![5]( "Recensione")
What a lovely & elegant dinner we enjoyed at the scenic Thistle Lodge Beachfront Restaurant at the Casa Ybel Resort on Sanibel Island! From the reservation process through dessert, everything was perfect! We started with cedar grilled octopus served over garlic fingerling potatoes with a blueberry compote. This dish is tender and layered with flavors that enhance the seafood. The Mediterranean Pompano, grilled and served with spinach, olives, cherry tomatoes and plated with a creamy risotto was out of this world! The Seafood Provençal was full of fresh shellfish, in a delicious, light, creamy garlic wine sauce served over angel hair pasta. Oh, the Caprese Salad was so wonderful I forgot to photograph it! The sea salt caramel cheesecake was excellent and the birthday brownie, ice cream, strawberries and cream decadent! The online reservation process was super helpful as I indicated my seating preference with a waterfront view and desire for a birthday surprise. Everything was perfectly & discreetly arranged and ready when we arrived, thanks to the experienced Maitre’d’ and Tanya our excellent server! If you enjoy fine dining, this is the place for you on the Island. Reservations strongly suggested as restaurant filled quickly, in spite of September “off season.” Easy and plentiful parking.
The service was wonderful. The food was delicious. We had the red Snapper special, chicken fettuccine, the beach salad and the ceasar, and shared a key lime pie. And the views...
Absolutely delicious 5 star. Jennifer was exceptional. Thinking of just coming back to Sanibel to visit and have dinner. It would be worth the 2.5 hour drive it was that good. Thanks for a great experience.
Always an amazing meal with a fantastic poolside atmosphere.
We are getting married here in December we are very happy that we chose the resort.
We will be back for a complete detailed review from our wedding.
A true resort dinning experience! The staff were extremely welcoming and helpful. The decor lends to the Island feel, and sitting outside you can hear the oceans waves and see the Gulf from certain areas. They had a long wine list, both by the glass or bottles, as well as a full liquor selection and a decent amount of beers on tap. Their seafood selection was top notch, but they also had a number of land options that were equally as delicious sounding. We took the servers advice on our seafood choice and went with the Sea Bass, which was perfectly prepared so it was firm but not chewy. For land we went with the grilled filet, medium rare, and it came out perfectly cooked, buttery, and ultra tender. Highly recommend for those with a taste for quality, both in food and service.
Best scallops I ate in my life! The lamb was also outstanding. The view from our table was beautiful. It’s not cheap but it’s so worth!
About the deserts, one was very good (creme brulee), the other one was ok (granny apple crisp). The cake part of the granny desert should be hot or warm to contrast with the cold ice cream. But that doesn’t take away points from this place since the dinner which matters the most was simply delicious!!! Highly recommend this place
Our table had a view of the pool and the water. It was not busy yet when we went at 5:45 and we enjoyed that. Only one other seated table near us. The food was amazing!!!
The location of this restaurant was quite amazing! For a nice dining experience we were very pleased. Marco took great care of us and recommended some good dishes! We will return for another special occasion dining!
Had a wonderfully relaxing dinner here our last night on the island. We sat outside where you can see the pool and ocean. It’s covered with fans so it was very comfortable. It’s a beautiful setting. The service was very nice. We were never rushed. The food tasted great. Be sure to try the seafood cake appetizer. It’s a pan seared “cake” with different seafood in it. Think crab cake but even better and on top is guava jam. The entrees were just as good. I had the scallops with lobster on top and they did not disappoint. They were worth every penny and the jasmine coconut infused rice was moist and tasted so good that I almost wanted to ask for more. For dessert I had the sea salt caramel cheesecake - it was probably the best cheesecake I’ve had in a long time. It was topped with caramel and had a layer above the crust that was caramel and salty - really really good. Highly recommend eating here! It definitely lived up to its rating.
We were on a delayed anniversary trip, and they helped us celebrate! There was a magnificent ocean view table and a card as well as great food and wonderful service! I enjoyed the lobster bisque as a starter. Hubby had the basque chicken, and I had the pistachio encrusted salmon. Everything was delish including the wine suggested by our server! We'll definitely be back!
Our visit was for brunch and we were a party of 6.
We were seated in what was referred to as the gazebo but it wasn’t where our friends thought we would be. The room was really a private party room with no view of the beautiful Gulf of Mexico. There were other tables available but our server seemed annoyed because this was the room we requested. Rather than cause a problem we stayed in the non-view room.
As we began to order we asked for separate checks but was urged to have one and split it 3 ways because it was easier to divide the check into 3 at the end.
Our service was quick and we were not rushed. Water and coffee was refilled frequently.
There were gluten-free options and our server was very accommodating to that fact.
Our meals were good but the presentation was a bit sloppy as you can see from the photos. The poached eggs were a bit over cooked. Thus the 4 star rating.
I would dine at the Thistle Lodge again but would request a Gulf view on our next visit.
Most exquisite restaurant on Sansibel Island.
Thistle Lodge Beachfront Restaurant is fine dining, literally on the beach.
Impressive, artfully conceived offerings like scallops, crab, lobster, filled minon, pastas that are presented in a way that pleases the eye and much as the pallet.
I was very happy with the way the staff did what they did. They know they are the top place on the island and love up to it with impeccable service.
A little dressed up on the beach. Then go here.
Magnificent wine list, fun bar. And the view is nothing short of compelling. Right on the beach.
Loved it!!!
We came here for our 4-year wedding anniversary ❤ from Maryland. The experience was incredible. We had a reservation and called that we were running behind and they were most accommodating. We were seated with a gorgeous view of the beach at sunset. The food and drink, atmosphere and service was top-rated! Thank you Marco, Shawn, and Mr. Chef for making my husband and I anniversary dinner in Sanibel, Florida absolutely wonderful.
Cozy spot. From Valet at parking. The food, service, and the view. Vthe fish fry was so fresh. We at the tiki bar saw an amazing view. Went downstairs to sandy fine white sand for spectacular sunset.
By far the best Yukon gold potatoes and the best ribeye steak I have ever had in my entire life my wife had the filet mignon and it was to die for. The executive chef at this restaurant is absolutely incredible at what he doesThe food the drinks the appetizers that are pumped out of this restaurant is so worth visiting. It's on the expensive side but that should be expected considering if you're coming here while on vacation. The food is very well portioned and the wait staff here is incredible they go above and beyond and make sure that you have the best experience while dining here.
Found this place on OpenTable as a last minute dinner reservation and really am glad we “happened” upon it. Amazing food, let me repeat..amazing food! Amazing taste, presentation. Just everything. Do yourself a favor and sit inside, it’s much nicer and the view of the beach is Better than the so so view of the soso pool.
Thistle Lodge was a really nice dinner for my wife and I. Pretty fancy, and expensive which you should know going in. We both had seafood, which was superb. I'd actually pass on the bisque next time... it was good but not great. The small chocolate dessert was very nice. Very nice atmosphere as well.
Get a reservation, for sure.
![4]( "Recensione")
Located on a resort, but open to the public.
4½ stars overall — the service was top notch; the wait staff was helpful, attentive, & knowledgeable.
The food was excellent: our party truly enjoyed most of the dishes we ordered: the house special the day we went was a pasta with baby seafood (baby mussels, baby clams, etc.) dish, the filet & shrimp (pictured), the basque chicken & andouille sausage (pictured) were all greatly enjoyed. Two of our party ordered ribeye steaks and while both said their steaks were cooked and seasoned perfectly, they were both disappointed with the thickness & size of the ribeye.
The wine list offered a good variety of selections, and dessert wines, ports, cognacs, etc. at a number of different prince points were on offer as well. Full bar available.
Dessert menu was short, but had some unique offerings. We enjoyed the apple crisp with cinnamon ice cream and the mango sorbet especially.
All that said, while the wait staff was very attentive, the wait for each course to come out from the kitchen was on the slow side.
We visited Thistle on our 10 year wedding Anniversary for lunch. Staff was so nice. They greeted us with a nice hand written card. Our server Nicole was very nice and attended to us the right amount of times. Food was very good. We had the the grouper sandwich and lobster roll. We also had the lobster bisque and roasted beet salad for 1st course. The lobster was very good and would rank in my top 5. The grouper was blacken and had good flavor. We sat right by the window overlooking the beach. We would revisit when in the area.
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes