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These restaurants offer the best bang for your buck in Southwest Florida.
Tacos & Tequila Cantina
4834 Davis Blvd., Naples, 239-732-8226 (original); 8971 Tamiami Trail N., Naples, 254-8226 (new); tacosandtequilanaples.com
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We’re lucky we now have not one but two of these funky, endearingly colorful taquerias. Strong margaritas and crunchy chips get a meal going. (So do queso, guacamole and more.) Then you tackle the big enchilada—22 different types of tacos, ranging from $3.50 to $5 each. Some are by the book (like carnitas), but most are wild and out there, such as the “Firecracker” with sriracha mayo fried shrimp and jalapeños and the “South American” with short ribs doused in chimichurri and cotija. You can turn any taco into a salad or rice bowl, and there’s a tight list of entrées as well.
Cork Soakers Deck & Wine Bar
837 SE 47th Terrace, Cape Coral, 542-6622, corksoakers.net
Say what you want about this laid-back indoor-outdoor retreat with a giant print of its owners in chicken suits, but there’s no denying it’s home to some serious cooking. Chef Gary Pfenning takes gourmet comfort food a step further: Deviled eggs come in all stripes and change daily, and the Bitchslap Marys on Sundays can pass for meals in themselves (loaded with bacon-wrapped shrimp, stuffed olives, salami-covered asparagus and more). But the deal of the millennium is Thursday’s Ladies Soaking Party; $20 buys drinks and a four-plate tasting menu.
Fernandez the Bull Cuban Café and Bar
3375 Pine Ridge Road, Naples, 653-9097; 1201 Piper Blvd., Unit 10, Naples, 254-9855; fernandezthebull.com
The family that helped put Cuban cuisine on the map in Naples 30 years ago couldn’t have picked a better time to relaunch their successful eatery for a new generation. They sold the original on Airport-Pulling Road and opened a larger, brighter space in a new development on Pine Ridge last year, while maintaining a smaller spot off Immokalee Road. Armed with a full bar, the generous portions and prices remain—most of the appetizers are under $10, and entrées like lemony slow-roasted pork (lechon asado), seasoned ground beef (picadillo) and “dirty clothes” (ropa vieja, shreds of flank steak simmered in a tomato broth) come with beans and rice.
Is money no object? Try these places for your special night out.
Ford’s Garage
Multiple locations in Lee County, fordsgarageusa.com
It’s no wonder the folks behind this restaurant have raced to build more of them. A visit is a dose of fun, fun, fun and won’t set back your weekly budget. Henry Ford, Fort Myers’ patron saint, was inspired by Gustavus Swift’s meat-packing plants. These Fords have drawn a blueprint for a great meal by merging antique car memorabilia with seven pages of craft beers (plus cocktails like Rosie’s Riviter-rita with Patron Silver and plum bitters) and Black Angus burgers topped with everything from horseradish cheddar to bacon-white truffle aioli.
Zen Asian BBQ
10823 Tamiami Trail N., Naples, 260-7037, eatatzen.com
People have answered the sound of the gong in a big way since this opened a year ago. Zen pulls from corners of the Pacific and puts on its own spin (lobster buns, fresh ramen, bulgogi, wagyu rolls, pad Thai). As long as you approach the menu as it was designed—for shared plates—the prices average out to show value. The real steal, however, is the year-round happy hour and reverse happy hour from 10 p.m. till close that puts addictive appetizers like flash-fried bok choy at just $4.