Not one, not two, but three restaurants recently reopened on Sanibel and Captiva islands.
And they have one thing in common — all had been closed since Hurricane Ian tore through in September 2022.
We couldn’t have been more excited as we headed to the islands for a look.
Here’s what we found:
Keylime Bistro
Ask which of her restaurants is her favorite and Sandy Stilwell Youngquist, owner of Stilwell Enterprises and Restaurant Group, will single out this popular Captiva Island stop.
“It was my first,” she said of the tropically colorful breakfast, lunch and dinner joint in the center of Historic Captiva Island Inn Village. “It was always the most profitable and well known. I love Sunshine Seafood across the way. That’s dinner only and serves a purpose. It’s more intimate and completely different. But Keylime is my baby.”
While all of Stilwell Younquist’s other Captiva restaurants — Cantina Captiva, RC Otter’s Island Eats and, of course, Sunshine Seafood — were damaged by Ian, they had already reopened.
“I was trying to do Keylime first,” Stilwell Youngquist said, “but it took the longest for permits. It’s a historic preserved property. It was almost ready when Milton hit. We just about started over again.”
On May 24, much to everyone’s delight, it finally got back on its feet, 971 days after Ian.
As bright and cheery as ever, Keylime Bistro reopened with new flooring and an open ceiling that gives the space a larger feel.
“We took out booths to manage larger parties better,” Stilwell Youngquist said. “When the weather is beautiful, everyone wants to be outside. When it’s not, they come rushing in.”
The bar area now features a lovely wave pattern of tiles, which will be duplicated in the Keylime location coming to Southwest Florida International Airport later this year.
Although it reopened with a limited menu, the full menu — full of favorites like crab cake Benedict, handhelds, and seafood (the escargot is a Stilwell Youngquist go-to), pasta, beef and chicken dishes — will soon follow.
Its signature stuffed grouper is a must-get too. But whatever you do, save room for the glorious, award-winning Key lime pie (and a Key lime martini too!).
Keep an eye out for the official grand opening at 4:30 p.m. June 27.
“The chamber will come out,” Stilwell Youngquist said. “It will be a party.”
We can’t wait to celebrate at 11509 Andy Rosse Lane, Captiva; (239) 395-4000; keylimebistrocaptiva.com or follow on Facebook.
Blue Giraffe
The same day the public was allowed back on Sanibel following Ian, the Blue Giraffe food truck was there, serving customers in the parking lot in Periwinkle Place Shops.
The brick-and-mortar, however, took 863 days to reopen. And when the island bar & grill returned in early March — followed by a ribbon-cutting on May 2 — there were some changes.
The biggest of which is owner Michael Puente.
The former employee, mentored by former owner Bill Letendre, purchased Blue Giraffe in June 2023.
“Rather than seeing Hurricane Ian as an end, I viewed it as an opportunity to build something even stronger,” Puente said in a news release. “I had a blank canvas and I was ready to start creating something brand new for our community.”
You’ll see and feel it as soon as you walk in the door, from the dreamy new blue epoxy floor to the sparkling white beams and trusses overhead. In between, you’ll find an open, roomy and inviting main dining room, a smaller and cozy dining area, an eye-catching, hand-painted mural by local artist Alex Bustamante and giraffes galore.
Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the menu features new twists and old favorites. In addition to Benedicts, omelets, skillets, wraps, salads and burgers, signature items include fish tacos, shrimp & chips, a tripletail Reuben and a fried chicken BLT.
“To me, a restaurant isn’t just a business,” Puente continued in the release. “It’s a way to share love, culture, and connection. This restaurant is my home, and my team is my family.”
Visit them at 2075 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel; (239) 579-0024; bluegirafferestaurant.com or follow on Facebook and Instagram
Lazy Flamingo
This comfortably casual seafood-loving restaurant off Periwinkle Way on Sanibel also made its post-Ian return on May 24.
“It’s nice to be back on the island,” said Kathie Thompson, who co-owns all the Lazy Flamingo locations with her husband, Larry, and Dick Muench. “It’s been a long time.”
The porthole windows, vertical floor-to-ceiling planks and corrugated metal that’s been acid-washed for a weathered, rusted appearance are all still there.
The long and winding bar with a sleek top and cozy oyster bar nook toward the back of the restaurant are new.
“We’re still redoing some of the tables and bar stools,” Kathie said. “We redid and refinished all the bar shelves, built some bar stools. We had a hardwood floor, now it’s epoxy.”
It has the same comfortable vibe as the old, pre-storm Lazy Flamingo that first opened next to the iconic Dairy Queen (destroyed by Ian too and since sold) in November 1991.
While the menu reopening-day menu was a bit limited, more has been quickly added. And it’s full of favorites, including raw oysters, garlic bread, peel & eats and some of our favorite wings around.
You’ll also find clam chowders, conch fritters and chowder, a handful of salads (including the popular Caesar with grouper or chicken), baskets, sandwiches and platters.
“We have air conditioning, cold beer, food and the bugs are outside,” Kathie said. “We’re happy to be indoors again. All we wanted was to be open.”
That’s all we could ask for, too.
It’s at 1036 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel; (239) 472-6939; lazyflamingo.com and on Facebook.
And… (not open yet but soon) The Bubble Room
When we swung by to check on the progress in late April, this Captiva classic was coming along nicely. Fish bopped around their tanks in the Nemo (aka 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) room and a giant Mickey Mouse stood watch over another dining room. Antique toys and old Hollywood photos lined shelves and walls, and string and bubble lights proudly glowed all around.
“We’ve worked so hard getting it like it was,” Rachel Peach, general manager for 22 years, said at the time. “It’s the exact same carpet (only new). We saved most of the antiques and the majority of the stuff is going back in the exact same spot.”
Closed since Hurricane Ian, the restaurant faced further setbacks with the following two hurricanes.
“Water was three feet higher with Helene and Milton (than it was with Ian),” Peach said. “We had just put some of the wood back. A lot needed to be replaced.”
An expected late 2024 opening was pushed back until sometime between March 1 and April 30. And that got bumped to mid-May. But another update was just issued on The Bubble Room’s Facebook page.
“We are thrilled to announce that we are finally in the home stretch to our reopening,” the June 5 post read. “We are working on the finishing touches and the final permits to come through and we will be ready to open the doors to guests in the upcoming weeks.”
When it does open, it will be on a first-come, first-served basis with no reservations accepted.
“We can’t wait to welcome you all back to create some fun and filling memories!” the post concluded.
We can’t wait either.
Follow the Bubble Room — at 15001 Captiva Drive, Captiva — on Facebook for updates.
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: Welcome back: 3 Sanibel, Captiva restaurants reopen for 1st time since Hurricane Ian
Reporting by Robyn George, Fort Myers News-Press / Fort Myers News-Press
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