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    Thistle Lodge Beachfront Restaurant

    3.5 (172 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Thistle Lodge Beachfront Restaurant Photos

    Business Info

    THISTLE LODGE BEACHFRONT RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Romantic
    Quiet
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Thistle Lodge Beachfront Restaurant

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    Dining area with grouper special and 8oz filet.

    The food here tonight was excellent! Service was equally high quality and sorry we have not been back before now after hurricane Ian. The view of the gulf and dolphins out our window was a special treat. I was reluctant to order Choice steak since we typically buy Prime meat but this was so well cooked to medium and so tasty you would not know the difference. Highly recommend the Thistle Lodge if you value a good meal in a good environment with excellent service! The cocktails were also great!

    Inside the restaurant
    Natalie S.

    This is a beautiful restaurant with amazing water views of the Gulf. They have an extensive drinks list (RUM, tequila, wines). We had a mimosa with fresh squeezed orange juice. The menu includes brunch items, sandwiches and full entrees. We shared the lobster bisque which was heavenly (rich, made with cream). I had the blackened grouper with fries. Their fries are amazing. My boyfriend had the lobster salad roll. I tried it and wasn't a fan. It was a lot of chopped lobster,celery, too much dressing.

    Grouper, cooked perfectly
    Bill S.

    Charming restaurant serving plain, safe food. Walking in, there's a woman in the lobby saying: my grandson, has anyone seen my grandson? My brother in law whispers: The Dingo ate your grandson. I can see what type of night we'll be experiencing. The menu reminded me (and tasted) what you'd order at a wedding: Chicken, fish or steak sir? It was all so plain, it's not fine dining as the past reviewers posted. My wife & I shared a beet salad, it was a nice starter. I was expecting the same level of food for our entrees. We all said it wasn't and for the prices they're charging? The last time I checked, we were on a beach in Florida? Park ave pricing does not warrant the quality of the food. My fish was average and under seasoned. Good not great is the overall consensus. Even if they lower the price by $10 per plate I'd still give the same rating. Your call, we'll never return.

    Lunch
    Andrea U.

    Beautiful grounds on the beach. We sat poolside at Coconuts for lunch. I ordered the crunchy Gulf grouper sandwich with mango & my husband did tuna tacos with fries. We had a nice breeze under the umbrella. By 1:15 every table was taken. Our lunch would have been perfect if I got the slaw I ordered, if the fish wasn't fried, if the waitress came back with extra napkins & if the woman behind me didn't spill her drink down my back. Funny they took our credit card before lunch came. Taco's & grouper were good. 18% gratitudes were added to our bill, lunch without drinks was $43.

    Filet with Jamaican shrimp. Delicious!
    Rita M.

    This restaurant was a short walk from where we were staying. I wanted to treat my granddaughter to a birthday dinner. It was her first time to eat in an upscale restaurant and she was impressed with the ambiance. It was beachfront but was inside with huge windows overlooking the beach. The food was excellent. I had the filet with Jamaican shrimp and she had the fettuccine alfredo. It was all delicious and she loved it! They had a full bar with great selections. The service was good, a little slow considering we were the only people in there. Overall it was a wonderful experience.

    Kids menu available.
    Andria M.

    This meal was one of the highlights of my trip! Very elegant place. I got the special which was salmon and shrimp in a soy honey glaze. It was so flavorful! My cucumber drink was delicious. The lemon came in a little net - so fancy! My family loved their meals as well. Beautiful view of the beach from our table!

    Summer Chill~ (Cucumber 'Mojito' Mocktail W/ Basil Garnish)
    Mercedes C.

    Thistle restaurant sits on Casa Ybel's property. Some folks chimed in their write-ups and mentioned slow service, long wait and other reasons we didn't experience ourselves. However, this second time around at the resort and on a quiet but humid and windy evening, we decided to stay put and be open minded. We followed the brick and stone path directly from our room to lead us to Thistle-nestled between palm trees and more lushness. Thistle's Tropical/Southern- with a whiff of Hemingway-ish design, is seen throughout from the entrance and beyond: off whites on walls, light brown woods, natural ropes, etc. Thistle had a warm glow that rang throughout the space. We skipped formalities and ordered a few appetizers and drinks at the bar. Hubs had gotten his usual Cosmo with Tito's and said it packed a real nice punch and I had a 'Cucumber Cooler'- minus the alcohol. Rosie as well as the Bar crew were all pleasant. Our Grilled Octopus appetizer was silky smooth and Seared Tuna Trio- was surprisingly nice and figured, our appetizers were anything from ordinary. Except for hubs' Creamy Lobster Bisque with an Argamac Foam. Just reading the ingredients sounds mind blowing- but it was too good to be true when the Bisque was plated and brought over in like 5 minutes from when he initially ordered. I personally didn't like the clumps- but hubs stirred it a bit and down it went. We had a low key evening and enjoyed our few appetizers and drinks. Wouldn't mind taking Thistle up on their Lunch, Brunch or other Dinner items.

    Grilled chicken with fries

    Service was outstanding! The staff was very friendly and helpful. Went with a group of 9. I had the lobster salad roll with fries and a house made hot sauce that was made by Maria. It was my first time eating lobster and I thought it was good but not great. I had two other family members get the roll and they loved every bit of it. Maybe because it was my first time. My wife loved her grilled chicken sandwich...I even had a couple bits of the chicken. It was amazing!

    Stuffed Flounder
    Iris H.

    The place and location are beautiful. We went as a family for a nice dinner and to see the sunset at the beach. The waitress was not very helpful as this was our first time and we were not sure what to order(a little rude). Got two Caesar salads which were not appetizing, had way to much dressing and it was very soggy. The food was ok.

    L M.

    Oh so disappointing! We thought this would be a nice way to spend the 4th of July for our friend saying it was her birthday. On arrival for lunch we where seated by the window right next to another table that has a party of four. The restaurant was empty there was no need to have us close to this other table. Then the waitress Jazmyn comes with the menu we give our drink order it took exactly 9min to receive the drinks (weak drinks) very little alcohol in them. We proceeded to order our starters 10min later they came out and I must say very tasty however on one of the starters we ordered chicken Quesadilla and on the plate was three small quarters, where did the four one go? So cheap of them. The male server came to the table and starter to take our plates while we where still eating the starters. I was like excuse me as you can see we are still eating and please do not remove anything unless we are finished. He made a huff and walked away. Very rude and unprofessional of him. We continued to order our main lunch meal and 15 min later out it came. Pictures will show on the grouper sandwich is was dry over cooked and tasteless. The lobster roll tasted like canned lobster and the bread over done. The tuna plate was fine. Now back to the birthday girl! You would think knowing it was her birthday the waitress would of made some fuss over her or offered a bday surprise dessert but no all she got was after we paid the bill of $207.62 while walking away. Oh have a good birthday. We where like what!!! Never ever again will I ever return to this place and I think an explanation and apology from any manager should be a follow up reply to this. One more thing as we walked in the ceiling due to obviously water was falling in and the smell of mold was high.

    Cesar salad
    Sophia A.

    Think: Cape Cod Country Club. This restaurant was decorated for Christmas and ready to go for the holidays when we arrived for our reservation. Staff was attentive and we were seated promptly. Dinner is a multiple hour affair. The salads were delicious: I had a tomato mozzarella salad that I would highly recommend. The Cesar salad was also delicious and I stole a bite. The mains were not as good as the salads or desserts, but they were still yummy. My crusted mahi mahi was a bit under-seasoned and the spinach that accompanied it was too garlicky. Overall, however, the meal was very tasty. Based on other members of my party's experiences, I would recommend the lamb chops and the parpadelle with sausage. The pork chop was a bit overcooked. We also enjoyed a creme brûlée, apple crisp, and key lime pie for dessert. All were delicious!

    Scallops were wonderful, but the lobster risotto was truly amazing.

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    2 months ago

    The food was delicious and the service was great! Went there week of March 16. Pricey but what isn't these days. Worth the money.

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    4 years ago

    Oceanfront, secluded and great food! Sanibel's hidden gem. What more can you ask for?

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    5 years ago

    Food was good service was terrible, 2 very rude waiters. It was slow so they had everyone stuffed into one room.

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    Ask the Community - Thistle Lodge Beachfront Restaurant

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    Thistle Lodge Beachfront Restaurant - newamerican - Updated May 2026

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