With its fishy preoccupation, the island has a reputation for fresh seafood. Matlacha's fish houses, where fresh oysters, shrimp, blue crab, grouper, snapper, pompano, and scallops are off-loaded for transshipment, are the place to buy. The island boasts a slew of small restaurants using local products, but with a Midwestern, comfort food approach.
If you're looking for the locals' hangout, stop in at Bert's Bar & Grill at 4271 Pine Island Rd. in Matlacha, tel. 239-282-3232. Both locally colorful and waterside scenic, it does a mean basket of wings, in addition to sandwiches, burgers, pizza, and peel-and-eat shrimp. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Sandwiches and dinners range $5.50-$14.
A favorite of boaters and residents is situated on a canal in St. James City. The Waterfront Restaurant at 2131 Oleander St., tel. 239-283-0592, www.waterfrontrestaurant.com, occupies a historic one-room schoolhouse and has indoor and outdoor seating. The all-day menu ranges from grouper sandwiches to shrimp dinners; meals are priced from $6-$22. It is open daily for lunch and dinner.
Lazy Flamingo, a spin-off from a well-loved Sanibel establishment, is at Four Winds Marina in Bokeelia, 16501-B Stringfellow Rd., tel. 239-283-5959, www.lazyflamingo.com. This one overlooks the harbor and its boats, and is decorated in the chain's typical old shrimp-boat wood and corrugated tin. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Most menu items are priced at $8-$16.
One of the most delightful dining adventures the region has to offer involves island-hopping to somewhere with no cars and lots of character. Cabbage Key Inn on Cabbage Key, tel. 239-283-2278, www.cabbage-key.com, is most popular among tour and recreational boaters. In a historic home built by novelist Mary Roberts Rinehart in the 1930s, diners tape autographed dollar bills to the wall and feast on cheeseburgers, stone crabs, and grouper sandwiches. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Prices for lunch are $8-$15; for dinner, $17-$25.
Lesser known (but building a following) and harder to reach, Barnacle Phil's at 4401 Point House Trail in North Captiva's Safety Harbor, tel. 239-472-6394, is known for its black beans 'n rice – the rage among reclusive stars, such as Henry Winkler, who visit here. It also serves burgers, fish sandwiches, and other casual fare, priced at $6-$23. Open daily for lunch and dinner.
