Next Door

I came here about a month ago for my very first time and wow I have just moved from Miami to Cape Coral last year and have not yet found a restaurant that can top Miami restaurants and until I Visited next door restaurant . The restaurant is very cute, the atmosphere is great, and the service is better. Everyone is really attentive. We decided to get the chef choice and we did not regret it. Everything tasted amazing. We were able to try a lot of options, different wines and great desserts. The chef was Great she went to our table and brought our food and Went over each dish . The food was amazing!!!

This is always a great for a date or a get together! Great atmosphere. I think the menu has had its changes throughout the years, always good. It is pricey but you pay for the uniqueness.

From the very beginning we knew we were in for a great culinary experience! I am almost hesitant to write this review because they aren’t a big spot the food is Dope! Got to meet Chef John he was dope too!

Very quaint and cozy cafe style. The food was delicious. Good sized portions. I recommend reservations because seating is limited.

One of the best meals I’ve had in my life, and I’ve had a lot of good meals. My only regret is not being hungrier so I could order more food. The small restaurant does an incredible job of offering unique dishes that would be hard to find elsewhere. Unlike some Italian restaurants where the food is limited or heavy, Next Door has plenty of variety in selection and is not confined by the word “Italian”. My scallops entree was delicious, tasted fresh and the ingredients really spoke for themselves. No heavy sauces or over seasoning. I don’t have a big sweet tooth and I’m so glad our server suggested the pistachio molten cake. It’s not overly sweet and unlike any dessert I’ve had before. The whipped ganache and gelato really knock it out of the park. I wish I could eat it every day. It’s so refreshing to visit a restaurant with amazing food and service while offering one-of-kind dishes. Reservations are encouraged since seating is limited, and you will not regret stopping in.

You should choose this restaurant if you’d like a meal that you can savor every bite, you can taste the craftsmanship and thoughtfulness of the hands that prepared each dish. This restaurant has a cozy, dim atmosphere that can be very romantic with a partner or perfect to unwind all by yourself. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable, you can tell that they are like family, it feels comfortable as soon as you walk in. I could confidently recommend every single dish on their menu, none of them could disappoint. One of my favorite things about this restaurant is they give an amuse-bouche, that often changes but always leaves you wanted more. After dinner they give you a disgestif, which has usually been limoncello made in-house.

Can't even say enough great things about gathers sister restaurant next door! Phenomenal ask the way around! Thx Amanda for the great service with a beautiful smile! Carbanara and veggie lasagna for the win!

One of the best chef driven restaurants in SWFL! If you’re craving an eatery with heart, passion, and soul poured into every dish this is the place to dine! Thank you Chefs Ben, John & Jessica’s for bringing us a place this for our enjoyment! We love all the fresh made delicious food! 🩷

Next Door is everything you hope to find when dining out -- and more. The staff is welcoming, knowledgeable, and genuinely attentive without ever feeling overbearing. You can tell they care about the experience from start to finish. The chef? Truly talented. Every dish we tried was thoughtful, beautifully presented, and packed with flavor. The location itself is charming and intimate -- a hidden gem that feels upscale yet comfortable. Whether you're celebrating something special or just looking for an unforgettable meal in Cape Coral, Next Door delivers. Never a disappointing

We visited for new years but they had a combined kitchen with the gather so I really wanted to come back and have the main focus be next door. Let me tell you they do not miss a beat! Our server was super friendly, we loved her! They came out and brought us a little surprise amuse-bouche which was so good and a perfect start to the meal. We of course had to order some drinks as well. My friend ordered the spicy marg (she's spicy) and she said it was the best she's ever had! We ordered the bead to share which comes with this pesto/feta dip and it's the star of the show, she also had pork and I had the bucatini. Both were absolutely delicious. They ended our meal with a limoncello shot was so cute and fun! All the little touches really made it a special visit. Highly recommend, perfect for special occasions or anyone who enjoys a quality meal!

What a great experience! The waitstaff was absurdly knowledgeable about the menu, ingredients, preparations etc. you can tell they are passionate about the place. I believe it was Lyric that helped us for the most part and he was fantastic. The food was exceptional. The amuse bouche was a perfect veloute. Arancini (5/5) - with a truffle cream very rich but great rendition of a classic. Butternut squash ravioli (5/5) - not generally a big fan of butternut squash but this was a great combination with sausage and a vodka sauce. Again decadent but delicious. Seabass with gnocchi and pesto cream (5/5) - properly seasoned with a great crust. A nice cut that was cooked perfectly. The pesto gnocchi is a good pairing. This restaurant is a rarity in SW Florida. Will absolutely be back.

October 2024 ~ :) We loved everything about this restaurant! Location, the ambiance, the staff and of course the food. Romantic, great spot for a date. We are coming back for sure.

Oh my where do I begin? The cocktails were to die for, have the She's Spicy you will not regret it, think slightly spicy margarita but with less lime. The arancini was some of the best we've had anywhere hands down. Hubby had the gnudi with wagyu meatball, kind of think giant gnocchi but pillowy and light. The veggie lasagna was amazingly delicious and not as heavy as I expected. Portions are reasonably sized but we could have easily shared either main. Service was top notch. It can be loud inside because it's small, sit outside if you can and enjoy the view of the marina.

Really nice, low key restaurant. Stellar food and service. Amazing wine and desserts. My wagu steak was delicious.. Pasta and sauces are homemade. Gorgeous water views. What's not to like? Perfect date night restaurant. Loved it.....

I ordered the pink drink which was a refreshing mock-tail I followed it by the delicious sea bass. Then I follow it with a cappuccino and banana Carmel tart. The service was professional and the view of the sunset topped it off. I highly recommend.

After staying in Florida for a week, this was our going away present to ourselves! The food is prepared where you can watch, and you can tell it is prepared with love and precision! Everything was absolutely delicious! We got a free sampler of some soup, I wish I remembered what was in it, but it was absolutely amazing! We got the Focaccia and Knots appetizer and it was delicious. I ordered the ND Rigatoni and it was a large order so I brought some to go, but it was gone by the end of the night!! Yummy!!! My son ordered the Veal Marsala and said it was amazing. My daughter in law ordered the Ravioli and was also over the top happy with her meal. We all agreed it was the best meal of the trip. The owner was very pleasant and came by to say hi. Great experience!!

THE FOOD IS THE BEST IN CAPE CORAL!! best intimate date night spot in Cape Coral on the water, watch the sunset while eating from scratch pasta and a yummy cocktail! this is our go to for the service and the food. overall recommend

If I could give them more stars I would give this restaurant 100 stars!! A few weeks have passed and I have realized I'll never be "over" this meal. I can give it the title of BEST MEAL OF MY LIFE. I have traveled all over the US, and visited Central America and Europe. I have tried so much from street food in El Salvador to Michelin Star cuisine in Chicago. My coworkers and I had a 6 course, wine paired, gluten and dairy free meal. Skillfully crafted ON THE FLY naturally gluten free and dairy free SIX COURSE MEAL. No shitty replacement "cheeze" or crumble in your mouth pasta. Only the very Highest quality, freshest ingredients, everything made by hand in a separate gluten free prep and cooking area. The food was spectacular. Every single dish was a 10/10. Despite the GF DF restrictions the whole table RAVED about our collective "restricted" meal. How lovely they loved their food just as much as I did. (Miraculous, truly.) Then the pasta arrived. Glorious freshly made gluten free, dairy free pasta! When I say I cried. Don't judge. Not only was I brought to tears by the majesty of the menu so far but each bite of perfect texture pasta healed my broken heart. I realized about 4 bites in prior to walking into Next Door I had forgotten what REALLY GOOD food means. I've been gluten and dairy free since 2021. It's sounds silly but have experienced a bit of grief over losing my favorite comfort foods and not fully experiencing the magic special occasion foods like holidays. This meal, the phenomenal chefs and kitchen staff, gave me another chance to enjoy epic foods with my friends without a worry about my allergies. What a gift to not worry AND have wildly delicious food. Wait there's some how more: The paired wine was NEXT FREAKING LEVEL. Again paired to the 6 course menu on the fly. WILD. The service and attention of the team was 10/10. Our server was personable and attentive without hovering. The chefs visited our table with every course to share about each dish. So lovely. One thing we heard over and over from the Chef with each course "we see diet restrictions as a creative challenge not detriment to the kitchen." The result of creative agility always far surpasses the result of rigidity. Next Door rises to the dietary restriction challenge like I have never experienced. I can barely wait for my next visit.

Next Door is located on the campus for the Westin Cape Coral Resort in a lovely waterfront building. It has outdoor seating although unfortunately we could not use due to the pesky no-see-ums that were biting away the evening of our visit. The indoor dining area is connected to the kitchen so most diners have a great view into the activities of the chefs. The decor is very modern and relaxed with high ceilings giving a spacious feel. It took a while to get our orders taken but shortly thereafter, our dinner began with a complimentary amuse-bouche consisting of a broccolini veloute. It had a flavor reminiscent of potato soup but some nice crunchy bits in the sauce. This was followed up with the salad course. I chose the ND salad, an Italian mixed green entree with a bland vinaigrette. Others in the party chose the melon salad which they enjoyed. This is the point where our service went into complete slow motion. It took about an hour to get our dinner entrees. There were no checks on drinks nor updates on dinner service. After our food finally arrived there was no checks to see if dinner was okay. It was completely mystifying to me why this was the case as there were clearly 4-5 staff working in the kitchen to serve our table of five plus another table of two. This was on a weeknight and there would be no way this crew could keep up if the restaurant actually got busy. I ordered the rigatoni, with which I had requested some of the house sausage. Other than the sausage which had a nice dose of pepper, the flavor of the dish was pretty bland and was mostly pasta, sausage, and some fresh mozzarella. The rigatoni was a proper al dente texture but the dish was ruined because it was cold. The tuna crudo ordered by another diner at our table was reported to be tasty but I know it sat on the service counter for at least twenty minutes while the other dishes were prepared. The service really ruined what could have been a very enjoyable dinner. There's a lot of potential for this restaurant with its menu and location, but the kitchen needs to get its ducks in a row. Maybe we just came in on a bad night but it was hugely disappointing.

Food was good , service was great. If you want to be seated near the water make a reservation and request to be outside. Everyone is really friendly, they even brought us lemon shots and a soup to try that was delicious. The fish was so good . I highly recommend any of the fish dishes.

Went here for our 20th anniversary for dinner. Food was amazing. The pastas are homemade and were incredible. Son had bolognese, I had a special with pasta and sausage and blackened shrimp. My wife had redfish. All dishes fresh and unique. Service too notch and sitting outside was icing on the cake. Highly recommend!

I selfishly don't want to share this review to make sure I can always get a table here! We had a spectacular meal start to finish. I told my husband I could eat here every night (between here and Gather, another favorite right "next door"). We both ordered off the Sizzle Dining menu. We tried the deconstructed caprese salad and focaccia and garlic knots with the red pepper feta and pesto dipping oil followed by the gnudi. The gnudi was recommend by our wonderful server, Lyric, from Gather where we had dined a couple of nights prior. He saw us tonight when he came over from Gather to Next Door side for spoons and stopped to say hello, really nice of him when he is super busy on a Saturday night to come check on us. Anyway if you haven't tried the gnudi, little pillows of yumminess with the Marsala sauce and spicy sausage crumbles, you haven't lived! So good and something you won't find on any other restaurant menu. We are definitely going to work our way through the menu here and also at Gather as we were really impressed once again! And thank you so much to Kathy the Operations Manager for the quick thinking when my husband forgot his phone on the table. From our OpenTable reservation she was able to call us before we even made it out of the parking lot and saved the day before we drove the whole way home without it.

Delicious!!! We had a great time. Service was excellent, helpful and fast. All the food was great. We had the carpaccio for appetizer, and the salmon and ibérico jam for entrees. My wife fell in love with the S'more's cocktail. It was quiet enough that I could easily have a conversation without having to raise my voice. Servers were extremely attentive and gave us great recommendations. Not a single complaint. Highly recommend!

We had an AMAZING meal at next door! We had been recommended this by several friends but kept missing this on our list and we should have gone sooner!! The cocktails including the old fashion and lemoncello cocktail are so good!! We got focaccia to start and it was clearly fresh and warm. Both of us got a pasta entree and the pasta was fresh, delicious, and full of flavor. We ended the night with a lemoncello shot and cannot wait to return. This is easily the best pasta in southwest Florida!! Highly recommend for a perfect date night or if you're just craving Italian

This restaurant is incredible!! Pls do try! It's worth every taste of what they do!!!

This is a true gem! Small, intimate restaurant that exceeded our expectations in all areas. Service was amazing - thank you Amanda! Food was beautifully prepared and delicious. Large portion sizes. They go above and beyond with special touches which makes them really stand out. Will definitely be back!

Might be understaffed. We could not get service and hostess was rude. Many tables open but it looks like she wanted to go home. Seems like such a nice location, but i would pass This place by We had to leave because we could not get service

My husband and I walked in after sitting at the restaurant next to it waiting endlessly for a server. When I walked in to look at a menu, the smell of the food cooking was all I needed to know! I felt like I was in an episode of the Bear, small restaurant where you can see the chefs working and taking pride in their dishes. We were given an unexpected taste of something while waiting, I have no idea what it was but it was amazing. We split the Iberico & Melon and the Carbonara, both were incredibly fresh and delicious. Finished with the cake & ice cream and were given complimentary shots of lemoncello. After spending a week eating out in this area, I wish we had gone here more than once, it was the best food we had the whole vacation.

I definitely will try this place again. However, the first time I went was the recommendation from a friend who is a foodie. The service was outstanding since our waitress was absolutely bubbly and super informative. However, the food was subpar. The dessert was bland and, honestly I could've gotten something better at Publix. However, once again, I was told by multiple friends who have been there recently recently and have had an outstanding experience. Will definitely give this establishment another try.

Best food in Cape Coral. I've lived here for over 20 years and have yet to experience a place quite like this in this area. 10/10 recommend.

We have a great time celebrating my birthday at Next Door. The service was impeccable and the food amazing. We had a bottle of fine and some very fine Italian pasta. The restaurant is in a great location, waterfront, and very pleasant! Highly recommend the spaghetti, ravioli, or carbonara.

This place is incredible! Went for Sizzle dining menu and it was one of my favorites yet! We also got the spaghetti & it was phenomenal. Our server Nicole was awesome, will definitely be back soon!

One of our favorite restaurants. Great food, great drinks, and service! Homemade pasta, one of the best chicken parmesan I've had!

Fantastic restaurant. I am dreaming about the homemade pasta. The service is outstanding.

Food: outstanding streak, tasty scallops, and wonderful pasta dishes galore! Service: very welcoming and attentive Ambiance: welcoming, warm, and beautiful views with outdoor seating available BEST FOOD I HAVE HAD IN CAPE CORAL!!!

The food was fabulous with very interesting dishes. The service was excellent, and no one rushed us so we close the place. Everyone was very friendly and we will most definitely be going back there very shortly.

Creative menu that is beautifully prepared and well served. I had the seared scallops served with homemade fusilli pasta.

Disappointing given reputation and prior dining experience. Overpriced for the quality, and the preparation of dishes was very uneven. Kitchen appeared hectic and slow. Staff was cordial but inattentive. They asked when we arrived if it was a special occasion and we said yes, celebrating a birthday, but then no further mention or recognition throughout dinner. We really wanted to love this place and our experience, but unfortunately we didn't.