Jensen’s Twin Palm Marina and Cottages™ is the perfect place to rent a boat or schedule a boat tour to excellent North Captiva Island restaurants. Contact us today!
There’s nothing quite like the experience of fresh seafood at a waterfront restaurant while you’re on vacation in Southwest Florida. North Captiva Island restaurants take it a step further because you need to rent a boat to get to this beautiful stretch of island paradise.
North Captiva Island restaurants accessible by boat that you must try include Over the Waterfront, Mainstay and Barnacles Bar, The Boathouse and more. They are the perfect spots to enjoy a meal and plan an adventure at the same time. Rent a boat at a local marina and then head to North Captiva for a day of sun, surf and excellent meals.
Find out everything you need to know about restaurants on North Captiva and other barrier island restaurants in the area below.
What restaurants are on North Captiva Island? We have a complete list for you below so you can map out your boating and restaurant itinerary! Remember that all four of these restaurants below are only accessible by taking a boat to North Captiva Island.
The Boathouse is the waterfront restaurant you want to visit for a good dinner combined with an experience of white linen napkins, an excellent wine menu and a full bar.
Those that live near North Captiva think of The Boathouse when they are looking for a waterfront restaurant to celebrate a special occasion. Think white linen table cloths combined with excellent steaks, fresh seafood and more while enjoying a view that overlooks a beautiful harbor and a lagoon.
The Mainstay North Captiva Restaurant is the place to visit for a casual eatery on the water with outdoor seating for the whole family.
Mainstay is a quaint little restaurant with plenty of scenic outdoor seating under a tiki hut, where patrons can enjoy views of the turquoise Gulf of Mexico. It’s not uncommon to enjoy a seafood meal while spotting dolphins, manatees and pelicans.
Enjoy a cool drink and some delicious fresh seafood here. There is plenty of space to dock your boat as well. Enjoy Caribbean and seafood favorites like seafood chowder and jerk-style fresh fish and chicken.
Over at Barnacles Bar, enjoy tropical libations, ice cold beer and great sandwiches.
Ice Cream Alert: Above Barnacles Bar sits an ice cream shop to cool down and get some treats for the family before you head back out on the boat for your trip back to the mainland!
Over the Waterfront is the restaurant to visit for Old Florida experience and you get to sit right on the dock for the best waterfront view around!
This beautiful waterfront restaurant is classic Old Florida in all its glory. There is plenty of dock space for the boat next to a restaurant that is literally sitting at the end of the dock and on top of the water. Enjoy a great meal on an outside sun deck surrounded by water.
Lunch is available most days, so call ahead to make sure. Dinner service requires a dinner reservation. Call (239) 472-4762 before you go.
Mango's Cafe and Grill is the perfect restaurant to enjoy casual lunches by the pool and have drinks served to you poolside.
Across the harbor in Hidden Cove sits two gems: Mango’s Cafe and Grill and Mango’s Pool Bar. Enjoy casual lunches, dinners and refreshing cocktails.
Mango’s Cafe and Grill features indoor and outdoor dining with excellent Florida cuisine. Mango’s Pool Bar offers wonderful casual poolside fare, including appetizers and tropical drinks served right to your pool lounge chair.
Now we are back on Captiva Island, where these restaurants are available by car and boat! Check out these wonderful spots below.
This restaurant is in the heart of Historic Captiva Island Inn Village, which serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner. This award-winning restaurant has excellent dishes such as fresh grouper sandwiches, Key Lime Pasta, Shrimp Scampi and more.
You can’t head to Southwest Florida without hitting a Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille. While there is a variety of these restaurants in the area, we recommend the waterfront one on Captiva Island. Here you can enjoy live music on the waterfront while you sip on a famous Doc Ford’s Mojito and snack on Shrimp Scampi Flatbread and other tasty seafood options.
The Harborside Bar & Grill, located at the South Seas Island Resort, is a great Captiva Island restaurant for a wonderful dinner and unique artisan cocktails.
Enjoy a dinner of East or West Coast Oysters, Romesco Garlic Shrimp or Spanish Octopus with cocktail offerings that include:
Ready for a casual lunch or dinner offering on Captiva Island? Check out Captiva Island Pizza for your vacation pizza fix. You have to check out the fun island pizza offerings that include:
Don’t forget a Personal Key Lime Pie To-Go!
Captiva Island’s Mexican restaurant offering is Cantina Captiva. Here you can enjoy tasty margaritas with your taco salad, fajitas, enchiladas and other tasty offerings.
The Green Flash Restaurant is a must for a great meal, a wonderful cocktail and the chance to have a discussion about what the green flash is! In short, the green flash is a flash of green color that sprinkles along the Gulf that you can only see at sunset right as the sun disappears for the evening. It doesn’t happen every night, so don’t blink!
While you're waiting for your Green Flash, enjoy Smoked Salmon, Stone Crab Claws and tasty beverages at a lovely historic restaurant location on Captiva Island.
The Bubble Room Restaurant on Captiva Island is a great place for both couples and a night with the whole family. Its inside dining experience is where this place shines, complete with toy trains running, lights to marvel at and Hollywood mementos to peruse.
Have fun reading the menu too, which includes fun offerings based on 1950s and 1960s Hollywood stars and songs.
RC Otter’s, located inside The Captiva Island Inn, is another great place for breakfast, lunch and dinner in Old Captiva Village. Try the Seafood Omelet for breakfast, Oysters on the Half Shell for lunch and Grouper or Salmon Oscar or Gus’ Baby Back Ribs for dinner. RC Otter’s also offers a great children’s menu, with every item on the menu priced at $5.99.
The Sunshine Seafood Cafe and Wine Bar has been named the best kept secret on Captiva Island. Menu offerings like Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes and wood-grilled Jumbo Shrimp will make your mouth water.
The art on display inside the restaurant is fun to explore while you’re eating a delicious meal. It’s an eclectic setting whether you are sitting inside or out.
The Crow’s Nest Bar & Grille is located at the ‘Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa. This popular restaurant offers nightly specials including:
Other great seafood selections include Mahi Fingers, Crow’s Nest Shrimp, Roasted Corn & Shrimp Chowder, Grouper Reuben and Fish Tacos.
Also available at the ‘Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa is the Old Captiva House. A National Registry of Historic Places landmark, Old Captiva House offers mouthwatering Buttermilk Pancakes and Banana Bread French Toast for breakfast and delicious seafood dinner offerings such as Homemade Lobster Ravioli, Lobster Crab Cake, Pan Seared Scallops and Blue Crab Bisque.
The Cabbage Key Restaurant is an open-air dining facility open every day of the year for breakfast, lunch and dinner. While this is not a Captiva Island restaurant, it’s another restaurant in the area that’s only accessible by water!
Located on Cabbage Key and open to visitors coming on boats, this historic restaurant that was once an historic home has outdoor seating among trees dripping with moss. The bar is known as the “bar with the money plastered on the walls.” The dining room has real fireplaces with original hardwood floors and Cypress walls.
Enjoy tasty menu options such as a one pound Fresh Gulf Stone Crab Claw Dinner and a half-pound of Peel & Eat Shrimp with one pound of Fresh Stone Crab Claws for Two. Take a North Captiva water taxi to Cabbage Key to enjoy this restaurant today.
Did Jimmy Buffet really write his song “Cheeseburger in Paradise” while enjoying the famous juicy cheeseburger at the Cabbage Key Restaurant? We don’t know the answer but we can say it is part of the island’s charm and lore that Buffett took a bite of one of these burgers and the rest is song lyric history!
Now that your mouth is watering and you have the boat map planned out for all the restaurants in North Captiva Island and other areas you have to visit, it’s time to plan your boating adventure. Plan that trip to Jensen’s Marina™ today to reserve your Florida boat rental, make a marina reservation and plan other exciting water sports adventures.
Feel free to stay awhile too and enjoy island time. Jensen’s Twin Palm Marina and Cottages™ on Captiva Island is the perfect island spot to rent a Captiva cottage and explore Captiva Island and the Florida coastlines in a boat. Enjoy a great spot for fishing and a Florida sunset too. Jensen’s Marina™ has the perfect Captiva marina amenities and it’s the perfect spot to experience Captiva Island. It also gives you time to head to all the North Captiva Island restaurants we mentioned above! Contact us today to book a rental and reserve a cottage!