Junkanoo Below Deck

16 years ago, we've been to the old Junkanoo's for the first time and it's been a place we always loved to come back during every vacation in Florida. It's very sad, that the old location got destroyed by a hurricane but we're glad that the spirit lives on at the new location and that the food is still as good as we remember. Greetings from loyal visitors from Germany.

We arrived a little after 7 pm. Loved the atmosphere. Great casual delicious dining on the water. Excellent drinks and outstanding service. You will be relaxed without stress dining/drinking here!!! I ordered the appetizer bread. Do not miss this appetizer. We had Miami Vice and Bahama Mamas. Very well done. I ordered the Steak Bomb sandwich with fries. It was killer. Definitely eat here and relax in the vibe.

Though we’ll always have a soft spot for the old Junkanoo on the beach, the new place is nice too. Great location for the south end people being mid-island you can avoid all the traffic towards Times Square. Service: Usually pretty good and friendly. Some servers can seem a bit short but it’s usually when it gets busy and they’re trying to hustle. Expect slower wait times when it’s really busy. It’s not uncommon for them to be on hour+ waits during peak times. Try to be patient and enjoy looking out at the water. Food: Solid casual beach food. Grouper bites are fantastic. Pizza is best on island. Peel and eat shrimp are always good. They do a great grilled/blackened fish. Drinks: Well, it’s a fast service casual bar. Don’t expect craft cocktails, but they make a helluva rum bucket (according to my daughter’s and niece).😄 If it’s beer or a fun and fruity drink they got ya covered. Atmosphere: Fun, casual, on the water, outdoors but covered. This place has been a staple of ours forever. Love it.

The food portions are kind of small. They should really have lids for their to go cups especially when you paid for drinks that you would like to take with you! I couldn't really enjoy myself due to several dogs barking continuously throughout my dining experience. There were at least three dogs there It's too dim in this place. The food was pretty good. The burgers and fries, and sweet potato fries tasted pretty good. If the portion sizes were larger, this place would be a real winner!

Nice little spot mid-island hidding behind Publix. Nice seating options, good boat access, free parking though can get full at busier times. Good food, service, and view of the bay. Corn hole available.

We stumbled upon this awesome place while catching a dolphin cruise. Drinks were on point and food was delicious. Every server we spoke to was super friendly and attentive. The atmosphere was spot on!! Great little spot and hidden gem in Ft Myers!! So glad we found it!! Best fish tacos I have had since arriving!! Great job!!

Carlos was a joy and a very friendly and professional server. His attitude and attention to details made for a fun experience as he played along with our groups sense of humor. Cheers to those that want "No Salt".

One of our favorite places - and we sought out DAVID twice! He’s not only a veteran server he’s an actual veteran 🇺🇸 Fun, relaxed place to sit by the back bay and enjoy cold drinks and amazing food 🥰

Absolutely amazing food. Best all round and consistently great food everytime we go there. Our server was Enrique Ramon was on top of things and one of the greatest personalities you will find anywhere. Great place for friends and family.

Updating my original review: I like this place. However, they are charging $11.99 for four shrimp to add to a salad. I had a $26 salad the other night. They're charging $12.99 for a half lb of peel and eat shrimp. For the extra $1, I would have rather had those shrimp with my salad. When brought to the managers attention he shrugged and said...inflation. FYI!

I had the best time here due to our server Carlos. He is an extremely hard worker and is so thoughtful. He does everything he can to make sure your experience is great.

Nice bar/restaurant with great views of the bay. Food is good quality with a nice selection. One suggestion, DO NOT go there near dusk, if you are like me and attract no-see-ums you will be attacked to the point you cannot enjoy your experience. I urge the management to do something about this issue, it will cost you some business if you don't.

Unfortunately due to Ian Junkanoo is no longer at the beach location. They are now opened at a new site along Estero Bay on Sanders Drive next to Snook Bight Marina. The food was great, our server was excellent, and it was a beautiful day to sit outside watching the boats traveling on the bay. It is now called Junkanoo Below Deck as the Fresh Catch Bistro is also located above.

This spot is absolutely perfect for beachside food. We got pizza to go so we could enjoy the beach. The pizza is ready in about 20 minutes. They loaded us up with napkins, plates, ranch etc. I liked the pizza, but it is a bit flimsy and messy. I prefer my crust to be a bit crispier but this hit the spot after a long day at the beach!

This was our first time to Junkanoo. It has a great view of the water but the food wasn't great. Our server was very nice but it took a long time for us to get food and then another long wait for the check. If you are looking for a good location, this is good choice.

Nice patio on the bay. Food was yummy and service very good. Hurricane Isn removed the old place that was on the beach.

Went here for lunch - highly recommend the grouper tacos!! Blackened is the way to go. Alba was our server and she was lovely. The manager also came by our table to check on us which was very nice. My fiance had the shrimp tacos and loved them as well. Lots of shrimp!! Looking forward to coming back!

Best Coconut Fried Shrimp around! Their Fries Pair well too. Great customer service.

Our food was delicious, our group got grouper tacos, shrimp tacos, and a chicken. Everything was perfect. Drinks were great. Loved the atmosphere and service was awesome.

Location location location and the free parking ! Came across this restaurant when making a quick stop in Fort Myers. Amazing beach front location, great prices and friendly staff. I highly recommend it.

Wait wasn't bad on a Thursday afternoon. Sat out by the water which was nice. I very much enjoyed the live music guy setting his own tempos and background sounds to then play over top of. Food took quite awhile and was nothing to write home over. Just your typical bar atmosphere. Wouldn't bring the family here for a meal but was fine enough for two young adults. If you're looking for a boozey spot this is probably up your alley.

I have been coming here for the past 20 year and it's always a great time there. The view is beautiful, the vibe is very relaxing, the food is great and the service is usually very good. We usually get a table but this time we sat at the bar because we wanted a quick bite and a drink. Our bartender was not attentive at all, in fact, my husband wanted to order another drink and he never came by or even looked in our direction so we closed our tab and went somewhere else. But before that happened we did get the chance to order cheesy fries and chicken tender and that was good. Also, Raul, a bar aid went above and beyond to make sure our visit was special. Not sure if he noticed how inattentive our bartender was being that he brought us a piece of chocolate cake and that certainly made things sweet. Had Raul been our bartender we would have probably spent a lot more time and more money there.

Food was ok. Our server Carlos was less than cordial! So many places to eat with better service!

This is the new location after the original restaurant was destroyed by hurricane Ian. They are located right behind Publix, right on the water. The food is still great including the pizza! We normally have the pizza but sometimes just stop by for a drink. They have both outdoor seating and a long covered bar.

Very cute location, but the food was just okay. The conch fritters we're still raw and mushy in the middle, like the fryer was too hot. The fish was fresh, but not enough seasoning. The sweet potato fries smacked though. Nice breeze and right on the beach

the Junkanoo staff gives intimately detailed and high-quality service to all their customers despite the busy atmosphere.The staff is dedicated to high quality services. We spoke with Andres the GM and he went out of his way to ensure guests experiences were as amazing as possible. Our waiter, John, was also very patient and friendly while attending to us.

This is by far our favorite place to eat on Ft Myers Beach. We drive from Punta Gorda just to eat their fish tacos and BLT's which are our favorites. But their menu is full of delicious offerings and the service is always very friendly. The view of the inter coastal is top notch also. Rain or shine this will always be our first choice.

Carlos Ramos was our server, an absolute blast. Great person and server. We will be returning for him. Best mojitos around. New atmosphere from the previous after hurricane but just as fun. Ordered some appetizers, coconut shrimp was delicious and nachos appetizer.

Fun beach spot! But I'm unsure if it's still there :( Great bar and good amount of parking

Grouper bites were awesome Caesar salad awesome clam soup awesome. But where the happy hour special. They don't tell you but they are definitely smaller portions. My $10 Caesar salad was basically the size of a small side salad. Then it had barely any salad dressing so they charged me a dollar for extra. Then I had to order another happy hour special just to actually have enough to eat. Not cool. They have an elevator but I guess it's not working so they do not have a handicapped accessible bathroom. Beware! Katie was very sweet. Nice waitress.

Yummy food, great service & a fun view. The spicy con sandwich is super good, as is all the fish and the coconut shrimp! Good rum runners as well. A good beach side destination! Good cole slaw for u slaw connoisseurs

First time eating here, and it was FANTASTIC! We had a boat and could easily dock. The food was excellent. They have a formal and informal dining area. There were bean bags to play while you wait, along with seating by the marina. We also bought cute shirts with a great logo on the back. We will definitely be back here again!!

Food was good, but service was lackluster. We were sat by the manager and never even got waters to the table nor a drink order for over 10 minutes. I'm willing to give it another shot but I have reservations about the next visit.

food, service, ambiance were great, there is free parking, it is away from the long lines on the other end of the island. I'd go back.

Great and very popular beach restaurant for sunset dinner and drinks. The food was excellent. We all had different burger selections and they all came out perfect. Plan to arrive no later than 90 minutes before sunset if you want to get a good outside deck table for watching the sun go down.

Great, good on the bay, tastiest food and eat out side on the water on fort Myers beach

It's your typical dive bar. We tried the "famous wings" and "fire cracker shrimp" and I wasn't impressed. I was hungry so ate the shrimp lol but I would not recommend this spot for food. Mike the bartender is great and made the experience much better! Overall, head here for a drink or two, sit outside with the ocean view but save your appetite for and go somewhere else for dinner!

The place is now called Junkanoo Below Deck.. I would disagree with the other recent review.. the prices are on par with everything in in this city. It is not high, but pretty typical.. Anyway, I thought the food i had was excellent. Wings are really as well as their beac bread. For dinner, I had the steak sandwhich... very good...I'll be back..

Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else. I am not local but I am a Floridian who is used to fresh seafood from the Gulf. They did not serve fresh seafood. Which I find kind of ironic since leaving the restaurant and traveling slightly further north you can see shrimp boats and fish markets at the marinas. The atmosphere. Yes it's on the beach. The drink menu looks like typical beach drinks and I'm sure they were probably good but I didn't have any. But everything is old and outdated and covered in dust and rust. Don't use the bathrooms. I'm not a snob but those should be condemned. I don't even want to see the kitchen. The menu online was similar to the menu I saw at the restaurant but the prices were more at the restaurant then they were online. At their own website. I get it. Everything is more expensive these days. My husband orders fire cracker or bang bang or whatever you wanna call it type shrimp at just about every restaurant we go to. So he did at Junkanoo and it was like 10 pieces of shrimp. Same price at Longhorn gives you like 30 shrimp. The menu said lightly battered but they cannot possibly be battered in house because I could not take the layer off to eat the shrimp alone. Can do that easily most places. He ordered shrimp and scallop wrap and almost broke a tooth on something that resembled a piece of batter that has sat in the grease until it was black and burnt. Gross. It was obviously not fresh shrimp. He didn't eat the fries it came with saying they were way to greasy. This man is my all gone machine. Literally Mikey. Will eat anything and usually clears all our plates. Nope. Not today. Left a whole basket of fries. I ordered grouper sandwich minus the bun and fixings and gave hubby my potato salad side. He ate the whole side and said it was good. My Grouper was not fresh Gulf grouper. Disappointed for a $50 lunch. 2 stars. Our waitress was super friendly and took good care of us. We didn't complain to her but she was on top of our drinks being filled. It's on the beach and the local iguanas joined us for lunch.

Great atmosphere, wonderful ocean breeze, and excellent wait staff! We sat inside and had a great view of the beach. We both ordered chicken sandwiches which were a little bland. The fries were fried to perfection and tasty. They had plenty of parking and I would visit again:)

Reliable food near and on the beach. Stopped here so we didn't have to sit in traffic and just in time before the pouring rain came. We had pizzas, peel and eat shrimp, grouper bites and kids had pasta and cheese pizza. Food tasted good. Service was great--she was kind despite all of our grumpiness due to heat, tiredness and hunger. Thanks for your patience with us!

we were looking for a place that had a lot of different stuff offered on the menu to satisfy whatever craving we might have.....we LOVED their sister restaurant, fresh catch bistro next door, thought this would be a winner too, but it was just ok. get there early as this place fills up fast. it's kind of a dump, i guess you'd call it beach chic....... our server was friendly, but not well informed. we ordered a few beers, then ordered our apps; conch fritters & yucca fritters. both were really good. for dinner we ordered a patty melt & a southwestern burger, both with sweet potato fries...... our food arrived quickly, both sandwiches were good, nothing spectacular, but adequate. service is a bit scattered, we watched many tables being served half of their dinners, while the other half of the table would wait. odd..... again, this place was good, but not memorable.....

It is a Junkanoo Cheep drinks and beautiful view that's Junkanoo didn't eat the food it looked a little scary but I'm sure it's good everybody else is eating it was a giant patio big giant beach area with chairs the beach and sand that is literally like baby powder on your feet. I think that Rod Stewart was here I seen him sitting in a chair drinking a beer. Dogs are welcome this place is worth going to laid-back good atmosphere coming people walking their dogs on the beach nice breeze off the ocean golf of Mexico absolutely amazing place got to go got to go

This is a fantastic fun place to go!!! It's very beachy!!! There is a great selection of food, such as hamburgers, seafood, pizza and cocktails!!! I love to visit Junkanoo every time I am visiting Fort Myers!!! There is plenty of space and seating there even though Junkanoo is quite busy!!! It is just such an upbeat fun place and I mean fun!!! I love the white pizza which I split with my daughter. My husband had a meatball sub which was very good. The portions are huge!!! It's the best place!!! You should try it!!!

Great place to unwind and relax. friendly atmosphere, neighborhood hangout but tourists welcome! Pizza is delicious or try the snow crab on Thursday... but my favorite is the fried jalapeño and blue cheese burger, yum.

Cool place, the beach access Is awesome! The only negative is all the smoking, it really gross. Especially inside. Conch fritters - 5.0 Peel and eat shrimp- 4.5 (needs more old bay) Price - 5.0 Service - 3.5

Hello and thanks for checking out my review. Food is my favorite hobby, I do not cook at all, so I'm constantly on the hunt for something amazing to eat and writing about it is my second favorite hobby.... I hope it helps you as you find your next meal. Enjoy and good eating!! I always rate a place by 5 categories ranging from 1 - 5 stars and why. (Atmosphere, Service, Food, Price & Overall Experience). Atmosphere: 5 I give this 5 because, it's still on the beach however it's further down on the south side of the island which takes it away from all the main stream loud and obnoxious. It has seating inside and out and the whole back is open with great views of the ocean. Service: 5 The service is fast and very friendly and do not tolerate mis behavior. Not that they have a lot of it but I've been there a few times and once I saw a broody group that had a little too many daiquiris and were kindly but assertively told to get it together or they would have to leave. You can eat at the bar or dining, they take your orders quickly and check in on you frequently to see how you and your meal are going (this is a big deal for me as I am usually the girl needing condiments) Food: 4 Now this is a minute of bar food and seafood and I've only had the bar food. Some appetizers are just silly good and other were your typically nothing special bar food. (The fried cauliflower, silly tasty with Asian dipping sauce, verse the pepperoni pizza nothing special and tasted like old memories of late night wasted college 2:00am pizza) Price: 4 The pice is over all pretty good but a little off on some items. Garlic knots that are so tasty and fluffy and drizzled with olive oil and cheese with spices, silly good and super cheap. The pizza again nothing great and almost $20.00 just seemed a little off so my guess is they price by what's popular.... ? Overall Experience: 4 It's a great place for lunch or catching a game on an afternoon, with great access to the water.

We absolutely love the Junkanoo ask for Kelly D to be your waitress she is the Best!! Constantly checking on you never without a drink! The food is delivered in a timely manner and delicious! I recommend the pizza! The wings are super yummy! The chicken fingers are always a great choice!

This was our first time at the new location and WOW!!! The manager who greeted us was so friendly and accommodating to our group of 8. The location on the bay is perfection. We love this location so much better! It was clean and the ambiance was so chill yet classy. The food was so much better and delicious. But the highlight of our visit was our server Katie! When you go you must ask for her. She is the absolute best. We can not wait to go back and also try fresh catch too!

Sooooo happy they opened here! As full time locals who live only 6 blocks away, we had been to bayfront bistro several times and were not impressed but now that junkanoo took over, so happy!! We had a great time, had the patty melt, the shrimp appetizer, the cauliflower bites - all amazing! The service is top notch compared to Bistro and we LOVEEEEE Jess!! Seeing her happy face is the best ever and we will be back often. Anyone who is complaining just needs to go back to their home state and piss off.

Very mediocre beach food. Mostly fried items. The drinks were good though! Since I'm pregnant I got a virgin pina colada and it tasted great!

Figured I'd get in my last review of Junkanoo. Always a great place for dinner at the beach! We'll miss it. Memorable staff and pizza. Hope they are able to rebuild.

Place looked awful, like they just ride through hurricanes then open up the day after. Half assed supports holding up the ceiling and rotting siding with plywood windows. Just very run down and smelled funky smelling I was seriously worried to get my food, but I was surprised. The food was decent like most other restaurant around, nothing stood out. Our service was very good we got our food very quickly and got our drinks refilled often. I'd leave a better review if it weren't for the awful condition of the building. It looked bad inside and out. The bar looked busy but I didn't order anything from it but from how it looked i would assume it's not bad. If you're looking for a nice place to eat go elsewhere, but if you're on the beach and want some basic food and drinks it's great for that. It wasn't very cheap either unfortunately.

I had the shrimp ceviche and it was excellent. The right amount of heat and the cilantro didn't overpower the flavors. My server, Katy, was great, friendly, attentive but not pushy. I'm glad I came here today.

What a great spot to watch the sunset !!! The food was really delicious and the restaurant has such a dive bar vibe. We absolutely had a great time here with all the games and views. It was a perfect ending to our trip

Our first time at the new location. Sure miss the old view and walk on the beach...but...the food was excellent. Hubs had fish and chips I had the steak bomb. Everyone that worked there had a smile on their face and was extremely friendly. We had the BEST server--John! He made our visit even better. Thank you

We had a really great time today at Junkanoo! Fantastic food , wonderful ambiance, and Dustin was the finest sever ever! Thank you Dustin!!

Wanted to take my out-of-state guest to a beach-front dining to experience the beauty of our beaches and beautiful Gulf views. Decided to come to Junkanoo. Beautiful view. Open-air restaurant but pleasant breezes so it did not feel hot although it was mid-July. For an appetizer, I had 1/4 lb. of steamed shrimp. It was served with a side of clarified butter for dipping as well as cocktail sauce. They were good, seasoned with Old Bay - Just the way I like them. For dinner I had the taco salad. It was ok, but nothing to write home about. Too much lettuce and not enough cheese, tomatoes, black olives, etc. Old beach-front vibe. Pool table, video game, corn-hole out on the beach. If you're going for the beach and water view, I highly recommend.