Favorite Places For Breakfast On Florida’s Paradise Coast

To fully enjoy a day of fun in Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades, you first need to fuel up. And that means breakfast.

There are countless places on Florida’s Paradise Coast that will serve you the first — and some say most important — meal of the day. They range from restaurants within upscale resorts to tiny mom-and-pop diners.

For this article, we’re featuring 10 restaurants that are independent and locally owned. Each has its own distinct cuisine, vibe, and location, but they all have one thing in common: They serve fantastic food and the locals love them.

The restaurants in this list provide outdoor seating, like so many Paradise Coast restaurants do.

Naples Breakfast & Brunch

BLUEBERRY’S

This cozy, diner-style place has an inviting, country-house look on the outside. Blueberry’s is situated in the heart of Naples, right on U.S. 41 three miles north of downtown. The restaurant’s menu covers the breakfast spectrum: pancakes (a dozen different ways), waffles, French toast, crepes, omelets, Benedicts, eggs any way you want them, skillets, a list of “Healthier Suggestions,” and more. Whatever gets you going in the morning, you’ll find it at Blueberry’s. 

Jane’s Garden Cafe on 3rd

Those seeking an elevated al fresco morning meal in elegant environs can’t go wrong with Jane’s Garden Cafe on 3rd. Situated in the heart of downtown amid upscale restaurants and shops, you’ll dine in Jane’s English Gardens under a brightly colored umbrella or on the Courtyard Patio. This place fairly begs you to start out with a Mimosa, Bellini or Bloody Mary. From there, choose from a menu that ranges from healthy (The Acai Bowl) to decadent (Bourbon Vanilla Belgian Waffle). The British Breakfast features eggs, home fries, English muffin, choice of meat and baked beans. As the menu says, it’s “fit for a king.”

The Cove Inn Coffee Shoppe

Located in a small hotel on the waterfront in downtown Naples, The Cove Inn Coffee Shoppe is a go-to place for pancakes. The top-of-the-menu Fisherman’s Folly features fluffy and hearty flapjacks with an array of toppings and sides, ranging in price from $6 to $9. A bargain? Absolutely. The Coffee Shoppe, which opened in 1980, is a small space, family-owned, adjacent to the Cove Inn’s lobby. You can eat at a table or the counter or, for those staying at the hotel, order takeout and eat on a balcony overlooking Crayton Cove. The Coffee Shoppe also serves a full selection of other breakfast favorites — burritos, sandwiches, omelets and the like.

The Rooster Food+Drink

The Rooster Food + Drink leans Southern, y’all – but with a twist. How about Biscuits with Jalapeno Sausage Gravy or a Cornmeal Fried Green Tomato Benne (with Citrus Hollandaise)? The Rooster’s menu also includes all the breakfast standards, all made with down-home love. The restaurant, located just west of the Naples Airport, has a comfy, no-frills interior, augmented by a few outdoor tables under red umbrellas.

Other Naples breakfast spots: 5th Avenue Coffee Company & Sixth Street Diner, the ideal place for a casual breakfast on Naples’ posh 5th Avenue South, Wild Berry Cafe, Marquise Cafe, Mimosa of Naples, Country House Restaurant, Sunburst Cafe. 

Marco Island Breakfast Favorites

Doreen’s Cup of Joe

A lot of restaurants claim to use locally and regionally sourced ingredients, but Doreen’s Cup of Joe spells it out right on the top of the menu: cage-free brown eggs; all-natural, preservative-free sausage from Bradley’s Country Store in Tallahassee; milk products from a farm in Myakka City, and so on. Centrally located on Collier Boulevard, Doreen’s is airy and well-lit, with handsome wood floors. You can also dine on a covered patio out front. The vast menu offers something for every breakfast lover: omelets, skillets, Belgian waffles, French toast and even a few Mexican-style entries. Pancake lovers can expand their horizons with Pumpkin Cheesecake, Key Lime, Lemon Ricotta and Baked Apple.

Stonewall’s American Bistro

Set in a classy stand-alone building on Collier Boulevard across from Marco Island’s resorts, Stonewalls promises “fine food fast.” After ordering at the counter, you can enjoy breakfast inside or outdoors under an umbrella. Stonewalls’ menu is deliciously diverse: sweet stuff (e.g. Cannoli-stuffed French toast); egg stuff (omelets, Benedicts, burritos); healthy stuff (Avocado Toast); and innovative stuff like the indulgent Crab Cake Benny — poached eggs and two crab cakes on an English muffin topped with Hollandaise and served with seasoned potatoes.

Hoot’s

This unpretentious place proudly casts itself as a diner in a resort town not known for them. Situated on the northern part of the island in a shopping center, Hoot’s serves comfort food with some twists. You can create your own omelet or opt for something a bit more creative, like the Andouille Scramble or Shrimp & Tomato Benedict. The small (but not cramped) space is unfussy, with basic tables and a small counter. Hoot’s also has a Naples location about nine miles southeast of downtown on U.S. 41.

More stand-alone breakfast spots on Marco Island: Smith House, Empire Bagel Factory, Red Rooster, and The Island Hideout.

Everglades City Breakfast & Beyond

Island Cafe

To prepare for a day out in the wilds — or sitting by the pool, for that matter — stop into this eatery for a hearty, nothin’-fancy breakfast. Island Cafe is located a block from the water in Everglades City (pop. 378), the only proper town in America’s most famous wetlands. The Breakfast Burrito is a customer favorite, and big-appetite types will want to dig into the Angler’s Breakfast, a six-ounce steak with three eggs any style, grits or potatoes, and biscuits. If an airboat ride is part of your Everglades itinerary — and it should be — three airboat operators are within a couple blocks of the Island Cafe.

NELY’S CORNER

The sign on the building says Everglades Fishing Co., but make sure you step inside and navigate through the bait-and-tackle and convenience-store areas — because a special breakfast awaits. Nely’s proudly calls itself a “scratch kitchen,” and the food lives up to that billing. Carnivores should opt for the Steak & Eggs — petite medallions served in a skillet over breakfast potatoes and eggs your way. For a more Southern twist, there’s Country Fried Steak covered in sausage gravy. Nely’s also serves an array of other breakfast staples — skillets, sandwiches, burritos, pancakes — as well as mouth-watering Chicken & Waffles and Shrimp & Grits (the ultimate Everglades breakfast treat!).

If you’re planning a trip to the Everglades, make time to stop into quaint Everglades City, and make sure and check out the historic Everglades Rod & Gun Club. Better yet, stay a night at one of its five adjacent cottages to experience genuine Old Florida.

There’s a solid chance that you’ll be grabbing breakfast with your family before heading out for a day of fun. Check out this guide to family friendly activities on Florida’s Paradise Coast.