Rates up there as one of the overall best dining experiences I've ever had the pleasure to enjoy. Great job!

Truly magical evening at Cielo last night. By far, the best restaurant in the Fort Myers/Cape Coral/Sanibel/Captiva area. The decor was elegant and inviting. The food was fantastic and the drinks were spot on. The two highlights of the evening though were the service and the music. Our server Jim was attentive, fun and very knowledgeable about the menu. Gave us great recommendations. The music. Oh boy. Pianist Scott McDonald set the mood and turned the night into something special. I have never seen a pianist walk around a dining room to speak with patrons and take requests. So cool. His playing was beautiful but his character stole the show. Highly recommend Cielo to anyone looking for a posh, upscale dining experience. We will be coming back often. read more

Our evening with server Cielo was a wonderful experience. She is knowledgeable and friendly and took care of us start to finish. Our appetizer and meals were al delicious:- mussels, meatballs, sushi nachos and mussels Rockefeller. Our meals- the chicken and artichokes were delicious, seafood, fish- all cooked properly. We all ate our entrees and even tried desserts we didn't want the night to end. The cream brûlée here was better than Bleu Rendezvous by the way. read more

I cannot rave enough about this restaurant! After a few days of the typical island eateries, we were looking for a fancy meal for our last night of vacation. Il Cielo exceeded our expectations. We decided to share the Lobster Ravioli small plate, Filet of Beef, and the Red Snapper that was a special. Uma, our server, was incredibly sweet and made great recommendations for us. If there was a site to review servers, Uma would have 5 stars--she knows people and food very well and turned a great meal into an unforgettable experience for us. I hope we get to come back someday! read more

Cielo Restaurant - I don't take photos of food, but I had to make an exception because this food was gorgeous. - New American Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

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DH and I enjoyed Christmas Eve dinner at Il Cielo -- the best restaurant meal during a 10-day trip to SW Florida. Il Cielo is more "upscale" than many restaurants on Sanibel, but DH still felt comfortable without a jacket or tie and I felt appropriate wearing nice slacks and sandals. I had an excellent salmon and DH enjoyed a wreck fish and lobster combo. Selection of wines by the glass was somewhat limited (from our California perspective). The seeded cracker bread in the bread basket was particularly tasty, the focaccia just "so so." We both opted for desserts, rather than sharing ... after all it was Christmas Eve. DH felt the apples in his apple crisp were a bit underdone. Serving was quite generous. I had the affogato -- vanilla custard/ice cream with espresso poured over it. The almond brittle which accompanied it was an attractive addition, but a bit too sweet even for my sweet tooth. read more

We celebrated my father in law's birthday last evening and the ambiance, food, and service were beyond flawless! Our Server, Jim was charming, witty, and efficient. The calamari appetizer, crab stuffed ravioli, and mahi-mahi with crab, and hand crafted desserts were out of this world! The soothing tones and Happy Birthday Song sung by the endearing pianist made our evening extra special. Our party of 8 agreed unanimously that the meal we shared last evening was by far the best we'd ever had. Would give 10 stars if we could! read more

Cielo Restaurant - New American Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

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Hands down, best scallops I've ever had. Huge, tender, perfectly prepared and seared. I savored every bite. As others have said, this is truly a fine dining experience--which is unusual in Sanibel. Excellent food selections, impressive wine and cocktail menu, live pianist, all just lovely. For what it's worth, my young teens were underdressed in T-shirts as I assumed Il Cielo was similar to other pricier restaurants in the area, which are still super casual. But to the credit of the entire staff and especially our waiter, not an eye was blinked and we were treated exceptionally well. Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised, but, well, you never know. Also, the chocolate caramel dessert was a work of art! Highly recommend. read more

Cielo Restaurant - Disappeared in about 60 seconds. Tasted as good as it looks. - New American Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

Great food and beautifully decorated interior. We had the meatballs and ribs for an appetizer. Two people had the grouper and two the scallops. All enjoyed their meals immensely. Ended the evening with the cobbler with ice cream. The service person, Janelle, really knows her menu and was helpful with both the food and wine. Highly recommend when you are on the island. read more

The ambiance, staff and amazing tapas is to die for!! We would order everything on the menu and not leave a morsel. The cocktails are just refreshing - eat by the bar area. This place will amaze you! read more

Not impressed. Waited 1.5 hours for main course. Management apologized but empty promise after empty promise. We ended up just up and tried to leave. Staff hid in back room and asst manager finally makes herself available and then has gall to give my dad the bill for our drinks and salad--- seriously!?!? There were three parties that had more than 6 and this place just can't handle the volume. Parents live on island and will not recommend this place to anyone. read more

We were in person tonight, we are in Sanibel on a much needed first vacation since the shut down has happened. Our experience was lovely. Christie our server gave excellent suggestions and made sure our entrees were made to order( food allergies). The piano player was wonderful and acoustics were great, we could still hear each other speak! We come from an area of excellent seafood and found the pot pie and scallops delicious as well as the lamb, my person favorite. The dining room was well spaced and staff was attentive and hospitable. I would definitely recommend visiting Cielo while in Sanibel! read more

Beautiful restaurant great wait staff!! Food was amazing!! Fresh fish beautifully presented! Interesting starters to try first!! Fresh salads!! Great wine list and craft cocktails! Expensive but worth it!! read more

Back after a two year hiatus and still as fab as our first visit. We did the prix fixe menu ($40) that is only available from 4:30-6:30pm. The three course menu also includes 2 glasses of wine. I had the fish tacos, which we very flavorful and my husband had the lamb chops for his appetizer. The lamb chops were perfectly prepared. We both had the Caesar salad (ask for anchovies if you like them), and it we nicely prepared. I had the sea scallops/sea bass and lobster ravioli entree. All can say is YUM! My husband had the filet/crab cake entree and that was perfectly prepared. We sat outside and was served by Sarah, who got us out smoothly sincere had a deadline to hit. We'll be back with our kids. Yes, they have a kids menu too! Great value for our dollar tonite and outstanding food. read more

Service was snooty from the hostess to the waiter. We walked in without a reservation and hostess looked troubled even though half the restaurant was empty. Prices don't match the result. Pasta was over cooked and soft, seafood was over salted and ice cream tasted like it came out of the big box sold down the street. Before I came I called to make sure we could have something vegan and whomever picked up the phone said they could accommodate. The only option for the main was pasta. Waiter didn't try very hard with the dish which was a simple pasta with tomato sauce and basil. One star goes to the piano guy that was pleasant. Dinner for four with tip was around $300 and not worth any of it. read more

Ate in the bar. Hamburger below average. Tiny crab cake for price. Price of drinks very reasonable. The restaurant was decorated top notch. Would not dine in bar again. read more

We enjoyed having our wedding reception dinner here. The recent remodel is awesome, the food was excellent, & Scott on the piano was great!

Had 7:45 reservations, didn't eat until 9:30. Took forever for food to come out. Would not go back.

An incredible experience in every way. Food was fantastic! Steve at the piano provided wonderful atmosphere, and perhaps most of all our server, Matthew, went above and beyond and gave us a ride home as it started pouring outside and we had walked. Will recommend to anyone traveling to the island! read more

Best meal we had on the island! Also possibly the best whiskey cocktail I've ever had period. Very pleasant atmosphere, including live piano music. Excellent service. read more

Me and my girlfriend had two appetizers. Crab cakes and burrata. They were descent. Service was ok. Server in the bar was nice but left us stranded a few times. We ordered the lamb chops and requested them medium rare but extra crispy on the outside which she said no problem. They were baked in the oven with minimal flavor. When asking how they were we told her they were not crispy. She said ok. read more

The restaurant is beautiful and the bar area is lovely. The food was mediocre. I had the colossal shrimp scampi with pasta in a broth. The broth was flavorless. They sprinkled diced beets on top which then colored the broth and the pasta with an unappealing color. No garlic or butter flavor in the broth either. My husband had the cioppino, but it was just ok. The caprese salad and grilled octopus appetizer were uneventful. Wait staff was very nice and the piano player entertaining. Expensive and not memorable. Hopefully, their food will improve to match the lovely ambiance. read more

Had a very lackluster meal here. We had to wait 30 minutes past our scheduled reservation time even though they had available tables. They decided to let the bartender be our server and it was OBVIOUS she had never waited a table. That made for such an awful dining experience as she was completely clueless and nearly unable to even communicate with our table. The food was not too good. Seemed like the kitchen was trying to reach and not attaining for their lofty goals. Carpaccio - hard to screw up but needed flavor bad and with no salt or pepper on the table I couldn't make it taste better. Tuna tartare - BROWN TUNA - swimming in soy... Calamari - SWIMMING in sauce that was 90% sugar. Grouper - nice dish that tasted good. Waygu steak - seemed like it lacked flavor. Thin slice too. May have spent a long time in a freezer? Lamb - I tasted my daughters and I thought it was done well and tasted good . (Why I gave 2 ). We did not order desert since our server never removed any of the old dinner plates and the table was a total mess yet wanted to take a desert order- never even gave us the menus. She was the worst server I've ever had. It was like she could only say half a word when she talked. WE ALL SAID IT WAS AKIN TO TRYING TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH SOMEONE WHO HAD A REAL BAD CELLPHONE CONNECTION. Very poor dining experience. Oh well. That's fine dining. Some experiences are wonderful, some totally stink, and most fall somewhere in between. This one was at the bottom of the list. I only gave it two stars for the lamb and grouper. read more

The atmosphere is nice I suppose, the food was terrible! My first try was with the scallops, I could smell them (not in a good way) before they even put them down on the table. They were undercooked, and there is no way they were fresh. Also, two small scallops for $13....ridiculous. Second attempt was with a egg and potato skillet, which equated to something you get at a dirty diner. It was all grease and zero taste. The service was also very slow. And the restaurant was not even busy. We will definitely not be going back. read more

Cielo Restaurant - Grease sitting and the bottom of this Denny's quality skillet for brunch. Which also came with a doily.... - New American Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

Best part for me: gluten free options written right on the menu. And the server and manager accommodated my friend and I without a reservation. Better to have one though. This was during spring break... they were just so kind and we were ecstatic to eat there due to friend recommendations. They also accommodated my dairy allergy as well and had great side item replacement suggestions. It is really hard to be me with all the multiple allergies and I have been given a lot of attitude at various places. Not here; they made me feel so comfortable. Very patient people. Thank you so much! I will be back very soon! read more

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Beautiful restaurant great ambiance. Reservations a must s dress accordingly not the island casual of other establishments. Our waiter Jim greeted us with enthusiasm and made menu suggestions for us to try. His appetizer suggestion was spot on and delicious so were our main course dinners well prepared delicious and beautifully presented. My husband had the bouillabaisse and I had the pork shank. read more

Food extremely tasteless. Also very pricey. Nice atmosphere but we came f or a fine dining experience, which this IS CERTAINLY NOT. The restaurant was almost empty when we arrived - only one table occupied. They sat us right next to them!!! I asked to be seated farther away for a little privacy, but was refused. Very unprofessional read more

Top notch for a special dinner. Prices are high, but the food and service can't be beat. Cozy bar, too!

Celebrated my Birthday dinner at Cielo with some friends. The place is beautiful, the service was excellent and the food was absolutely delicious! So happy we chose Cielo to dine! We had a great time and left raving about our food! Absolutely recommend this place! read more

I had a really good experience here except for one thing which I'll start with, then get to the best parts. I was with a group, and had made reservations. I thought I had mentioned upon arrival of waitress to table, that we'd all be expecting separate checks, but must have forgotten, and the waitress didn't remember to ask either. There was a lengthy process getting it all straight as to who had what at the end of an otherwise lovely meal. Everyone in the group had either the grouper or scallops as a main entree and I had the grouper, which was wonderful, not over or under cooked at all. It was served with potato and vegetable, also tasty, and presented well. The scallops got a good approval rating too. All was very tasty. Desserts of tiramisu and cheesecake looked very good, and I had the .95 cent sundae, which was amusing that you can still get a sundae for .95. It's a tiny shot glass size but just enough for an after dinner sweet treat. I would recommend IL Cielo for the food and give it five stars if not for the serving and bill confusion as to who ordered what. read more

Disappointed with the quality of the food. My "artisan" greens salad was a bit wilted and the portion was tiny (I did not order it as a side salad; I expected more substance). My PEI mussels were not the freshest and the broth was underwhelming. My husband ordered salmon which also was not particularly fresh. We expected a lot more for the price, and the "fine dining" advertisement. Our bartender was good but this doesn't make up for mediocre dining. We also felt very rushed - the food came out too fast to have been carefully prepared. It felt like turnover was more important to them than providing a great experience. read more

The hosts are unprofessional and unpleasant. Made a reservation weeks in advance and requested a table next to the piano. That gave us a table by the kitchen, which was very noisy. The host said if I did not like that I should leave. We did and we will not be back. We typically went here 3-4 times each year on vacation (at around $300 per visit). Bye bye. read more

We got a table in the lounge and were serenaded by a piano and singer. We had well-crafted cocktails and salads. Fish: haddock with prawns and risotto and snapper with herbed polenta provencal were fresh, beautiful and nicely presented. We had a bottle of cava for $34 on special. Dessert shared key lime trio. Shout out to our server Jim. This is best restaurant on the island and will not disappoint. read more

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Was really excited to be there, great ambiance, piano player, excellent waiter, Jeff. Filet came out barely warm, butter on top would not melt, potatoes and veggies not warm either. Husband's scallops and leek and potatoes also not hot. Took them back plus our 3rd guests plate lamb chops even though his was ok. All 3 came back ...filet warm, but potatoes still cold...ate it, lamb chops got cold during reheat of others, scallops came back with sauce on it that was not ordered...so back again., 3rd try on scallops was hot and great tasting. Plates were not hot, would help if they preheated them. Someone in kitchen not paying attention. Place was not packed so wasn't because of a busy rush on kitchen. read more

Food was fabulous. We enjoyed steak (kids meal) scallops, crab and fabulous sides which everyone enjoyed. This is a top notch restaurant with fabulous service. It's #1 on Sanibel Island! read more

We stumbled across this place when looking for good seafood on Sanibel. Most restaurants are full of fried food where it's more important to get a drink than to enjoy your food. Coming here was a phenomenal experience. My fiancé had the sushi appetizer and salmon while I had the steamed muscles and red snapper chef special. I have never had fish as elegant and mouth watering as this. Both fish just melted over your tongue. The best cooked fish I have ever had. I will be coming back every time I visit Sanibel from here on out! What really made the night special was the live music who even played song suggestions from the guests. Thank you for the wonderful time! read more

My friend and I stopped in for drinks and to nosh on some food -- it was my first time in Sanibel and at Cielo. The drinks were tasty - we had an Espresso Martino and Vodka Dirty Martini. Bar staff was wonderful; Rachel the mixologist was lovely and engaging with customers. Ambience lends itself to an elegant experience without the pretense. While we did not have a full meal, one of the guests that dined at the bar enjoyed calamari and grilled octopus as appetizers and a beautiful pork chop as an entree. Definitely a lovely place to bring a special someone or create a special dining experience with close friends. Desserts were beautifully presented and very tasty; highly recommend the Crème Brûlée and the Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake. look forward to coming back soon and really enjoyed the service. read more

The restaurant has good spacing between tables, a great pianist that takes requests, the service is top notch. Just an all around great experience. Been here three times and they were consistently good every time. Great job folks, keep up the good work. read more

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White table cloths and white glove service...Daryl delivered! Nice wine list although by the glass list was a bit short of Italian wines I was told. We had a very reasonably priced Hahn Chardonnay bottle. Daryl recommended the calamari app and scallop special. It's was great: calamari nicely lightly fried with cashews that provides a delicious savory counterpoint. FYI no rings just long pieces of calamari. The scallops were browned and tender in a lemon ginger buerre blanc sauce. Excellent. read more

The best Sanibel has to offer! The only Real Fine Dining we have found here. We were looking for something classy and this is it! The Cioppino was amazing and the Rack of Lamb was perfect. If you want to escape from the noisy tourist crowd for an evening, this is the place to go. read more

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This was an absolutely wonderful meal. We had 5 adults and one child, and were treated like royalty. It was probably one of the best meals I've ever had in my life, even beating out some big name restaurants in Las Vegas. The atmosphere is elegant without being stuffy, the live piano music was a real treat, and the food was to die for. I'll be recommending this restaurant to anyone who travels to the Sanibel/Captiva/Fort Meyers area! read more