots after she saw me place them in a tidy little pile on the side of my plate. At least the shrimp with the salad was good, but honestly, it was so overpriced, and when I was done, I was still hungry. This was supposed to be an entree salad, not a little side salad. It was priced at $14 with the few pieces of shrimp! Our server felt bad and offered up a slice of Key Lime Pie. Even that was tasteless. I don't get it. Why on earth do people come here? This could be SUCH a good restaurant. It's hard to believe it's the sister of Tarpon Lodge. There's no way I'd return to Cabbage Key. We originally thought we might want to stay on property next time around, but there's no way we'll ever go back with a restaurant on-site that is this bad. It was simply terrible! read more

Where else can you grab a pretty kick ass burger and beer in a really cool old-Florida house with Dollar Bills on the wall, a real, Genuine, Florida-Cracker Bartender with more stories than Mother Goose, and walk/hike around a shell mound island with an observation tower that gives you an amazing view of Pine Island Sound and the Palm Trees and everything else we love about the West Coast of Florida? All of this after a scenic 45 minute boat ride just to get there? Cabbage Key is an institution, and for very good reason. This is Old Florida living at its best, and we are lucky to be able to catch a small glimpse of that lifestyle. A good mix of Locals and Tourists (though you'll find the locals mainly at the bar) a locally-flavored menu, scenic wooden buildings and hiking trails filled with native flora, and a good dose of Florida History all await you. I sound like a Tourist Magazine now, so I'll stop. Suffice to say it's well worth the trip, and then some. read more

Good burger and good Ruben. But no fries. OK. I'll take cole slaw I guess. It was flavorless, completely. Will try potato salad. Strange, different taste, decent. I'll take a piece of key lime pie...Frozen. Was more like ice cream. The prices are high for mediocre (at best) food. The place itself is pretty neat...quaint read more

A very long boat trip takes you out to Cabbage Key. We were there during a very busy time and after struggling to find a place to dock we were put on a hour and a half waiting list. The wait was just what they had predicted. The menu is extremely limited but everyone knows going in you come for the burgers. One in our party did get blackened mahi mahi and just raved about it. The disappointing thing about the menu was that you only had two choices of sides- slaw or potato salad. After such a long wait our kids were famished and the burgers were not enough. Service was very good given how very busy this place is. The crowning jewel of the lunch for us was the turtle pie. It was excellent! The experience of this place is not worth the trouble. Had i known what we were truly getting ourselves into I would not have made the trip. read more

Stayed on the island for a weekend. It was very peaceful and relaxing. However, we were very disappointed in the restaurant. It was very expensive and the food was nothing special. In fact , the grouper special was completely tasteless. One waitress in particular was actually laughable because she was a bit rude. The best I can say for the restaurant is the soup was always good. Might be good for a day trip but if you stay for the the weekend do some grocery shopping ahead of time and cook your own meals - although when you're on vacation this is what you would rather not do. read more

Cabbage Key - Seafood Near Me - Pineland, Florida

Pain a butt to get to. But if able, a must go to especially during stone crabs season! Staff was friendly and their sex on the beach was great! read more

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We visited this restaurant as part of the tour out of fisherman's Village the cruise out on the boat was fun and interesting with a few dolphins swimming alongside the boat. Once we arrived at the island we were herded like a group of dust bunnies up the hill to the restaurant. The line was long as there were several boats that had arrived at the same time. The seating was limited with an hour and a half wait we only had 2 hours before our boat left. We got the last outside table menu OK, staff unfriendly. Another couple joined us because of lack of seating and waiter told them only one check per table. They offered to pay cash. And were able to order. Very disappointed in the welcome and service. Felt like a real tourist trap! Food was good, restrooms clean. Gift shop regular tourist trap items. read more

Took the boat from Pine Island and had lunch at the Inn. The Inn itself is interesting and quaint. The dollar bills all over the place make it unique. We were seated outside on the porch. We were a crowd of 12 and were on a tight schedule for our boat's return. We ordered drinks and waited for our burgers to arrive. The drinks were in plastic cup. We only ordered one as we felt they were not worth the price. The burgers were cooked to order but one was undercooked and was not eaten. For the most our crowd enjoyed them. The service was fine but slow and our waitress had a nice sense of humor. It was a nice atmosphere dining on the porch. We had to rush to make it back to the dock. All in all it was a pleasant experience. Nothing great but nothing too bad. PS- As you enter the waterway to the inn there is a gorgeous house for sale for just a million or so if you are interested on living on an island. read more

Place is OVERPriced. The shrimp tasted like muck and you would think given that this is an ISLAND that they would have fresh seafood. Not 5 minutes after I left my Yeti cup at the bar, I called them so I could go and grab it and they said "it was gone". Yeah right! Not what I expected from this place. read more

Great if not the best cheeseburger ever the view is awesome and the service the best Can't wait to go back next year read more

Because island hopping is fun and you should stop by Cabbage Key inn! Bring a dollar to mark your spot! Get the frozen Keylime Pie! Amazing on a hot day! We enjoyed the cheeseburger in paradise, and the fresh gulf shrimp with a cold beer! Fun place, but limited menu and no AC but breeze off the bay! read more

Truly a "not to be missed" destination spot for lunch or dinner by boat. This tiny little island is family friendly and loads of fun. Garnished with thousands and thousands of dollar bills hanging from every square inch of exposed space, this is a fun way to leave a note behind proving that you have dined there. Plus, the money is donated to charity from time to time. For lunch, I had the cheeseburger, slaw and a shared piece of key lime pie. The boiled shrimp are great as are the beans and rice. NO FRIES... so don't look dumb and ask. The smoked salmon is made on site and ROCKS!! Dinner is another matter all together.... From cheese burgers to gourmet dining! WOW!!! Truly delicious. Great service and fantastic dock master. Really cool servers and super bar. Try the CABBAGE CREEPER!!! It will make you smile... A lot! Oh, and if you forget your flip flops on the boat, they have loaners! Enjoy!! read more

We drove up with the boat and saw this place from the water. It's beautiful and very unique. Ordered a little bit of everything. The salmon and the burger were the favorites! They are great for large groups and the staff was really friendly. Plenty of space to park the boat and staff to help you park and dock it. read more

Cabbage Key - Seafood Near Me - Pineland, Florida

Fun times getting here by boat. Decent but a little pricy food but the Atmosphere is great. Over a great day of enjoyment. But the story of Jimmy Buffett writing his song Cheeseburger in Paradise after visiting here is total false, fiction, folk lore. Never happens. You can research and find The truth. See below Buffett said of this song: "The myth of the cheeseburger in paradise goes back to a long trip on my first boat, the Euphoria. We had run into some very rough weather crossing the Mona Passage between Hispanola and Puerto Rico, and broke our new bowsprit. The ice in our box had melted, and we were doing the canned-food-and-peanut-butter diet. The vision of a piping hot cheeseburger kept popping into my mind. We limped up the Sir Francis Drake Channel and into Roadtown on the island of Tortola, where a brand new marina and bar sat on the end of the dock like a mirage. We secured the boat, kissed the ground, and headed for the restaurant. To our amazement, we were offered a menu that featured an American cheeseburger and piña coladas. Now, these were the days when supplies were scarce - when horsemeat was more plentiful than ground beef in the tiny stores of the Third World. Anyway, we gave particular instructions to the waiter on how we wanted them cooked, and what we wanted on them - to which very little attention was paid. It didn't matter. The overdone burgers on the burned, toast buns tasted like manna from Heaven, for, they were the realization of my fantasy burgers on the trip. That's the true story. I've heard other people and places claim that I stopped or cooked in their restaurants, but that is the way it happened." read more

Considering the remoteness of the place, we totally enjoyed our Christmas Day lunch there. The staff was very attentive to our group of 10. The food was fairly priced and was prepared just fine. The atmosphere will bring you back. I bought a long sleeve Tee in the gift shop (a little pricy but expected that) and the shop lady was delightful. There is a dock assistant to help you land your boat and there are restroom and shower facilities should you need that. Forget about the Cheeseburger in Paradise thing. Nothing like that happened here. read more

Old Florida at its best! You can only get there by boat. Our server was fast & attentive. The Ruben & hamburger were very good (but not fantastic). However the fish was fresh and tasted great with the rice and beans! read more

Great location, great view,great walking paths, great Dock Master great authentic old Florida charm, acceptable dock for tying smallish power boats. Expect it be busy year round for lunch. We ordered a Garden salad with grilled chicken the salad was very good. Also ordered the burger it was okay nothing special. The myth that this is where the inspiration for "Cheese Burger in Paradise" song came from Calling total BS on this. The song refers to: 1) French Fries. (no fries here) 2)Muenster Cheese.(cheese appeared to be American) 3)Big Kosher pickle.(no pickles here) 4)No Heinz 57 sauce in sight. 5)No warmed or grilled buns. 6)No lettuce. 7)Burgers are only cooked to meduium (song refers to burger as Medium rare) 8)Not a good place for a cruising sailboat. This was an excellent day time adventure, just not buying the "Cheeseburger in Paradise hype" read more

Went to Cabbage Key to have a cheeseburger in paradise and we did. It was delicious. Staff were knowledgeable, attentive and very friendly. Make sure you allow time to walk the trails, see and touch the tortoises, and climb the water tower. There is even a corn hole game to play. Very family friendly. The only thing missing was Jimmy Buffet landing in his sea plane. read more

The atmosphere and view is what makes this place so amazing! I ordered the rice and beans with blackened mahi and loved it. My husbands cheeseburger was... A cheeseburger. Not bad, not amazing. Watch out for thieving egrets- we watched one hop up in our neighbors table and snatch her sandwich from in front of her! Go for a day trip boat ride, get a cold beer and some lunch, and enjoy the experience! read more

Cabbage Key - View from the patio. Stunning! - Seafood Near Me - Pineland, Florida

Once you figure out how to get there (it's a beautiful sunset boat ride out), the food and service is worth the trip. The atmosphere alone is worth it (be creative!) read more

We come here every year and enjoy it very much. The employees food and experience is wonderful and our family will return when life gets back to normal but we went this week and boy no social distancing not one employee with masks. Tables so close together no social distancing whatsoever. No wonder Florida numbers are going up and up. I just hope and pray no one there gets it but if you are concerned just wait but once life gets better I would defiantly give this place a five star but for Covid they get a zero it was quite scary. read more

The address is misleading. This inn and restaurant is on an island that is not reachable by car. You must take a boat, helicopter or sea plane. They have their own small marina and several cabins and rooms for rent. All looked beautiful and newly renovated but I would imagine the rooms in the inn would be annoying during the weekends when the place is packed. We rented a boat at Boca Grande Island and made the trip for lunch. The isolation and the fact that it is reachable only by boat make it special. The inn is built on top of an Indian mound on the island which is unique as it is about 30 feet above sea level, a veritable Mount Everest on the coast of Florida. This gives the front patio a great vantage point of the intracoastal waterway and the boat traffic. The inn has a great old pine paneled bar and a back patio that is covered in thousands (70-80,000) of dollar bills that have been left by the patrons. The food at the restaurant was fair but who cares. We had the stone crabs and a salad. Once again the stone crabs were only fair but really fresh as this is the water that they come from. The salad was serviceable, but the beer was really cold. (The burgers looked good but I am not taking my chances with ground meet these days unless I know where it came from.) It was a great afternoon on the water and would probably make a great getaway for a day or two, midweek. read more

This is the supposed inspiration of Jimmy Buffets Cheeseburger in Paradise. We visited in July 2018. Menu selections are limited but if you want cheeseburgers and key lime pie you are good to go! Neat old place though and dollar bills all over the walls! I give it 4 stars for the fun and history, it would only get 2 for the food. But the service and people are nice! Still a fun place. read more

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