It is my understanding that the restaurant was recently purchased by the chef of the former owner's. Whatever charm it possessed is gone. The restaurant is comprised of one small room, packed with tables. It is so loud to be annoying. Whatever "Alice in Wonderland" theme was present is no longer there albeit the shelf near the ceiling with hats. The one side of the restaurant has floor to ceiling mirrors (and we love to look at ourselves eating) and yes the other side does face the gulf. There is no bar. They do serve wine.
The service, while prompt, was not overly friendly. The food was good, not fabulous, but good. The prices were VERY expensive. Entrees run from $30 to $50 and everything is ala carte.
You can find better food, more fun and better prices at the Bubble Room on Captiva, so just keep driving a bit farther.

Reviews on TripAdvisor had put this restaurant on our radar for our first trip to Sanibel. Those reviews were right on the mark! We took our chances and dropped in late on Sunday night (8:00pm) with no reservations. From the first greeting at the door, we knew we were going to enjoy this. Although pricey, it was worth every cent. We had been keeping an eye out for a nice, relaxed, romantic meal - and we found it here. Service was excellent, and the food was the best we had on Sanibel/Captiva - bar none. If you're planning a trip, save that special meal for this place, you won't be disappointed!

I wanted a special meal to celebrate my 60th birthday and the Mad Hatter met my expectations. Each member of our party of eight raved about the food, atmosphere and service. Although pricey, it was worth every penny as each of our meals was excellent. Most of our group are "foodies" and are stingy with superlatives but we all used superlatives in describing our experience at the Mad Hatter.

We just spent 11 days on Sanibel and dined at the Mad Hatter on our first and our last nights.
I wanted a special dinner on our first night since it was going to be just the two of us and the Mad Hatter really delivered. The seafood was as fresh as can be and the flavors were fantastic.
I had the crab cake (lots of delicious real crab and not too much "cake") and the cashew crusted Opa. And wow - the flavors were absolutely phenomenal. My husband had the foie gras and the scallops in truffle sauce. I have to say that the bursts of flavor are still memorable two weeks later. Even something as simple as mashed potatoes they made unique and delicious. When we left, we told the owner that the biggest problem with dinner was that we were now going to spend the next 10 nights trying to find a meal that compared in quality and flavor. We never succeeded which is why on our last night we came back with our family and they enjoyed it as much as we did. A few special touches were that the owner came around and spoke with all the patrons and that both she and the staff were very knowledgable about the wines.
Finally, the ambiance was lovely. We came after sunset but I'm told they are not to be missed. Its a small place with fabulous food, pleasant people and no pretense. Definitely a must do for your next trip to Sanibel.