Can only get there by boat. Had to visit! The Gopher Tortoises were cool to see. Talk about remote cabin rentals... restaurant menu was about as pricey as it needed to be since everything has to be brought in by boat. We didnt eat because we were on our way to a remote location to relax. read more

Cabbage Key - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Pineland, Florida

This has been a regular stop for us when boating. Always has been primarily a tourist stop so you expect high prices, average food, a hectic staff. Five of us boated in yesterday, each had a gold margarita. Drinks were very good, but served in plastic cups: price for the five drinks $90.12 plus 10 tip. We didn't eat because they were busy as usual and would have been a 2 hour wait for an over-priced average burger. The wives wanted two buy Tee shirts for gifts. Stopped into gift shop on way to boat. I asked to use rest room while ladies shopped. Was told "No". Gift shop rest rooms for overnight guests Only. I replied I had just spent $100 in bar and was preparing to spent at least another$50 in their shop. Again told, No. needless to say we didn't purchase their over priced $29.95 tee shirts and I will never again stop at this tourist trap. read more

*love it* the burger was delicious, friendly staff, welcoming atmosphere, full of $1 bills. read more

Cabbage Key - Dining area - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Pineland, Florida

See all

Look. It is cool in that you take a boat and dine at an island cafe. The turtles are cool. The dollar bills on the walls are cool. But the food is awful and VERY expensive. We had 1) Stone crab - served cold with no seasoning or flavor at all. Just bland. And this cost 40 bucks. Awful and expensive. 2) Burger - over cooked, dry and over priced. 3) Shrimp salad - average at best, no seasoning, and over expensive. 4) Potato salad - Flavorless. 5) Cole slaw- It was good. And if selling you bad food at a crazy high price isn't enough they try to get you again if you order water. A couple of people in our party ordered water, expecting a glass of tap water like every other restaurant in the U.S. brings. Nope. They bring 2.50 bottles of water. When we said we wanted tap she freaked out. "You want unfiltered well water?" Um. Yes. Very rude. Because the 135 we spent for a horrible lunch wasn't enough for them I guess. The waitress did a good job. The water was brought by someone else. Go for the beauty and adventure. Skip the meal. I don't even believe this was the inspiration for Cheeseburger in Paradise. Check out Wikipedia for "Cheeseburger in Paradise" read more

I ordered the shrimp salad sandwich. Bun was old and very mediocre in its prime. Shrimp was not a good quality and tasted like old fish. Setting is beautiful and prices are very high due to the fact that everything has to be brought in. read more

The only reason this is 2 star worth is the server was nice. The food was bland and the service was slow. We rented a boat for the day and took it over to Cabbage Key for lunch. We wasted 3 hours on mediocre burgers. The Keylime pie wasn't even good. They don't make French French Fries either. Who doesn't wasn't fries with a burger. My Costco burgers were better then the burgers served at this place. read more

beware: no dogs allowed on cabbage key. good food and a fun stop while boating but no pets allowed!!!! read more

Currently writing this review from their front lawn. Came by boat with our dog and were told that dogs aren't allowed. No problem! I'll hang out front with him and get take out while the rest of my party dines at the bar. Except shortly afterwards, another couple shows up with 2 dogs and dines on the patio. Not cool. And the food was very blah. Not like you have a lot of options out here but we won't be coming back. read more

Cabbage Key - Colored dogs not welcome - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Pineland, Florida

We wanted to give this place a try. Supposedly the place that inspired the song cheeseburger in paradise. Great little island with cottages you can rent. Friendly people at the marina. Free to dock your boat. read more

Visited there on a Wednesday via a tour boat with a group of 8. Arrived there early when they were not busy for lunch. Seated immediately, waitress was prompt in taking our drink order. Promptness was continued taking the order and insuring that those who ordered their famous burgers that they would be cooked as ordered. Waited more then 45 min as others that came later were served. Waitress finally came by and on off hand said the it would be right out. Food came and ALL Hamburgers were more then overlooked dry and tasteless. One fish order was so well done it was like eating sawdust. Oh did I mention they presented the burgers on huge rolls while they could be compared in size to Mc burgers at 1/5 the price. The final topper was that added an 18% tip. Suggestion forget the place and bring a sandwich from the local food market it will be better read more

Ok, so you're on an island in the Gulf of Mexico and you get this craving for a great cheese burger. What do you do, you go to another island, Cabbage Key. Just a short drive by water taxi or boat from N Captiva as the dolphins play tag behind your boat, you arrive in foodie paradise. Greeted by manatee's, osprey, tortoise's, heron's and cooler thieves ( sea otters) you are in old school Florida for sure. Climb the water tower to get views of Cayo Costa and Useppa Islands. Enjoy a Cabbage Creeper at the bar which opens early. Enter the dining room ( money room) and try to find your dollar bill from last year, good luck! Start with steamed shrimp or the black beans and rice with grilled chicken. Oh yea ,that cheese burger, Jimmy Buffet's fav. Just outstanding! Finish it with the key lime pie and it's time for a nap. If it's your first time there ask your server for a marker and tape to post your own dollar bill. Enjoy this little island of "Paradise" read more

See all

Cruise lunch: horribly crowded, unbearably noisy; waited 40 minutes for table during 75 minute cruise stop. Got mediocre food with 10 minutes to eat before mandatory boarding boat. HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED. Nothing else to do on island anyway! read more

Service was excellent and fast. Our server Marcie was outstanding and personable. Highly recommended.

How can you not love a restaurant on an island? I love Cabbage Key. Perfect place to take the boat to, enjoy lunch and get back on the water. The guy who manages the boat dock is awesome and always helpful in getting us tied down and secure. We were greeted immediately as we walked in to the restaurant. We went to the bar to grab a drink and although there was a crowd it was pretty good service. The waitress for our table was awesome. I ordered the blackened mahi mahi sandwich and while I actually received the grilled mahi sandwich it was awesome. Not over flavored, fresh and light filet that was a good size. It came as a sandwich but I prefer not to eat the bun (saving the calories for a beer ). A lot of people I came with ordered the Reuben and enjoyed it. My cousin swears my the smoked salmon which actually looked really good. The potato salad was great too, not too heavy and lots of good flavor. Enjoy the day out and grab some lunch at Cabbage Key. Don't forget to bring a dollar to hang on the wall! read more

Water access only. The restaurant there is what inspired the song 'Cheeseburgers in Paradise'. Cool little place but not a ton of activity. Nice place to stop if you're out boating. I hope to go back one day. read more

Island.... Paradise.... Matt our waiter was great and the other staff were super friendly. Fun place to go. We did have the cheeseburger in paradise and it was. I was really sceptical but was pleasantly surprised. The smoked salmon appetizer was by far my favorite. A must try!!! The stone crab claws were also very good. The Cole slaw is good the potato salad was just that nothing special. Definetly a destination we will return to! read more

See all

What a very lovely place to have a nice lunch on an island!!!! Service was awesome!!! Jeffrey the dark mate was very helpful!!!

The clam chowder was very good but more potato than clam. The drink of the day was peach something, very refreshing. The hamburgers were very good and the rueben was excellent. The key lime pie was good, not great, of the frozen variety. The downside was the only side options were cole slaw or potato salad, neither was particularly good. There were no fries or chips, even with the kids meals. They also only have soft drinks for kids, no milk. read more

We arrived via dinghy, the dock hand was attentive & helpful. First thing I noticed was that most of the wait staff @ the restaurant were not wearing masks, even when they came to your table to take an order. Food is average but the location is great. We ate lunch on the outdoor patio & enjoyed the hustle & bustle of the 3 different ferries arriving & departing with guests. The turtles walking around are fun. read more

Awesome place! You can only get here by boat and the scenery is absolutely stunning!! We had peel n eat shrimp for an appetizer and cheeseburgers for lunch... Both were great! Had the cabbage creeper to drink and didn't really love it... It was like half piña colada half kalhua... If your in captiva and have access to a boat this place is a must!!! read more

Cabbage Key - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Pineland, Florida

Beautiful little island, we went on our dingy to the Dollar Bill Bar, worth stopping at. Very quant and good food, great drinks, friendly staff We were staying at Useppa Island and it was about a 10 minute ride in our dingy to get there read more

Easy in out boat access and good food. The coleslaw and mahi mahi sandwhich was good. Cabbage key is all about the experience and the friendly staff. Can't wait come back and see if our dollar still hangs read more

See all

Jimmy Buffet has been to Cabbage Key, but he wrote the song about another cheeseburger in another place. So don't bother with the burgers. They're ok, but you're on an island with some super fresh seafood options, so go all out and get the crab claws and shrimp. It's so good, I'm going to take another boat ride back just to eat it again. read more

Cabbage Key - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Pineland, Florida

See all

Five of us came down by pontoon boat from Port Charlotte. Good food, everybody had a cheeseburger and enjoyed it! I also had to try a cup of the black beans/yellow rice, also good. I do have to agree with one of the other reviewers about the size of the margaritas, a bit too small for the price. Aside from that, an overall good experience, would stop by again if cruising in the area! read more

Really neat place. Our server Paula was friendly and enthusiastic! Food was good. Had a cheeseburger of course and the seafood platter for too. Drinks were great! You will get there by boat .... Great day! A 55 and over crowd when we visited. So glad we made the journey! read more

Cabbage Key - Big turtle meet and greet on site - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Pineland, Florida

Free wifi which is nice. We came with Captiva Cruises and came for lunch, even though we were one of the last off the boat we got seated right away. We had no preference inside vs outside and only a party of 3, me my wife and our 3yo. We got seated quickly but took a good 20 min for our server to come and take our orders. From there the service was better/regular for a busy place. Cheeseburgers were juicy and tasty. No kids menu. We asked if she could have some yogurt off the breakfast side menu but were told no- so she survived on a side of pickles, chips, cole slaw and a pouch we had with us. Is it that hard to get some yogurt out of the fridge. Id take off 1.5 stars for service (slow, no kids menu, no yogurt when clearly it's in the fridge in the back) but since you cant do that, Ill take off 2 full stars because 80% of the staff were not wearing masks or were wearing them but they were not up/on. Dollar bills were fun. read more

We arrived at the restaurant on Cabbage Key from our tour boat that took us there. Food was ok, nothing special, charges extra for a pop refill, and cups are small. Server was very nice but the man acting as host was a jerk! Acted like he was in a 5 star restaurant which it isn't, it's the only one. It is a cute place but pricey. Get your cocktails on your tour boat and pack a picnic. read more

After a failed camping attempt at Cayo Costa State Park, we jumped on a ferry excited for a juicy burger and some cold drinks. We ate outside, because quite frankly the inside scared me. Thousands of dollar bills stapled to the walls couldn't be sanitary. Our server was friendly and the ducks playing in the water under the Royal Poinsettias on the bay was a very promising backdrop. Our food came quick, but after a bite or two we realized we got a little more than we bargained for, a hair. The server quickly apologized, sent the manager over and replaced my dish, offering a slice of key lime pie. This happens, having worked in the industry, I understand. Still starving I went to take another bite of the new dish, cautiously I found yet ANOTHER HAIR! This is UNFORGIVABLE. I ate half of my boyfriends burger, which was only o.k., and the manager comped our bill and brought us a 3rd round of drinks stating "if we can't get you full, let us at least get you drunk". After two long hot days in the sun, I was thankful for that, However we could have had mediocre burgers and cheap drinks anywhere, without the trek to Cabbage Key. They have all the right ingredients for a great place, they just need to take a little more care. I would have also appreciated more eco-friendly tableware, its not 1990 anymore, Styrofoam and plastics just aren't acceptable, especially on such a beautiful natural backdrop. Maybe they should invest some of those stapled dollars in their establishment. read more

After inadvertently going to the wrong dock that goes to the Island, the boat to cabbage key was being loaded.Yes the food going on the boat was all frozen and nothing was fresh as stated.I wont go again..... read more

Location and Building are nice. The food is below average and over priced, nothing we had was good. No draft beer, but bottled beer was cold. Tip: Skip it! read more

Food is good but pricey. You pay for ambiance. I got the Grilled Mahi sandwich $12.95 with potatoe salad. Very good. Husband got shrimp. 6 of them 4 of which were good; 2 dishwater tasting. Drinks are way over-priced. Neat little place. If you take a walk on the nature trail it will feel like you are in an episode of LOST. Way cool read more

Alright I understand the poor reviews posted on here, but from the point of a view of a "local" who frequents here often it is for sure a great spot to visit. We live on another island near by and enjoy coming here for drinks with friends often. We personally enjoy Tassey's company behind the bar, she's an amazing bartender. Yes this is an absolute tourist trap, but it's great taking friends who have never been here before. It's a very unique spot and well worth it. It's an island, your only getting here by boat so don't expect to eat fried food for lunch or dinner. They are known for their "cheeseburger in paradise" which they claim Jimmy Buffet written here, many places say the same thing. After docking you are immediately taken back by the beauty of your surroundings, be sure to walk around island and check things out. It's a great place for large groups and children, they will love all the nature around them. You will notice all of the "money" signed and placed around the restaurant, go ahead and join the rest of the crowd, when the money falls down they donate it which is awesome. Their "drink" of fame is their Cabbage Creeper which basically tastes like a Piña Colada that isn't blended. Be careful, they go down extremely smooth and catch up to you quickly... Yes there is the name. As far as food goes, their smoked salmon appetizer and chilled shrimp are great options to share with friends. Not a fan personally of the over cooked burgers that are outrageous, but it's part of a "tradition" for many visitors. Enjoy it's paradise! Cheers! read more

Cabbage key is a fun place to visit but the food is not really that good. We have been there dozens of times, sort of a novelty when you are out on the water. We had 3 people, probably grilled cheese was best meal. I had Mahi sandwich, it was tough, overcooked, and had the consistency of a pork chop. Sides are limited, wife had chicken salad, it was dry and overcooked. Drinks were fine, quite expensive given quality of same. I would stick with burger or maybe peel n eat shrimp. read more

This is a little island north of sanibel and captiva. Also the inspiration for the jimmy buffet song "cheese integer in paradise". Only can get there by boat. No bridge. No ac but still very cool place to go to. read more

See all

After being really excited to check this place out, I ended up completely disappointed. The dock guy was rude, the service was slow, the food was overpriced and mediocre, and the ambiance was horrible(no music and sounded like a cafeteria). I would never go back. read more

The scenic view is worth the trip. We had rented a boat for the day and decided to explore the surrounding islands. We stopped at Cabbage Key for lunch. The gift shop was TINY, but offered a variety of touristy stuff. We didn't have to wait to be seated for lunch, which was a surprise. Our waiter was really friendly and tolerated our touristy questions. Our lunch was average. Definitely not the quality I expected for the price. The inside of the restaurant is COVERED in $1 bills. I know a lot of business do this, but I have never seen so many in one place. They do have some strange rules that inconvenience guests, such as not being able to split the check between guests at the same table. read more

Drinks are great, atmosphere is awesome, food is A-OK. Expensive b/c you are on an island accessible only by boat...understandable. Pretty cool setup in a Florida Keys relaxed atmosphere. Boat tender will tell you where to park, it's his dock, he knows where you will fit. Ship store has basic stuff but mostly Cabbage Key shirts/hats/etc. Restaurant is decorated with dollar bills on ceiling and walls. Specialty drinks were good and strong, burger was decent but nothing to write home about. Water tower stairs are open to public but only go halfway up just below the foliage so you can't see the scenery from above!? The nature trail was a good walk with small nature fact displays along the way. It was a good one time experience, there is so much more to explore I probably would search elsewhere once you have a visit under your belt, unless you are out of booze and really hungry. read more

A destination restaurant but also cottages n rooms to stay a night or more. We motored in on a Grady White n was greeted by a harbor master who directed us to back in n we off loaded to make the gentle climb up the hill to the cottage restaurant and full bar. Drinks were ordered at the bar and the bourbon soda rocks arrived in plastic cup. The dining room is charming w screened in views of ficus n palms. Menu has nice variety but with stone crab in season we did a plate for two w them n peel n eat shrimp n a mound of potato salad n coleslaw. The salads were very good n so were the seafood items. We enjoyed the atmosphere n no tv so peaceful but filled w happy customers. Wish the lovely lettuce garnish had been in a bowl w a little vinegarette instead of framing the food as it was fresh n crunchy. Didn't care for the ice tea it wasn't fresh but the chilled plastic cup of Sauvignon blanc for $7.50 was pretty good! We will be having a lot of meals here n will get acquainted w more menu items. It is a must do if in area. To make it four star we might gently suggest glassware upgrade n a bit of attention on the stone crab mustard sauce.. It's partway to being an elegant spot n a fish cottage stop. I probably am the only person not in love w the wallpaper of dollar bills but I understand that the dollars were cleaned up after Charley n donated to charity so that's fabulous!!! read more

Cheeseburgers in paradise! This is THE place to go while boating in the sound. Somehow a cheeseburger and black beans and rice taste better after being in a boat. And the key lime pie is what all key lime should taste like. Not too sweet and slightly frozen. This is old Florida at its best, laid back, no pretense and a little salty. The kitschy money on the walls is unique and fun. There is a reason it takes over a year to book a cabin to stay over night. And no they don't serve French fries because it's an island. Or maybe previous reviews don't understand what's it cost to ship things to and from an island only accessible by boat. This is place is an experience. read more

We enjoyed lunch here after a day fishing in "soupy" waters. I enjoyed the reuben and potato salad. The sea breeze cocktail was excellent. Great little restaurant with lots to look at after lunch. I had a great time meeting the tortoises and enjoying the view from the water tower. Definitely check this place out! read more