The Waterfront Restaurant & Marina

Mid afternoon visit. Had a great Grouper fish taco, one of the best I have had in Cape Coral area. Homemade pico and crema. Yum. Also pictured Shrimp Po’Boy. Great views on a fun outside patio. To top it off nicely, our server, Savannah, was chatty and friendly and offered up a little Island history. We will return. (Beer & Wine only). They offered a decent refreshing Sangria that I enjoyed with extra lemons.

We stopped in for a late lunch on Saturday. Service was great, the staff was fast and friendly. Food was very good. We had the fried artichokes for an appetizer, great flavor, nice and crispy. My wife had the Buffalo chicken salad, and it was great. The chicken had great flavor and it was crisp, and the exterior was dry, so it wasn't soggy. Interior was juicy. I had the seafood Philly, not a combination I would have previously thought of - scallops, grouper, and shrimp with cheese, bell peppers, and onions. It was surprisingly very good. I like all of the ingredients, I would have never thought to make them into a Philly. We will definitely be back!

1st time here. Had the crab cake sandwich and it was DELICIOUS. Crab cake full of crab, with a mango salsa and lime aioli. Our waitress, Rachel(?) was fantastic. Their house made vinegar for fries puts malt vinegar to shame. Very much an island vibe atmosphere to the place.

We really love coming here, it has become our go to restaurant. It's not a complicated menu, but that's not a bad thing. Less options means you can concentrate on what you do provide. And they have never disappointed from their shrimp, seafood Philly, shrimp chowder, tender basket, regular burger, home made coleslaw and onion strings. I try to save myself for their home made pie, and last week one of the waitresses decided to make a pumpkin pie and I'm not a pumpkin lover, but it really reminded me of an egg custard pie from the uk. Really quite nice. I hope there's some left this week. The staff are great so glad everyone got through Milton relatively unscathed. They are a lovely team and love their little piece of paradise. Did I mention the views are excellent? Just don't tell anyone about it. It's our secret (sshhhh)

I had the Shrimp and Scallop Pot Pie. It was delicious . We didn’t have to wait long. The view sitting outdoors was great. Our server was easy to talk to. We asked to have our pictures taken. No problem. A bit pricey . I would go back though !

Restaurant was open after hurricane. Staff was very appreciative that we were there. Food was Awesome. Service was great!!! Wings were huge, and very good!!!

Beautiful views, We sat out on the patio to enjoy the views only the smells was awful the sewage smell was non desirable while you eat, we watched the back flow septic flow out all over the ground. And we had to go inside to the bar to get drink refills ourself, waitress was not very attentive. I would come back again but this was very disappointing.

The was amazing & very friendly! The lady serving us on 20 Dec 2023, was kind enough to answer our questions on Hurricane Ian! For now they are serving food from a food truck while they rebuild the restaurant! The food was delicious, we ate on the back deck with great view of the canal.

Server Lindsay was the best! 5 stars!! The secret special vinegar was fabulous! I put it on everything. Partner ordered the seafood Philly sub sandwich and it was wonderful too. I ordered salad & the lettuce was very fresh.

Have been to the waterfront more than once and the food is always delicious. The pot pie is amazing. Service is great and I love the tropical ambiance. For anyone gluten free there are things you can eat! Love to sit on the deck on a nice day and watch the boats go by.

Waterfront Restaurant Never fails to prepare a Phenomenal Dinner for us. We enjoyed the Shrimp & Scallop Pot Pie which is Incredible along with their Seafood/Fish specials. The Staff is great & hopefully we will be back there later this week!

So happy to see the place open again after the hurricane from 2022. One of my favorite places to go for lunch. The staff is friendly and the food is always good and hot. The inside was redone and has a very clean and welcoming feel to the inside. Dogs are welcome in the outside patio. Enjoy

We started with a phone call to ask about our dogs and food allergens. The dogs were welcome on the deck. Yay! They went above and beyond to help us with the allergens including connecting us to the bakery where the buns come from. The service was excellent even with a party of ten. All meals were served hot and you could tell everything was cooked to order. we couldn't have been more satisfied and would highly recommend.

Visited this great restaurant by boat on Sunday. The Sweet Tea Chicken was totally unique and delicious. Great servers and fun atmosphere. Will definitely be back.

Doesn't look like much when you walk by, but this quaint, divey shack is worth a visit! The fresh, local caught, grouper sandwiches and plates were the hit at the table. Also the shrimp basket was some of the best shrimp my girlfriend has ever had. Had a great IPA from Fort Myers Brewing Company as recommendation from the waitress. I wasn't able to get her name but she was really really good and accommodating. If you like cumin make sure to get the baked beans! Also you have to try the smoked mahi fish dip!

The great thing about this spot is there is indoor and outdoor dining. If you choose outdoor, you are overlooking the water. They have updated their tables and chairs since our last visit. Our waitress was very sweet and did a great job! We ordered a Caesar salad and a scallop & grouper basket. The salad was really good. It is made with romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, homemade croutons and a nice creamy dressing. The basket was just ok. There were only a few scallops and grouper nuggets. The sweet potato fries were not sweet and basically like thick French fries. The key lime pie is sweet, alittle tart and has a nice crust!

After an evening of exploring Pine Island and Saint James City, I stopped here for dinner. I took a seat outside with a great view of the water and was ignored for about ten minutes. Still thirsty, I headed inside and sat at the bar where I was warmly welcomed and offered a menu. Bar is comfortable and there's a TV. The waitress taking care of the bar area was pleasant and friendly. Beer was cold and my check was provided instantly. Next time, I'll stick with the bar area! [Review 16762 overall - 1489 in Florida - 275 of 2022.]

No review on the location, seems like a great spot, but not full bar as advertised on Yelp, beer and wine only

Not a large place but nice to be next to water. The peel and eat shrimp was 1.25 opted out on the bay seasoning. They were so good did not need it. The Reuben grouper sandwich was wonderful with Cole slaw. Yummy. I say love the places that are not real fancy but have great food.

Stopped here while out and about boating with the 6 of us. Convenient location. Had fish n chips, burgers, grilled fish and deep fried cheesecake. All tasted good and friendly service.

N Great alligator bites. Est ever had. Not greasy but tender . Burger good shrimp too. With the trip

Six of us went for lunch a week before, they were out of all wine. Service was just okay . We had burger specials and salads . It was an overcast day and we froze inside.Overall it was okay

Can my stay in SWF get any better? Well it just did. The Waterfront is bringing it. Delicious food, dock side eating in St. James City. I have to give a shout out to Dawne for steering me along with her reviews. I was told to try the Sweet Tea Fried Chicken (Sunday's only) That chicken totally spoiled my tastebuds and I don't know if I could eat any other fried chicken again. My wife ordered the Po'Boys Oysters, delicious deep fried pieces of heaven. But I have to say that the pièce de ré·sis·tance had to be the Calamari appetizer cooked to perfection and tossed with garlic and Key lime olive oil with shaved Parmesan cheese, that was a show stopper! Can't wait to visit again.

Waterfront was a fabulous place! The view was spectacular. The food and drinks were special. My favorite part, however, was the wait staff. Super pleasant and welcoming.

Six of us, when our food came out I had to get up and get everybody silverware . I ordered the seafood pot pie for $23.99 and it was a soup not pot pie. One of us ordered a cold dish and asked that it be brought out separate from his main dish, it came out together,but they were on separate plates. The only person without a complaint ordered a hamburger. The restaurant is close to me and I used to eat there before the reopening , now I know six people who will not be coming back.

Food is good but I will warn you, they run out of high demand seafood fast. We've been here a few times and the most recent time we've dined at Waterfront, they were out of majority of seafood. We came for an early dinner (5pm) and they didn't have oysters and eat shrimp. Only seafood that was left on the menu was anything fried or the grouper entree. Make sure to call ahead and ask if that's something you're looking for so you don't make the far trip like we did. The gator bites were delicious surprisingly and I also enjoy their coleslaw that they give you when you arrive. The view of the water is amazing. Make sure to ask to eat on the patio!

Super fun; must stop Easy to get to by boat Shrimp poppers and mahi dip are a MUST TRY!! Service was great for our large party. Obviously a favorite with the locals which tells you you're in the right place!

Due to hurricane Ian the restaurant itself is closed but they have a food truck that's serving delicious food. Picnic tables on the deck. View is still great!

Pleasant experience... food is good. This is sort of an acquired taste spot. If you appreciate the type of colorful joint where locals gather. Crusty fishermen and thirsty neighbors stop here when they are hungry or need a cold brew. You won't be disappointed.

Great fish and chips with haddock. The service was very quick and friendly and the location is perfect.

Fun quaint local place. If you want fancy, don't come here. But when in SJC, stop by for a cold beer, hear voices of local people. Great seafood (local never frozen). I had Greek salad added chicken, pretty good. Not expensive, fresh food, supporting local business doesn't get any closer to this. We will be back!

Good food love the chowder and burgers delish Staff is friendly and good service. Win win!

Hit or miss at best..... have dined here probably 20 times over the years and they just can't get it right for some reason. Last night the CoronaVirus was the IPAVirus at waterfront as the pix shows only Bud or Bud Light on tap. Food was OK as in edible but lack luster but server with the Boston accent and RBF attitude would be on the Nike express if I owned this place. You chose to work in the hospitality industry which last time I checked was to be pleasant, helpful, and make people feel at home. New owners are trying but not too sure they have a good pulse on running a watering hole with decent food. This place could really be something special if the right team was in place. My two cents

Excellent good and spot!!! I highly recommend it!!! Waitress was so friendly and service was fast.

We waited an hour for outdoor seating - all good it was a busy Saturday. Problem #1 was 2 tables sat unbussed for a half hour and 7 people working a small area. We asked if we could try outdoor bar area and get a table when one came available. Short Hispanic girl working there said sure. It didn't take long for it to be too hot without shade so I went back in to ask for next available table with shade. She rolled her eyes and said we gave up our spot so next table would go to next in line and walked away without being able to reply. We gathered our belongings and left - now an hour and a half waiting letting her know we were leaving. She gave a fake wave and walked away. Never going there again.

Well you can't beat the location! Right on the water and at the very southern tip of pine island. Menu is a typical beach type with lots of seafood choices. We started with the clam chowder and some beach bread. Chowder was chunky and thick. Really good. Beach bread was so tasty. Like pizza. We then followed with grouper tacos with Cajun spices. This were big! Nice chunks of grouper. Debbie thought it was too fishy but i thought they were just right. The price was pretty good and overall the food was great. Sit out back and enjoy the island mon!

The saving grace here for us was being able to get an outside table in the shade. This allows for a great view of the canal system and even of the ocean. Many patrons arrive by boat for lunch. We showed up at about 1140AM and that seem to be the perfect time to still get a table, at least on this Friday. My wife had fried calamari and fried pickles. She thought the calamari was delicious and especially liked the sauce. I had a shrimp Po boy. The fried shrimp was delicious, the roll was decent, but the lettuce and tomato were sadly not fresh. All in all this would put us in the 3 Star range except for the nice table on the deck on the canal in back with a great view. That picked up an additional star for this review.

My experience at Waterside started off rocky but I ended up enjoying it. I love patio dining and was excited for the nice views that the Waterfront offers. However, there was such a bad bug problem that we couldn't do it. Nasty little black bugs flying allll over the place. I've been eating on several different patios on the water the past few days and hadn't had any other problems at the neighboring restaurants. I was pretty disappointed and my group ended up moving inside. Once inside, it was a great experience! We sat in the bar area and had pretty good service. I had the house sangria which was delicious. There is a pretty good selection of beer and wine. Half priced drinks are available at happy hour from 3-6! For my meal, I had one of the special items not on the menu: shrimp scampi over four cheese ravioli. Oh my goodness it was so good! They actually ended up running out of it while I was eating, so if you are there and they happen to have it on special, take advantage of it! My dad really enjoyed the grouper sandwich and fries. He also claims the complementary cole slaw is the best slaw he's ever had. I would like to come back again when I'm in the area, and I hope that I would be able to enjoy the outside.

They have an art drawing assignment for kids and adults and they pick the winner that made the best art work, I won and I chose the hat. They sent it a couple days later I received it. Anyways this place was cool, small Restaurant and food was yummy. Staff was really nice and I enjoyed the experience. Thank you so much for making it a great day with my Mom, my Wife and I. :) A+, 100%

Working for over 30 years in the tourism business, grading hotels, restaurants and other accommodation offerings, I take writing a review very seriously. I'm extremely picky, fussy, choosy call it what you will but I have a high expectation when I dine out and it is so very rarely ever met. I can't just look at one aspect I have to review the quality of the food, service, ambience and cleanliness wherever I choose to dine at. I've eaten 4 times now at this restaurant, twice before COVID and then twice in the last six weeks. My experience has gotten better with every visit. Here's the things you need to know: 1. They have fresh seafood (and trust me it is fresh and using local fisherman and businesses to ensure it's freshness). 2. The largest most succulent oysters I've ever had. If you go on a Saturday they have a special of 12 oysters for $12. 3. Service was attentive, friendly and fast. 4. They are in a great location right on the marina, beautiful views and very relaxing. 5. Outdoor seating facing the marina, you're not going to find fancy chairs and tables but who cares when you have delicious food. 6. The menu has something for everyone but I would recommend the Beach bread, a bowl of chowder with a baked biscuit on top, the seafood hoagie ( it has a yummy creamy sauce) and top it off with a piece of fried cheesecake. 7. They allow dogs to sit outdoors, they bring bowls of water, have homemade doggie biscuits and a healthy little menu like fish, burger, rice etc so our doggies can get a bite to eat at the same time as we do. 8. Finally when you sit outside it seems to encourage chatter and conversation between with the other diners, don't get me wrong, sometimes I like my peace and quiet as I eat but even I was enjoying and participating in a chat about our doggies or the food. Today I took my father in law, we had such a great time, the owner Declan came over to chat with us a few times. The food was outstanding! Our waitress was so attentive and friendly, I hate servers who have to force smiles and clearly hate what they are doing, not this lady! She was bubbly, engaging and obviously loved her job. If this place was closer to me, it would be my local but I will be making an effort to bring all our visiting family and friends here to eat, knowing that they will enjoy my recommendation. Next time I just have to decide which of my three dogs deserves to go with us.

cute little diner on the canal. nice location, interesting quirky decor. However the food was not good, basically everything is fried and in baskets.

It was really windy so we sat inside. Loved the colorful tables and chairs. Service was good, Drinks were in front of us very quickly. The bowl of clam chowder we ordered to share, while delicious, was really small. I ordered the shrimp basket with fries. The shrimp were beautifully fried but small and for how much it cost, ($16.95) was a very small serving. My husband's crab cake sandwich was what made this review only 2 stars. The crab cake was literally less than a 1/4 inch thick and mostly filler on a huge thick bun. The tomato slice was thicker than the crab cake! This sad SANDWICH cost $17.95)

Location, location, location! Boated here, seeking out places in the area that i can boat to for lunch. Place has a great low key Florida, off the beaten path, feel. I like Pine Island, nice pace. Straight forward menu, lots of seafood. I was bummed they were out if stone crab, so i went gater bites and peel and eat shrimp, basic food groups for the gulf coast! Not bad! I will return!

We love this place... we miss the Carolina Calabash fried seafood platters but this is dang close. Not to mention, the fantastic shrimp and corn chowder... so delicious! The onion strings are so good. They were out of oysters but look forward to trying them, next time. Great beer choices, friendly attentive staff and a very cool fishing village atmosphere. This just may be our new, "go to" place on Pine Island.

Best grouper nuggets anywhere! Brings me back! Lovely view also, and so relaxing! Our friends love their oysters too! Only thing is they just serve beer and wine, but the grouper nuggets are worth the drive!!!

Some friends were visiting so I took them to lunch here. We were needing to turn left into the only parking spot left, but a car was coming. I put on my blinker indicating I was turning in when the oncoming car pulled into the spot I was waiting to turn into. When the young woman got out I asked her if she didn't see me waiting to turn into the spot. Her response was "Well I work here." I asked her how that made it ok for her to cut me off. She got very rude with me and the guy with her told me to go back to where I came from. We drove off and will NEVER go back to this restaurant again. Somehow the staff feel entitled to cut in front of customers to get parking spots, and that they are doing us a favor to take care of customers.

We went to the place on a friend's catamaran sailboat from Cape Coral. After motoring up the channel, we found a dock to tie up and went in. They are dog friendly there so our Golden Retriever had a great time hustling hand outs. The food was pretty good but the service was slow. It seems to be a Southern thing so you will buy more drinks. There was music blasting, the sun was shining, the people friendly and the nautical atmosphere all contributed to a very good visit.

While riding our motorcycles we decided to stop for lunch. At first we were kind of thinking... maybe we should try somewhere else when we seen the paper table cloths and crayons, but decided to try it anyway. Good move! I had a mushroom burger and haystack onion rings (awesome). My friends had clam chowder soup, pulled pork sandwich, haystack onion rings, and for dessert hot cherry cobbler with ice cream on top. They said they loved every bit of it! There was so much of it we had to ask for "to go" containers. The only drawback was they don't serve liquor, but they have plenty of different choices beer, but we didn't need that riding motorcycles anyway! The waitress was real friendly and engaged in conversation with us. We all loved this place and felt very welcome. We will definitely be returning!

First time to restaurant. Seated outside with nice view and breeze. Gentlemen seating next to us had a basket full of food. Asked what he had. He said Sweet tea chicken. She is not a big eater. So we split the chicken. Was very moist and tasty. We both were full and happy with our find of this location.

Cute waterfront restaurant with old Florida charm. We arrived by boat around 3 on a Sunday and waited about 15 mins for an outside table. I would always choose to sit outside here as that's where the view is. Beach bread was amazing loaded with blue cheese. Fried grouper was so fresh and delicious and the burgers were really good too. Service was a little slow but we didn't mind bc it was such a beautiful day. Happy hour starts at 4 everyday so we got a carafe of wine for 1/2 price. Lunch and drinks for 4 was $90 which I didn't think was too much for a waterfront spot. They are also dog friendly and even had a doggy menu! Will def come back!

Quaint restaurant at the southernmost end of pine island with a view of the canal in the back. Great spot for fresh seafood and southern hospitality. I had the seafood philly, which had fresh shrimp, grouper and scallops. Wish they had been cut up a bit more, but overall the hoagie was fresh and the sandwich was very filling. Service was ok...took us a few minutes to get someone's attention to get a seat. Atmosphere is casual/tropical. We went for lunch but with high sun sitting on back patio was not worth the sunburn. Probably great at sunset. Prices were a bit higher than expected but that's the price you pay for fresh seafood!

My husband and I went here for dinner last night, he had the shrimp and scallop pot pie, and I had 8 wings and a side salad, food was good, service was fly by ,not friendly or inviting, we were charged extra for the blue cheese for wings and extra for the salad dressing, without it being mentioned, we also had pie, we were lucky they did not charge extra for the plates and napkins. There are plenty of restaurants on the island that are more welcoming.

Got here about 5 to eat, by 6:30 the place was jam-packed. Our waitress was very very friendly and quick to take our drink orders. I had grouper chunks and onion straws. Both were very good. Husband had Seafood Philly, it had shrimp grouper and scallops on it along with the green peppers onions and cheese. Huge sandwich could barely get it in his mouth. Restaurant overlooks the water and has an outdoor patio. It was too cold for us to eat outside but it look like it would have been a great View to watch sunset.

Great experience. The view is amazing. Really enjoyed the food the first time and they have an excellent doggy menu. Will definitely visit again.

Great new menu, and very good service. A perfect location for a sunset meal. Friendly staff

The good....dogs are allowed on outside patio, location is 100 yards into Henley Canal, the wait staff is attentive and accomodating, the food came out hot, one slice of real lemon is included The bad..... $15.95 for grouper basket - 10 appetizer sized if not smaller, overfried nuggets of grouper, wuth fries, $15.95 for fried shrimp basket, with 8 gulf shrimp. All condiments are packaged, the beer is served tepid (but promptly),, the women's bathroom had overflowing trash (from night before?!?), the toilet paper, although a double roll holder, had hardly any left. The negatives were greater than the positives, IMO, and although we are natives and life-long residents, it makes me sad that we prefer to do business elsewhere. I will not recommend this place for eating or drinking, but would for convenience and service. What do YOU want?

Loved this place at the end of the road south end of pine island. The server was very helpful. The gulf oysters were delicious. I followed that with the clam chowder which was mouthwatering and had me practically licking the bowl clean. We enjoyed the fried shrimp and scallops. We will be back again if we visit pine island again.