The Jacaranda

From soggy tomatoes on an uninspired salad to chewy lobster in lobster bisque, to soggy broccoli and cauliflower side and lame russet baked potato-​this place is ordinary, over-​priced and downright disappointing. The $ 39 special grouper was bland and poorly cooked, but the scallops were not over done. A shame to waste $ 100 on this meal.

Great food! Pricing was reasonable, friendly staff! The atmosphere inside the restaurant was «fancy» but they have a back room that is more laid back. They had a live band playing in the back room and it was a great set up.

Food 5/​5, Service ³⁄₅
Actually the service was good, when we saw them, which was far and few between.
Had reservations, pleasantly greeted and quickly seated. Pleasant hostess.
Took over 20 minutes to get drinks. Finally hostess actually brought bottle of wine and opened for table. Water refills were non-​existent, in fact my son had consumed 3 glasses of water from others at the table who were drinking wine, when my wife finally got up and went over to the waitstaff area to grab a pitcher of water for the table. I don’t think our waitress even noticed that water glasses were piling up empty.
On the other hand, the food and wine was very good. Had the stuffed grouper and a daily special hog fish. The two bottles of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Barrel Select was one of the lower priced wines and paired nicely with everyone’s dinner selections.
The restaurant space inside has several nooks, (several sloped floors so watch your steps), which provides for a quiet and private atmosphere for a group.
Overall, we had a nice dinner, could have been great if the service was more attentive. Not sure if it was the waitress or she simply had too many tables to cover.

Don’t waist your money, fair food and poor service. As we walked in the Gentleman greeting people was an absolute stuffed shirt. As we sat down our unknowledgeable waiter greeted us and belched on my wife and mother. My son had a simple dish without the most expensive ingredient, shrimp, which was fair. As our bill arrived the full price of the dish was included and I asked the waiter if that price could be modified and he said «Nope» and walked away. Go to Traders up the road– food rocks!

Always have fabulous meals here, and great service. Only con is the service time can be a bit of a wait.

Very nice dining experience dining experience on the patio. I would not have been happy dining in dining room. My oyster Jacaranda was very good. My grouper stuffed with crab was disappointing. My husband rated his plain grouper 2 stars. Our waitress was pleasant but our service was very slow. We waited a very long time for salad and entrée.
Will not return.

Very disappointed, heard good things but sadly a bust. Once seated we waited 15 minutes for water and drink requests, slow to rec drinks then waited to order, staff was attentive however seemed like they were trying to cover too many tables. Four of us ordered the grilled grouper, one served cold the other three were over cooked and dry, veggies were mushy, potato was good. We pointed out the shortcomings to the head man, he comped one meal. The desert was key lime pie, the crust was wet, the lime topping looked old. Overall it was not good quality for the price… maybe just a bad night ?!

Happy hour and nightlife are very enjoyable. There are not a lot of places on sanibel that offer these things so it’s nice to have a spot like this.

Delicious meal. I ordered a steak (beautifully done) and my friend ordered seafood, so we had our own surf and turf. Really enjoyed our meals. I give this place 4 for the sort-​of dated, old-​fashioned décor.

Overpriced, bland seafood. Very disappointing.

This is absolutely the best restaurant on the island. The service is impeccable, pricing is great, and the food is nothing short of outstanding.

Great job by our waitress Kelly, and special mention to Pam! I had a great chicken masala, my wife had the special grouper with crab meat stuffing-​She loved it. Ended with awesome key lime pie. Definitely our favorite

My boyfriend and I had a wonderful experience at the Jac. The food and service were both incredible. I had the lobster bisque and the mahi mahi with shrimp — both were amazing! My boyfriend got the prime rib and was very pleased. Our waitress, Kelly, was knowledgable, attentive, and so helpful. She even brought me a free dessert for my birthday! We highly recommend this restaurant and will definitely return!

From start to finish, a thoroughly enjoyable meal — friendly and efficient service from the charming staff, a quiet relaxed environment in the main dining room, delicious food and a bottle of good Sangiovese.
My husband and I shared a crab cake appetizer, then had the ribs and the duck entrees, all of which were excellent —
and the portions so generous that we took some home afterwards.
We will definitely eat there again, and take our friends too. Ask for Amira. She’s a great waitress.

Visiting Sanibel over the past 25 years, we have had the pleasure to dine at The Jacaranda many times. The food, service and atmosphere have always been exceptional.
I will admit that we do not go to The Jacaranda on every visit and it is not our most favorite place to dine but it is always our second choice. We have left the island many times after trying other restaurants recommended by locals or based on reviews in Unilocal and end up wishing we had returned to The Jacaranda instead.
I cannot agree with any of the bad or less than 3 star reviews as we have never experienced anything similar. I would highly recommend you try it and see for yourself. And please remember to not base your reviews on what you think they should do unless you are planning to buy and run the establishment. Then you can see what the reviews will be for you.

The food was awesome! Best meal all week. Katerina was our server, and she was wonderful! We had stuffed grouper, oysters, mussels, salads, and crab cakes. I think my father had the shrimp peridisio. He is always in the clean plate club… Well except this time. But I’m sure he will finish it up in a few hours.

Dinner at the Jac is always good! No appetizers tonight so straight to dinner. Husband and granddaughter had the scallops and thoroughly enjoyed — big, meaty — cooked perfectly. I had the crab stuffed grouper and loved it. Great service!

My wife and I had dinner here during our vacation based on the menu and high expectations. We were certainly let down by the drinks and service. The waitress was not interested in taking care of the two of us in the slow dining room, only prioritizing a larger party — obviously working for a larger tip on the big check. We did not receive our bread, and had to ask for it, only to receive it AFTER our entrées were served (doesn’t that defeat the point?). The drinks were very lack luster for the price and promise of «Big Drinks». More like average sized drinks and poor mixology. The monster margarita tasted of cheap tequila and water, no lime juice or flavoring whatsoever. My wife ordered a drink based on recommendation by the server, only for it to be undrinkable. The best thing we ordered was the crab cake appetizer, one of the best we’ve had on the island. The crab stuffed grouper (a signature dish) was tasty, but had more crab stuffing than grouper. The blackened mahi mahi and shrimp entrée was so blackened that it killed the flavor of the dish, not inedible, but not enjoyable for the price either.
Bottom line: if you’re looking for a dreary supper club atmosphere with average drinks and service, this is it. Otherwise keep looking.

VERY disappointed with the Jacaranda. My sliders weren’t impressive … served with potato chips or $ 3 upcharge for French Fries that were nothing special. My friend said her burger was good but there are plenty of other places to try. I’m not going back

Had dinner here. And honestly, with all the years that we’ve been coming to Sanibel, I didn’t much think of dining here. But tonight, we read the reviews and decided to give Jac a try.
The sign outside doesn’t do any justice to what you are going to experience inside.
You’re greeted immediately and then you see white table-​cloth tables. Everything changes. Automatically I think– good dining experience with quality.
And that’s exactly what you get here at Jac. Ben our sever, was a darling helping us out and suggesting good dinner options.
Everything was divine: the Mussels with Artichokes, the Lobster Bisque, the 3 Seafood Pasta, omg everything I must say was tasty.
Yet, I must admit, that while the food was very delicious, it was VERY salty. And for that reason, I’m giving Jacaranda 4*s.