Guests are always asking us where is a good place to eat after finishing up one of our kayak or boat tours. Below you will find our favorite places to eat in Everglades City and the Port of the Islands. These restaurants are all close by and all offer a unique atmosphere. The Angler’s Cove is located inside the Port of the Islands Hotel only steps from where our tour ends.
Google Maps Directions Below
1. Cook your Catch – Anglers Cove (New Owners as of 01/01/2024)
**This will all be updated when we have time to see what they offer.**
First I have to start with our very own Anglers cove restaurant, located inside the Everglades Adventure Resort hotel here at the Port of the Islands. Yes, I admit it’s technically not in Everglades City, but it’s within steps of our launch site. Anglers Cove is open from 12:00 -11:00 pm Wednesday – Sunday with the kitchen closing at 9:00 pm. Anglers Cove is our local bar and restaurant owned and operated by Port the Islands residents Joyce and Skip Brownlee. They have a full menu and you can bring your own catch to have them cook it for you! As guides, we get the question regularly, “What is the best fish to eat in the area?” Our answer to that is always FRESH. There are so many good-eating fish in the area that the freshness makes that big of a difference. So get out catch your own and bring in your catch to have the chef cook it up to your preference. If you want something unique you need to go for the shrimp scampi pizza, a must-have for any of our visitors. In our opinion, the Shrimp Scampi Pizza is the best pizza in the Everglades! Regardless of what you get their customer service is top-notch and the food will reflect that.
You can’t beat fresh caught fish cooked by one of the top restaurants in Everglades City
Captain Logan Hannon
2. Fresh Caught Blackened Fish Tacos – Camellia Street Grill
A lot of our guests like to take the time to explore the area after making the drive into the Everglades. If that is going to be your case we recommend Camellia Street Grill in Everglades City. Camellia street grill has not only some of the best food in the area but also one of the best views. Located directly on the Barron river you are able to enjoy your dining experience inside or out on the boat docks of the river. If you are lucky your wildlife encounters may even continue at lunch. Dolphins, manatees, alligators, and endless wading birds frequent the river bank directly across from the restaurant. All in all Camelia street grill is a favorite for locals and tourists alike. Try the blackened fish tacos for a taste of Everglades City locally caught fresh fish.
Cilantro and onion with a side of salsa!
3. Authentic Cuban Food on Chokoloskee Island
Hands down some of the best food you have ever tried is going to be the Havana Cafe located on Chokoloskee. Chokoloskee is a small island located just through everglades city. This is one of the only two islands still inhabited today in the ten thousand islands. At Havana cafe, you are going to be dining in some authentic Cuban food. Every single item on the menu is unbelievably delicious. If you like a Cuban sandwich Carlos’s will not disappoint. Havana is also another restaurant where you can bring in your fresh catch to have cooked for you. If you are able to make it in for breakfast and coffee you will not regret it. Havana Cafe is open 9 am – 4 pm daily but is only operational during our stone crab season. So Oct-May is the only time you will be able to get a piece of this diamond in the glades!
Stone crab claws sustainably caught in Everglades City, FL
Stone crabs are harvested sustainably, by only harvesting one claw per crab. Fisherman will break one claw off then throw back the crab. They will then regenerate their claw by next season.
4. Everglades City Stone Crab- Grimm’s Stone crab
Everglades City is known as the Stone Crab capital of the world. Stone crab season runs from October 15- to May 15. If your tour lines up in that time frame, swinging by Grimm’s Stone crab should be on your to-do list. This is going to be the most effective way to sink your teeth into some of the most delicious meat you can imagine. Getting your stone crab directly from the supplier ensures you are getting the freshest caught stone crabs as well as getting the best prices. I would recommend ordering medium or large-size claws. They are by far the most tender size in the group and have the best price compared to the much larger jumbo and colossal claws. Everglades city has the largest stone crab fleet in the US and is the main economic force in the town. When you do order stone crab, they will be served cold. When a crabber catches a stone crab they break the claws off and release the crab so it is able to rejuvenate its claws to ensure a healthy and sustainable commercial fishery. When the claws arrive at the fish house they are boiled right off the boat and packed on ice to ensure the freshest claws when they make it to your plate. Don’t be afraid to pay the extra few dollars to have your claws cracked when you purchase. The hardest part about eating crab is just getting to the meat and stone crabs are no exception.
5. Locals favorite Everglades City Restaurant – Island Cafe
If you are looking for the main spot that the locals go to in Everglades, Island Cafe is your spot. This place is affordable and quick! Once you arrive you will usually seat yourself amongst the fishing guides, airboat captains, and other tour operators as they wind down from a long day in the heat with some home-cooked food. Everglades City prides itself on being locally owned and operated going back sometimes even as much as seven generations. Island Cafe is also a spot where you can catch an early morning breakfast before you hit the water. If there is such a thing as the best plain cheeseburger, (I know that sounds weird and almost like a dig) they have it, and is one of the most popular sandwiches ordered by said locals.
6. Everglades City Best Fried Shrimp – City Seafood
Growing up in South Carolina means I grew up on fried shrimp. So, naturally, when I go to any seafood restaurant I always gauge their authenticity by their fried shrimp. If it’s store-bought and frozen stay away! If it’s lightly breaded and not uniform then you know it’s hand-breaded and fresh caught. City Seafood in Everglades city is just that. This place has a great atmosphere and is right on the water.
7. Everglades most historical Restaurant – The Rod and Gun Club
The Rod and Gun club is just plain cool and it’s one of my favorite places to grab a quick drink. When you first arrive you will notice a sign on the front door stating “this is not a museum”. Meaning you need to buy a beer or coke if you want to walk around the place and act like you are in a museum. I’m telling you the price of the beer is worth it. My dad and I have spent many times here sitting in the super old school leather chairs while admiring the 100-year-old fish mounts and museum-type paintings. At any moment you might get the feeling Teddy Rosevelt is going to show up with his catch or kill of the day. In fact, according to the Rod and Gun club’s own website Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, and Nixon all stayed there! That is a pretty crazy fact knowing how small Everglades City actually is.