Sanibel's Newest Restaurants Are Hiding in Golf Clubhouses and Plaza Storefronts

Eve Alves moved to Sanibel from Florida's East Coast in 2003 with her husband, Alex. That year she opened The Jac Sanibel Island Bar and Grille, which later became the Tipsy Turtle Restaurant & Bar. Hurricane Ian destroyed the Tipsy Turtle in September 2022, the Fort Myers News-Press noted. On June 4, 2026, the SanCap Chamber cut a ribbon in front of her next restaurant, Island Panda, a takeout counter in the Tahitian Gardens shopping center at 2003 Periwinkle Way, according to the Sanibel-Captiva Islander.

Island Panda is one of five food and drink spots that have opened on Sanibel since last November. Taken together, they show how the island's dining is changing four years after Ian. The landmark restaurants have mostly reopened already. The newest places are filling specific holes in the menu, and almost none of them have a Gulf view. They sit on Palm Ridge Road, in Periwinkle Way plazas, and inside two golf clubs that now serve diners who have never held a membership.

Island Panda opened to fill a gap

At the ribbon-cutting, chamber President and CEO John Lai said Alves "returns to fill a gap for Asian specialties and build-your-own bowls that islanders and visitors have been clamoring for," as the Islander reported.

The menu covers three areas: sushi, poke and hibachi. The house favorite is the Island Panda Roll, with tempura shrimp, cucumber and krab inside, and tuna, avocado, tempura flakes, eel sauce and spicy mayo on top. Fresh tropical fruit goes into the poke bowls, and the hibachi dishes pair grilled vegetables with a choice of proteins. Alves told the Islander she is adding desserts and other items. Most orders go out the door, but there is a patio for a quick meal.

The chamber listed hours as 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Island Panda's website shows the same hours and offers pickup and delivery.

Pizza from Palm Ridge Road, delivered

Three months before Island Panda opened, a different gap got filled a mile or so inland. Scooters Pizza Kitchen soft-opened March 2, 2026, at 2496 Palm Ridge Road. In the SanCap Chamber's ribbon-cutting announcement, co-owners Miles Sweiss and Geno Accra describe a scratch kitchen built around the pizzas they grew up eating and would serve their own children.

The range of crusts is wide for one small kitchen. There is Detroit-style pan pizza, hand-tossed, thin crust, and a 24-inch New York-style pie for a full house of guests. Wings and gluten-free pizza are also on the menu. You can eat at the outdoor seating, pick up, or order delivery. On weekday lunches, Scooters' website lists a giant 12-inch slice until 3 p.m. or until it sells out. The site's posted hours run into the late evening every day, until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. That is later than most kitchens on the island stay open.

Two golf clubs opened their dining rooms to everyone

The largest new dining rooms on Sanibel this year are behind golf club entrances, and both are open to the public.

Edgar's Steakhouse opened March 10, 2026, inside The Dunes Golf & Tennis Club at 949 Sand Castle Road. According to The Dunes' announcement, you do not need a club membership or a hotel stay to book a table. The menu is built around premium steakhouse cuts, with seafood dishes alongside. It opened eight days after Scooters, so a family pizza kitchen and a steakhouse arrived on the island within the first ten days of March.

Ibis Grill is at Sanibel Island Golf Club, 1100 Par View Drive. In June, the Fort Myers News-Press photographed it and described it as open to the public seven days a week. The News-Press noted that everything except the bar top is new. The menu highlights it pictured were New York-style pizza, a salad with warm goat cheese, and a smash burger. The paper's June 20 roundup grouped Ibis Grill with Island Panda and Scooters as the island's three recent openings.

The club changed hands not long before the grill opened. XUDE Hospitality announced it had acquired Sanibel Island Golf Club in an October 2025 release. Hours at a club restaurant can change with the season, so call the club before you drive over for dinner.

The wine shop that outgrew its first storefront in less than a year

The most recent change happened this month, and it shows a new business finding out what its customers want.

Island Time Wine opened Nov. 18, 2025, at 2407 Periwinkle Way, Suite 4, the Islander reported. On Oct. 9, 2026, the chamber held a second ribbon-cutting after the shop moved across the parking lot to Suite 5. In the Santiva Chronicle's account, the move doubled the shop's space, added an outdoor patio, made room for 49 seated guests and about 280 more bottles on the shelves, and gave the shop space for live music on Fridays or Saturdays.

Owner Anne Arnold explained the reason for the move to the Chronicle. "We realized soon after opening last November that there was a demand for a unique wine experience like ours, and people wanted more food options to pair with the wines," she said. "We also realized that more seating, including outdoor seating, was needed."

The kitchen is growing with the room. The menu now includes cheese and charcuterie boards, small bites and shareable plates chosen to go with the wines. The shop also works with Sweet Melissa's Restaurant in Fort Myers on extra appetizers and themed wine dinners. The bottle list covers Bordeaux, Burgundy, Piedmont, Tuscany and Champagne, along with less familiar picks such as Loire whites, South African Chenin and Uruguay Tannat.

Anne Arnold has been a part-time Sanibel resident since childhood. She holds the Wine & Spirit Education Trust Diploma in Wines and is a certified wine educator. Drew Arnold, her husband and co-owner, holds WSET Level 2 and has 30 years of leadership and technology experience. The new space keeps a private tasting room for groups of up to eight.

The Chronicle reported this weekly schedule:

• Tuesdays, 6 to 7:30 p.m.: themed wine classes
• Select Thursdays: events with winemakers or wineries
• Fridays, 4 to 6 p.m.: the regular wine tasting
• Fridays or Saturdays: live music, now that the patio is open

Island Time Wine's website lists hours of 1 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with food served from 4 to 8 p.m.

Where the new places sit

Each of the five sits along a road locals already use for errands or golf, and none is on the beach.

The two takeout kitchens are the most practical additions for a weeknight at home. The golf club dining rooms and the wine bar's new patio are the ones to keep in mind when friends visit. For anything that has reopened since Ian, the SanCap Chamber keeps a directory of open businesses.

Next week at BIG ARTS

The first big island event of November is a short walk from Periwinkle Way. The Sanibel Island Writers Conference runs Nov. 5 to 7, 2026, at BIG ARTS, 900 Dunlop Road, with workshops, panels, readings, keynotes and concerts. That Friday, Nov. 6, is also a regular Island Time Wine tasting day, with the shop's 4 to 6 p.m. pour a few minutes away by car.

If someone you know is weighing a Sanibel condo or home for this season, the island's restaurants say a lot about how its recovery is going. I'm happy to share what I'm seeing on the island and answer questions over a glass of something from Periwinkle Way. Let's Connect with Tammy Workman and the Chappell & Workman team at Royal Shell Real Estate.