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Sanibel, FL

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The Sanibel Cafe

4.3 (307 reviews)
Closed • 7:00 am - 2:00 pm
Updated a few days ago

The Sanibel Cafe Photos

Business Info

THE SANIBEL CAFE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for kids
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - The Sanibel Cafe

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Crystal F.

We enjoyed our experience at the Sanibel Cafe. Staff were very friendly and attentive. We tried the breakfast quesadilla and steak omelet. The jams are fresh and they sell them at the counter too. The restaurant was clean with cute local decor. Overall I would recommend!

Coconut French toast!
Bridget L.

Amazing!!! I've been searching for a good coconut French toast since Rosie's closed and I found it! Wonderful service, wonderful atmosphere (cool shell tables) and wonderful food! :)

Marjie M.

My friends and I went for breakfast and were very satisfied. Although they didn't have a big table to accommodate all 8 of us, they did make it happen and we were thankful for that. The service was great and everything was delicious and fresh. Having breakfast at this place is a must if you are visiting Sanibel island.

Huervos Rancheros
Jeff S.

An island icon! Fantastic breakfast, friendly people, and a hang out for locals. Meticulously organized and clean (take a peak at the kitchen and back of house - that says it all!). Lunch/dinner is probably equally good, but this is a "never miss" breakfast stop for us over many, many years.

Philly cheesesteak omelette with hashbrowns and wheat toast
Erin F.

We have visited the island over the years, but have never stopped into the Sanibel Café. It was an amazing meal for breakfast and one of our favorites of the week of vacation! We had a group of 10 adults and we were easily seated with plenty of room. The service was amazing and our waitress was so thorough and the food came out extremely fast! I ordered my food dairy free and they were easily able to accommodate, and my huevos rancheros were delicious even without the cheese! A couple in our group had substitutions and the dishes came out perfectly! Highlights were the coconut French toast and the corn beef hash. We also really loved that the tables had shells in them, with little notes about where the shells were sourced from. That detail makes the experience really fun. When we left, we spilled some water and attempted to clean it up, but both the owner and our waitress assured us that it was OK and quickly mopped the water. We were so impressed and will definitely be back for a reasonably priced, delicious, and fun breakfast experience on Sanibel!

Sanibel Omelet
Pat R.

We first ate at the Sanibel Cafe on our honeymoon, 30 years ago! We loved it. Today we went back for the first time. It was everything we remembered. We ordered what we had 30 year's ago. The Sanibel Omelet, which has shrimp and havarti cheese in it. It is so delicious. They also serve this amazing raspberry jam with the toast. It is so good! The service is so very welcoming. This remains one of our favorite places. I can't recommend it enough!!!

Inside
David F.

My wife and I had breakfast here. Seated quickly. Staff is friendly, our waiter was nice and good. Very local feel. Very Good breakfast.

Corned beef hash, veggie omelette & chicken quesadilla

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4 months ago

Local diner. Great for breakfast. Food and service A+. Tried the crunchy French Toast. Yum.

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5 months ago

We love it here. We've been coming for over 10 years and always stop by to get breakfast. The steak and eggs is superb!

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6 months ago

Our go to place for breakfast on Sanibel. Laid back service by a great staff. All of the items ordered have been great.

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2 years ago

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6 months ago

Crab cake had too much bread it was more like a crab pancake. Found a few particles of crab.

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1 year ago

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8 months ago

Quality breakfast at a reasonable price. Would recommend for fast service, omelettes were delicious and ingredients fresh

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9 months ago

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2 years ago

Loved everything about this place. Good was great & server was so nice. Learned a lot about the beautiful island

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6 years ago

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The Sanibel Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - The Sanibel Cafe

Do they have a gluten-free menu?

No, they are your typical American diner.

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4.2(590 reviews)
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Finally returned after years away (post Ian) as a lifelong Sanibel visitor (2x per year my whole…read morelife and my family has been coming 2+ times per year since the 1960s) so Sanibel is our second home. While I was so sad that they had to move, I think is one of the rare improvements since Ian. There's more space. The feel of the place is the same bit upgrade (but not modern like so many places have chosen to go) Staff were friendly. Service was quick. Food was good as ever. Live that there's outdoor seating now. The rare improvement in a sea of disappointing downgrades post Ian. Thrilled for them and can wait to be back in a few months

If you're looking for breakfast on Sanibel, Lighthouse Cafe absolutely deserves a visit. We love…read morebreakfast, and after trying so many places over the years, it can start to feel like every menu offers the same dishes prepared the same way. Lighthouse Cafe managed to make a classic breakfast memorable. We ordered the French toast, and the portion was huge and easy to split. More importantly, it was absolutely delicious. The eggs we ordered were cooked exactly as needed, the bacon was perfectly crisp, and the cheese grits were rich, creamy, and full of flavor. We literally cleaned our plates and ate every bite despite our intentions to simple stop by for a taste. One of the biggest surprises was adding fish to breakfast. It's not something I would have ever thought to eat for breakfast, but it ended up being one of the highlights of the meal. The fish was incredibly tender and paired surprisingly well with the rest of the meal. It was such a unique addition that it changed the way I think about breakfast. We intentionally ordered some standard breakfast items because we believe that's the best way to judge a breakfast restaurant. If a place can make the classics exceptionally well, that's usually a great sign. Lighthouse Cafe exceeded our expectations across the board with their delicious plates and service. Not to mention it is nice to visit a locally owned restaurant whose owner is present and working alongside their staff. From the quality of the food to the generous portions, everything was excellent. If you're on Sanibel and want a breakfast that goes beyond the ordinary while still nailing all the classics, Lighthouse Cafe is a great place to visit.

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Lighthouse Cafe - Salmon gnocchi with broccoli

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We were fortunate to be served one of the best breakfasts we've ever experienced by a proficient…read moreand friendly staff. The owner took time to speak with us and shared some of the difficulties experienced after the hurricane in 2024. We were both so hungry we forgot to take photos of our food, but I had the special French toast breakfast sandwich with sausage, egg and cheese, and these amazing potatoes with a wonderful seasoning, and hubby has the biscuit and sausage gravy, eggs and those same potatoes. They were so busy we didn't mention that the gravy was Luke warm! The waitress had her hands full with a woman at a table that complained about the poached eggs being too done. So when the server offered to make new (without taking the ones she complained about which I would have done) proceeded to give the too done eggs to her husband (who had only ordered a bagel) They probably have perfected this scam

I was excited about everything about over easy café from the location, ambience, dog, friendly…read morenature and overall aesthetics. Unfortunately, that excitement faded as soon as we sat down. I know people love this place. I wanted to love this place. Our waitress was fine, just fine a little lackluster, but she got the job done. Here's what we ordered for three of us: cinnamon roll, the shrimp omelette, something like the veggie omelette, and eggs Benedict. We also had a side of corned beef hash, and one of us had a coffee. The shrimp omelette was flavorless. It came with a side of hollandaise sauce, which unfortunately was so gelatinized that it kind of was like pudding but thicker. The coffee was so weak. My companion didn't even want a refill. The cinnamon roll had no lovely layer of the cinnamon butter sugar mixture that normally is in a cinnamon roll. To boot it felt like it was microwaved because the bread was hard and Chewy. It was difficult for us to even cut through it. My eggs Benedict had that same gelatinized hollandaise sauce on it there was no zing from the lemon that should have been in there. Now this is my favorite breakfast meal, and I generally devour the entire dish: unfortunately in this case, I left the entire other half with the dark, heavy congealed hollandaise sauce. Hollandaise sauce should not be so thick it doesn't move. The corned beef hash was yummy. Thankfully. The other omelette was fine but just fine; rather flavorless and watery due to the vegetables in it. The potatoes were fine just not my preference for potatoes. In my opinion, our waitress should have seen the vast majority of food left over on our table and asked us what was up. I would have loved to tell her, but I didn't want it to seem like it was just a bunch of complaints. It's just amazing how every single item except for the corned beef hash fell short. Hopefully the owners read this. But maybe I am just an anomaly in guests here as people love this place.

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Wickies Lighthouse Restaurant

Wickies Lighthouse Restaurant

4.5(144 reviews)
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We saved Wickies Lighthouse Restaurant for our final dinner of a weeklong trip to Sanibel Island,…read moreand it ended up being one of the highlights of our entire vacation. Every seat in the restaurant was filled, which tells you everything you need to know. Make a reservation because this place is incredibly popular. The service was outstanding from start to finish. Our server was warm, attentive, and somehow managed to provide exceptional service despite the restaurant being completely packed. The entire staff made our last night on the island feel special. We forgot to take photos of the appetizers, but trust me, don't skip them. The fried green tomatoes were the unanimous favorite at our table and an absolute must-order. Crispy, flavorful, and perfectly prepared. We also ordered the conch fritters, which our family always seeks out whenever we're in Florida, and these were honestly some of the best we've ever had. The crab cakes were delicious as well, but the fried green tomatoes and conch fritters definitely stole the show. For my entrée, I ordered the Quinoa Steak Salad, and I was shocked by the size. The portion is enormous and could easily be shared by two people, or even serve as a family-style salad for three or four. The steak was perfectly cooked, and the combination of quinoa, avocado, fresh vegetables, and cheese made it both hearty and refreshing. Several people at our table ordered the evening special, the blackened snapper over mushroom risotto, and it was phenomenal. The snapper was perfectly cooked, flaky, and full of flavor, while the creamy mushroom risotto complemented it beautifully. It was easily one of the standout dishes of the evening. The honey glazed salmon was another favorite at our table. The braised short ribs were rich, tender, and beautifully presented. One person in our group ordered the stuffed lobster and thoroughly enjoyed it, mentioning both the flavor and the generous portion size. The fish tacos were good, but with so many exceptional dishes on the table, they simply weren't the standout. Between the exceptional food, generous portions, outstanding service, and lively atmosphere, this was the perfect way to end our week on Sanibel Island. It's easy to see why every table was full. If you're visiting Sanibel, make reservations in advance. This restaurant is popular for a reason, and after dining here, we completely understand why. Five stars. We can't wait to come back.

We enjoyed hubbies birthday dinner here and the Pina colada was excellent…read more The BBQ on a burger was not as good as we hoped, no seasoning on the burger and the BBQ sauce was bland. Fries were great though! The death by chocolate dessert was wonderful. Service was good and although a small place it was clean and nicely decorated.

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4.1(696 reviews)
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We,a party of six stopped by Grandma Dott's for an early dinner tonight. The food alone was 4.9…read morestars, but the star in the show was the service from the time we entered to the time we left the service was exceptional. It's not that hard to be nice and they were amazing. Thank you for the great food and a great dinner.

As good as it gets, & our best meal & drinks on the island!…read more We had expert server Nick & were so happy with him! He was extremely personable, fun, & sooo efficient at his job! He treated us like family, & took such good care of us. We started with cocktails: Miami Vice, Pina Colada, & a Pain Killer at Nicks suggestion. They were all delicious. Next up shared appetizers of smoked fish dip & crab cakes. I usually dislike crab cakes, but I wanted to eat all of them. The smoked fish dip was delicious too & whoever thought of frying the saltines is a genius! For our meals we each got a lunch for dinner platter which was plenty of food with the accompanying house made chips & super ripe fruit. Two of us got the coconut shrimp. They were large, fresh & delicious, very heavy on the batter. The pineapple dipping sauce was perfect with them. Two in our party got salmon & said it was excellent. They ate every bite of it. One of us devoured his lobster roll with great enjoyment. The only non- seafood eater had what he described as a really good burger. He's like Mikey from Life cereal, he hates everything...so that's very high praise for the burger. For dessert we shared both the chocolate cake & key lime pie. I usually don't like Key Lime pie because it's almost always too sweet. But theirs is amazing. Dense, creamy & very tangy, with grated lime zest all throughout the pie. The cake was delicious too. There wasn't a bite of anything left. The ambience is great. Very nautical with lovely views. The exterior is very pretty, & inside it is cozy, casual & approachable. The a/c works really well too. The servers were all cheerful & the other diners seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was such a great overall experience. Highly recommend!

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Mudbugs Cajun Kitchen - Side of Jambalaya

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4.4(692 reviews)
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I really enjoyed this place…read more This place has a huge parking lot, so parking is a breeze. It's also pretty close to the resorts on the beach so if your resort offers bikes, biking is a great way to get here as well. The one way I would not recommend is walking with a five year-old. Even though it says 1.4 miles and the path is pretty safe and pretty, my five-year-old gave up halfway and I had to carry him on my back. By the time we got there, my husband and son who smartly drove, had already ordered the food for us. They had a gnocchi appetizer, which I thought was OK. My husband really liked it, but I like my gnocchi more light and fluffy. If you really like dense cheesy gnocchi this one is for you. My husband got the shrimp boil which he didn't realize it was mainly colossal shrimp. I loved it though. I got the watermelon salad and I added shrimp on top which made it the perfect salad. We brought some of the shrimp home because there was so much and even cold it is delicious. One son got the mac & cheese with white rice and the other got chicken tenders and fries. If you have a child that is picky about fries make sure you look at the picture because these are not standard fries. I can't even explain them other than they look like a fat swirl so it's not even like curly fries. My older son said next time he would want the mac & cheese with white rice. I'm pretty sure the mac & cheese is just Kraft, but it was a big hit with both of them. The decor of this place is very New Orleans themed. The one criticism I have is upstairs. There is only one bathroom. So at times there was a line for it. Our server was nice and efficient and overall I really enjoyed my meal here.

While staying in sanibel i was in the mood for something new. We were fairly walking distance from…read moreMudbugs and decided to grab a bite here. We were seated after 5 minutes in the main floor with a great view of the performer who was singing that night. As we were seated we were greeted by the sweetest server ever Amber. Let me tell you i have had a good handful of great servers but she was amazing. Super informative, sweet and with so much happy aura to her. I was very much overwhelmed with the menu and decided on getting boudin balls and conch fritters for appetizers. So flavorful! The sauce on the side was the perfect combination too. i had never had boudin balls before, now i am a fan. The conch fritters were perfection!!!!! So crispy and packed with conch inside. As for entree the Chicken & Andouille Sausage Gumbo was just the amount of spicy i liked. I love making gumbo at home and this has officially beat my own gumbo. My partner ordered the etouffee... man he thought he could handle heat but this was a new level for him. It was nice and thick the etouffee. Even though it was spicy to him....he said the flavor was all there... very good and he wasn't going to quit on it and finished it completely. For desert we OF COURSE got the Beignets! We were so stuffed but would definitely hate ourselves of we didn't order some. We got the caramel on the side and let me tell you im still dreaming of how good they were. Literally melted in my mouth. This spot is a 10/10. Food, service and vibes. If you want a taste of New Orleans but don't want to venture too far out... Mudbugs is definitely the place to go

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Mudbugs Cajun Kitchen - Dining room

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Boudin Balls

The Sanibel Cafe - breakfast_brunch - Updated October 2026

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