Cape Coral Restaurant Tips by Nathalie_B

Red's Fresh Seafood House & Tavern: Best Oysters & Atmosphere

I wanted my giant oysters, again, and meant to make it to the Waterfront Restaurant for the second time, but the locals I met along the way recommended Red’s. I’m glad we listened to them.
From the outside Red’s looks like a mid-sized barn turned into a restaurant, and of course, it is painted red. However, inside it’s a neatly adorned, small, quiet, and intimate restaurant ready to accommodate hungry couples and small parties. Their bar is really impressive and choices of alcohol are pretty good. Don’t plan to have a big party at Red’s, they won’t be able to accommodate you and won’t even let you to reserve a table in advance, but you’re always welcome to wait for a table at the bar and it won’t take long before you’re seated.
The oysters where fresh and tasty, without noticing I finished all 12 of them, alone! My “Lemon Caper Snapper” was mouth-watering and I really couldn’t wish for a better dish. Our waiter was very friendly and helpful. He knew every single ingredient of all the dishes listed in the menu and his recommendations were honest and helpful. He even found a few minutes for a friendly chat with us, although the place was pretty busy.
While they call themselves a reasonably priced restaurant, I’d say they are a bit more expensive than average, but I’d return to Red’s any day because there’s one thing they are definitely the best at – their seafood, and I wouldn’t mind paying for such a great experience.
Bottom line, there are only 3 restaurants I’ve been to on Pine Island, and Red’s, by far, is the best one!

Address: 10880 Stringfellow Rd., Bokeelia, FL 33922

Comparison: more expensive than average

Directions: Pine Island

Phone: (239) 283-4412

Price: US$31-40

Rating: 5

Theme: Seafood

Website: http://www.redsfreshseafoodhouse.com

The Waterfront - Restaurant and Marina: Good seafood

During my first visit to Cape Coral I was dreaming of oysters. Very “kosher” in Israel, they’re impossible to get here, so when I travel I tend to “attack” all the seafood restaurants I can find. Therefore, pretty much every local resident in Cape Coral was asked to recommend a good restaurant with decent oysters in the menu.
40 minutes drive and we found ourselves on Pine Island at The Waterfront Restaurant & Marina. We asked whether they had fresh oysters, although it wasn’t exactly the season, and the answer was “Don’t worry, we always have them, we import our oysters from Texas”.
First, we wanted to sit outside, right by the water, but this is when I discovered those tiny bugs called “no-see-‘em”, their annoying bites chased me inside the restaurant in no time. And this is the ONLY negative thing I can say about the place.
My Texan oysters where fresh and delicious, the broiled seafood combo which included scallops, shrimps, mahi-mahi, and grouper as a main dish was really good, and all the salads that came with it were excellent. Also, they serve Belgian fries, to my surprise.
Another thing that caught my eye was “You catch it, we cook it” dish, looked like a really good experience to me, maybe I’ll keep the idea for my next visit. After all, there’s not much entertainment in this part of Florida.

Address: 2131 Oleander St., St. James City, FL

Comparison: about average

Phone: 239- 283-0592

Price: US$21-30

Rating: 4

Theme: Seafood

Website: http://waterfrontrestaurant.com/

Kumo - Japanese Steak House: Great Hibachi show

I have never heard of “hibachi” before my visit to Kumo. I was thinking about sushi, but what I discovered was even better. The chefs are definitely great entertainers and take their job seriously turning a 30 minutes show into a real culinary delight.
Your choice of steak, scallops, shrimp, or chicken will be prepared in front of you and served to you with rice and veggies. All this while the chef is flipping scallops in the air, cuts an onion and makes a “volcano” out of it, throws an egg high above and “smashes” it on the grill once it fell down, makes kids catch a piece of shrimp (messy but very amusing) etc.
Once the food is ready and served, the chef will clean and sterilize the grill, leaving it shiny and spotless within minutes. Portions are really big, and I did end up going home with a doggy bag, like everybody else at our table.
I’ve been to Kumo several times and had the chance to try their sushi as well. Fresh, tasty…just perfect. My favorite is Kumo’s spider roll – soft shell crab roll.
Their service is always with a smile and very professional. The restaurant is clean, neatly decorated and the atmosphere is very pleasant.
Let’s face it, Cape Coral is not exactly a tourist attraction, if you happen to be in this town and look for entertainment, I’d recommend Kumo.

Address: 2517 Santa Barbara Blvd, Cape Coral, FL

Comparison: about average

Phone: 239-573-9866

Price: US$21-30

Rating: 5

Theme: Japanese/Sushi