The wait is almost over.
The award-winning Mucky Duck on Captiva is on the cusp of reopening.
“Soon,” Andreas Bieri, the owner of the iconic restaurant and bar, said. “I’m not going to say a date because every time I do, something hits me out of left field. Maybe a week, couple of weeks.”
The laid-back feet-in-the-sand beachfront gem has been closed due to damage sustained from back-to-back hurricanes.
Two weeks after being buried in sand by Hurricane Helene in late September 2024, Milton blew out beachside walls and windows, completely exposing the interior and leaving the roofline and floor sagging. Although the bar area was mostly intact, the kitchen was a different story.
“The kitchen is completely different now,” Bieri said. “We had to rearrange how we do things.”
The result will affect the menu a bit at first.
“It’s a very simple menu,” Bieri added. “We will see what happens. We can always add items.”
But don’t worry.
The best-selling crunchy grouper sandwich will be there, along with the pub burger, “scallops au gratin, steaks (ribeye and filet), fish (swordfish, salmon, grouper, snapper), shrimp and more.
“It’s what we had,” Bieri said. “And maybe we will have some beer-battered shrimp. Nobody has it anymore. We stopped 40 years ago. It was one of the original items we had back in ‘78. But I don’t know. Maybe we will see it return.”
What hasn’t changed is the look and feel of the restaurant, which was named one of the best beach bars in the South by Southern Living in 2024 and 2025.
Built in 1976 in what was once the old Gulf View Inn at the end of Andy Rosse Lane, Lee County designated it as historic in 1993.
And with that historic status, it will remain “exactly how it used to be.”
“It’s the same, except it looks brand new,” Bieri said. “Dark wood, English-style pub.”
Beer and wine will be served. Outdoor seating will still be available, with one huge change.
A 12-foot sand dune now obstructs the restaurant’s beloved sunset views.
The Mucky Duck, Inc., Lucky Duck RE LLC, has sued the Captiva Erosion Prevention District Board of Commissioners and the Captiva Erosion Prevention District because of it.
Mucky Duck has “the rights to view the Gulf, the beach and the sunsets from the Historic Property under Florida law,” the lawsuit said. “The defendants acted recklessly and intentionally.”
The civil suit, filed Dec. 8 in Lee County Circuit Court, is still ongoing.
“That’s the biggest obstacle we have right now,” said Bieri, who is not allowed to comment on the suit.
In the meantime, though, The Mucky Duck is hiring staff in anticipation of the reopening. Interested candidates should drop by 11546 Andy Rosse Lane on Captiva anytime between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday to Friday.
And follow the restaurant’s Facebook page for the latest news on opening dates.
Robyn George is a food and dining reporter for The News-Press. Connect at rhgeorge@fortmyer.gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Beloved Captiva restaurant to reopen for first time since 2024
Reporting by Robyn George, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
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