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Maria's Old Florida Restaurant: Restaurant Reviews

17979 San Carlos Boulevard, Fort Myers, FL 33931
239 433 2491
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Ranked #24 of 445 restaurants in Fort Myers
Cuisines: Seafood
4 visitor photos
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24 reviews from our community

86% Recommend
    18
    2
    2
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Rating summary
    Food
    Service
    Value
    Atmosphere
Date Rating
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Contributor
13 reviews 13 reviews
9 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“Have patience, and a sense of humor. Totally worth it.”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 10, 2013

It doesn't look like much. And when our group of 4 walked in, we thought it was abandoned. If not for the two people at the bar who urged us not to leave, we'd have done a 180.
We seated ourselves and got our own menus. After about 20 minutes, Maria showed up to take our order. To be fair, she was two staff members short and so not in a great mood. She was surly and told us more about what she was not going to serve us. No salad. No broiling of fish.
That being said: Maria can boss me around Ll she wants if only she will feed me!
I had a crawfish étouffée that made me want to lick the plate. My husband had pan fried grouper that was delicious and fresh. Our dinner companions had a seafood steamer. Again fresh and wonderful. The gumbo was out of the world. Even the coleslaw was wonderful.
My advice: EAT HERE. And be patient. Totally worth it.

  • Visited February 2013
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Food
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Minnesota
Senior Contributor
33 reviews 33 reviews
3 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 13 cities Reviews in 13 cities
19 helpful votes 19 helpful votes
“Great seafood!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 4, 2013

We ate here twice because it was so good! Maria will entertain you, and make an artistic sangria for you. The seafood is fresh and well-prepared. Very tasty!

Visited January 2013
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Virginia Beach, Virginia
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
8 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
“Must try”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed January 21, 2013

Just returned from Maria's and couldn't wait to write the review. If you love real cajun cooking, this is the place for you. We had gumbo and Salmon Deval.. They were superb--full of seafood and packed with great taste. As others have reported, the looks of the restaurant are deceiving, but we really enjoyed the food and will be going back to Maria's again this week.

  • Visited January 2013
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Food
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upstate NY
Senior Contributor
26 reviews 26 reviews
20 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
41 helpful votes 41 helpful votes
“Hidden gem / The best in Ft Myers”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed January 18, 2013 via mobile

Simply exceptional fresh seafood, family like service, and it's so fun to go there. Maria herself is such a pleasure. The first time you go there you'll become a customer for life. Make sure to try the sangria, and anything the server or Maria recommends! This woman and her cooking (and birds) are literally my fave things about Ft Myers :)

    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Food
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St. Catharines
Senior Contributor
23 reviews 23 reviews
9 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
21 helpful votes 21 helpful votes
“Great Seafood”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed January 16, 2013

We stumbled upon this restaurant which from the outside does not look very nice and the inside is not great looking but wee were blown away by the quality of the food. We both
loved the seafood platter which was fresh and perfectly cooked and very reasonably priced. we had 2 glasses of wine each which were well priced. Maria the owner was our server and told us she was closing the restaurant at the end of the season, better get there soon or u will miss a great meal.

  • Visited January 2013
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Food
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