Best new restaurants in 2023: Who made our critic's top 5 from Captiva to Cape Coral?

From Cape Coral and Captiva to Bokeelia and Bonita Springs, more than 60 restaurants opened their doors and welcomed eager diners for the first time in 2023.

And while we’ve been able to drop by many of those, we just couldn’t get to them all.

But like Santa, we have a list of names.

Instead of Robyns and Georges though, it consists of San Matteo, Oak & Stone, Tito’s Cantina, SUNQU Delights, Casa Blanca, Sunshine Seafood and many more. Some of these restaurants are new, some have recently reopened  and others, well, we just haven’t gotten around to. Yet.

We did manage to visit nearly 50 that opened this year, from delis and cafes to hidden gems and culinary wonders.

Picking our top 10 favorite restaurants of the year would be hard enough, let alone the top 5.

Stones Throw, Front Porch, The Causeway, Garden Goddess, La Ola, Savour Coffee, Shawn & Tony’s, High Tide Social and Street Eatz are some of the ones we love and don’t hesitate recommending.

But we can only select five.

They are:

Crow’s Nest Steakhouse

It may be cliche to say this gem at ‘Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa on Captiva provides over-the-top dining but it literally does. Situated above The Shipyard (which we also highly recommend), Crow's Nest made its breathtaking debut in July with clear views of the Gulf from every seat in the stunning, intimate space. It’s lush and lavish, bold and bright with floor-to-ceiling windows, beautiful tilework and a sea of gold and blue hues washing over the bar and dining room.

The menu is just as impressive. While the Smoke on the Water delights with sweet bay scallops, Maine lobster meat and sushi-grade tuna served in a cloud of light smoke, the oxtail raviolis in spicy braising jus was one of our favorite dishes of the year. And those are just starters. Choose an entree from the land — like quail, lamb, wild game — or a hand-cut USDA prime, in-house 30-day dry aged steak, a filet, ribeye or New York cut and add a 10-ounce cold water stuffed lobster tail for another level of amazing.

Up that with a dizzying array of whiskey and bourbon and I’ll gladly say it again — Crow’s Nest offers an over-the-top experience you won’t soon forget. 15951 Captiva Drive, Captiva, (239) 472-5161 (ext. 420) (with limited seating, it fills up quickly so reservations are strongly encouraged), crowsnest-captiva.com

McGregor’s Public House

When the McGregor's opened this Bell Tower-based, Irish-flavored joint on Aug. 1, just beer and wine were offered. Which was fine since it took over the former World of Beer spot. But what lands this pub in my top 5 is the ever-evolving creative creations coming from the kitchen.

“Our whole idea is to take traditional dishes you see in pubs, like shepherd’s and meat pies, and put a unique twist on them,” Meagan McGregor told me.

From shareables and sammies to large, lush, fresh salads and sides, that’s just what they’ve done. Take that shepherd’s pie for example. Only here it’s called the Irish Twins — hand-held lamb-based flakey pockets of puff pastry goodness. I’d honestly eat them every day if I could. But then I’d miss out on the Ballymac (a pumped-up version of mac & cheese), the Dill Murray (a thick and hearty take on a soda-bread-based turkey sandwich) and the bangers with purple cabbage mash, Guinness gravy and Kerrygol butter.

Don’t miss out on McGregor’s. You may want to have a beer too while you’re there. 13499 S. Cleveland Ave., Fort Myers, in Bell Tower, (239) 990-3336, mcgregorspublichouse.com

Next Door

I’m not sure what my favorite part of this chic, 32-seat waterfront venue at Tarpon Point Marina in Cape Coral is. First of all (and this bears repeating), it’s chic and waterfront. Yet it’s also comfortable and charming, perfect for a cozy date night or a fancy family dinner.

Then there’s the food which I referred to (and will always stand by) as plate after plate of perfection of homemade everything, including all the luxurious pasta. Flavors and textures collide in the best possible ways, from the amuse bouche of the day, through the red-pepper whipped feta and focaccia, and the rigatoni with grilled zucchino, broccolini velouté and parmesan streusel.

The desserts deserve a category all their own with towering layer cakes and affogato — my go-to no matter how full I think I am.

That said, the best part of Next Door is Chef John Hill with his passion for pasta and everything else he creates and pastry chef/chef de cuisine Jessica Shoemaker whose desserts are a gift. The restaurant fittingly opened on Valentine’s Day. I couldn’t love it more. 5971 Silver King Blvd., Unit 114, Cape Coral; (239) 984-2453; nextdoorcape.com

Pezzo Pizza + Bar

Ever since June, when Antonio Longobardo opened this trendy gourmet Italian kitchen and craft cocktail bar in the former Zino Bar & Pizzeria space, it’s been a hit. Waitlists on weekends and wall-to-wall crowds on ladies nights are the norm. The specialty cocktails — including the Glitter Mafia with spicy tequila, blackberries and golden flakes that glisten and glow against the translucent, color-changing LED-lit natural stone bar, and the Tell Me When to Stop espresso martini with fresh grated Parmesan romano on top — are big draws.

But it’s the pizza that’s the star here. As creative as the cocktails are, the pies may one-up them. La Parma has burrata, broccoli rabe and smoked scamorza, while the Spicy Baby shows off with pepperoni, ricotta and red-pepper-infused honey.  Order a couple of 10-inch pizzas to share, throw in some of Nonna’s meatballs and ricotta or maybe a baby calzone (all made from scratch) and pair everything with a cocktail or two (did I mention they toast the marshmallow tableside for my favorite dessert-in-a-glass tiramisu old fashioned?).

Then add Pezzo to your list of top new restaurants in 2023 like I did.  20041 S. Tamiami Trail, Unit 18, Estero, (239) 908-9197, pezzopizzabar.com

Plan ahead: Holiday dining: 20 Cape Coral, Fort Myers restaurants open Christmas Eve or Day

Sage on 47th

Southwest Florida culinary legend Ralph Centalonza’s latest (and possibly best) effort is nothing sort of magical. The chef/owner, who previously partnered on three highly popular restaurants, went solo on this South Cape gem in April.

Sage’s trendy, sleek and modern look is anchored by a beautifully inviting 68-foot bar, serving up some of the most impressive craft cocktails around.

Equally impressive is the chef-driven, locally curated menu that’s as fun as it is creative with a handful each of starters, sharables and mains. It’s difficult to pick a favorite — from duck fat fries with lingonberry ketchup to perfectly grilled lamb chops with pistachio pesto and a seafood risotto I can’t stop thinking about. Don’t even get me started on the weekend brunch.

All of this combined, plus an attentive and knowledgeable staff that assures you’re in very good hands, helps Sage dazzle time and time again. 1015 SE 47th Terrace, Cape Coral; (239) 542-0200; sageon47th.com

Jean Le Boeuf is the brand under which our restaurant critics have written for more than 40 years. This article came from staff writer Robyn George. Connect: [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: From Crow's Nest to Sage on 47th: Our favorite new restaurants of 2023