Our best choice for Dinner, Food was delicious and not pricy, service was fenomenal, they have a Gorgeous store inside. read more

Traders - Brownie & Ice cream was amazing! - Seafood Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

I've been coming to Traders since I was little and I still love coloring on the paper table cloths as a twenty something year old The food here is great, service is great, can't complain about anything! I got Mikes Meatballs this time around and the sauce was OUT OF THIS WORLD. I had to savor it, it was soooo good!!! Other family members got the shrimp gnocchi which I also thought was good! The small plates aren't very small-- definitely a good satisfying meal in them. read more

Traders - Mikes Meatballs-- amazing sauce - Seafood Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

Sat at the bar and had 2 for 1 drinks. The best part of the meal was the pomodoro pasta though! It was so delicious highly recommend. The gift shop is also nice! read more

Traders - pomodoro pasta - Seafood Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

See all

Recommend by hotel...best restaurant on the Island. The place was packed but we were seated at our reservation time. Huge Caesar salad was served chilled and not over dressed. Shrimp special...stuffed with crab and spinach was delicious. It was served with lobster stuffed ravioli and a beurre blanc sauce. Small plates were anything but...pesto shrimp over linguini was very tasty. This is a large restaurant but noise level is fine. Staff really hustles...impressive service. Even the valet was very friendly! read more

I think they are having problems getting good kitchen staff. Even their signature dish of stuffed shrimp and lobster raviolis, was a letdown and I have been ordering this dish for years, every time we vacation on the island. The shrimp were over cooked and very dry, the raviolis were under cooked and was barely able to cut them with a sharp knife, and only had about a table spoon of beurre blanc. Hours are very limited and the bar is poorly stocked. One night, they did not even have rose's. read more

Me and the wife enjoyed a very nice lunch at Traders on Sanibel the food was fresh delicious. As always my wife orders a better meal than me somehow she always gets the best dish on the menu. She had the seafood linguine i had the grouper fish tacos... Here's an important tip if you're unsure you should think about going for lunch the prices are about $10 cheaper per meal but you still get the same great quality food.Our lunche was $16 each. Check out the photos. Lunch is from 11:00 - 2:00pm. Hope this helps. Cheers. read more

Traders - Fish tacos and linguine - Seafood Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

See all

This was a new restaurant for us while we were on the island. The food was a little more upscale and had different entrees compared to the other restaurants we visited. Menu isn't huge like other places, but they had a nice variety. Everyone loved the food that they ordered. Outstanding items included the beef short rib flat bread which had creamed spinach on it. Everyone loved it--different that the usual. The grouper was a hit and the Mahi mahi with rice and black beans was a nice change from the usual baked potatoes. Will definitely be back next time we're on the island. read more

Parking: The parking is free and the lot is fairly big. Atmosphere: When we went, there was music and it was very full. It can be very loud so it's not a place for a romantic date, but good for family outings. Service: Our server was good and kept an eye on us the whole time. Food: I had the short ribs, which were delicious. It fell off the bone and was very tender. My wife had the lobster ravioli and scallops. It was a bit much for her, but she did enjoy it. My mother-in-law stuck to a clam chowder and side salad - she seemed to enjoy it. My mother had a seafood pasta - it was okay. Maybe a bit bland. We'd probably come here again, but the prices were a bit high for us. read more

See all

This was so fabulous- McKenzie was our incredible server and cannot recommend her enough!!! The food was amazing - and our group cannot recommend Traders enough!!! Go there read more

Very good, very hot food. Waitress wasn't as smiley as I usually prefer, but service was good otherwise. I had the spaghetti and meatball and my boyfriend had the lobster bisque. Looking forward to our next visit here read more

We look forward to heading to Trader's for a delicious meal and a fun time EVERY time we are in town! Celia and Leslie are amazing! They always make you feel like you are their best customer...even when they are super busy. You can't leave a review for Trader's without mentioning Danny Morgan! He and his band mates will keep your foot tapping and the island vibe alive with his music! read more

Traders - Seafood Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

We got off to a rough start when both yelp and Apple Maps told us that Traders2 was the same as Traders. They are two different restaurants in different locations, probably with the same owner. Anyway-- we did get to the original Traders store and Café about 15 minutes late and then secured our reserved table. Despite the fairly glowing reviews on yelp, we found it similar to a chain restaurant and just OK. I liked the gumbo cup of soup, but I thought the white gazpacho was odd, with a predominant cucumber flavor. Our waiter and his helpers had some kind of mixup in bringing us the bang bang shrimp, which arrived after our entrées. The baby back ribs were very tender. My wife could hardly eat her blackened shrimp in shrimp taco.There was live entertainment in the parking lot which could not be heard inside the restaurant. That actually may have been a blessing. In summary, overrated by my fellow Yelpers! On the other hand, the parking lot was almost completely filled when we left, so it appears the place has a good reputation and is heavily subscribed by those on Sanibel. read more

Delicious and great atmosphere. There was a man singing and it was incredible. It made the restaurant feel more alive. Food is fantastic, just know it is a bit more pricey. read more

Kyle was the phenomenal waiter who lead us down the path of indulgence tonight at Traders. Our party got the Sea Bass with risotto, the crab topped snapper, the crabstuffed shrimp with lobster ravolioi in dill cream and the chicken with lemon-caper beurre blanc. The main courses stand on their own. Little needs to be said about each one besides they were good and that you should go try them. The two fish dishes were specials of the day and the stuffed shrimp and chicken are reoccurring on the menu. The food was perfect, we started with the cream of asparagus and the Florida fish gumbo and a Caesar salad with added anchovies. The mixed greens salad was also sampled. The starters were just tip top. The gumbo was made with salmon and grouper and topped with a sprinkle of yellow rice. The cream of asparagus was good, simple well executed with lots of flavor. We loved the mixed greens with goat cheese and walnuts with a raspberry vinaigrette. The Caesar salad was 4th in rank, good but out shown by the others. Dessert was a nice finish to the meal, the Crème brûlée was perfectly done with the addition of blueberries hidden under the sugar. The blackberry crisp was the real winner. It kept some of the slight tartness of the blackberries, the crisp was sugary and crunchy. The vanilla ice cream and dollop of whipped cream just made it a home run. Make time to go to Traders if you are dining on the island. read more

See all

We stopped in for a late lunch. They were nice enough to honor my hubby's request for a seared tuna steak on top of salad greens. He thought it was good. The Mozzarella and Tomato salad was less than impressive but it probably had more to do with the time of year than the composition of the salad. I thought the gumbo was terrible. My son liked his burger and my daughter liked her soup of the day. Here come the complaints. While we waited for food, my daughter and I shopped in the store. They had some interesting things. I would have liked to look at several items but the woman behind the counter ignored us. Maybe she looked at our less than fancy post-beach garb and decided we didn't have adequate funds to shop in the store. Big mistake. I walked out with nothing when I had been eyeing several jewelry items in the glass cases. As a last resort, my daughter and I stood looking at items at next to the counter. Still, no offer to help us with anything. She was checking someone out. Final complaint. Our server, who was very nice, was sick and was coughing quite frequently. He looked pale and tired and he strained to swallow. I semi-jokingly told my husband the server was going to get us sick. One particularly blatant cough occurred right about the time he delivered dishes to my daughter and me at one end of the table. I seriously thought about asking for him to replace the dishes because he had more or less coughed all over them. However, we were very hungry and the wait for the food had already taken quite a while. Wonders never cease. Right on target with the standard incubation period, my daughter and I came down with strep throat. 105 degree fevers and all the other fun symptoms. I'm not saying we caught it from this guy, I'm just say it's particularly suspect. Except for being snubbed in the shop and having my food coughed on by the server, the experience wasn't terrible. The ambiance was nice. The server was nice. Call me crazy but I'd probably go back again. Just without a sickly server. read more

PRETTY GOOD PLACE - 3 1/2 STARS This is a fun restaurant tucked away back from the road on Periwinkle. It is a large open room, but nicely done and it has a comfortable feeling. We stopped in for lunch and had the Shrimp Pasta and Sandwich & Soup Special. The shrimp was truly excellent, however the pasta was way overcooked and limp - certainly not al dente - a shame. The soup was a white fish gumbo and was ho-hum: very bland, lacking in taste and just a few small pieces of fish. The sandwich was ham & cheese. It was advertised as cheddar & ham, but the cheese was a deep yellow, the color of American cheese and not especially good. It must have been some cheap Wisconsin cheese, because almost all cheddar I've ever seen is a light pale yellow and has a delicious flavor. It also had thin sliced deli ham, tomato, onion & lettuce. I took out the onion and cheerfully ate it. The bread was the best part. Speaking of bread, before the meal they bring a delicious complementary bread - very good. The best parts of the meal were the bread and the shrimp. This is a fun and popular place, but order carefully. The attached gift shop is a downer, loaded with dorky kitsch. Don't waste your time there. Ambiance - 4 1/2 STARS Service - 4 STARS Food - 3 STARS Gift Shop - 1 STAR read more

Traders - Seafood Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

Hands down best restaurant on Sanibel as far as I know! Never had a bad meal... I've been going there for years & I'm glad they are still able to remain open during these tough times! Danny Morgan & his band play every Thursday.... an island legend... The ahi tuna and lobster raviolis are exquisite! read more

We ate here two nights in a row. If I would have rated this the first night I would have given it 5 stars. Outstanding food and outstanding service (Lena was our server) we has the seared ahi tuna app and scallop app. Both delicious. The tuna was seared to perfection. For dinner we has the seafood pasta dish and the Chilean sea bass. Both were cooked perfect and served in a timely manner. The food and service was by far the best restaurant we had eaten at while in Sanibel this week. So for our last night instead of trying one last new restaurant choice we decided to go back to Trader's. The meal started off great. We ordered the Tuna again (as it was so delicious) and then ordered the mozzarella/tomato salad and the gumbo soup. All of this was delicious and what we expected. For entrees we ordered the Parm seared chicken with angel hair pasta and my husband ordered the rack of lamb (medium rare). Unfortunately they over cooked the lamb. By the time they remade his dish I was completely done with my dinner. I will say though that they did good the lamb perfect the second time. I definitely know these things happen and the reasoning why I didn't rate it lower. But it was a mistake and for that I could not give it 5 stars But I would highly recommend this place for dinner. Out of 5 other dinner restaurants we went to, this was by far the best one on the island. read more

See all

The grouper po-boy lunch sandwich is my favorite lunch item on the island! The fish is delicious. My wife had the tomato and mozzarella salad served in bed of spinach with grouper- it was very good and dressed perfectly. Their kids menu is the best (some healthy stuff)! Atmosphere is comfortable and service is always attentive. read more

It was our first night on Sanibel, and we were looking for a laid back but elegant spot to enjoy some delicious food and wine. Well, let me say Traders definitely fit the bill. The ambiance reminded me of an old world Florida style lodge. Very charming. White table clothes, and candles were presented on every table, with the soft sounds of a live jazz musician echoing through the dining room from the bar. The food was delightful and very tasty. The menu featured a variety of appetizers, and mains with a sinful selection of desserts. The bf and I shared the Oysters Florentine to start, along with myself ordering the caprese salad and he ordering the roasted red pepper and tomato bisque. All 3 were absolutely awesome. The oysters were baked with a luscious creamed spinach topping with hints of cheese and pernod. I could have licked the shells clean just to scrape every last bit of the spinach. For mains, we tried the blackened Mahi, and the macadamia nut crusted grouper. Again, both were very good. And for the finale, we shared the creme brulee, and the chocolate peanut butter cake. Holy s#%t. That's all I can say. Lots of wine and beer to choose from, including an assortment of craft beers. Overall, I'd highly recommend a visit to Traders if ever visiting Sanibel. What a lovely time! read more

Traders - Creme Brûlée - Seafood Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

See all

Tripletail with lobster ravioli in a lemon burre blanc sauce........spectacular! One of my top ten restaurants in all of Florida. Great service and quality food. Four stars The cinnamon ice cream/apple crisp is to die for!!!! read more

Traders - Tripletail with ravioli in a lemon burre blanc sauce - Seafood Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

Just finished an early dinner at Traders. Was very pleased with all COCID-19 precautions. Everyone has to wear a mask before entering and they ask you to use hand sanitizer. The food was excellent, one of my sons had the lasagna (daily special) and it was really good. My other son had the linguine with shrimp and artichoke and he finished the whole plate. My husband had the crab and spinach stuffed shrimps with lobster ravioli, it was really good. I had the curry mahi, the curry was on the spicy side, but really good though. Will come back here during our week ling vacation for sure. read more

Do you enjoy Chili's, TGIFridays, or Applebee's? Then you'll probably enjoy the quality of the food here. The food is on the same level of a chain restaurant, but maybe that might be giving it too much credit. With the access to seafood they have, you would expect a bit more originality and effort. There's potential there but instead it's the same fry/smother it and add some pico de gallo to the side. Pico doesn't make sense for what you're getting as entrees. It feels like an excuse to not come up with a side or vegetable that could actually accompany your main. The crowd you see here is for the alcohol and the live band who plays music from "the good ol' days". If you enjoy margaritaville, you're gonna have a great time. Any stars this review receives is cause of the friendly staff. read more

wow, after looking at everyone else's review I guess I"m being hard to please. We stopped in on a whim not expecting to spend 80.00 for dinner. Shame on me for not paying better attention. I liked the environment a lot but I feel that if I"m spending 30.00 a plate it should taste better than what I can cook at home. I had the feta crusted filet which was very tender and juicey. The fingerling potatoes were very dry! The creamed spinach was actually very good - I think. It would have been nice to have had more than a tablespoon of them! My kids didn't like their fare at all and my husband didn't think the ribs were spectacular either. The wait staff was attentive but not friendly beyond being professionally pleasant. Overall, it was just ok. read more

Traders - Seafood Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

Definitely one of our favorite "eats" while we were vacationing in Sanibel. We took a chance and showed up without a reservation. My only complaint is that, not having a reservation, we were put at a little patio table in a corner, because the other tables were reserved. Food was delicious (mahi and shrimp and angel hair pasta); service was great; live music was incredible...we were just a bit bummed that we had to sit in a corner that felt kind of in everyone's way when there were still empty tables that never got filled. read more

We had a great dinner outside as a party of 10. Our waiter, Max, was great! Our favorites were the bang bang shrimp, the crab stuffed shrimp and the peanut butter pie! read more

Great ambiance. Great food. Save room for dessert. We came early (around 5) and had no wait. Wait staff was friendly and offered several specials on a Friday night. 5 stars and thank you. read more

I can't say enough about how wonderful our experience was here. From the food to the service, everything was top notch. We went for an early dinner (around 5:00) and were impressed with the happy hour drink specials. $7 glasses of wine were 2 for 1 before 6:00! Draft beers were $8 each. The blue crab and shrimp stack appetizer was unbelievable, I would highly recommend it. We had the diver scallops with lobster ravioli and the seafood linguine special. Both were rich in flavor and generous in portion size. I would probably list this as a $$$ restaurant since most entrees were $25-$40, but either way, they are worth every penny. read more

See all

Pleasant surprise! We came here because of the other positive reviews on Yelp and we were not disappointed. The service was phenomenal. Quick, attentive and friendly. The food...triple tail special with goat cheese, sun dried tomato and spinach was one of the best fish dishes that I have tried. The macadamia nut encrusted grouper with mango salsa was also quite tasty! Lava cake... Oh, YUM! Live music... Nice touch, not too loud to interfere with conversation... Nice selection of songs. We will DEFINITELY be back! read more

Traders - Chocolate lava cake! - Seafood Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

First: Go for Happy Hour, starts at 3pm. Second: Get the Chocolate Brownie first! Third: Check out the food and drink specials for happy hour, and be sure to save room for their ahhh-mazing bread basket. If you follow my advice above, you'll have the excellent experience I did when I went! I tried the tacos, (no chips or salsa but the bread made up for it in spades!), then I had two-for-one drinks, then I had one of the best desserts I've had in a long, long time. You can too! Just go early to beat the crowds! Cheers! read more

Great food and good vibe. Piano player was enjoyable. This is a spot we make sure to hit on every Sanibel visit. read more

See all

Front staff young and inexperienced.... I asked to sit outside and they could not accommodate me... Several tables were empty from the time we arrived and left.... They sat us in a corner with a view of the bathroom! Food was very average and from the 1st time we went there several years ago it has gone down hill.... read more

My family has been coming to Trader's for many years and it's one of the best spots on the island! For drinks I recommend the Captiva Cooler (kinda like a mojito with gin instead of rum) or sangria. In past visits I had the Sanibel Sunrise and it was way too sweet. The bread they bring to start is great, and they'll even bring extra oil/cheese if you ask! For appetizers we had the oysters florentine (served fried with spinach) and gumbo, which was exceptional. The specials of the evening were a short rib with au gratin potatoes and stuffed shrimp with lobster ravioli. The short rib was amazing, truly falling off the bone. If it is ever an option it's a must have! The stuffed shrimp was super rich and delicious as well. For dessert, we had chocolate lava cake and key lime pie. Definitely tasty but not the main reason to visit. Be sure to stop in at the cute gift shop before or after your meal as well! read more

See all

Yummy. Gosh we liked this restaurant. The food was delicious. The service was great. Staff smiling and attentive. What a great experience. Thank you! read more

I think this was our favorite place we ate all week. And my favorite spot on the island! (I've been coming to Sanibel for over 20 years). Atmosphere is great and open. Food is delicious. Service was fantastic. My husband and I ate with our almost 2 year old and even though it is a nicer dining spot than some other places we ate on the island, the staff was incredibly attentive and accommodating to our little one. Her food came out very quickly so she was entertained while we waited for ours. I ordered the macadamia encrusted grouper and it was delicious. And it was a very large cut of fish! I was able to take half home for lunch the next day. Initially the middle of the fish was slightly undercooked (still pink) but they took it back to go in oven and prepared a fresh plate for me with all new sides and it was cooked perfectly. My husband ordered a filet off of the specials menu and it, too was great! read more

Traders - Seafood Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

A Sanibel staple for my husband and me. The food never disappoints and the service is always good. Came for dinner while on the island last week and sat on the porch. The live music was a nice touch. I had the crab stuffed shrimp with lobster ravioli - thought it was a little rich, but my husband didn't mind & finished my plate. We know we will be back when we're on the island again read more

One of the best affordable restaurants in the island. Never disappoints! A bit loud at dinner time. Attentive wait staff. Consistently above average! read more

PHENOMENAL PHENOMENAL PHENOMENAL!! Wow, if you are all about food, this is the place. I'm so happy my boyfriend and I decided to come eat dinner here. This is one if the best meals I've had in my entire life! The ambiance is different but interesting and pleasant at the same time. It's a big open area but the seating seemed cozy. Our waiter was a little dry but we tried to make him smile every once in a while. Now for the food... To start we shared the Ahi tuna, this was to die for, I got so excited I forgot to take a picture, sorry guys. The tuna was huge and came with two fantastic salads, a seaweed salad and an Asian slaw which was made of red onion, peppers and I don't know what else but I couldn't stop eating it. For the entrees, I had the parmesan encrusted sea bass special that came with a seafood risotto, avocado mousse puree, tomato salad and some spaghetti squash. This was one of the best pieces of fish I've ever had. My bf had the filet special with mushroom and fingerling potatoes. He was extremely happy with his choice but I can tell you in my opinion nothing was better than my dish. Lol. We enjoyed our food so much that we ate it all and had no room for dessert. I seriously cannot come back to Sanibel next year so I can come back and eat here again. read more

See all

Spent 10 days on Sanibel Island and this is one of my Top 3 choices..... It was an 'off week' for food but WHAT A TREAT! Trader's has a very cool 'Island Vibe' with a HUGE Dining area that seems to become the perfect size for a small group! We started with a few drink and apps and they were all perfect.....Ahi Tuna, Short Ribs and warm bread with seasoned olive oil (Can always tell a good place by Olive Oil vs. Butter) - 2 people in party had the Sea Bass Special.... I had the 'Seafood Pasta Special' - Lobster, Shrimp, Scallops in an amazing sauce over the perfect amount of pasta! - Bravo Traders! Their Website was down all week.... :( read more

Traders - Short Rib App..... Delicious! - Seafood Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

See all

One of the best upper-scale restaurants on the island. The short ribs and curry snapper is amazing. Service is also top-notch..