Don't listen to older reviews. Our last night on the island was a DISASTER. We got to spend a lot of time together in a bad way and spend a lot of money on a meal that wasn't worth the wait. The wait you ask, the wait was an hour and a half for food that was okay. We got seated in about ten minutes for a reserved table that we asked for ahead of time. Our waiter wasn't present almost all 2 hours of our dinner. After we placed our apps, the first was bread and came quick, the calamari came about 20ish mins after the first though. The dinner and drinks however were worse. We ordered our drinks and they came to us 20 mins after we had asked for them. Then, we ordered dinner 15 mins after that and our waiter disappeared for the rest of the meal. Well until it never came. We waited, and waited, and waited, then finally after 1 hour and 35 mins, our food came. Everyone had pretty much left and we had to find our waiter for the check. Our arrival was 7:30 and left at 9:15. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND read more

It was a Saturday evening, and we wanted to support a local business while in town for the night. We came upon Traders and what a blessing for us. We were seated immediately, had a wonderful server Luke, wonderful ambiance and pianist, whom we truly enjoyed listening to while dining. The dishes we ordered, were excellent. A wonderful night out. read more

Traders - Seafood primavera, shrimp, scallops, clams, artichokes, baby tomatoes. It was so good, I almost forget to capture the dish. - Seafood Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

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Here from Atlanta Ga on a girls trip! I got the Angus burger and pasta salad. The other two ladies got the Mahi sandwich and pasta salad. Mine was absolutely delicious. The pasta salad was good. Kind of reminded me of pimento cheese. The pickle was AMAZING ! Totally tastes homemade. Beautiful ambiance and setting . Great little shop to look around in. Our service was pretty good. Our server wasn't over the top friendly but did a good job. Would suggest to others and would eat here again ! read more

Traders - Angus cheese burger and pasta salad - Seafood Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

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We stopped in and got an appetizer and desserts. Everything was good and our server was very polite. A little bit higher priced and we were there at an odd time in between lunch and dinner. Overall a good experience we just didn't try any of the main entrees. read more

The food and service were great! We met the owner in the attached boutique. What a nice person! The boutique was wonderful, too.

This was the first place I ever had a cosmopolitan when I was 21, after coming back home after my deployment to Afghanistan. I've been here several time, but that memory specifically is what is near and dear to me with this place. Their food is beautifully prepared and served too. It's a tropical feel, and you can't go wrong with a meal or drinks here. read more

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Dinner and service was excellent!! I had the chicken parm.,it was delicious and my husband had the special Decor was beautiful and there's a shop inside front right side of the building. Nice bar area at the entrance! read more

Great dinner! Found you just after reopened and back on business again ventured out to enjoy great food, live music, great beverages, and shopping. I ordered the macadamia encrusted grouper- subbed out the rice for sautéed spinach. Fantastic!!!! A Sanibel Treasure! read more

Traders - Seafood Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

The service was great. The food was exceptional! The Parmesan encrusted sea bass and pan seared Mahi were absolutely amazing! So fresh, piping hot and flavorful! read more

Traders - Parmesan encrusted sea bass - Seafood Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

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Take out curbside Covid times update - two orders of crab stuffed shrimp with lobster ravioli traveled very well and we loved it with a Pinot Gris. They send you with their bread and oil which was a nice touch. Skip the key lime pie, way too sweet for me read more

For the amount of food you get the courses are over priced. I had a Ceasar salad that is the size of a small side salad at any other restaurant ($12) and it was barely dressed. The other people in my party had short ribs - they were enjoyed. read more

The service was excellent, food was excellent, clean, decorated with local pictures and ready for more customers. The speed of getting food was island relaxed. Stop in. read more

Traders - a dining room with a ceiling fan - Seafood Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

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Yes. SO much yes. We were there for a super early dinner so we were there pretty much alone. Our service Yuri was great. But the food was the show. We shared the mixed green salad to start and it was delightful. The raspberry vinaigrette beautifully balanced the gorgonzola and the greens were so crisp and fresh. I had the blackened mahi sandwich with the pasta salad as my side. The mahi was amazing and the pasta was so different- almost like it was parmesan based instead of the mayo I expected- and I would have eaten two helpings happily. My mom tried the shrimp marsala special and it was SO good. 10/10 this chef knows what's up read more

We have been going to Traders since it first opened on Captiva many years ago. The concept is still the same and it remains one of the better restaurants on Sanibel. The food and service are always terrific at a fair price. It is a friendly atmosphere and a nicely decorated restaurant so worth the trip from Captiva. read more

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A staple seafood establishment on Sanibel. The sword fish special with horseradish sauce was a delightful surprise. My wife enjoyed her sea bass. Menu is a bit limited, portions a bit modest, and prices a bit high, which keeps it at 3* for me. Good local live music at a volume that didn't kill conversation. 5* = incredible (rare) 4* = very good/ strong desire to return 3* = generally good experience 2* = poor/ no desire to return 1* = a particularly awful experience read more

Great place to eat! One of my favourite's on Sanibel! The place is very open and spacious. The service is always good too. read more

All our meals were great - Chilean sea bass, Macadamia Grouper, Scallops with lobster ravioli along with the Brussel sprouts appetizer. Desert was also excellent - chocolate fantasia & apple crisp. read more

Always a favorite... stop by a few times per year. The food is amazing, please think outside your normal thinking and try something thing new. It's worth it here. The cocktails are also a good choice. Happy hour is really 2 for 1 happy. read more

My family really enjoyed our dinner here. The front of the house seemed like chaos but they eventually granted our reservation with a large table in a nice area. We started with some oysters and ahi which were both tasty. The entrees we all chose were fantastic except for the kids cheeseburger that was pretty burnt on the outside but pink on the middle. Since they don't specialize in burgers, oh well. The stuff shrimp and lobster ravioli was outstanding and a perfect size. The lobster ravioli might be one of the best I've had. The dessert was all tasty as well. The caramel cheesecake was our favorite compared to the Iava cake and apple crisp. The service was very friendly and quick. As soon as you finished a plate, someone would quickly take the dish from you. Watching the employees quickly flip the tables was impressive. They truly have this down to a science. The gift shop idea is somewhat strange but they have a large selection of random things. The 5% off yelp check in deal was promptly granted without any issues. read more

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Nice, high end atmosphere and prices to match. Extremely inattentive waitperson. Our waters both emptied and we had to ask for more. He never came back to check on our meals or if we needed anything. Never asked how our meal was. I ordered the seafood gumbo which was really just a spicy chicken stew, with overcooked chicken and no seafood in my bowl. Should not be labeled seafood or gumbo. Disappointed overall and will not return. Many better options on the island. Skip this one. read more

The food was great. We were a party of 6, everyone enjoyed their entrees and drinks. Our server,Emily, was very attentive and made sure we were enjoying everything. She definitely made up for our first impression. The man working as host is in the wrong profession. Never smiled, did not make us feel welcomed at all. We stood in the entry way while he seated others that he said were waiting longer than we had been / interesting as they walked in much later than we did. We were about 1 minute from leaving and going to Mudbugs for dinner when we were finally seated. No explanation nor apology for the long wait - just walked us to an empty table and put down menus. No words...if he is your first impression of the restaurant, you will probably not stay. In fact, 3 couples that arrived after we did, left as no one greeted them. read more

We enjoyed our time at Traders. The wait staff were very nice. We chose a seat outside, which was a gamble as it was a particularly hot day. We were pretty warm but ok. Next time we will ask for a table under one of the fans. Food: Crab cakes, Shrimp and Grits, Blackend Mahi Drinks: Key Lime Martini and Cucumber Mint Drink (can't remember the menu name) Price: $125 The food was outstanding!! Flavors that pop with perfectly cooked seafood. The drinks were also delicious. We loved the live Danny Morgan music as well. We will be back for sure. read more

I've loved this place for years and I've always had the most consistent good food of any restaurant on the Island. ......last night, was horrible! The best thing we were seated right away! The Waitress did not smile once. We ordered bread, now you have to pay for it. I could have thrown it and killed someone, it was hard as a rock! I ordered chicken parm for my dinner, the cheese on the chicken was burnt black and was not offered grated cheese for my pasta. My friend ordered Veal meatloaf the slices were thin and dry, it looked like it was left over from a week ago, the brown gravy was almost black....mash potatoes were good. I realize things would be different since the hurricane but not like this. Mike if you are still here, step it up my friend. read more

I went to Traders for the first time under the recommendation of a friend. Food was good. Service was good also. read more

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We very much enjoy Traders and have always had excellent food and dining experience, however, the ribeye special you had for Valentines, was way beneath your usual standards. It was 1/4" thick, maybe, and not even close to a good steak, especially for $40. I hope you take this as constructive criticism, not a nasty review, because I do highly recommend Traders. read more

In response to the negative review by William C on November 18th, I was in the restaurant that evening and I never felt unsafe during the evening! I have had a liver transplant and my immune system is compromised! Traders is one of the only restaurants that I will frequent during this time! If you truly felt unsafe then maybe you should have asked to have your food prepared to go and not continued to dine in the restaurant! To take photos to prove your point which is just malicious and cruel! All the staff are doing the best that they can to provide excellent service to people that choose to continue to travel and frequent our islands! If you don't feel safe then don't go out or better yet don't travel! I will continue to frequent Traders to show my support for the staff and excellent reputation that they have spent years building! read more

Probably the best seafood pasta I've ever had! It was worth dealing with the horrible traffic as Sanibel rebuilds.

Food and service was excellent. The meal tasted just as it was supposed to. The service was attentive and informative. A must try when on the Island. read more

Burger was good! Drinks were awesome. Service was fine. Turkey sandwich was not great. Ambiance was dark for eating at 230pm.

Easily the best dinner of the trip. Mahi dinner was a little spicy, but absolutely excellent. Server was friendly - kids loved the place. This will defiantly be a stop on our annual trip down here. read more

Traders - Pan-Blackned Mahi - Seafood Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

First visit to this place last night and could not believe they were not PACKED OUT. This is a MUST if you are visiting Sanibel. Seared Ahi Tuna has a beautiful presentation and tastes even better. I had the horseradish encrusted swordfish which was a special. It came with blackbean and corn salsa, mashed potatoes and beans. It was unreal. Mom had the Seared Scallops. They were divine! Highly recommended!!! read more

my wife and i had dinner their yesterday. the dish we had was a chicken entree. we both ordered the same dish. we asked the waitress what she thought of it and she said it looked good. the bottom line was that it was awful. i never leave reviews however it was overcooked, tasteless and dried out. everything else was ok. the waitress was pleasant and attractive. so this is my first review of an establishments food. shouldn't even get one star. jan p. read more

Very much enjoyed our meal. Everything we ordered tasted great. Service was fantastic, and they had a fair beer selection between draft, and cans. Would go back. read more

Outstanding place for dinner. Cecilia was one of the best bartenders ever! welcoming us and creating the perfect drink. Best Key Lime Martins I ever had! Rum runner was crazy good. The ribs were off the chain.. flavorful and falling off the bone. Accompanied with Garlic mashed .. oh my gosh.. yummy.. The bread and oil! Delish. Cannot rave enough about this place. A must do when on Sanibel/Captiva.. read more

Delicious seafood and atmosphere. A must when on Sanibel island. You feel like you are on an island.

First time in Sanibel, immediately headed to Traders based upon Yelp! reviews. Not disappointed. Excellent. Light and airy atmosphere, excellent service, great food, friendly, decent value. Only complaint: no outside seating despite lovely deck. Both spouse and I got Caesar salads with blackened grouper, I got beer (excellent curated selection!) and spouse got white sour cream-based gazpacho which she reported as excellent. Super friendly server (Brenda) spent plenty of time talking and advising us. Would definitely return! read more

Traders - Seafood Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

This is our go-to place when friends visit or just for Happy Hour. The staff is so very good and so are the food and drinks. Every. Single. Time. So happy to have them on the island! read more

My husband and I had a wonderful dinner and great experience. Delicious swordfish with risotto, mussels in coconut curry sauce (that I could have drank directly from the bowl, no joke) and bread with Gorgonzola cheese and tomato sauce (can't remember the exact name) but it was absolutely to die for. The food was delicious but please let me say that even if the food was only good, our waitress Irma was awesome. Thank you so much Irma for your outstanding service. You made our evening! Kim and Ed. Phila, PA. read more

Traders - Kim and Ed - Seafood Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

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We have dined at this spot twice now and each visit has been perfect! I would consider this fining dining (if compared to the other restaurants in the area). Patrons are for sure more dressed up and are here to enjoy a great meal with fab service. Huge variety on the menu, including specials - no doubt something for everyone! Reservations several days in advance are highly recommended, especially if you want to dine on the weekend. The restaurant does offer a bar (with HH), but it fills up quick. Price point is high, but definitely consider this your "one time" fine dining during vacation. The food is delicious, fresh and beautifully prepared. The service is also spot on, brisk but not rushed! Oh, the parking is valet only - if that is deal breaker for you (ie you don't want anyone else to park your car) - park next door at the insurance place. read more

It was our most favorite dinner spot on Sanibel. The quality of food, service and overall experience were all five stars! I tried the sea bass special and my husband went for mahi mahi tacos - both dishes were outstanding! read more