The Claw Bar / Bellasera: It’s premature to pound the gavel on this brand-new black-and-gold-bedecked spot with epic seafood towers, but everything points to a win for the same restaurant group behind The Turtle Club at the Vanderbilt Beach Resort and The Bay House. The latter’s longtime chef, Andy Hunter, has switched kitchens to lead the team here. theclawbar.com
Baleen / LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort: Holding arguably the absolute best Gulf views of any restaurant on our shores, the casually elegant dining room and grand terraced patio here were renovated in late 2017. laplayaresort.com
Jack’s Farm to Fork / Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina: The beauty of this refined locavore restaurant—and the serene hotel it’s housed in—is that it defies its surroundings on Fort Myers Beach, a place where novelty tees and Frisbees share sand with beer koozies. pinkshell.com
The Nauti Mermaid / The Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village: The food here is straightforward and solid, but that’s not the point—the exceptional views of a wide-open mangrove-lined inlet are. (A tip? Have sunset drinks at the Nauti and walk over to the new Gather for dinner.) thenautibar.com
Harold’s Place / Gulfcoast Inn: If you get beyond the Motel 6 kind of entrance, a lush (albeit a touch dive-y) poolside chickee bar awaits, and it is home to a heralded grease-
dripping burger. naplesharoldsplace.com
Dusk / The Ritz-Carlton, Naples: So dark the menus come with lights, this sexy, sleek sushi bar delivers on quality rolls. The cocktails are also on-point. ritzcarlton.com
Veranda E / The Escalante: Hanging gardens and the nighttime sky as a roof set the stage here for an ultimate romantic evening of French-Asian fusion. hotelescalante.com
Honorable mentions: 1500 South (Naples Bay Resort), Ario (JW Marriott Marco Island), Charlie Chiang’s (DoubleTree Suites), Coast (Edgewater Beach Hotel), Gumbo Limbo (The Ritz-Carlton, Naples), Ocean Prime (Inn on Fifth), Sale e Pepe (Marco Beach Ocean Resort), Tarpon Bay (Hyatt Regency Coconut Point), Tarpon Lodge Restaurant (Tarpon Lodge)
