Lighthouse Cafe of Sanibel Island

After numerous years away from Sanibel, we noticed the lighthouse cafe had moved down the street, to a bigger building with good parking, so we thought let’s see if the quality is still there. Great staff, food came out quickly, portions are meek but filling, and price is still more than fair, if ever wanting breaky and you are on the island, stop in and try it for yourself. Cheers

My wife and I had breakfast here. She had the eggs benedict and I had an omelet. The service was very good and food was good.

Best Breakfast around! Great customer service and great atmosphere.

I want to begin by acknowledging and appreciating the hard work that went into reopening this restaurant after Hurricane Ian. Congratulations to the team—your facility looks lovely, and the outdoor seating is a welcome touch. Our waitress was outstanding: attentive, warm, and efficient. The service truly stood out. However, the food did not meet expectations. I ordered the seafood omelet, which was described as containing tender bits of shrimp, krabmeat, and scallops. What I received was overwhelmingly filled with imitation krab—stringy, spaghetti-like surimi that dominated the dish. The shrimp amounted to just three tiny ¼" pieces, and the scallops appeared to be imitation as well—uniform, tube-shaped fragments lacking the texture or flavor of fresh scallops. The Lighthouse potatoes, while flavorful, didn’t seem freshly made—more like reheated or pre-prepped. The rye toast was good, but the “homemade strawberry jam” had the consistency of syrup and lacked any real strawberry flavor. This felt more like a cost-saving dish than a thoughtfully prepared breakfast. The menu description was misleading, and the lack of transparency regarding imitation ingredients is disappointing—especially in a region known for fresh seafood. I value authenticity and quality, and this experience delivered neither.

This is a great place for breakfast on Sanibel. It looks like a regular diner but the food is a step up in flavor. We had the turkey omelette which had mushrooms and broccoli as well toppen with a key lime hollandaise. An interesting change to hollandaise and gave it a unique flavor. I could have lived without the broccoli but it was cut finely for easy eating. The turkey was delicious and like thanksgiving. The coconut almond French Toast was sweet without syrup needed but the bread was well dipped and so light in your mouth. Yep, now i want more. Staff was kind and helpful.

We had the biscuits and gravy , bacon and cheddar omelette, and the fisherman omelette. The omelettes were delicious. The biscuit and gravy wasn’t very good. I guess we are use to sausage gravy and biscuits. Service was great! Very friendly environment.

Unfortunately, Lighthouse Cafe no longer lives up to its positive reputation. I ordered a simple $14.00 breakfast: two scrambled eggs, home fried potatoes, toast and bacon. The eggs were fresh but everything else tasted terrible. The toast was burnt on one side and the “homemade strawberry jam” consisted of a small cup of what looked like watery syrup. Many of the potatoes were burnt and looked and tasted like they had been sitting on the grill for hours. The bacon tasted like grease and was so bad I asked for bacon less cooked. The waiter said they would have to cook more bacon. Instead, he came out with more of the stale bacon that also must have been cooked hours ago. The waiter said if this wasn’t to my liking the chef would have to cook it fresh, as if that was asking too much. By that time I was so disappointed in the meal I said not to bother. A photo of the meal and the two orders of bacon is in comments below.

Just had breakfast there. The staff was friendly and the breakfast was amazing! Definitely recommend.

Food, service and atmosphere excellent! Manager on site welcoming and making sure things are right. Great breakfast and lunch menu. Ate their 3 times during our trip. Rebuilding Sanibel!

Great breakfast. So glad this place bounced back after the hurricanes. The blueberry pancakes are still amazing. I had the lighthouse omelet and loved it. My kids ordered off the kids menu and it was plenty for them. The servers were friendly. The owner was visiting tables and talking up the guests. Seemed to be a good mix of tourists and locals.

We enjoyed a delicious breakfast! The food was hot and fresh and really tasty. The service was exceptional. This is a great place to go for breakfast brunch or lunch.

First, Dan the host was awesome-so friendly and funny. Brunch was yummy and even though they were slammed, the food came out quickly. Our server from Chicago- can't recall her name, was also very nice and attentive.

Upon arrival the place is very busy. We waited about 15 minutes for a table. Service was little slow it is very very busy. I got the apple wood cheese omelet with a side of gravy and it was good. My wife got the blueberry pancakes and bacon. Our food was good.

Lighthouse Cafe is rated lower than the other breakfast places on Sanibel per Google but we gave it a chance anyway. Hurried and unfriendly seating, dry pancakes with a tiny amount of syrup, didnt check in until beyond the halfway through the meal. Then they stick the electronic credit card unit in your face with a default 22% tip and rush you out the door. Do yourself a favor and go to one of the other breakfast places on the island.

Food was good, but very much a small town diner meal. Price was high for the quality. Pie was FANTASTIC and I would pay for that all the time. Overall a cute place.

Kid-friendliness: Good options on the kids menu. Has a family restroom as well.

Wheelchair accessibility: Plenty of space to navigate and at least one restroom is easy to maneuver.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5