To begin, some of the reviews for this restaurant are out of date as it was acquired by new ownership last year.

This is my first time visiting Sanibel/Captiva and so far this is by the best restaurant at which we've eaten! I work in New York City, so I have been to some fabulous restaurants and this was certainly in my top 5 favorites.

My boyfriend and I got a chance to speak with the owners and were pleasantly surprised to find out that Kurt, the owner and chef was self-taught. By the taste of his food, one would assume he was taught at a fine culinary institute, so this blew our minds!

We got corn and crab chowder, the special of the evening. Although a simple dish, after the first bite, we looked at each other in amazement as to how delicious it was.

For our appetizer, we got the Phyllo Shrimp. The dish comes with two jumbo shrimp encrusted in phyllo and a yummy dipping sauce. The shrimp was sweet and perfectly crusted.

For our entrees, we got Black Truffle Sea Scallops ad Big Eye Tuna. The scallops were cooked to perfection. They were tender and buttery, by far the best scallops either of us had ever had. The tuna was delicious as well, seared and with a wonderful sauce.

For dessert, we got a mouthwatering Chocolate Truffle Terrine. Both of us were full to the brim, even after packing up half of our entrees in order to have a little bit of room for dessert. We still managed to finish the dessert short of licking the plate clean.

From the moment we stepped into the restaurant we were greeted by Michelle, she & her Husband Kurt are the owners, she greeted us with a smile, sat us down immediatly and from that moment on we had the best meal we have ever had anywhere!! The food is hot, fesh and delicious!!! We were on Captiva for 6 nights we ate there 3 out of 6 and stopped by one night for wine & dessert. I can not say enough about it, cant wait to go back. "Its worth a trip from anywhere". E. C., & C. H.

Don't be put off by the exterior of this excellent restaurant. It not only looks like a shack on the outside, but the exterior is a shack. Also, the front parking lot is too small, but there is another lot behind the restaurant, though there is no sign pointing you to it.
However, once inside you will have an excellent meal with very good service. It is small so make sure you have a reservation [and don't wait for the day of your dinner to try to get one.]

My husband and I enjoyed a fantastic meal at the Mad Hatter. The attention to detail from beginning to end was very nice. We ordered the Phyllo Shrimp, Mad House Salad, Black Truffle Sea Scallops, and Black Grouper. All were delicious along with a very good wine recommended by our waiter. Dessert consisted of Creme Brulee and a Dark Chocolate concoction both to die for. We will definitely return on our next trip in the fall.