Sweet Melissa's Cafe does have excellent food as indicated by the many reviews. Upon arrival, our waitress explained to us that most patrons order several courses - salad, small plate, 1/2 of a main course, and dessert. We decided to follow this trend and were not disappointed. We started by sharing the hearts of palm/arugula salad - very yummy. The... more

My girlfriend and I visited Captive/Sanibel on July 6-9, and our lunch at Sweet Melissa's was the culinary highlight of the trip. I had the seafood stew for $14 and it was tAsTy. Lunch is a great option here if you want to stay away from big pricetag meals. Loved it. more

...to Sanibel/Captiva was Sunday, June 28, at Sweet Melissa’s. We had researched several restaurants for our three-day visit and my wife selected this one for her birthday (we never mentioned it to the staff). On the drive from Captiva, we noticed many packed restaurants along the way. When we pulled into Sweet Melissa’s, our vehicle became car number two in... more

Being a tourist town in a secluded location, Sanibel can get away with moderately good food, and for the most part does. Sweet Melissa's is the exception. We had seafood chowder to start that was a mixture of fresh ingredients well spiced, nothing overwhelming the flavor of the fish and shellfish. Then a seafood stew, a boulliabaise really, that was... more

This was our second visit to Sanibel and we were looking for different places to eat. We read other reviews here before making the reservation and had a pretty good idea what to expect. Walking in, while open and not stuffy formal, this is not a jeans and t-shirt place. Nor is it a kid place. Sophisticated casual might be... more

We went to Melissa's a couple of years ago (at the old location), and quite liked it, so we thought we'd try them at their new location on Periwinkle. The food is still good, and nicely presented - but sorry to say, the portions are very small, and the prices rather high. Staff were OK - no better. Maybe it... more

from the beautiful landscape to the food this was a phenominal dining experience. the service was excellent with a very knowledgable and friendly wait staff to the wonderfully prepared meal this was fantastic. if you have one night to eat on the island i would strongly recommend this restaurant. chef melissa has a wonderful imagination and a glorious way of... more

This in our opinion is the best restaurant on Sanibel Island and we have been visiting for 16 years. We have visited Sweet Melissa's since it opened (and when it was named Red Fish Blue Fish). The food is fantastic, cooked by a chefs and the wine is fabulous. They serve small plates (so you can try everything) or you... more

We're foodies and truly enjoy a good, creative, well thought out meal. Sweet Melissa's was AMAZING! We ordered a salad, three small plates, and a half entree portion which was HUGE (love that they do half portions!) Along with a bottle of wine, it was PERFECT for the two of us. Wish we had gone back - definitely the best... more