Roadhouse Cafe

BETTER THAN EVER
This place improves with age if that’s possible. Our party of 7 went in for dinner on a Thursday during «season» and the place was packed. A reservation was mandatory. Everyone at our table seemed to order something different and as each dish was served, I thought «Oh, No, I should have ordered that!» I felt that way with every dish.
Without knowing it, I ordered exactly the same meal I had there a year and a half earlier: the Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Walnuts & Chilled Asparagus, and the Broiled Scrod with cracker crumbs, baked potato & spinach. Both were, as before, absolutely excellent.
Every other meal received raves from the diner.
Really can’t miss here.
BTW, live jazz starts at 7. If you like it, sit near the front. If you want to talk, ask for a table in the rear, as we did, and the music will merely waft mellifluously over the conversation.

This was really good but not 5 starts good.
Staff: our waiter seated us and vanished for the next 15 min. We asked for a new waiter but we’re stuck with him which he was super happy about.
He removed flat ware with course changes which was nice but we had food spill on our table and when he cleared place songs he left the food.. . And a manager never came to see how things were. We were there well over an hour, I should see a manger.
Food: The filet and stake were done to perfection. The NY was seasoned well but the filet was bland. The scallops were awesome as were the prawn (shrimp).
All sides were great. The tuna sashimi was amazing!
Facility: very jazz club that needs some updates. The ceiling tiles need to go. But it was clean.

Another favorite of ours. We have celebrated birthdays and many a date night here. The food is top notch, as is the service. Highly recommend for a special occasion.

Went for my birthday. First time. Went in just over 5 minutes of our reservation. We were seated in the back next to the water refill station-​more on that later. Two birthday party hats were placed on the table with a little gold birthday glitter and shiny little «Happy Birthday» gold tinsel type decorations. Nice touch except one of the birthday hats was a bit worn looking and the gold glitter had worn off of the top leaving the bare cardboard. They probably should have tossed that one.
On to the dining. The server was nice. No complaints. We didn’t get a list of specials, however, if I recall correctly. For starters I had the Château St. Michelle Sauv Blanc which was lovely and chilled to perfection. The S/​O had a basic chardonnay which he liked well enough. The bread with the garlic in oil was warm and tasty. We had the lobster bisque which lived up to it’s reputation. Very good. The S/​O had the Baked Seafood which he liked. I’m also a seafood lover so I had the Cedar Planked Salmon. It was lovely. The servers kept our water glasses filled.
The manager came by during our meal and asked if everything was ok. I didn’t find out until later that every time the servers went to the water station they bumped The S/​O somehow. Every. Time. I was presented with a lovely dessert for my birthday. I did not enjoy the server reaching over it to refill my water glass. Silly me I forgot to put the glass on the edge of the table that time.
We enjoyed the jazz trumpet being played live. Since we’d never been there before we found we should have asked to be seated closer to the front.
We may be back.
Strip malls seem to be the thing.

Fantastic filet mignon and great in-​house entertainment make this place a joy. The music is tasteful, the musicians are talented, and the service is excellent. Well worth the price. Also does birthday celebrations.

I never give anybody 4stars! and I’m a hard sale, you have to earn it and they did and this was Delicious! been here 10 days and this is by far the best bite I’ve had in Fort Myers!
I did the filet mignon a 6 ounce the garlic mash… smooth and creamy you can taste the butter and the cream. When it’s fresh you can taste it. The asparagus was not soggy! the bread was so yummy! you know it’s fresh when you enjoy smelling it as much as you enjoy eating it and dipping into the oil sublime. I walked in and it was just up it took exactly the 15 minutes he said it would take… so I took it back to the condo, I had my own wine! It was still nice and warm. I took a seat on the patio and dove into sheer perfection, cooked perfectly medium, I’m in heaven… finally.
Thank goodness somebody around here knows how to cook! Not for the penny pinchers! Sure you could always go to Winn-​Dixie and buy a couple of steaks and grill at home but I’m on vacation and I’m worth every penny.

I almost hate to post this review as this place is hidden away in the corner of a shopping center, and I’d like it to stay that way!
We were very surprised when we walked in the door. The very unassuming exterior led into a lovely dining room with chandeliers and low lighting. There is a stage with jazz musicians– and although I’m not a jazz fan, this band was excellent.
The service was great. Available but not hovering. The food was excellent. Among the four of us we had steak, Chicken Parmesan, Seafood casserole and Asian stir fry. Everyone was more than happy. I also had a half spinach salad (I love that the salads come whole and half) and it was delicious. The meal was accompanied by warm bread with seasoned dipping oil, and although we weren’t drinking, there appeared to be a nice wine list.
If you’re looking for something a little more upscale, give this place a try. You won’t be sorry. Just don’t tell anyone else!

Great food and old school atmosphere with music (and no blender at the bar lol.) Very nice atmosphere with live music some nights.

Fantastic place food is great service is awesome we usually have Jill-​for a server and she’s great, music is perfect I give this place a five stars.

What. A. Find. Tucked back in an unassuming little strip mall on San Carlos Boulevard is one of the coolest restaurant concepts in Southwest Florida.
My lady and I went here to celebrate our 2^nd anniversary and Roadhouse Café did not disappoint! From start to finish, this was an incredible experience.
We had the bacon-​wrapped sea scallops appetizer, which was mouthwateringly good. After that and a loaf of their ciabatta bread, we enjoyed the Italian sausage with penne and the New York Strip. The pasta and steak were great! Really amazing value for the price.
Our server, Geri, brought us a dessert on the house as we were celebrating. It was the Rocky and it was equal parts rich and delightful.
Incredible food, attentive service, and to top it all off — LIVE JAZZ on a Wednesday night. It doesn’t get any better!

This is definitely my favorite restaurant in Ft Myers!!!
The penne pasta with sausages was amazing… I added shrimp which I highly recommend.

Yup it’s in a strip mall and not easy to find, but it is worth the effort. Roadhouse rules.
Took my father-​in-​law here for his birthday and he loved it.
He had the lobster bisque, which he said was great. I started with the Spinach Salad, which included Pecans, Bermuda Onions, Sun-​Dried Cranberries and Gorgonzola cheese. With a balsamic vinaigrette it was very refreshing. For mains, I had the Pan Roasted Duck Breast that came with Cranberry Pistachio Salsa, Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Port Wine Demi-​Glacé. It was Wow!
My lovely wife had Cedar Planked Lemon Pepper Salmon that came with a Citrus Basil Cream Sauce with Jasmine Rice and Vegetable on the side. She loved it.
Her Dad had a steak and lobster combo. Be careful — the menu says «Market Price» — it was over $ 70.00.
And to top it off — a live combo playing jazz and standards from the 50’s and 60’s. A great way to accompany dinner.
A great experience.

This location has seen several restaurant iterations. This one pings on what people actually like.
The menu when being read is big enough to hide the person across the table from you. I focused on the seafood. Apart from the kitchen’s efficient yet redundant «jasmine rice» offered with most fish selections, the fish variety is good. I had a rich concoction of shrimp, scallops, and scrod beneath a crumb topping. It was tasty.
What, actually, is a scrod? Sounds anatomical. I preferred to stay ignorant while eating it ALL.
My friends had a luscious chicken marsala, and a red, red Maine lobster tail brimming with white, cold water lobstah. My Italian friend coaxed two diners into an after dinner order of Black Sambucco. I admired their culinary sensibilities despite my own nose insisting that the liqueur was liquid licorice — and something better left to others.
An easy jazz duo performed in the cabaret area. Many couples danced. The place stays open until 10. On this night, the performers abandoned the easy listening jazz and defaulted to SWFL standard pop of the 1950s-​70s. There goes the entertainment neighborhood.
There’s a lot of parking in the well lit strip mall where the Roadhouse occupies a convenient location. Reservations are a must; diners are given time limits at their table. That’s not terrible. Just move to the cabaret bar to finish an enjoyable evening of good food and live music without a cover charge.

Let’s start out with the knowledge that there is a character limit for reviews. Usually me stating this means I’m well under, but in the case brevity does not prevail, there’s your warning.
First of all, this is Fort Myers, Florida. It’s not Miami, or Tampa… it’s Ft. Myers. Any individual under the age of 50 would die of boredom here, and I’ve got one foot in the grave already. During the day you’ll find me watching Harry Potter for the billionth time.
But at night? Oh, baby. At night, you’ll find me under the romantic, dimmed lighting of the Roadhouse, somewhere in the corner with my friend over a glass of Meomi Pinot Noir, waxing eloquent on Nietzsche and political philosophy. Sometimes we order a simple dinner, sometimes we just like a drink. Either way, the entire experience is the one godsend of this particular forsaken part of the country. If god exists, he forgot about this state.
I’ve been coming here exclusively for dinner with the exception of one night, my friend and I went to The Edison because «that’s where the young people hang out (they’re 40) (and with kids) (also obnoxious) (service is horrible).» The food and service was such a shock — all this time I’ve been spoiled by the Roadhouse with their spot on servers and bartenders, the most beautiful hostesses (the owners), and consistently amazing food… I just sat at my booth in The Edison and regretted my decision almost immediately. I say almost because there’s a hallway so it took a couple seconds to walk to the pub.
This review should be about the Roadhouse, in particular, I know — so why bring up another restaurant? Because comparison is sometimes the best convincer.
Now that’s over, here’s the food:
FIVE. EMPHATIC. STARS. You’ll probably notice I’ve had a lot of filet of beefs over the years… and I’m here to tell you that I gave at least three people a bite of my 6ounce beef filet to try because I wasn’t sure they’d believe the look on my face that showed just how amazing I thought it was. Actually, I ate too much that night because it was all so good (beef filet, garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus, plus chocolate cake and their almond gateaux, and bread… and tomato mozzarella caprese salad)…I went home and curled in the fetal position for three hours yelling «WORTH IT!» through tears of pain. Okay I wasn’t crying but you get it.
I’ve had their beet salad, caesar salad, basil cream pesto with angel hair pasta and italian sausage, scallops wrapped in bacon, and of course — the beef filet. I’ve tried their salmon, rice, green beans (they were like candy), and a host of other things picking off my friend’s plates. Never have I met a more consistently phenomenal restaurant.
The service? Superb. They put a black napkin in my lap because I was wearing a black dress. Seriously? High. Class. The last time that happened at a restaurant I paid $ 600 for my meal. And SO attentive.
The ambiance? Romantic. The setting? Beautiful. Owner Sherrie (and Mark, her husband) worked as a designer for Robb & Stucky, so you know she has amazing taste.
The music? Baby, you have some of the best players of the state in here every night of the week. Say hi to Gilly, the sax player — he’s literally played with all the greats at clubs around the world. My grandparents (both since passed as they’d be 100 by now) used to see him play in Hermosa Beach way back in the day.
This restaurant is the saving grace of this town. Otherwise I’d be back in LA telling everyone about the unbearable heat and about how I thought my drink was going to get roofied at a weird college bar one time. I’ll miss the restaurant (and the servers, the regulars, the music) most of all.
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