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Restaurants near Beachview Villas fall into three moods: casual, upscale, and fine dining. Here are some options on both Sanibel and Captiva.
Sanibel and Captiva have a lot of great dining options. Diners have numerous options for casual, upscale, or fine dining. Here are a few restaurants near Beachview Villas that we think are worth checking out.
Casual Restaurants Near Beachview Villas
Doc Ford’s flagship location is actually on Sanibel, not somewhere else in the chain. It sits on Island Inn Road, an easy stop for anyone staying nearby. The menu leans Caribbean and seafood, built around the fictional Doc Ford character from the Randy Wayne White novels. The Yucatan shrimp, made with butter, garlic, and key lime, is the thing most people order first. Lunch and dinner run together from late morning until close.
The Shipyard, on Captiva, runs on old fishing and boating history. It’s open for dinner, plus a happy hour and bar menu earlier in the day. A two-story lookout over the Gulf gives it a built-in sunset view. Nothing about the place requires a reservation or a change of clothes.
Upscale, a Step Up From Casual
Crow’s Nest Steakhouse sits one flight above The Shipyard on Captiva. It’s the only second-story dining room on either island with a Gulf sunset view built into the seating. A steakhouse menu gives it a different feel than the restaurant below.
The Timbers is another option on Sanibel. It’s a seafood restaurant with its own fish market attached. The same fish on the menu is also sitting in the case out front. The building sits on Tarpon Bay Road. Dinner only, no reservations taken. Regulars tend to order the blue crab bisque before anything else.
Planning A Girls Trip to Sanibel?
Fine Dining Worth Booking Ahead
Old Captiva House is the fine dining pick on Captiva. The building is a national historic landmark more than a century old. It serves breakfast and dinner in a bright, nautical dining room, with dinner leaning seafood-forward. Reservations are a good idea, especially on a busy night.
Cielo is a fine dining pick on Sanibel. The dining room sits on Periwinkle Way, Sanibel’s main strip for restaurants. Live piano plays most evenings. The kitchen works in a New American register with global influences on the seasonings. Happy hour runs twice a day for anyone who wants a lower-key visit. The restaurant has been part of the island for well over a decade.
Picking among the restaurants near Beachview Villas comes down to how dressed up the night calls for.
Quick Reference
- Casual: The Shipyard (Captiva), Doc Ford’s (Sanibel)
- Upscale: Crow’s Nest Steakhouse (Captiva), The Timbers (Sanibel)
- Fine Dining: Old Captiva House (Captiva), Cielo (Sanibel)
Key Takeaways
- Doc Ford’s, The Timbers, and Cielo are on Sanibel.
- The Shipyard, Crow’s Nest Steakhouse, and Old Captiva House are on Captiva, a short, scenic drive.
- For something easy, Doc Ford’s and The Shipyard both skip the dress code and the reservation.
- For a night worth dressing up for, Cielo and Old Captiva House are the two to book ahead.