Fort Myers Beach Restaurant Recommendations

Hey friends!

If you’ve followed us for awhile, you likely know that our parents have a house in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. We’re very grateful. Due to the easy, direct flights and the increasing ability to work remotely, we’re able to sneak in quite a few trips to the beach each year. And since we preeeetty much just hang out at the beach/pool, go for walks and eat… we have quite a few restaurant recommendations to share!

If you’ve been to FMB, you already know what you’re getting yourself into. It’s an adorable little beach town, but it definitely has its quirks (think: kitschy souvenirs shops). If you’re looking for fine dining, might we suggest heading to Naples? 🙂 Most of our favorite FMB restaurants only make sense in FMB. And we love them, quirks and all. If you have any questions about where to go for a specific occasion, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or reach out to us on Instagram. We’d love to help!

Coffee/Breakfast

Tuckaway Café: our all time favoriteee spot with the best bagel sandwiches. They also have lunch [and Jell-O shots??], but we only ever stop in for breakfast. They have gluten free bagels, which is really all Anna wants in life, so… Sold. Our fave bagel sandwiches: The McGregor, Tasha’s Secret (add sprouts), The Greenpeace (add turkey) and The Snook.

Heavenly Biscuit: amazing cinnamon rolls, pecan rolls and breakfast potatoes. This place is tiiiiiiny, and there are often lines out the door, but it’s worth it.

Mom’s Restaurant: more cinnamon rolls, biscuits and breakfast sandwiches. Enough said.

MoJoe’s Coffee Bar: our favorite coffee spot! They have omelets, acai bowls and other breakfast items, but we primarily stop here for their cold brew.

Lunch

Junkanoo: suuuper casual (tbh, it’s seen better days), but it’s a great spot on the beach to grab a margarita and some blackened grouper bites. always one of our fave lunch spots.

Pincher’s: another funny little beach spot. It can be a pretty fun atmosphere, since there’s often live music. The outdoor (covered) bar is one of our favorite spots to watch football. Get the hot crab dip for an appetizer. The food is nothing to write home about, but when you’re on the beach, does it really matter?

Matanza’s On The Bay: every once and awhile we’ll leave the beach and head into “time’s square.” We typically go to Matanza’s, which is on the intercoastal, and is kind of a cool change of pace for us beach-dwellers.

Dinner

Flippers On The Bay: we LOVE Flippers. Honestly, all of their food is so good and the open air situation just can’t be beat. It’s almost always the first restaurant we go to when we get to FMB. Executive Chef Juan Cruz does not disappoint. As for entrees, we’ve pretty much tried (and loved) them all. Paella, Shrimp Scampi, Taste of the Bay Pasta, and of course the Filet Oscar. IT’S ALL SO GOOD.

Fresh Catch Bistro: Fresh Catch is definitely one of the more expensive restaurants on the island. The ambiance can be a little hit or miss (dining on the deck is a must!), but the food is delicious. At our table, there’s usually some combination of filet mignon, scallops, shrimp mediterranean and lots of sides. We also tend to have a few Lemon Drops and Cosmopolitans… 🙂

Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grill: Doc Ford’s is guaranteed to be fun. It’s a great place to go with a group of friends (we don’t typically go here if it’s just our immediate family). The menu is pretty big, so there’s bound to be something for everyone. It’s a fun atmosphere, especially the large dance floor. Our entree orders here range from paella to chicken fingers, so it’s really a mixed bag. One thing is certain, we always start with the yucatan shrimp, beach bread and black bean dip. …And, mojitos and skinny margs.

Dixie Fish Co.: Owned by the same people as Doc Ford’s, we love Dixie Fish. It’s a lot smaller than Doc Ford’s, and has an open-air concept like Flipper’s. There’s often live music and they serve their moscow mules in little cans – too cute. We often get blackened grouper, peel & eat shrimp and/or some sort of fish/shrimp tacos.

The Beached Whale: Like Dixie Fish, The Beached Whale is also owned by the same people as Doc Ford’s (The Whale being the most casual of the three). It’s not on the water, but the upper deck is still a cool spot to sit and enjoy a meal. We don’t go here nearly as often as the others on this list, but it is still worth mentioning!

Takeout/Delivery

Ray’s Pizza: we order this at least once per trip. It’s the best on the island, in our opinion. Our family loves it. Anna and Ellie usually pick up a gluten free pizza at Publix, and if we time it right, we all enjoy pizza as a fam. 🙂

The Charros Brothers: amazing Mexican food. Great service. Great prices. You can’t go wrong.

Bars/Late Night Eats

The Cottage Bar: This is really the only bar we go to. You need to go… and wear your dancing shoes, because they usually have a really great band.

Yo! Taco: This is where you go AFTER the Cottage Bar closes. We’ve been told to avoid this little shack, but we just keep going back. The food is great, from what we remember. The crowd can get a little rowdy, so make sure you have a ride lined up and don’t talk to strangers.