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The Sanibel Cafe

4.3 (307 reviews)
Closed • 7:00 am - 2:00 pm
Updated over 3 months ago

The Sanibel Cafe Photos

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THE SANIBEL CAFE ATMOSPHERE

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

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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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5 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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Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille - Typical paella pic off the web... get the idea?

Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille

4.2(1.7k reviews)
0.9 mi
•$$

Recently my wife and family when to Doc Ford's Rum Bar and…read moreGrille, on Sanibel Island. This restaurant is simply an institution on the island. It is without question a must do, when you're here. My family and I have been coming here for many years, and it only has gotten better each time. This location has two floors of seating, more importantly two bars you can sit at. After checking in with the hostess, our wait was only about twenty minutes. Once seated at our table all of us were ready to order. For drinks we ordered two rounds I got the Dark and Stormy for both rounds(Gosling's Black Seal Rum mixed with Gosling's Ginger Beer & a squeeze of lime) my ordered a mango and coconut mojito; my sister in law ordered a rum runner. We all loved our drinks. Drinks here are always made perfect. For an appetizer we shared the calamari. The breading was light and the calamari was tender. For entrees my sister in law and I ordered the Deep Water Mahi Mahi(Hand-cut mahi-mahi seared in sweet soy sauce, placed on a jasmine rice stir fry with a tropical vinaigrette) This dish is my favorite meal here. The mahi was tender, the sweet soy sauce and the tropical vinaigrette ties everything together. My wife ordered the Yucatan Shrimp with a side of jalapeño cheese grits. She gave me two thumbs up. My father in law Grouper Sandwich (Fresh grouper grilled, blackened, or fried. Served with Doc's tartar sauce on a freshly baked roll) He ordered his fried. He loves the grouper sandwich here and usually gets it. Again, this is another place we will always comeback to.

Since their move to the current location we haven't really been impressed with Doc Fords. We are…read morelifelong vacationers who have been coming since the 60s in my parents case and I have clear memories of the old location being great. The quality definitely slipped from that point when they moved 10 years ago. I never really understood why it continued to be such a popular spot. If you don't believe that we my previous review that's over 10 years old lol We returned for the first time since Ian 4 years ago and while the service is still very touch & go-our server seemed to be having a rough night. To be fair she had the table next to us that was like 12 seemingly college age kids who were really loud & obnoxious & who were also annoying us so maybe that's accounts for her mood. The food and drinks have really turned around. We came in the first night of our trip just to "check that it still sucks" but knowing it's an easy walk in without much of a wait in the September off-season and we were tired from all day spent in the sun & wanted it to be easy. But we were so surprised. The food was excellent. Fresh. Not clearly reheated (a common thing in the past). I asked for a mojito made with coconut rum rather than traditional rum and that kind of seemed to confuse our server. To be fore they have a coconut mojito that has a coconut cream in it but that's not what I wanted. After a bit of back & forth it came out as ordered and delicious (highly recommend trying it made this way-you'll never go back) We enjoyed our meal so much we actually went back for a midday drink and snack later that week. Unheard of for us. Had a really lovely conversation with a bartender who's been there forever about the state of things at the island. He remembered my drink order so I'm apparently notorious now lol. And once again the food orders this time was so good and fresh and hot (very hot-beware of you order fish fingers) So very pleasantly surprised! Whatever you changed in the past 4 years, keep it up! Where a lot of places seem to have gotten worse since Ian you guys improved on n a huge way and we look forward to coming back now

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Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille - Inside bar

Inside bar

Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille - Black bean dip at Doc Ford's

Black bean dip at Doc Ford's

Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille - Oysters!

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Oysters!

Lazy Flamingo - Fried shrimp

Lazy Flamingo

3.9(665 reviews)
1.7 mi
•$$

We stopped for happy hours then stayed for dinner. Server…read morewas sweet and very pleasant. Ambiance was fun with lots to look at and cute decorations. Small margaritas $3 like in a bourbon size glass with very little tequila, but tasty. We each had 2 but didn't even get a buzz and we aren't drinkers. Salsa and chips were good for $3 Caesar salad was good, I would have given it a 5 if it had been served with grated or shaved Parmesan cheese instead of the sprinkle Italian stuff you put on pasta. A Caesar salad of that caliper deserves that kind of topping. Hubby has the fried shrimp and coleslaw. Excellent he gives it a 5. We would eat here again

Lazy Flamingo is finally reopened! After the hurricanes a couple of years ago, this location was…read moreclosed as they rebuilt and recovered. I was so happy that it reopened again and we could not wait to get here! We did not have a reservation and did not have to wait for a table. The night we went must have a been a good night since it was not very busy. We do usually go for lunch but decided to do dinner this year. My family is very traditional and know what we like. We started with clam chowder and the garlic bread with marinara. The clam chowder, OMG this is so creamy, delicious, thick and so yummy. It's almost like a sauce it's so good. It is our favorite clam chowder around! The garlic bread is also delicious, it is crunchy, garlicky and delicious. If you want the marinara it does cost extra and honestly it is good but you can live without it. We actually dipped the garlic bread in the conch chowder. I've also tried the conch chowder also very good but very spicy. I ordered my absolute favorite dish, which is the steamer pot. It's 2 dozen steamed clams, in a steamer pot which comes with butter to dip. I think on its own, you might be hungry but adding the soup its a perfect meal. The steamer pot is actually on the appetizer menu. These clams are so delicious, served hot, with old bay. Honestly I could eat double! My mom ordered the fried shrimp and my sister ordered the buffalo shrimp. They both liked it but were not thrilled with the breading. The breading on both was very sweet and very strange for fried shrimp. My husband ordered the mahi tacos and where he loved the flavor and taste, the portion was very small for the price. He only got 2 and served with a small side of rice and beans. He enjoyed it but said he would not get it again. I do feel this is worth going. I think their prices have increased since re opening and portion sizes have decreased. My family strayed from their usual items and did not overly enjoy it. Next time they said they would stick with what the know is good. The vibe here is very chill and laid back, almost like you are in the hull of a ship. Its a very chill spot. Lots of beer selections as well. I definitely think you should add it to your list to check out.

Photos
Lazy Flamingo - Let The Sea Set U Free

Let The Sea Set U Free

Lazy Flamingo - Sandy clams

Sandy clams

Lazy Flamingo - Friday Nite Rosé

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Friday Nite Rosé

Gramma Dot's - Delicious key lime pie

Gramma Dot's

4.1(696 reviews)
2.3 mi
•$$

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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Gramma Dot's - Nice space

Nice space

Gramma Dot's
Gramma Dot's - Marina

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Marina

Traders - Crab Dip

Traders

4.1(418 reviews)
0.7 mi
•$$

I hate that we didn't get photos of our appetizer and foods but just can't say enough GOOD about…read morethe wonderful anniversary dining experience we were fortunate to enjoy on 10/10/26. EXCELLENT service by Hannah, beautiful table settings and plenty of room between tables (I hate that push your chair in to get out of someone's way experience) And the food! My oh my, it was served hot and ample proportions. Our only annoyance was the tails were left on the shrimp in both of the dishes we ordered. I don't believe this was appropriate for either of them, stuffed shrimp with ravioli and my shrimp, scallops and crab angel haired pasta dish. It would have been very easy for the chef to remove these tails. But, we would definitely eat here again and order the same dish, tails and all!!! Oh and did I mention the hot dip and crunchy chips, the lady at the next table commented, "I wish I had 2 stomachs" and I concur!!

My wife and I were on our 50 Anniversary Trip and our last night on Sanibel Island we ate at…read moreTraders. Chef Mike is a home grown native of Southwest Florida. We started with an appetizer of crab dip. It was stock full of big lump crab meat. It was one of the best crab dips I have had! We had their special, Stuffed Shrimp with lump crab and lobster ravioli. My wife had a big bowl of gumbo. I am a singer/songwriter and when the waitress found out that I have 16 songs published on Spotify, she went and played all my songs on the restaurant's stereo system throughout the entire restaurant! We had customers come up as they were leaving to tell me they loved my music. It was a special treat!

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Traders
Traders - Stuffed Shrimp with Lobster Ravioli

Stuffed Shrimp with Lobster Ravioli

Traders

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Lighthouse Cafe - Seafood Salad

Lighthouse Cafe

4.2(590 reviews)
1.7 mi
•$$

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.

Photos
Lighthouse Cafe
Lighthouse Cafe - Salmon gnocchi with broccoli

Salmon gnocchi with broccoli

Lighthouse Cafe - Dining room

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Dining room

Over Easy Cafe - Giant Homemade Orange Roll

Over Easy Cafe

4.3(704 reviews)
0.6 mi
•$$

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.

Photos
Over Easy Cafe - Squawk!

Squawk!

Over Easy Cafe - Orange Roll perfection

Orange Roll perfection

Over Easy Cafe - Menu

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Menu

The Sanibel Cafe - breakfast_brunch - Updated October 2026

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