Cap’s Place Island Restaurant

One of a kind south Florida experience. Be sure to get there early so you can have some time in the bar. Bacon wrapped scallops, fish bites and hearts of palm salad for starters!

I LOVED this place. This restaurant is like no other restaurant I have ever been to. The way that you get to the restaurant by taking the little boat is adorable and super enjoyable, even on a hot day. When we arrived, Mel was our waitress, or dare I say tour guide. She was awesome and told us so many cool facts and gave us a tour of the restaurant. The ambience is perfect. I seriously want to get married here.
We had the famous salad that was simple, fresh and delicious. We started with the order of crab cakes and fought for the last bite. Seriously the best crab cakes I have ever had. We then had the fish of the day that came with tomatoes and capers– so fresh and so delicious. The plates were also huge and we had to take half of it home. The key lime pie was delicious and so were the wines. I can’t wait to come back. Definitely a great date spot if you want to knock a girls socks off.

We went here for dinner at the recommendation of a coworker back at home. What a fun adventure. You have to take a boat to the island. Reservations are highly encouraged. The restaurant and bar are a series of shacks and buildings. This is not fine dining, but the food sure is. Heart of palm salad, New England clam chowder, yellow tail and the crab cakes. We topped it off with the key lime pie. Our waitress, Melissa did an amazing job and pointed us to what were the best options for us. We ended up sharing a lot. Be prepared, there is a lot of food. We had a great time and won’t soon forget our visit.

I’m not sure if the boat ride or the food is the best part but this is a great place especially if you are looking celebrate something special. Food is amazing. A little expensive but worth every bit of it.

We’ve been there several times and always the best experience. The food is amazing. I had the crab cakes and the best I ever had. This restaurant never disappoints and the service is wonderful. They have had presidents and congress man there and you won’t regret going there It used to be a speak easy and casino and it’s very interesting. You take a Ferry boat to get there after parking. It’s fun, in fact we are going again next week with friends.

Excellent experience! From the boat ride to the actual dinner, Cap’s place is a must if you are in Lighthouse Point. The restaurant has an old world charm and some of the original décor from the early days of the restaurant are still featured. Not your typical dining experience, but absolutely worth it!

Not bad for the oldest restaurant in Fl
The crabcakes are good, the mini boat ride,
My fiancé ordered Swordfish and I ordered the clam chowder and the fresh bread was real tasty,
A fun experience. A little pricey for the small portions but it was worth going, the weather was nice and Fran our waitress was kind.

Cool experience. Loved our boat ride and militant captain. Loved Jaime the server. I over heard an older woman who worked there say things to the server like, «water, table 5, this century.» Yikes. The same same grinch like lady yelled at my husband to be sure my 3 year old kept his fingers off the 90+ year old windows. Fair enough. Bill was atrocious. But I loved our server and the food was good, but not amazing, not goo enough for what we paid. I hope Jaime finds a place that treats their employees better.

Step back into history. Place is quaint and experience matches. Our waiter was attentive and friendly.
Palm of heart salad was excellent, blackened mahi-​mahi slightly too salty, rice and veggies old-​fashioned style home cooked, key lime pie was really good (the chocolate-​caramel cake almost too sweet and rich).
Overall nice way to dine in a setting off the beaten path. Beautiful view on waterways and greenery.

Best key lime pie I’ve ever had! Also had the hearts of palm salad, grilled salmon and bacon wrapped scallops — all were terrific. Husband didn’t like the steak. We had to wait 45 minutes to be seated at 8:39pm so definitely call ahead. Two glasses of house wine at the bar cost 25 $. Fun boat ride!

we came here for Vday. It was great. Nice boat ride to the resto. Loved the yellow fish. Not too fond of the mahi mahi because of the cheese. This restaurant is pretty much an old house. We also tried the crab cake as an appetizer and that was truly delicious. We will return.

This was my first time here and I had the best experience ever. The boat ride, the food and service was amazing. We had the stuffed lobster and it was amazing. We will definitely be back.

Short Story:
Cool boat ride in, during which the cap’n (not the cereal one) gives you a little history about the restaurant. Creaky floors, and really cool old building with cool old memorabilia. Great taste of old FL here! Food was all very good. Would definitely recommend going here, whether you’re a local and haven’t been to or heard of it before (like I hadn’t til word of mouth), also great for tourists and visitors too, or if you’re looking for something cool to do with friends/​family in town — this is a nice dinner with a boat ride and a generally neat and yummy experience! Win win!
Long Story:
Party of 8 of us came here (with reservations) for BF’s birthday dinner. We parked at the dock and took the shuttle boat over. The captain was a very nice guy with a great sense of humor. During the boat ride (less than 10 min) from dock to restaurant he will provide you with a little history about the place, so I won’t give any spoilers.
Once docked, you walk on a sidewalk surrounded by mangroves to the main restaurant on your right or the bar (and restrooms) on your left. Just had a chance to peak into the bar area and it looked cozy and. old. Like the rest of the place. But the fun, «oh, hey this is pretty cool and I’m only slightly worried that at any moment the floor will give out» kinda old. Not grungy, dirty, are we about to victimized, creepy old. Very cozy and homey.
We were seated promptly upon arriving (even tho I think we were a little early). On our way to our table my friend jokingly said she’d have to watch what she drank because the uneven floor might make her fall. and then I noticed that it has a little give. Lol. Again, old place, but a good ol’ FL house that has withstood hurricanes so I wasn’t too concerned. Also, I can swim. ;)
Our waiter was an extremely nice man, very knowledgable about the menu offerings and specials and happy to answer any questions asked. He also provided some great suggestions when asked.
We started with fried calamari and two orders of fish dip (house smoked mahi, yum). Both were very good! The calamari came with an aioli that was delicious. we kept it and were putting it on basically everything else lol. The fish dip came with the accouterments you’d expect including pepperoncini slices — yum!
They have a fairly small wine list, but I spotted a couple of brands that i recognized and ended up splitting a bottle with one of our friends. I think that they allow you to bring your own bottle for a corking fee (but double check). The guys got beers and a jack n’ coke for the bday man, so no cocktails were tried from the bar to speak of.
For dinner I had the crab cakes which, as other reviewers have noted, were mostly large pieces of crab meat stuck together with the fixings of a crab cake, but much less «cake-​y» than you might experience elsewhere. When it comes to crab and lobster though, a minimalist approach is A-​OK with me because that typically means that the restaurant is not afraid to really showcase the seafood, so it’s typically good and fresh and when you have good fresh crab and lobster do you really need that much other shtuff all over it? Not me! So I really really enjoyed the crab cakes. My friend got them as well and enjoyed them but admitted she likes the more «traditional» crab cake.
My BF ended up going with the Rib Eye, as did another of the guys at our table. It was a delicious and perfectly prepared steak. It was incredibly tender and flavorful and cooked just as requested! He got a side of mashed sweet potatoes. They have standard sides that they offer with all the dishes it seemed like. I had roasted potatoes and they were good. The others at the table ordered the yellowtail snapper «johnny style» which was a garlic/​butter/​white wine sauce (or some combination thereof), it looked delicious and she said it was. I think that will be my next dish to try on any return trip we make. Otherwise, one of us had a clam pasta, and the scallops, and the 5 yr old had spaghetti and enjoyed slurping her noodles :) Everyone walked away very full and happy and that means it was a successful dinner. Very homey environment too, we had a great time there and were not rushed out or anything, sat around finishing off drinks, letting our food settle and telling stories.
Definitely a cool experience, and I’m already planning a return trip when we have some out-​of-​town family coming to stay with us. Great chance to do something very «FL» without going all mickey mouse level touristy (and way better food than anything touristy)! :-) Check it out!

Our waitress Fran was amazing! Great seafood! Loved the history! Highly recommend! Boat ride was fun too!

Historic location so don’t expect a fancy restaurant. The stuffed lobster and clam chowder soup were sooooo yummy. I would have more like right now lol. The waitress was very attentive and super sweet. I know I will go back as the food and service were both tremendous!!!

Service is incredible, friendly and so casual. Feels like you’re family when you’re here. The ambiance is so delightful– reminds me of a New England fishery restaurant. The food was great too– my brother is insisting I mention the Maine lobster tail appetizer, he loved it. I love how there are cats outside. Did I mention this is an island? We took a little boat ride over (which was really interesting and full of historic facts). This place is a gem. Seriously a gem.

The boat ride to the restaurant is charming. The place is old and quaint. But the food is not equal to the prices. I been twice now and both times we were underwhelmed by the food. The Palm heart salad is hard and soaked in mayo. I had the halibut special but I never had halibut look like that. It was mushy and not flaky and it was brute white with small strings instead of flaky bits. Last night I tried the snapper. It again was mushy with some gravy that was congealed The New England clam soup has so much thyme it was offensive. Last time the crab and corn soup had neither crab nor corn.
I will not be going there ever again

As the name states, Cap’s Place is an island restaurant, located in the middle of the intercoastal in LightHouse Point. Its not exactly on an island but has the feel because getting there by means on a water taxi/​shuttle (there is no parking near the restaurant) however parking and shuttle pickup is available off of NE 28^th ct near the marina.
The restaurant has a separate dining area and bar area (with bathrooms). The interior is very rustic and well-​kept for a historic establishment. Reading the history is interesting.
Now about the food. I have to agree that the crab cakes are the best. All the other dishes that came out that my friends ordered were fresh and delicious. Certain menu items are first-​come-​first-​serve; it is recommended to get an early reservation time and to call ahead for availability. They do take credit cards.

I will admit… when i got off the boat to get to Cap’s place I was a little nervous. The place is 80+ years old and it shows. However, the food was delicious. We started with a crab cake appetizer. Yum! Fell apart because there’s barely any filler. I had the Alaskan King crab. Again. No complaints. Yum! Husband had New England clam chowder and we also had a heart of Palm salad. My daughter had mahi made finger style. Very good. Served with a bowl of pasta marinara and fruit salad. For dessert a naughty chocolate cake. OMG! Everything we had was super fresh. Our server Melissa was awesome! She really was wonderful with my daughter. She even asked for her to draw her a picture.
Loved the idea of parking the car and taking a short boat ride in.
Can’t wait to go again!

This place is really cool, no idea how it’s only got 3 ½ stars. Opened in the 1920’s and was a gambling spot during prohibition. Cap used to go to Bimini, about 50 miles off the coast, to smuggle alcohol over to FL. His brother worked at the lighthouse nearby and would flash the light at him when the coast was clear to enter the hillsborough inlet.
We started off at the bar since we arrived early. Sam was our bartender, she was super friendly! The girlfriend ordered a cinnamon margarita and loved it, I stuck with my regular vodka soda. They had Tito’s which is my vodka of choice. :)
We went to the restaurant section and were seated at promptly 8pm, the exact time we made reservations for. Went with the crab cake for an appetizer and it was de-​lic-​ious. It came with a Cajun tarter sauce that was good too!
For the main course I ordered a seared yellowtail snapper that came with a buttery white wine sauce and it was fantastic. The girlfriend got seared scallops. Loved them too.
Was the place super comfortable? No… Am I surprised? No, it’s close to a century old but the food was great, atmosphere was great too. I would gladly go back.