Traders Restaurant on Sanibel — Restaurant in Sanibel

We have been on the island for a week and come every year. Traders was one of the few restaurants we had yet to try. We arrived a little late, about 40 minutes before 9:00 but there were still plenty of people in the dining room and the door said open until 9:00pm. Walking in, the hostess didnt give us the choice of sitting in the dining room. She sat our party of 4 at a small table in the corner of the bar. Our waitress, whom I would name if she had told us, asked us if we were ready to order 4 different times in the first 5 minutes of being there. She then informed us she is only asking so much do that she doesnt have to tell us they are closing the kitchen on us. She was very abrasive and rude and the service went downhill from there. She was very awkward and made us feel very uncomfortable being there. She hovered over the table at times creating an awkward experience. The food was very good but once again, when it came time to pay, the waitress's attitude was unbearable. After asking to speak to a manager, her attitude got very snotty and she informed us Traders does not have a manager and that the staff runs the restaurant. After talking to the chef he informed me to call the owner the next morning, which I intend on doing. Its a shame, with a better staff, this restaurant would have been great. By far the worst restaurant experience I have had on...

We didn't end up eating here but I wanted to share our experience anyway. So happy to be back in our house after hurricane Ian and try a new restaurant , we decided on Traders because it is one of the few open so far. Lovely place and setting. Until we got to the host desk. Young man was extremely rude explaining how they were really busy, there were no tables available and since we did not have reservations there would be no way to fit us in and even the bar area was off limits because of a private party. He did not smile or offer any kind of friendly behavior. We found it to be very odd since every place we've ever been to on the island has such nice owners/employees. A few days later we ran into a dilemma again trying to find a place to eat dinner that we had not been to yet (we eat out a lot) so this time we called Traders earlier in the day to make a reservation. The same gentlemen answered, I can't prove it but I am pretty positive it was him. His reply was, "Yeah we don't have anything available, we are very busy and what you need to do is call a couple days in advance for reservations instead of calling the same day and trying to get in." We gave it a second chance. There won't be a third. No reason to talk to...

Traders Restaurant on Sanibel is a perennial favorite and tonight did not disappoint. This was the best meal I have had in recent memory. The detail in the use of ingredients was exceptional. Started with gazpacho and small Cesar salad. The gazpacho was beautifully prepared and the citrus notes accompanied the salad well making them the perfect pairing on a rather warm summers day. For an entree, I chose the shrimp and grits. By far the best that have crossed these lips. The pork belly hidden beneath takes this dish to another level. Creamy grits with an unexpected complexity of flavors garners this my highest regards to the chef. The only thing that would have made this dish better would be if the cheese came from Marcoot Jersey Creamery. 😉 The chocolate banana bread pudding was too Devine to pass up. What's not to love about warm bread pudding wrapped up in bananas, chocolate and caramel? If you are ever on Sanibel, this is one restaurant you do not want to miss. It would be wrong of me not to mention the excellent service we received from Max from New York, who made our dining experience a pleasure. Well done Team Traders! Looking forward to dining with...