The Eclectic Dining Scene On Florida’s Paradise Coast

The culinary landscape of Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades runs the gamut from tradition to innovation, elegance to earthiness, beach-bar casual to big-city sophistication.

If you love food, you’ll love the variety of dining options you’ll find here. We have New American basics, cosmopolitan steakhouses, elevated Italian, sophisticated French, exotic ethnic cuisines, fresh seafood that rivals the best anywhere, and plenty more.

To give you an introduction to our exceptional culinary scene, we’ve put together thumbnails of 20 restaurants of distinction on Florida’s Paradise Coast. This is by no means a definitive list. Many, many more could be included – so we urge you to come and discover them on your own!

The restaurants are not ranked, but rather listed alphabetically.

BHA! BHA! PERSIAN BISTRO

Award: Florida Trend Magazine Golden Spoon Award
Location: 5th Avenue South, downtown Naples
Chef: Michael Mir
Meal served: Dinner
Culinary style: Aromatic and flavorful Persian cuisine
Best for: Not just dinner — a thorough dining experience
Personality: Arabian Nights meets Art Deco
Signature dish: Mixed Grill Kebab
Best splurge: Roasted Quail with Albaloo Polo on top of sour cherry basmati rice with grilled vegetables.

BLEU PROVENCE

Award: Wine Spectator Grand Award (2018), Zagat-rated
Location: Downtown Naples
Chef: Lysielle Cariot
Meal Served: Dinner
Culinary Style: French
Best For: Diners interested in pairing wine with food
Personality: Friendly, not haughty
A Signature Dish: Duck Leg Confit
Splurge: Strawberry Sablé Breton Tart

CITY SEAFOOD

Location: Everglades City
Chef: Richard Wahrenberger
Meals served: Breakfast and lunch, Beach Bar Friday (5-9 p.m.)
Culinary style: Fresh, Everglades-style seafood
Best for: People looking for an authentic Gulf of America seafood meal before or after a kayak outing or airboat ride
Personality: Old Florida charm in a small fishing village
Signature dish: Fresh stone crabs served in season, October 15 through May 1, straight from Wahrenberger’s boats
Best splurge: When in season, giant stone crab claws — or the fried grouper sandwich

D’AMICO’S CONTINENTAL

Awards: OpenTable Top 100 Destinations for Outdoor Dining; Wine Spectator Award of Excellence
Location: Third Street South, Downtown Naples
Owners: Brothers Larry and Richard D’Amico
Meals Served: Lunch, Dinner
Culinary Style: High-end steakhouse meets Parisian bistro
Best For: Landing one of the sought-after 30 seats at the cocktail bar
Personality: Elegant but relaxed
Signature Dish: Your preference of the 15 steaks on the menu, which include genuine Japanese wagyu 
Splurge: Piedmontese Châteaubriand 18-ounce, Petite Vegetables, Bordelaise Sauce, for two
Bonus: Check out other great places for outdoor dining on Florida’s Paradise Coast

FOOD & THOUGHT

Location: Gateway of Naples
Owner: Alfie Oakes
Meals served: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Culinary style:  Fast and affordable, certified organic home cooking
Best for: A lunch that won't weigh you down
Personality: Part organic food market, part cafeteria, part juice bar, that also sells clothing — with flower-showered patio seating
Signature dishes: The Daily Special 
Best splurge: Chocolate Chia Pudding and Freedom Surprise Cookie

THE GRILL

Awards: Florida Trend Magazine Golden Spoon Hall of Fame
Location: The Ritz-Carlton, Naples
Chef: Carlos Zermeno
Meal served: Dinner
Culinary style: Award-winning steaks
Best for: Intimate dinners that can slip into the late hours
Personality: Sophisticated dining
Signature dish: Dry-Aged 22-Ounce Ribeye
Best splurge: 12 Layers Chocolate Cake

HOBNOB KITCHEN & BAR

Location: 5th Avenue South, downtown Naples
Chef: Jose Aragon
Meal served: Dinner
Culinary style: Creative American, fresh and simple
Best for: Those looking for a cool, eclectic, city atmosphere
Personality: Hip and trendy, to complement delicious eats
Signature dish: Meyer Lemon Short Ribs with lemon risotto, escarole, and pine nut gremolata
Best splurge: Butcher’s Cut (Chef’s Daily Creation)

LEEBE FISH

Location: The Shoppes of Old Marco, Marco Island
Owner: Stanley “Lee” Tinter
Meals Served: Lunch, Dinner
Culinary Style: Uber-fresh Gulf fish, caught by LeeBe Fish’s own crew of fishermen on their own boats
Best for: People who want to eat genuine boat-to-table grouper or snapper at an affordable price
Personality: Friendly, no-frills fish shack
Signature Dish: Fresh Catch Tacos
Splurge: A whole key lime pie, to complete the Florida experience

LITTLE BAR RESTAURANT

Location: Goodland
Owner: Ray Bozicnik
Meals served: Lunch and dinner
Culinary style: Elevated beach-bar fare, with an emphasis on fresh fish
Best for: Boating in for a tasty seafood spread accompanied by live entertainment (on Friday and Saturday)
Personality: Pieces of boats, mansions, a pipe organ, and an optometry office went into the making of this eclectic waterfront funhouse
Signature dish: Blackened Shrimp Appetizer
Best splurge: Frog legs

THE LOCAL

Location: Mid-Naples
Chef: Glen Campbell
Meals served: Lunch, dinner, brunch
Culinary style: Authentically farm-to-table, scratch kitchen
Best for: Fans of organic ingredients and fresh produce; vegans looking for tasty dishes
Personality: Hip, laid-back, rustic
Signature dish: The Local Grilled Peach Salad
Best splurge: Grilled Grass-fed Brasstown Beef Delmonico Steak

M WATERFRONT GRILLE

Award: Florida Trend Magazine Golden Spoon Award
Location: Village Shops on Venetian Bay, Naples
Chef: Ed Yarmoush
Meals served: Lunch, Dinner, Sunday Brunch
Culinary style: Cutting-edge Continental
Best for: Thirsty Sunday brunchers looking for bottomless bubbles Personality: Upscale waterfront dining
Signature dish: Miso Sea Bass with Goat Cheese Dumpling, Amaretto Honey Bacon
Best splurge: Lobster Roll (Sunday Brunch)

OSTERIA TULIA

Award: Florida Trend Magazine Golden Spoon Award; USA Today 10Best Restaurants in Naples
Location: 5th Avenue South, downtown Naples
Chef: Vincenzo Betulia
Meals served: Lunch and dinner
Culinary style: “Cucina Rustica” (Rustic Italian)
Best for: Social diners, adventurous Italian food and wine lovers
Personality: Italian farmhouse chic
Signature dish: Any of the many handmade pasta dishes
Best splurge: Roasted Mediterranean Branzino

THE OYSTER SOCIETY

Location: Marco Island
Chef: Chris DeGenova
Meal Served: Dinner
Culinary Style: Hand-selected seafood with an emphasis on the raw bar
Best For: Folks who want to eat their fresh seafood in a Jazz Age ambiance
Personality: Hip throwback to Roaring ‘20s speakeasy (with live jazz)
Signature Dish: The Oceanic Platter — Chef ’s Dozen Oysters, Dozen Clams, half-pound Lobster, Eight Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, Hamachi Ceviche, Tuna Tartare, Hawaiian Poke, One-Pound Crab Selection of the Day

RIDGWAY BAR & GRILL

Award: Wine Spectator Award of Excellence
Location: Third Street South, downtown Naples
Owner & Chef: Tony Ridgway
Meals served: Lunch, dinner, brunch
Culinary style: New American with French and other Continental influences
Best for: Dining al fresco in a flower-draped courtyard
Personality: Quaint and casual
Signature dish: Coq au Vin
Best splurge: Pan-seared Grouper and Shrimp with Fresh Ramen Noodles

SALE E PEPE

Award: Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence, AAA Four Diamond every year since 2006
Location: Marco Beach Ocean Suites 
Chef: Andrea Cirino
Meal served: Dinner
Culinary style: Gourmet Italian
Best for: People who enjoy pairing wines with lavish Italian meals
Personality: Comfortably inviting, with stunning views overlooking the beach and Gulf
Signature dish: Cacio e Pepe 
Best splurge: 24-ounce Delmonico steak (to share)

SEA SALT

Awards: Florida Trend Magazine Golden Spoon Award, Wine Spectator Award of Excellence
Location: Third Street South, downtown Naples
Chef: Fabrizio Aielli
Meals served: Lunch and dinner
Culinary style: Innovative Venetian
Best for: Lovers of lovingly prepared fish
Personality: Coral limestone walls, lively bar, sidewalk bustle
Signature dishes: Any selection from Sea & Ocean on the menu
Best splurge: Four-course Chef’s Tasting Menu

SEVENTH SOUTH CRAFT FOOD + DRINK

Award: Naples Illustrated Magazine Best New Restaurant 2016
Location: Downtown Naples
Chef: Jay Schrednitz
Meal served: Dinner
Culinary style: Adventurously eclectic
Best for: Folks who value the cocktails as much as the cuisine
Personality: Modern farmhouse chic
Signature dish: Furikake Crusted Tuna with kimchi fried rice, wasabi and Korean BBQ
Best splurge: Raspberry & White Chocolate Bread Pudding

THE TURTLE CLUB

Location: Vanderbilt Beach Resort, Naples
Chef: Dylan Evans
Meals served: Lunch and dinner
Culinary style: Fresh food, simply and deliciously prepared
Best for: Folks looking to eat upscale meals with their toes in the sand 
Personality: Casual, yet sophisticated, with unparalleled views of the Gulf of America (the restaurant reopened in May 2024 after a lengthy closure due to hurricane damage)
Signature dish: Locally Sourced Gulf Grouper and Lump Crab with Citrus Beurre Blanc and Micro Cilantro, Jasmine Rice
Best splurge: The Sea Harvest — pan-seared Gulf fish, shrimp, jumbo sea scallop and more

VERDI’S AMERICAN BISTRO

Location: Marco Island
Chef/Owner: Chef Neme
Meal served: Dinner
Culinary style: American bistro with global inspirations: “We serve food the way we entertain at home.”
Best for: People looking for fine dining with value
Personality: Intimate dining with white-glove service
Signature dish: New Zealand Rack of Lamb
Best splurge: Crispy Duck