Yabo

The service is pretty bad. The food is good, but management needs to step the servers quality.

Awesome, quickly becoming a regular, food is unreal, staff is amazing as well.

Over priced for dinner, seems best for Happy Hour cocktails and light snacks. They have a stage and live entertainment on weekends.
We knew nothing of this restaurant, and tried it by chance for dinner. The interior is more that of a live music venue than a restaurant. The dinner entrée’s were good and some original, but all way overpriced. $ 30 for lasagna, served in an open room, adorned with nothing but 60’s and 70’s pseudo concert posters is really pushing the envelope.
We will not be back.

Went to Yabbo tonight for my Birthday dinner. A disappointment is being kind. Way overpriced. Had the Caprese salad, yes it was large but served ice cold with hard tomatoes that were not ripe enough. Next came the specialty of the house, Lasagna bolognese, sounds good right. Again a huge disappointment the lasagna noodles were mushy soft. The sauce was way to spicy. I am a Brooklyn born Itallian and think I know my food. This place was very expensive and not worth the money. Don’t waste your time or money.

Service, ambiance and food were all awesome! They have an excellent happy hour and a friend and myself took advantage of it!
They have so many different options for happy hour (most of the happy hour specials are their regular menu items — just smaller). We tried the truffle fries, caprese salad, chipotle raspberry wings, the spinach artichoke dip and also the special pumpkin spice cheesecake.
So much food for such a great price. We each had three drinks and all those happy hour appetizers and spent $ 28 each!
I haven’t been there for dinner but I plan to go back! Thanks for the awesome experience, Yabo!

I’ve been to Yabo twice already. It’s a fun atmosphere… who doesn’t like to listen to live music? The theme is great. The service is great and the drinks are made well. However, the food just doesn’t carry it to 5 stars for me. The first time I tried Yabo, I wasn’t crazy about the dish I selected but decided to come back and try it again since I did enjoy the time spent at the restaurant. The food still didn’t live up to the amazing venue and here’s why:
1– The menu had too many items that were not available or discontinued. Every time I tried to order something the server would say «we don’t carry that item anymore.» It was getting to the point of annoyance… I would think if there was at least 3 things that were not on the menu anymore, I would think you would get a new menu…
2– The food is over priced. After my 5^th entrée choice, I decided to go with the penne vodka which was $ 18.00. There was no flavor and the creamy consistency was lacking in their sauce. It was very disappointing. In addition, my dish was the last to come out (about 5 – 7 wait) from our table of 4… and it was the coldest… how is that possible?
I don’t want to knock Yabo too hard, I just know in the future I will only be returning for cocktails and live music. I do think everyone should try Yabo. It’s a great hidden gem of Fort Myers for music venues.

Interesting concept, we went on a «non-​music» night, which was fine. There is a corner stage and large dining area. Then the bar area with indoor and outdoor bar that we thought was very cool. In better weather it would be a nice place to relax and dine al fresco.
One of the house specials is Eggplant Parmesan and I always get that so I was glad to see it featured. High Hopes only to be dashed by a bland treatment of a simple dish. Definitely hand made, but the flavors were so simple and even salt didn’t really help. We also split the Gorgonzola Salad, another good concept that was dead boring. All kinds of romaine lettuce with very vinegary dressing and some gorgonzola. A big pile of romaine.
Husband got the pork chop after the bartender said it was a great dish. Ordered medium with pink center and it came out fully cooked and dry. It was a beautiful chop and it was treated very shabbily. Sad.
Service was really nice. Both bartenders were friendly and attentive and forthcoming with conversation. We enjoyed a huge rainstorm that pounded the patio so that was fun, too.
But it always comes down to: will you go back? And I’d have to say No. I’ll keep searching for better food but it might be a fun place for a party night when they have live music. Also, the whole place would benefit from a professional lighting evaluation. The lights were very harsh and not complementary and were not placed correctly, too high and not commercial style, so the rooms have an odd warehouse feel and shadows on faces never look good.

Absolutely excellent food and service. .
A little loud… but this place Rocks. .
So glad I found this hidden gem. .
The Gorgonzola salad is simply the Best.
Eggplant Parm is one of the best.
Can’t wait to come back for the interesting appetizers..

What a unique gem in the middle of Ft Myers. The best meal I have had all year. My girlfriends and I stopped here while on a girls weekend on nearby Sanibel island. Totally worth the drive off the island. Each of us had fantastic pasta dishes that were not your run of the mill Italian. Very creative plays on basic pasta. Can’t say enough good things.

Met a group for happy hour and had the best time. Loved our waiter, Jerry, he provided such wonderful service and was fantastic. They have some wonderful happy hour specials for drinks and a special food menu. We tried the truffle fries — SO yummy, calamari, plus two different flat breads — one was the special for the day, cheeseburger, it was so good, we ended up ordering two! They were very accommodating and attentive to our group and the restaurant itself has a very casual, yet contemporary feel, with music posters and artwork everywhere. Would definitely go back and take others.

Food is amazing! Great menu selection. Service was impeccable. Group of three we all ordered something different & shared, everything was delicious! I beg you to try the truffle butter French fries (wish I had some right now). It’s very refreshing to leave a restaurant full & happy. Can’t wait to go back & will highly recommend!

Excellent meal, friendly service and a funky comfortable setting.
Started with a mozzarella tomato salad that was very good and enough to feed four people.
I had their meat lasagna that is one of the best I ever had. Could not finish it. Margaret and Tony had the pork chop that they indicated was very good. Huge.
Lois had a Mac and cheese with chicken and some other stuff, she liked it.
Would certainly recommend and will return next time I am down here.

This place is amazing. They’ve moved into a much better location and have a great selection of food & drinks. Being a music nerd I love the show posters and music on rotation. After many days at Healthpark Hospital this is a little oasis in Ft. Myers I’ll be returning to. If you love great food and rock n roll check it out, even if for a short time like I did.

Quaint place with outdoor seating. Very good food. Nice selection. Friendly staff. Hostess said there was no inside seating but 8 tables were open. After eating came back through and the tables were still open. Need to get someone with a clue running the front but that shouldn’t keep you from trying it out.

Walked in at 9:30 pm and the sign said open. Hostess took a few minutes to come greet and then said «sorry I was just heading out» — «just heading out?» «Yes, How can I help you?» And we were like «we were hoping to get a table» and she continued to be quite uninviting!

Wow, what a cool spot. Our server was very good, the food was excellent and the décor was quite groovy. I will definitely come back next time I’m in town. 2 people in our party had the specials and were quite pleased. Nice job Fellas!

So the atmosphere is nice but the menu was limited. The live music was great and their customer service was very accommodating to our group. I reminds me of a bar/​club/​restaurant. I’d definitely go back

I can’t say I was thrilled by much here. With that being said, my burger was cooked the way I wanted it. My wife’s Mac and Cheese was floating in butter, way too much butter. The atmosphere is rather strange however. Yabo doesn’t know weather it’s a club, a bar, or a restaurant. It looks more like a club than anything else. I thought the menu was limited as well.

The artwork here is that of a very upscale Hard Rock Café, while the live music keeps Yabo very lively, and the food is absolute gourmet perfection! The crowd ranges from the foodie, 25 – 45 upperclass professional crowd to the trendy and cute hipsters that some of the bands bring in. The servers are good-​looking and always provide excellent customer service, and the drinks here are extra stiff. Last time I went, I had the most phenomenal duck that I have EVER tasted, followed by a Norman Love dessert.
I have to say, this is one of my top 10 favorite restaurants in Florida! :)
–Alexandra Drouhard

My, what secrets the end of an abandoned strip mall off Summerlin may hold!
I understand there’s a little piece of story behind Yabo’s origins, but I don’t know it so let’s stick with what’s in the now: Yabo is Australian colloquial for «lazy bum,» as well as a Japanese term that could collectively encompass all the adjectives used to describe the walls of a teenager’s bedroom. Beyond the sign is a live music mecca (by Fort Myers’ standards) and an Italian menu with crumb-​scraping service beneath the watchful eye of oil renditions of the Smashing Pumpkins and the Beastie Boys. Confused? Yes.
But at the heart of this nightlife United Nations is some pretty solid chow and a bar adept at slinging proper classic cocktails. The gratis bread and roasted garlic smear are a warm/​cool combo bursting with flavors and textures well beyond oil and grated Parm. We killed three rounds, well-​lubricated with well-​made $ 11 Old Fashioneds (sugar/​bitters/​bourbon ratio = spot on).
Primi round proved a poor opener: a boring Caesar salad ($ 8) rife with white romaine and woefully undressed, and tender gnocchi in a killer house made red sauce that baffled the mind on price to quantity. Twelve nickel-​sized nuggets for $ 12? You’re better suited to order up when apps are half-​priced (Happy Hour at the bar, 4−6pm). Mom bastardized the Gorgonzola Salad (also $ 8) to the point of «new creation,» so no official comment on that trough of lettuce.
Fortunately, all was forgiven when the headliner took the stage: the blackened swordfish topped with a creamy lump crab meat sauce over a bed of wilted spinach, and partnered with a MOUNTAIN of mashed potatoes. Everything about the plate is comfortable, hearty and incredibly delicious. The special should be forever emblazoned on the dinner menu.
Live entertainment is present without killing conversation and the vibe (while, again, very confused) proves to be oddly comfortable — I’d chill at the bar for a spell. And like all endcap restos, this strip baron has flame-​lit outdoor seating. Give it a go!