History, fresh seafood, famous Cubans: Here’s our 10 favorite iconic Florida restaurants

Posted on June 26, 2021
By Annabelle Tometich, USA TODAY Network
Cabbage Key, Restaurant Reviews

Cabbage Key Inn and Restaurant Outdoor Dining

Cabbage Key Inn and Restaurant. Wesley K.H. Teo

Every city has a legendary restaurant that everyone knows — and recommends to visiting family, friends and strangers alike.

When it comes to iconic restaurants, Florida has plenty, including several open for more than a century, including Tampa’s original Columbia Restaurant and Miami Beach’s Joe’s Stone Crab.

While some are special-occasion restaurants, others are everyday favorites.

Here’s our list of some of Florida’s most enduring (and endearing) restaurants, presented in alphabetical order, from USA TODAY Network contributors from across the state.

The South’s Best Stays 2021

Posted on May 23, 2021
By Valerie Fraser Luesse, Southern Living
Cabbage Key, Reviews

Credit: Cedric Angeles

Historic Cabbage Key Inn & Restaurant

Cabbage Key, Florida

On this Gulf island off the South Florida coast, peace and quiet reign. You won’t find any traffic jams (or pavement), and you’ll need a boat to get there. A stay on Cabbage Key is a worlds-away experience, thanks to its sandy paths, historic stays, and open-air restaurant. We’re not sure of the eatery’s actual name; we just reference the gazillion dollar bills that are plastered over every available surface and call it what everybody else does: “the bar with all the money on the walls.” (Whether it really inspired Jimmy Buffett’s song “Cheeseburger in Paradise” is up for debate, but let’s just say it did. It makes for a good story.) Explore 100 virtually undisturbed acres, and sleep with the ocean breeze blowing through the open windows of your 1930s cabin. While you’re at it, have a cheeseburger—you know—in paradise.

6 off the beaten path restaurants you can’t drive to

Posted on November 30, 2020
By Chasing Trail
Cabbage Key, Reviews

It’s difficult to imagine any part of Florida that doesn’t have even one paved road, but it exists. That place is Cabbage Key, a 100-acre island just west of Fort Myers on the Gulf Coast.

The focal point inside the restaurant is the storied Dollar Bill Bar, where patrons have taped bills (over 70,000 of them, reportedly!) to every available surface for over 60 years. Some of the more famous dollars came from former President Jimmy Carter, John F. Kennedy, Jr., and — who else? — the man himself, Jimmy Buffett.

Cabbage Key: Old Florida Island for Kayaking, History, Atmosphere

Posted on February 11, 2020
By Bonnie Gross, Florida Rambler
Cabbage Key, History, Kayak & Canoe, Reviews, Southwest Florida

The Cabbage Key Inn atop a small hill with clear, blue sky in the background

The Cabbage Key Inn was built as a private home in 1937. It was converted into an inn in the 1940s and has been owned by the Wells family since 1976. (Photo by Bonnie Gross)

Cabbage Key, a little island west of Fort Myers reachable only by boat, is famous for a lot of things — its historic Dollar Bill Bar, papered with more than $70,000 in signed dollar bills from patrons; its association with Jimmy Buffett. Cabbage Key is familiar to thousands who visit on a popular luncheon cruise from Pine Island or Captiva and spend perhaps two hours.

But visiting Cabbage Key for a longer period of time, in the quiet mornings before day visitors arrive and in the golden evenings when the iconic bar has only a handful of boaters and fishermen, reveals a different side of Cabbage Key.

Boating To Cabbage Key And Cayo Costa – Dolphins, Old Florida, And Pristine Beaches

Posted on July 14, 2019
Cabbage Key, Cayo Costa, Recreation, Reviews

Is there anything better than combining a day’s boating to a charming “Old Florida” island – Cabbage Key – with swimming at a pristine beach and dolphin watching? Maybe, but this pretty much sums up my perfect day out. If you add no traffic worries (no cars at all on Cabbage Key), lovely lush surroundings, gopher tortoises and a delicious lunch in a historic restaurant, this outing is hard to top. Wouldn’t you agree?
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Iconic Cabbage Key

Posted on July 8, 2019
By Lazy Locations
Reviews

Cabbage Key is an island located in Charlotte Harbor and probably my favorite place for lunch when I’m in the area. It’s south of Boca Grande, east of Cayo Costa and located at marker “60” on the intracoastal waterway. It’s the most visited spot in the area hands-down! It can only be accessed by boat or ferry and it’s famous for it’s fabulous, “old-Florida” restaurant. Supposedly, it was the inspiration for Jimmy Buffett’s song, “Cheeserburger in Paradise”.

The Most Unusual Dining Destination In Florida Will Delight You In Every Way

Posted on April 23, 2019
By Marisa Roman, OnlyInYourState.com
Cabbage Key, Restaurant Reviews

The next time you’re thinking of visiting this one particular restaurant in Pineland, Florida then you should probably bring your dollar bills. Aaaaand, it’s not what you’re thinking, just to be clear. This unusual yet delightful restaurant uses dollar bills as decor taped to the walls and ceilings, which makes for a surprisingly fun way to dine in Florida.

Cabbage Key Inn Restaurant is one of the coolest, and possibly strangest restaurants you’ll ever come across in Florida.

Located in the Old House on the property, this open-air restaurant serves three meals a day—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—365 days a year.

What to expect at Cabbage Key

Posted on April 11, 2019
By Kita Roberts, Pass The Sushi
Cabbage Key, Recreation, Reviews

Whether you are just coming in for a burger at the infamous Cabbage Key Restaurant or planning to spend a few nights, here’s why you must visit this iconic island in southern Florida.

“A slice of old Florida,” I heard it described by several before I arrived at the small island of Cabbage Key.

Never having been to ‘old’ Florida before, I wasn’t terribly sure what that meant. I had been to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, and several other cities in Florida, always for those quick vacations and needed getaways. I have done the theme parks and seen the beaches. With that as my reference, what could ‘old Florida’ truly be?

Florida’s Gulf Coast: Five Wonderful Island Escapes

Posted on January 21, 2019
By Fred Mays, GoNOMAD
Cabbage Key, Recreation, Reviews

Aerial view of Cabbage Key, Florida. Fred Mays photos.

Florida is a big, very populous state with lots of tourists, and consequently finding a little quiet peace on the beach gets harder all the time.

Yeah, there are over 1,350 miles of coastline, and you would think that’s enough to give everybody their own place on the sand. But no, everybody seems to want to pile in the same spot you picked.

But there are places where you can get away from the crowds and enjoy a little sand dune solitude. Here are my picks for couple’s getaways on Florida’s Gulf Coast where you can find great beaches, fine restaurants, and comfortable hotels.
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Charmed by Southwest Florida

Posted on December 11, 2018
By Bruce Sach, Dreamscapes Travel and Lifestyle Magazine
Cabbage Key, Captiva, Reviews

We drove through Captiva island to embark on a Captiva Cruise to Cabbage Key, a tiny 404,685-square-metre island (key) one hour away by boat. From the dock, we carefully crossed the very shallow Pine Island Sound, so shallow that our guide causally mentioned that if we ran aground, they’d open up the bar while we waited to be unstuck by the Coast Guard!

Nothing untoward occurred, however we were occasionally entertained by pods of delightfully playful and curious dolphins. They love sounds and are attracted by the boat’s engine and any noise we cared to share.

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