7 must-eat restaurants (and one dive bar) on Fort Myers Beach — JLB Picks

It's hard to explain how much I love Fort Myers Beach. 

It's the throngs of tourists in Times Square; the parasailers floating by in the distance as you hit the top of the Matanzas Pass Bridge; the shops hawking air-brushed tanks and shell-studded kitsch. 

Captiva has art. Sanibel has nature. Fort Myers Beach has half-naked spring breakers funneling beer bongs at 8 in the morning. 

AND I LOVE IT. 

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As someone who's called Fort Myers home for more than three decades, Fort Myers Beach has always felt like My Beach. 

With season in full swing, I went back to My Beach to revisit some favorites. I don't think of these islands' restaurants in a best-to-worst sense. It's more like the-places-I-have-to-go versus the ones I could shrug off for another time. 

These are my seven current must-eat favorites, plus one dive bar that I cannot in good conscience recommend  — but that I also couldn't leave out. 

Coste Island Cuisine

This chic-ly casual restaurant opened in November, taking over the former Chloes space at DiamondHead Beach Resort. Situated roughly at palm-tree height, Coste's dining room frames the sandy shores of the Gulf through a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. The space has been completely renovated into something sleek, modern and so rarely seen on Fort Myers Beach. The menu is concise and prettily plated, though nothing outstanding has jumped out to me just yet. Crispy Brussels sprouts, short-rib sliders, pork-belly poutine — Coste has all the trendy things. And with a selection of small plates, sandwiches and entrees, it has an array of price points perfect for almost any occasion. 

(2000 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach; 239-765-0595; diamondheadfl.com/dining)

Dixie Fish Co. 

This open-air former fish market is everything I love about this town in one restaurant. It's the views of Matanzas Pass as it turns peachy-pink at sunset. It's the cool Gulf breezes blowing through just so. And it's the seafood — sweet lord is it the seafood. Dixie gets its shrimp (Gulf pinks, of course) from the boats moored to the docks out back, same for its grouper and hogfish. There are local beers on tap and local singers on the small stage. It all adds up to something wonderful, something loved by locals and visitors alike. 

FROM THE JLB ARCHIVES: No worries at Dixie Fish Co. 

(714 Fishermans Wharf, Fort Myers Beach; 239-233-8837; dixiefishfmb.com)

Flipper's on the Bay

Located at Lovers Key Resort on the edge of a small peninsula that juts into Estero Bay, Flipper's is the rare place where the food matches the views. From chorizo and lobster Benedicts for breakfast, to paella and pan-seared pompano at dinner, executive chef Juan Cruz marries classical techniques with his upbringing in El Salvador. Add delicious cocktails and those back-bay views and you have a destination, not just a restaurant.

(8767 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach; 239-765-1025; flippersotb.com)

Fresh Catch Bistro

In a town that isn't fancy, Fresh Catch and Chef Felix Pablo do upscale right. This unpretentious Gulf-front restaurant is a little bit European and a little modern-American with fresh seafood galore. Home to one of the island's best raw bars, Fresh Catch offers steaks and a la carte seafood plates that can be customized from cooking styles to sauces. Service is always timely, cocktails are always bracing, and the views are impossible to beat. 

MORE:Fresh Catch Bistro has waterfront views, upscale dishes

(3040 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach; 239-463-2600; freshcatchbistro.com)

Heavenly Biscuit

The key to Heavenly Biscuit is getting there early — and bringing cash. Wait too long and the line will wind out the front door and down the creaky wood steps of this colorful cottage's porch. It's a wonderfully horrible line, where biscuits loaded with fried chicken meander past, followed by egg biscuits and sausage biscuits and sticky cinnamon rolls pooled with frosty glaze. By the time you get to the counter you'll need all of it. There's an ATM if you need more cash. And the beach across the street is the perfect place for a biscuit-induced nap. 

(110 Mango St., Fort Myers Beach; 239-463-7600; find it on Facebook)

Smokin' Oyster Brewery

SOB doesn't smoke oysters (though it does fire-roast them with smoked-garlic butter, which might be even better). It doesn't brew beer either. And yet, I can't get enough. This is a food lover's bar, the kind with thick burgers and po' boys loaded with fried seafood that topples from the sides. There are fruity cocktails, live music and a bar that's always packed. SOB might be poorly named, but it's excellent in every other way. 

(340 Old San Carlos Blvd., Fort Myers Beach; 239-463-3474; sob4fun.com)

Tuckaway Cafe

Across the street from Heavenly Biscuit, at the far end of a beige strip mall, Tuckaway works its magic. It's the magic of steamed-bagel sandwiches loaded with sprouts and creamy avocado, and of Gulf shrimp served almost any way you like. But really, it's all about the waffles: yeasty, fantastical, Liege-style waffles flecked with pearl sugar that adds a sweet crunch to each bite. Tuckaway uses a 400-year-old Belgian recipe to craft these masterpieces. They're chewy with a crisp crust. I like mine with local mango jam and a dollop of freshly whipped cream, but magic is magic no matter how you top it. 

MORE:Tuckaway Cafe moves, its Belgian waffles remain

(2301 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach; 239-463-5398; tuckawaycoffeefmb.com)

Mermaid Lounge

I'm not saying you should go to Mermaid. It's an honest-to-goodness dive bar that reeks of cigarettes and booze-soaked floorboards. It doesn't serve food (unless Jello-O shots count), and the views are of the TVs above the bar. But man this place has soul. Mermaid offers $1 Bloody Marys during its Sunday morning "church" services. Its bartenders treat guests of all shapes, ages and colors like family. When "American Pie" comes on the jukebox, the whole joint sings along. What I am saying is the Mermaid as we know it won't be around forever. Developers bought this decades-old lounge in 2015 with plans to relocate it to a space down the road. I don't know what that means for Mermaid, but I know I'll be back often to soak in all this soul while I still can. 

(1204 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach; 239-765-9100; find it on Facebook)

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Jean Le Boeuf is the pseudonym used by a local food lover who dines at restaurants anonymously and without warning, with meals paid for by The News-Press. Follow the critic at facebook.com/jeanleboeufswfl or @JeanLeBoeuf on Twitter and Instagram.