While the allure of the next new restaurant will always have its appeal, there is something to be said for the classics. In Florida, a ‘classic’ must involve seafood—preferably, local seafood. Harvested by Florida anglers—who catch more than 84 percent of the nation’s grouper, pompano, stone crab, pink shrimp and spiny lobsters—our aquatic jewels sparkle, whether plated atop white tablecloths on porcelain or paired with nothing more than an unobstructed view of their native waters. You’ll find fresh bites and Old Florida charm waving languidly at fish shacks up and down the coast. But, some spots take it up a notch, toting the line between fine and casual dining, with sophisticated digs; inspired, modern flavors; and subtropical flair in spades.
Opened in 1937, Fort Myers Beach’s Dixie Fish Company began as a fish house, where folks gathered each morning for shrimp plucked straight from the Gulf and blue crabs still slick with the bay’s brine. These days, executive chef Chas Tatigian serves up coastal favorites, like the whole-fried fish—the day’s catch battered in buttermilk then fried to crackling perfection. Each filet is topped the ‘Dixie way,’ with house-made garlic butter sauce. Locals still clamor for ‘pink gold’ here, too. Although now, it’s sourced from one of the oldest shrimping fleets in the area, Erickson & Jensen, and served up in salads or as Southern-style shrimp and grits. Chas also tosses steamed tails in a Yucatán sauce prepared with cilantro, fresh key lime juice and red chiles for tacos. The sauce melds with the shrimp’s natural salt, making for a handheld marvel bursting with flavor. Savor the dish as the evening’s light show takes hold, illuminating Dixie’s Matanzas Harbor view.
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Courtesy Dixie Fish Company
Dixie Fish Company
Open since 1937, Dixie Fish Company on Fort Myers Beach retains the spirit of its early seafood market days.
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Photography by Nick Shirghio
Naples’ The Bay House farmers salad
Old Florida restaurants transform local fare into modern creations, like a farmers’ salad at Naples’ The Bay House.
The island decides what gets cooked at Pine Island’s Tarpon Lodge & Restaurant. Executive chef Craig Panneton sources seafood straight from Gulf anglers, and fruits and veggies come from FruitScapes farm, two miles down the road. Favorites include pink shrimp and stone-ground red grits in a spicy tomato cream sauce; the tripletail prepared Oscar-style in a rich béarnaise sauce with lump crab and asparagus; and the velvety smooth blue crab and roasted corn chowder—a soup that has inspired long-lasting affection among patrons. Dating back to 1926, Tarpon Lodge defines laid-back elegance, with its crisp tablecloths and walls dotted with black-and-white photographs and fishing trophies.
Traveling south from Pine Island, you’ll notice a shift in scenery as high-rises and gated communities start to skirt the riverbanks around Fort Myers and Naples. Cruise inland through the Cocohatchee, and you’ll find a slice of Old Florida, tucked within the mangroves at The Bay House. The Phelan Family Brands restaurant—perched on wooden stilts—partners with Pine Island’s St. James City’s Island Crab Company for menu staples, like the grandiose seafood tower, called the High Rise. Each level is studded with Gulf shrimp, stone crab, oysters brimming with salinity, and whole lobster, exuding a balance of sweetness and briny tang.
Courtesy The Bay House/Nick Shirghio
the bay house
While the allure of the next new restaurant will always have its appeal, there is something to be said for the classics.
Further south, at the edge of the expansive Ten Thousands Islands, the mangroves and marsh form a thick blanket around Everglades City, home to one of Southwest Florida’s last working waterfronts. Popular Camellia Street Grill offers a substantial, no-frills menu. Spain-raised Naiara Freeman Rementeria started the restaurant with her mother, Terri, who prepares the day’s catch in the Basque tradition using herbs from Naiara’s onsite organic garden. Basil, cilantro, chives and hibiscus climb skyward in the courtyard; alfresco tables are outfitted with colorful knick-knacks. Walk down to the dock, and you may see fuchsia vermillion snapper and glassy-eyed grouper being hauled from the cypress and pine-shadowed waters. The restaurant’s seasonal stone crab claws emerge from these waters, too—harvested by Naiara’s husband, commercial fisherman Shane Freeman—along with gator, which is sautéed and served alongside fry bread: a bona fide Everglades-style spread. Coastal seafood caught and prepared by coastal families; now that’s a bit of Gulf magic.
At these establishments, the sizzle of fresh fish hitting the grill, the aroma of herbs plucked from seaside gardens, and the gentle lapping of waves against weathered docks create a distinct Gulf symphony—the composition of a Florida that still exists for those who know where to look.
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Photography by Anna Nguyen
Tarpon Lodge & Restaurant
The island decides what gets cooked at Pine Island’s Tarpon Lodge & Restaurant, with the chef sourcing from Gulf anglers and local farms.
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Photography by Anna Nguyen
Tarpon Lodge & Restaurant water view