The Veranda

2122 Second St, Fort Myers, FL 33901, USA

Address:	2122 Second St, Fort Myers, FL 33901, USA
Phone:	+1 239-332-2065
Site:	verandarestaurant.com
Rating:	3.9
Working:	11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 5:30–9PM Closed

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 4

James Hoare

Overview - This is an old school restaurant in the sense that all the wait staff have been there far too long and seem to think you are lucky for them to wait on you. Some of the food is excellent and some is average to poor. This place is not worth the prices (entrees $25-$60) and the good dishes are not worth the bad dishes or poor service. Atmosphere - Stuck up and snooty. We walked by a group of 4 wait staff when entering and rather than getting a smile and a hello they looked us up and down as if we should not have been there. (We were in semi-formal attire, while others there were in shorts and baseball caps so I am not sure why we offended their sensibilities). We should have left at that point. Drinks - Cocktail menu is average and they have a decent wine list. I ordered a martini with a twist and it turned up with olives. I mentioned this to the waiter and rather than bring me the right drink he went and got me a lemon peel in a napkin. I was too amazed that it happened to say anything. Food - The mixed seafood platter was really excellent. The steaks were very good and well cooked to the requested temperature. All the appetizers (oysters Rockefeller, shrimp cocktail, blue crab cakes) were very very disappointing. They all tasted like they were cooked from frozen and the presentation was poor. The house salads were wilted like they had prepped them on the plates at the start of the night. The fish special wall full of bones, dry and inedible. I had to send it back which was the first time ever for a special. Dessert - Only 2 of our party ordered desserts. We had mentioned to the waiter that it was my mothers birthday. Instead of provide a birthday dessert the waiter stuck a candle in the dessert one of the other people had ordered and presented it to my mother. The person who ordered the dessert then had to remove the candle. All of these issues were politely mentioned at the time. There was no apology and nothing was comped (The food that was inedible was taken off the check). The check came out to ~$100 a head and I felt like we had received $30 quality and worthless service. I will never go back and recommend you try somewhere else.

Laurie Tippet

Pros: - Beautiful restaurant - white table clothes, napkins, ambiance - both inside and outside - Food - Fresh Snapper, Salmon, Southern Sampler and Scallops - excellent; Chicken - good Cons: - My mom made a 1.5 month advance reservations for a special occasion - my 50th b-day and her b-day. Upon arriving to the restaurant, she informed the hostess of my birthday, but at the end of dinner, nothing was done. She talked to our waiter who apologized for not knowing this, but didnt offer anything until she pressed the matter and then brought a piece of key lime pie. This was very odd and unexpected for a restaurant of this caliber. - Wine list - nice bottle selection, but was surprised at the lack of options by the glass. They literally had 5 options for their white wines by the glass - and even this consisted of 1 chardonnay, 1 pinot grigio, 1 riesling, 1 other german wine and 1 sauvignon blanc (New Zealond, which is not a soft sauvignon blanc). If someone wanted a chardonnay or sauvignon blanc and didnt care for their 1 option, then they were out of luck or drank something that they didnt really want. Our waiter didnt offer any advice or help and even said I can check with the bartender if theres a bottle open of a different white - Really? Im going to get up from the table to go ask the bartender? - Service - although our waiter was nice, he seemed new and at times inconvenienced. My mom wanted the Southern Sampler, but didnt want the cream fettucine. Again, our waiter didnt offer any suggestions and waited for her to pick out a different order. I then spoke up and said cant you substitute vegetables for the fettucine - he did, but he should have offered this, not me. Overall, disappointed in the service - we expected more, especially for this caliber and pricing, but nice ambiance and food.

S. Kreisle

The Verandah sits quietly amidst the busy streets of downtown Ft. Myers, Florida. The ambiance, inside and out, makes The Veranda a suitable venue for small bridal showers, girls luncheons, engagement parties, as well as a romantic place for proposals to your beloved. I dined outside with a group of over twenty female friends. White tables, chairs, table linens and big white umbrellas over each table, canopied on two sides with huge blooming trees, a Koi pool and plantings of varying heights created a pleasant backdrop to the side of The Verandas large patio and garden area. Can you tell that I would have loved being there, if only to admire the restaurant interior and outdoor accommodations? The setting alone is enough reason to visit there...but theres the bonus of beautifully presented food that is delicious and served quickly. Our waiter gave us good descriptions of the menu items and checked back with us frequently, sensing when we desired time to chat with others in our party. His suggestions were accurate and well taken. Not a single person in our group had a anything but praise to offer about the site, their orders, the service and the presentation of the food. Several of us indulged in The Verandas excellent "to die for" desserts. A bit pricey, but not at all unreasonable considering the quality of the menu items. You might want to call ahead for reservations and to learn about their dress code. My only regret is that I learned about this fine restaurant only six months ago--in January of 2015.

Patti Hudson

We have been frequent diners and LOVED the food and ambiance. We were excited to bring a good friend visiting from Australia. Well, the very first thing that struck me was I had made a reservation for 3 but a nice table facing the garden area. We were seated at a table meant for 2 and squeezed 3 of us at the table. It wasnt easy with 2 appetizers being ordered, wine, martinis, etc not to mention the bread and butter. I felt so tight that I GAVE OUR WAITER MIKE MY GLASS OF WATER TO TAKE AWAY AND HE SAT IT ON THE FIREPLACE MANTEL WHERE IT SAT FOR HOURS DRIPPING. That was horrible, but what really upset me was opening our menus ans saw food stains on ALL of them. I "think" Mine personally had some pepper jelly and meat juices on it. I didnt taste them, but its my best guess. My guess enjoyed her veal cutlet with Maine lobster topping. (I happen to think she didnt know how good food could be). I ordered a Filet/medium which was very dry but edible. My husband had the Sirloin at the recommendation of our waiter, Mike. His was even worse than mine. The Veranda has ALWAYS been our go to restaurant for special occasions, visitors, or just a very "Special" meal. Well we did get a "memorable meal but in the wrong way. Since our opinions have been going down on a constant rate, Mike acting like he couldnt wait for us to leave, we will, now trade our "GO TO" RESTAURANT to THE MISTO. Always consistent. We ate there at 5:30 on July 1, 2017.