Sanibel Café — Restaurant in Sanibel

African Americans Stay Away.... this establishment does not want you as a customer. 1st time visiting Sanibel Island. 1st place we stopped in to visit was this restaurant. The hostess that seated us, placed us in the back of the house, by the kitchen. The restaurant was not full, so we asked to be seated in another area. She made it known very clearly, thru her actions, that this was too much of a request, as she simply said... "ok pick any table." Note... This was not stated in a kind way. We stepped aside so she could lead us to another table, as this is what hosts do; but once again she said... "pick any table." When we got to the table of choice, she threw the menus on the tables and said "here." We were so insulted by her lack of interest in wanting to service us, that we opt to leave, as there is no way our money was going to be spent in a place that made it known, there was no interest in providing us, (African Americans) service. I must admit, a very negative tone instantly filled our minds about not just this restaurant, but Sanibel Island. Thank goodness for the Blue Giraffe Restaurant. They obviously understand the hospitality industry and what it means to truly welcome their customers no matter their ethnicity. Both food & service was impeccable. I highly recommend anyone reading this to skip Sanibel Cafe and go straight to the Blue Giraffe. It is sad to know in 2022, people choose, and I do mean choose, to be so prejudice against others, as what she did was not a mistake, it was a direct choice. Thank goodness for other establishments, who have the mindset that all patrons are to be treated properly. Those who care, understands all money is of the same color and spends the same way. Too Bad &...

Arrived late Sunday morning for breakfast. Seated immediately, then graciously reseated in a cooler area on request. Family owned business with long history in the area. Lots of locals and regulars on a first name basis with staff. Very welcoming.

Nice sized menu with some intriguing options (Original Islander featuring sauteed alligator and eggs for breakfast anyone?). A specials sheet contained even more options. Coffee fresh and tasty.

We opted for items from the specials menu (I really wanted to try the alligator but couldn't pull the trigger). I ordered the Avocado Omelet with feta substituting their specialty grilled parmesean tomatoes for hash browns, with rye toast. Hubby got the breakfast burrito generously accompanied by sour cream, guacamole and homemade salsa. All I can say is YUM. Eggs beautifully cooked (not browned, a pet peeve of mine), avocado fresh, toast warm with their homemade raspberry jam on the side. (We bought a couple jars to take home, it was that good). Proper portion sizes, enough to satisfy without overeating or carting leftovers home. The parmesean tomatoes were wonderful. A healthy(er) option over the potatoes. Wait staff attentive without being bothersome.

The dining room is efficient, compact but navigable. No outside seating that I saw. Their tables showcase shadowbox shell art designs from local artisans. This seemed to be a trend with them, the walls adorned with a lovely mural and art pieces by the same artist. Available to buy near the register were handmade pottery mugs by Doug (who came in to eat while we were there) and homemade raspberry & blackberry preserves. Subtle but showed their engagement with the community. 100%...

I have always enjoyed going to the Sanibel Cafe until this year. The food was still good, but they were not following the social distancing guidelines this time. My party and I were sitting in the back when a party of 12 came in. Instead of making them wait until we were done they sat them by us. There was less than 2 feet between me at one table and a man at another table, This man was coughing all over the place. I told the waitress when she came to take their order, that the distance between was not 6 ft. She acted like she didn't know what I was talking about. I went to the cashier and complained that I was not happy that there wasn't 6 ft between me and the other guest. She told me they were doing the best they can. Well the best they can is not good enough. They could have had these people wait until we were done. I am very disappointed with the covid virus they should be...