On our trip to Sanibel Island, we stopped at the Hungry Heron for dinner. This place is well known for their HUGE menu and large portions. They also say they have the largest kids menu on Sanibel Island.


(Hungry Heron - Sanibel Island)

The restaurant is decorated in an 'ocean' theme with blue/green hues. It's not the most upscale place…but this is Sanibel Island. Laid back is the motto and large family parties are the norm. We got a booth and were handed the menu. Their menu is actually printed on a newspaper! There are so many items on their menu…it makes your head spin. The table next to us was even quizzing the waitress to see if she knew an item by number (every menu item is numbered). She hit the nail on the head every time.


(Hungry Heron dining room)

Everyone was really friendly and we were greeted right away. We ordered a soda and iced tea and settled in to look over the menu. While some complain about the menu being too large…I think it's a great idea. Anyone can find anything they like here. From sandwiches to pasta to seafood to salads. They have it all.

We ordered the Bloomin' Onion appetizer first and took some time to continue reading the menu. While the restaurant was starting to fill up…the food came out quick. The onion looked really good and the taste matched. It was hot and crisp with a little kick. We actually liked it 100 times more than the Outback Steakhouse version. Outback tends to over batter and some of it doesn't cook. The Hungry Heron was perfectly cooked and had the perfect amount of breading. Great choice.


(Hungry Heron - Bloomin Onion)

I chose the Fried Shrimp Basket for my meal. It's serviced with Fries and Corn on the Cob. The shrimp was fresh and lightly battered, but I found them a bit salty. That was my fault for getting the fried version. The fries were your typical frozen fries…but I liked them. The corn on the cob was fresh, sweet and was great.


(Hungry Heron - Fried Shrimp Basket)

Jeff went for the Rajun Cajun Pot. It consists of shrimp, scallops, mussels and clams in a spicy tomato sauce served over linguini with some garlic toast. The presentation was awesome. They actually serve it in a huge pot! While this pot wasn't filled to the top…there was a huge portion of food inside. The tomato sauce was fresh, spicy and had onions and green peppers. We really liked it…(it tasted homemade and I immediately tried to copy the sauce at home). The seafood was all fresh and was infused with the great spice from the sauce. After I tried a bite, I knew I should have ordered that. The only issue was that the portion was soooo large, the linguini went to waste. It's hard to warm up seafood in the hotel room.


(Hungry Heron - Rajun Cajun Pot)


(Rajun Cajun Pot - a closer look)


(Jeff with the Rajun Cajun Pot)



We loved this place and Jeff even wanted to go back for dinner on the second night. While our meal wasn't the least expensive on the trip…it was our best meal on the Island. We will definitely stop in to the Hungry Heron again if we make it back to Sanibel. If you are on a tight budget, they have other menu items that are a lot less expensive.



Hungry Heron location:
2330 Palm Ridge Rd Ste 1
Sanibel, FL 33957

FTLToday Score: A