Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille Ft. Myers Beach
Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille Ft. Myers Beach
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10,760 reviews
#2 of 73 Restaurants in Fort Myers Beach$$ - $$$, Steakhouse, Caribbean, Vegetarian friendly+1 239-765-9660+ Add websiteImprove this listing
Hours
Sun
11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Mon
11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Tue
11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Wed
11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Thu
11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Fri
11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sat
11:00 am - 10:00 pm
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What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Ratings and reviews
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Food and ambience
Local cuisine, Steakhouse, Caribbean, Seafood, Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options
Special Occasion Dining, Romantic, View, Groups, Bar Scene, Business meetings
Is this an African restaurant?
Details
About
Family-friendly waterfront dining with affordable pricing. Featuring fresh seafood daily and full bar with our famous Island Mojitos. Indoor and outdoor seating available. Sports Bar and Live Entertainment. Arrive by car or boat. Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille may have originated on Sanibel Island, but be sure to check out this newest location on Fort Myers Beach!
PRICE RANGE
$16.00 – $40.00
CUISINES
Steakhouse, Caribbean, Seafood
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
FEATURES
Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Private Dining, Seating, Parking Available, Free off-street parking, Television, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Live Music, Waterfront, Gift Cards Available
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4.5
10,760 reviews
Excellent
8,536
Very good
1,627
Average
400
Poor
128
Terrible
71
williampN5895CD
81 contributions
Feb 2020 • none
Four of us dined here on a Monday evening. Ample crowd, but not too crowded. We opted to sit outside on the dock. Excellent view of the bay, marina, fishing boats, etc. with live music - a single guitarist with a synthesizer, but he was excellent - sang both rock and country - very enjoyable. Our server was good, but along with the food runner, managed to screw up our order. Three of us got the wrong food and my rice was the wrong rice. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the we were outside and the lighting was purposely low, we did not immediately realize that we had each others' dishes until the waitress came back and noticed it. My friend had already eaten about half of my mahi mahi. Instead of taking it back to get another, the waitress just switched the dishes around and I got only a very small portion of fish that had already been partially eaten! Good thing we are close friends! The waitress took off to another table, so we just ate what we had. When she returned, I asked to speak to a manager. He was apologetic and comped a round of drinks, desserts and my meal. But, it did feel odd that the waitress did not get me another entree after having half of it eaten by someone else. At any rate, the manager did his best to rectify the situation. The food was good, and I would have given 5 stars. The mistakes were pretty bad re: wrong dishes, so I hovered on 3 stars. The quality of the food, manager's rectification and the entertainment, get me back to a 4. We will return!
Written 7 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ingrid M
5 contributions
Jan 2020 • couples
This place was spectacular, my husband is allergic to shell fish but DAN @dan was so accomadating, not only to my husband but to our friend that is allergic to alcohal (he order a virgin ginger beer) there was 4 in our party so 3 of us choose different fish tacos so one was the shrimp taco. They were by far the best fish tacos I've ever had. Personally when I order fish tacos I'm always worried that I'll be skimped out on the fish. It was packed with the meat of choice. Anyways we had an amazing everperice and Dan just made it that much better!
Written 1 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ann N
1 contribution
Mar 2020 • friends
Restaurant was crazy busy with an exuberant crowd. Frank gave us excellent service. The yucatan shrinp outrageously great. Thr srafood paella tasty and generous portions. My lobster roll was meh. But i am from New England so my standards are very high. . my husband requested more bread and we were charged $.75 for it. Kind of crazy for a lunch bill of $110 plus tip for 3 people at lunch to be charge for extra bread. Nut all in all, it was a pleasant experience and a fun place with great views of the shrimp boat fleet.
Written 13 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
d0cf
Ann N, thank you for leaving us this amazing review. We are glad to hear you had a great time and hope to hear from you again in the future. We will pass along your kind words over to Frank.
Written 20 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Georgina’C
Bedford56 contributions
Jan 2020 • family
Seated quickly, waitress was unpleasant, zero people skills at all. No recommendations, or chat at all. I heard and saw other waiters and waitresses giving recommendations on food and drinks and also bring out water for their tables. It was a really hot day! She was miserable which made the experience not very nice.
The food however was amazing - salads are to die for!
Written 8 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
d0cf
Sorry to hear this! We understand that the pace of service is very important to our customers, and we're sorry that wasn't the case for you this time. We are glad to hear you did enjoy your food. We hope you're willing to give us another chance!
Written 10 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Cynthia G
Cincinnati133 contributions
June 2021 • none
Going beyond a friend's feedback that it was the best meal he had since being in the area for the past two weeks, I want to say that it was, as I titled this, perfect from beginning to end. Our party of 4 had attempted to go to dinner there a few nights earlier, only to find that everyone knows this is a great place, and there would be a minimum 2 hour wait. I went online and was only able to find openings at lunch, but that did not keep me from going ahead and taking advantage of the lunch reservations slots available.
When we arrived, the staff at the front reception desk were warm and inviting. My friend was a bit assertive and let them know that a particular table by the window was empty, and we wanted that. I explained that someone may have already reserved that table. But, despite his assertiveness, she was more than happy to accommodate his wishes. We had a great corner table with a view of the Marina, which afforded us the opportunity to enjoy watching boats come in and out of the Marina.
Probably more important than the food to me is the service. I have been a vegetarian for 49 years, and our server, Tony, was great with suggestions. There are those who look at me and want to ask why on earth I would even visit a restaurant at Fisherman's Wharf if I didn't want fish! He was more than accommodating and made suggestions.
Truly, he was an outstanding server. He had many other tables, but he was attentive and responsive in every respect; especially to this high maintenance diner :-)
Although it has taken me a few days to write the review, that is no reflection on the quality of service, food and atmosphere of Doc Ford's! We also found a new rum, Bumbu! And, we were able to locate it here in Cincinnati!
We will be back!
Written 23 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
aappal
Marlton109 contributions
Feb 2020 • friends
This restaurant definitely requires a reservation,
Loud and crowded all winter long. Food is fresh and good. Even though it has plenty of fish on the menu, we chose to have baby back ribs, excellent.
Written 18 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
pitflyer
Pittsburgh18 contributions
Apr 2021 • couples
While they wouldn't take reservations on Easter I just showed up when they opened at 11 and was immediately seated right near the water outside. Waiter was quite attentive and food came out quickly. Wife ordered paella and I ordered a lunch special quesadilla with I think mahi and another fish, along with their signature bloody Mary.
While a bit expensive and maybe slightly out of the way of other places in fort Myers beach it is actually quite convenient on the way in and maybe most importantly free and plentiful parking. Going on the weekend I was unable to find parking at all, paid or not, in many places so that's a big positive.
Written 5 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Doc Ford
We are glad to hear you have a great time! Thank you for taking the time to write us a review and we hope to hear from you again in the future!
Written 28 April 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Melissa G
Bozeman1012 contributions
Feb 2021 • family
We arrive for dinner with no reservation ( would highly suggest making one) to find the restaurant really busy ( not a surprise). Fortunately for us they were opening the overflow area, yay we got a table for three really quick. Here’s the unfortunate part, the wait staff seemed very confused on who had what able and who had ordered. Then since we were in the overflow area which is between the restaurant snd special event area which is separated by a small area with tables that is screened off- but the door kept locking and they did not know how to unlock it so the bungied it open. It was very windy and rainy that evening so it was freezing with the door open all the time. Several tables left the area( not sure if they got other tables or just left). We got the macadamia nut grouper and the penne paste with “lobster “ shrimp. We had to ask for drinks, our food took well over an hour and was just warm when we got it. It was an unfortunate dinner out which is not typical of Doc Fords but for a $120+ dinner for three people you should get a good hot meal with decent service.
Written 10 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sandra D
Fort Myers3 contributions
June 2020 • couples
This was our best choice for lunch as we were leaving Ft Myers Beach. Beautiful location (once you can find it) we sat on the covered deck and watched shrimping boats come in as we ate lunch during an afternoon sprinkle. We ordered the special drinks both delicious rum drinks poured pretty strong. Doc’s Beach bread was amazing - definitely add the bacon and jalapeños! Crispy bread, real bacon, and bubbly cheese! I ordered the Southwest Cobb salad - super fresh greens, corn cut right off the cob, the spicy tortilla strips were the perfect compliment to the chipotle ranch dressing. The blackened chicken was chunky and charred and perfect - I ate it on the side because I don’t like hot meat on my salad, but it was soooo yummy!! He ordered the Mahi sandwich special and loved the flavor and texture. Our server Shae was awesome and helped navigate the full menu and find these awesome choices. The managers were great and helpful and we had a great experience on a kind of crappy day.
Written 4 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Emily Nelson
2 contributions
Jan 2020 • family
Our family of eight ate dinner at Doc Ford’s for the last night of our vacation. We were happily greeted by an energetic waiter, Brent. He got our family seated right away, which is rare as we are such a big group. Brent was helpful explaining the menu options and was patient with our questions and specific requests. He made sure we were all content with our food choices, keeping a smile the entire time he waited on us. He even offered to take a picture of our family! Our experience at Doc Fords was great not only because of the delicious food, but because of how Brent interacted with our family. You are awesome Brent!
Written 5 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
d0cf
Thank you, Emily Nelson! We appreciate you taking the time to give us positive feedback from your experience at our restaurant. Glad to hear our food, as well as, service was up to par, and we look forward to hearing from you in the future. We will pass along your kind words over to Brent!
Written 10 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Sam H
Nashville96 contributions
Oct 2020 • family
I say that because after eating their signature Yucatan shrimp, I genuinely don't know how long it will be before I eat a meal where I can say "that was the best seafood meal I have ever had".
I am phenomenally impressed by my dining experience personally and give the location, the food and the serving staff all top marks.
We are blessed with great seafood back home in New Zealand, but this meal was mind-blowing.
Again, I will say I saddened for knowing I have to wait until next experiencing this quality of cuisine. 😢
Written 14 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Traveler20140000
Cookeville29 contributions
July 2020 • couples
We have heard so much about this restaurant from some good friends. We received a gift card from them to experience the atmosphere at Doc Fords. The food was average. My steak was cooked just like I asked and the dish was presented very nicely. Our waitress Abbi didn't seem to care much about ... being our waitress. The last 20 minutes of our visit, we ate our dessert, and I was without a drink. Abbi often walked by our table and never asked if we needed anything. So upon us paying with a gift card Abbi told my husband "I don't think you can put a tip on a gift card". I honestly think Abbi should have been concerned about her tip ALL THROUGHOUT our meal not just at the end. My experience with a waitress often determines if I will revisit an establishment. Pay more attention Abbi to your customers! Your reward will be a good tip! Very disappointed in our experience at this establishment.
Written 3 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
d0cf
Sorry to hear this! We understand that our employees are a representation of our company and these actions will be addressed. We strive in creating a standard of excellence in the quality of our service. Hope you are willing to give us a second chance.
Written 11 August 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ledon622
3 contributions
June 2020 • friends
We had the opportunity to go eat at Doc Fords and it was amazing!! Our server Abbi was extremely attentive and patient with our group, 4 adults and 3 kids. She recommended the mojitos and Yucatán shrimp appetizer and she couldn’t have made a better recommendation. The Yucatán sauce is off the chain!!! We also ordered the oysters for appetizer and they were very nice sized and extremely fresh. For entree, we all ordered the grouper sandwich, each person had it prepared a different style. There was not a complaint in the house. The kids loved their fish fingers. Unfortunately, we didn’t have room for desert but that’s okay. We plan on going back to Doc Fords every time we are in Ft Myers. Thanks again to Abbi for the amazing service.
Written 23 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
d0cf
We are so happy Abbi had such an impact on your visit to our restaurant, and we will make sure your kind words are pass along to them. Glad to hear our food, as well as, service was up to par, and able to assist with any accommodations needed to make your visit with us more enjoyable. Hope to hear from you again in the future.
Written 25 June 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Charles T
Westmont2 contributions
July 2020 • none
My wife and I were looking to have an early dinner (6 pm) on the way back from Sanibel and eat on the water at a place with a good menu. Doc's popped up on our search and we stopped!.
The hostess was nice in letting us know that we needed a face mask to go to our table and we could remove them as we sat to eat. So, we had ours in the car and went back to get them. It was great that they were serious about our health!
We were able to get a seat outside by the water and had Lauren as our server. We received our drinks promptly and a great duo was playing live music there! They were just right - as they played popular songs, were not loud and had great voices!
We ordered dinner and both chose the grouper sandwich. Lauren let us improvise with order and the side orders. Our sandwiches came out and were sizzling hot. The grouper portion was almost twice the size of the bun and was delicious. Our sides were scrumptious and I can say, that was the best grouper sandwich I have ever had - and I have had hundreds!!!!
Needless to say, this is a "10" restaurant and we highly recommend everyone who goes to the beaches to stop there and eat, drink and be merry! Enjoy!
Written 9 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark - Kim M
Key West2 contributions
Aug 2020 • none
As residents of Fort Myers know, it's tough to beat Doc Ford's for good food, drink, & music. While we highly recommend the Scallop Dinner special on Monday nights, you cannot go wrong with anything on the menu. Service is great and they have gone to great lengths to ensure the safety of your health during the coronavirus pandemic - everyone masked, tables spaced apart, and have an outstanding outdoor dining option on the water with live music.
Written 4 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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