Pass up all the chain restaurants with the bright lights and head to Maria's! The food was amazing, the staff was wonderful, and it is obvious how proud they are of their history! It is a great place for tourist to get a taste of local flavor. Our waiter not only provided wonderful service, this morning he also cleaned the snapper I had for dinner.
We are there the other night and the food was fantastic. Highly recommend the salmon duval and the Caribbean shrimp!!
The gumbo, crab stuffed mushrooms, and garlic shrimp......sooo good! Eat here! You won’t regret it!
We love Maria's seafood restaurant. I've never gotten past her gumbo and peel and eat shrimp! Absolutely delicious! I'm hoping President Trump will stop by here to eat as she has been a big supporter! She is a small business owner, a legal immigrant and a hard worker. Job well done Maria!!
We drive by this place at least 100 times and stopped in to see what this was all about. We met Maria and she is a sweetheart. The gumbo is amazing! Fried fish and oysters were cooked perfectly! Such a great place to eat. Next time you go to the beach stop by this place for some great Cajun cooking!
My parents ate here and loved it so much that they brought us all back a week later. Love the laid back atmosphere, and of course the food! The frog legs, smoked fish dip, and crab stuffed mushrooms were amazing. Can't wait to come back! Maria was the best. The birds were also fun to visit with out back!
Best Etouffee ever! AYCE fish is amazing as is the Gumbo! The Gumbo is a Must have every time we go. Marias smoked fish is sooo good! Beautiful seating outside by the docks, and inside is just as nice. The Macaw and Cockatoo love to interact with everyone!
But best of all is Maria the owner! She makes a Delish Sangria! And is always hospitable! Great atmosphere! Can’t wait to go back! Always Great Food!
The fish and the coleslaw are FANTASTIC !! Can't pick a better seafood place and super cool laid back atmosphere ❤️
Quite likely the best gumbo ever! Caribbean shrimp and smoked amberjack were fabulous too.
Best food and service in the state! You can’t get this kind of food just anywhere! Excellent Food! Excellent Service!
The gumbo is the best
First place i stop from the air port
We stay in the RV park across the road and can smell the fish smoking! We go everytime were down here. Love the food!
This place. And these people ate amazing, they have worked so hard to open this place. And now they are up and running. The food is awesome and so is Maria's. Y'all check it out . You will not be disappointed.
Best food ever! Great atmosphere. Very nice staff. We will definitely be back!!!
Great seafood restaurant all u can eat fish and great sweet tea and creamy cole slaw
Maria's is an outstanding family owned and operated business. She has been around for years. I love the all you can eat fish fry. Her seafood gumbo is to die for! Great food and great service! I've been coming here for years and I tell all of my friends who come over this way to try it out. Not once have they come back to me and said they were disappointed.
Her hospitality and the crawfish etoufee were excellent! The family loved the shrimp and fisherman's platter. We are going back for the frogs legs and grouper. Be sure to tslk with Maria you will love the stories too!
Gotta Try Maria's. Best fried fish, bar none. Don't forget to bring your cooler and or wine... BYOB! Get there early before the smoked fish runs out. This place may not be your cup of tea but if you like CASUAL and GREAT food,. O n the right side before the smaller bridge heading to the beach...
The best all you can eat fry fish, serving with baby potatoes and coleslaw
If you like fried fish and are hungry this is it!! Owner serves you and fish is always fresh. One of local fishermen (friend) recommended it. A good choice.
Don't let the appearance deceive you! Possibly the best restaurant in the area. Sits 3 feet from docks. All meals are Maria's own recipes & prepared from scratch. Everything was cooked to perfection. Everything was reasonably priced. Maria herself is a true gem. But be forewarned, come armed with patience. Food took about an hour to arrive but it was soooo worth it! Also she inly uses fresh ingredients so some offerings are gone by evening. Only downside was outdoor restrooms.
The best fried grouper you will ever eat. I know….I know… such an overused cliche HOWEVER in this instance it is absolutely correct. It’s a small place, limited parking, limited seating but worth the inconvenience. I’m going back this afternoon for lunch. Be sure to bring cash because Maria’s doesn’t take cards. In fact I saw a guy there who tried to pay with his card only to have to rely on his female companion to pony up the cash. I don’t think she was happy.
It really is the best food ever. I will post pics after I get back from lunch!!
Quality of food is excellent. Best Salmon Duval anywhere. Gumbo as good as anywhere in New Orleans. Enjoy the relaxed, no frills atmosphere. Maria is great.
Me and my wife been down at Maria’s every time we go down there in that area. The foods always great to jambalaya is something to die for I pray to God that Maria’s opens up again because we are currently going down in another month and I want to enjoy her great Kochen thank you Maria for all you do . Rick and Jean.
Outstanding! The food is the Very Best! We ate here twice during our short stay. Everything we had, and saw others having, was superb. Fun little place. She does things Her way!
We will be back- by far the best food we had while in Fort Meyers/ Sanibel Island area.
Looks like a little hole in the wall, but don’t let looks fool you. Excellent, excellent and fun!
We were pleasantly surprised and will definitely return! This may be our favorite spot now. Be ready for the unusual. There is not a lot of staff and you may need to grab your own drink out of the cooler but the food is so worth it! We enjoyed the All You Can Eat Fish, Stuffed Seafood Shrimp and Fried Grouper. It is super laid back and political but we LOVE Trump!
This woman is absolutely amazing.....the food is excellent. The owner waits on tables, gets drinks and cooks amazing food. Don't be in a hurry....great food takes time. Her assistant is nice. The owner has to consistently has to tell him what to do. I absolutely loved this place...... slow and easy......the food was top of the line.....don't be in a hurry if you go there.....sit back, relax and enjoy your date and company.
Maria's is our favorite spot in Ft. Myers! Someone on the beach told us about it so we tried it out. It's the type of place that we would have never stopped at but we are extremely glad we did. We have been going for 6 years now every time we are here. The seafood spheres are our absolute favorite. We enjoy the laid back service. It's nice to not feel rushed and we can actually enjoy our conversation without being rushed. Make sure to visit the birds outside!
I've eating their twice and both times were rewarded with quality and quantity. The atmosphere was cozy, wish I hadn't been alone. The service was complimentary and the others guest were mixed. Laid back and yet sociable. I will definitely return the next time I'm in the area.
I drive an hour round-trip to pick up a few orders of Maria's gumbo to go....hands down the best you will EVER have. I was torn on if I even wanted to write this review because I don't want it to become so popular that when I want it, they are out of it, but amazing job with the gumbo again tonight Maria...it rocks!!
We have been going here for years. Love it. Laid back dining experience. Don't expect fast, it's usually Marie doing everything. If you want fancy or fast go somewhere else. Food is fantastic. Marie is priceless!
A trip to Fort Myers would not be complete without dining at Maria's. The all you can eat fish fry is superb. Not a fancy restaurant but the food is delicious. It is sort of like having dinner at your best friends house. Diners got up and got their own beer out of the cooler, poured their own wine, etc. They go tthere for the food and the relaxed atmosphere.
Call first to make sure they're open or you may waste a drive. That being said then get the Allyoucaneat fish fry or Duval. And a sweet tea. Mix the white sauce with the hot sauce. Maria is fantastic one of a kind. I love her but she's certainly not everyone s cup of tea every day. She has tossed out many a customer that got on her bad side. She's awesome and her fish is absolutely on my mind whenever I go back to my home state. I hope she never closes up shop.
Unique place! Definitely deserving of five stars. Prices, selections, and genuineness of the place are all top notch. Maria is a kind woman who is not afraid to be herself - and thats commendable and rare in this day and age. Can't wait to visit again.
This spot is worth the trip from Indiana just for the cilantro-lime pepper sauce. Unbelievably good smoked fish. Can't wait to come back!
4/6/16 Update: Finally got to stop in again, and the service and food is even better than I remember. Shout out to our server for handling the entire dining room single-handedly, while having every order perfect! This place is a MUST for every trip to Fort Myers! Can't wait to come back! You guys are outstanding!
Food was excellent! Maria was friendly and accomodating. A way better value than most of the beach restaurants. Homemade coleslaw was unique and delicious and the hot sauce was also homemade and awesome! Keep up the excellent work Maria's!
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