The Lighthouse Café boasts to have the "Best Breakfast in the World". Hmmm. That's a pretty bold statement. Either they are cocky, right on or delusional. We think they are totally living in a reality world. The Lighthouse Café wouldn't even be the best in the world if they were the only place in the world serving breakfast. Pretty strong statement huh? Keep reading and you will see why.


(Lighthouse Cafe - Sanibel Island)

The Lighthouse Café is located on the east part of Sanibel Island very close to the lighthouse. Makes sense. From the outside, the Lighthouse Café looks like many of the other places to eat in Sanibel. Once inside, it looks like a diner all decorated in lighthouse pictures and collectables. We were sat at a booth and looked over the menu.


(Lighthouse Cafe - dining room)


(Lighthouse Cafe - dining room)

Our waitress seemed to be busy visiting with another booth…perhaps a friend or a local. I swear they were doing some slap and tickle in the corner. Weird considering you usually see that with younger wait staff (she was well into her 30's). When she made it over..she was friendly and took our drink order.

I ordered the Ocean Frittata and Jeff went for the Crab and Spinach with Asiago omelette. I chose potato for my side and Jeff chose grits. My toast selection was wheat. Jeff asked if they had a biscuit. Nope…they don't have biscuits. Strange that a restaurant doesn't have them..or should I say a 'bad sign'? He opted for wheat as well (English Muffin was $.35 extra).

The menu has omelettes, pancakes and other typical breakfast items (except for biscuits). They note on the menu that all plates are served with 'fresh homemade strawberry preserves'. They even sold it at the checkout.

When our food arrived and was placed in front of us…I got a strong 'fishy' smell. It was my Frittata. The menu stated that the Frittata contained, Seasoned Shrimp, Krabmeat, Broccoli, mushrooms and topped with an artichoke heart and alfredo sauce. Ok…I know. 'K'rabmeat is something you don't want to see, but I figured that most crab served is not caught in Florida…so I figured that the shrimp would be fresh Gulf Shrimp. I was soooo wrong. The Krabmeat was imitation crab…and the shrimp? Tiny 'salad shrimp'. The fishy smell was from those tiny shrimp. The only fresh item in the frittata was the one mushroom I found. The alfredo sauce was a horrible gloppy mess. It was so thick and the little bit I tried was terrible. The potatoes were your typical 'buffet' type found in many places. Cubes of pre-cooked potato fried in a deep fryer with onion. Ick. I think they should re-name this the 'Low-tide, Ocean Frittata'.


(Ocean Frittata - Lighthouse Cafe)


(Pathetic shrimp in the Ocean Frittata, yes that is a TEASPOON)

The 'fresh homemade strawberry preserve' was a joke. It was served in a little cup and was more like Strawberry syrup. It was thin like syrup with no strawberry chunks at all. There was so much sugar in them..you could feel the undissolved sugar at the bottom of the cup. I never had to 'dip' my toast into preserves before.


(Home Made Strawberry Preserves??? More like over sugared runny syrup)

Jeff's Crab and Spinach omelette was a little better than my selection. The specials board showed it as Crab with a 'c' so we think it was real crab. The sad part is…we couldn't tell since we couldn't find any crab in the whole omelette. The grits were a bit watery but edible.


(Crab, Spinach and Asiago omelette - Lighthouse Cafe)

The waitress was scarce until it was time to drop off the check. Not once did she check up on us. I guess that is the thinking. They don't care how it is…or they know it's so bad, they will have to take it back. It's sad that a place can say 'Best Breakfast in the World' and be so far off that claim. Stay far-far-away from the Lighthouse Café. If you chose to go…you've been warned. Go to the Over Easy Café on the Island for breakfast instead. So much better and a nice place.


($26 too much - Lighthouse Cafe)

I hate giving negative reviews, but I felt that this place really needs a wake-up call and also feel taken advantage of as a tourist.

They also serve dinner during peak season (December thru April). I would say this is a punishment for us tourists.



Lighthouse Café location:
362 Periwinkle Way
Sanibel, FL 33957

FTLToday Score: F (on sooo many levels)