Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille

Doc Ford’s has a great atmosphere and average food. We were greated by a hostess that seemed bothered to assist us with seating outside. The Yucatan Shrimp was good but the flavors seemed to compete with each other. The fried shrimp was average at best but were over cooked. It’s worth the trip for the atmosphere but don’t expect too much when your dinner is served.

I was on vacation with some buddies down in Florida and we hit up this place on the beach for lunch. We were seated outside and the view is great. Steve, our waiter, was a good dude. He made great recommendations and checked on us frequently. The manager came out later on and thanked us for coming as we told him it was our first time there and we were from New England. The atmosphere is awesome, and with 50 different kinds of rum available, it’s a go-​to for the rum lover in your life. Sadly, the rum lover in my life (my wife) wasn’t on this trip.
Alright so the food was mostly good. One of my friends had the Yucatan shrimp. He enjoyed it but unfortunately the shrimp were not de-​veined and he asked the server (a different guy from Steve) specifically if they had been and was told yes. He wasn’t a fan of the extra maintenance. I had the Yucatan shrimp tacos which was the same thing sans the effort and they were awesome. The sauce they use is deceptively spicy and leaves a satisfying slow burn of heat after you’re done. My brother went straight for dessert and had the brownie. It was an absolute beast and he had to share because it was huge! It was so good. We also tried the carrot cake which is a dense slab of the stuff. It tasted great but it could be about ½ the size it was.
We decided we would bring the wives down to Florida next Spring and visit Doc’s again. I want to try more things!

Wait for table was long, waitress was nice. Food took too long to arrive at the table. Food arrived hit and fresh. Penne shrimp was good, however sauce was a little loose for my preference.

The food was good was absolutely amazing. I never finish my plate of food ever. But I ate all my food over here. Yum yum. Mark was a great server and will definitely come again. I had the Yucatan shrimp tacos. Yum yum yummy

What else can be said about this place that hasn’t already been said? Perfect location — Fort Myers Beach, channel side, away from the crowds. Open layout with a HUGE outdoor deck right on the water. Live music most days until 9pm. The food is AMAZING. Every time I go I get the Yucatan Peel and Eat Shrimp and ask for about 3 extra bread loaves because DON’T WASTE THE SAUCE. Definitely a must-​go for those looking for the ‘Florida Gulf Coast Experience’.

Great service and great food! We landed a table by the water and the breeze, view and the live music were the perfect vibe. I had the crab cakes and they were delicious. My wife had the shrimp tacos and they were tasty and the right amount of spice. On top of it all, the hostess/​manager helped us get a table quickly since we had our 3/​yo with us and sitting by the water was first-​come, first-​served. It was so nice that she noticed that we’d made the rounds once and helped us out :)

OMG! This place is incredible! Their steak is just heaven on a plate and the sides are perfection, their tomatoes topped with blue cheese are sinfully delicious and I’m not even a huge fan of tomatoes. Their caramelized onions on the steak are soooo good. Their chicken with chimichurri sauce a also amazing, but I always get the steak. I can honestly say that we have driven from Palm beach to Naples just to have this steak. When we are in town we go every single day without fail. The view is amazing, they have live music and the waitstaff is very accommodating. Once I tried their citrus chicken Parmesan pasta (forgot the name of the dish), and I was not a huge fan but I think that was just a bad ordering choice on my part since I am not particularly fond of citrus in savory dishes. Trust me, you will not be disappointed if you eat here.

Great atmosphere on the water with various indoor and outdoor places to eat. The service was friendly and spot on with timing. Not constantly pestering or making you feel rushed but there when you wanted them. The seared tuna appetizer was phenomenal– perfect blend of flavors and tuna seared perfectly rare.
Accompanied with an Asian veggie slaw and thai peanut wasabi drizzle– excellent flavors!!!

We came to this restaurant as a recommendation of a friend. Awesome food, great atmosphere, friendly service. I ordered the Quinoa Salad, which was HUGE and super yummy. My hubby ordered the Mahi Mahi with rice, and enjoyed it as well. As we were having lunch, other amazing dishes like shrimp tacos, and lobster roll were coming out, which made us realized that we needed to come back to this restaurant. Our first experience was great! We will be returning before leaving the island and we will come back to visit when in the area again. We will be also recommending this restaurant to families and friends!

Loved this place! Had a late dinner and the atmosphere was calm and beautiful. Had the bean dip for starters, nothing too great but it was good. Had blackberry limon mojitos– amazing! Service was great! We both ordered the fish sandwich, mom upgraded to grouper and I had the original. Both were very tasty and we ended up leaving with leftovers.

— The first couple of times we came here I thought the food was just ok but,
we have gone twice since then and it’s been so much better.
We did the Yucatan Shrimp to start, Crab Cakes, Steak & Snapper were delicious.
— Service: very slow wait staff, we got the wrong beers had to be flagged down
to return our drinks and ask for check.
— Usually good live music.
If you’re looking for waterfront drinks and some apps with a nice view this is the place to be.

I had the shrimp jalapeño grits they were outstanding. There seems to be nothing else like it. Except there’s a restaurant Fort Sumter South Carolina called Rosebuds. The only thing experience was extremely dirty bathroom. The surroundings were extremely nice very nice sittings outside.

We had reservations for 11 but we were packed into a table for 8. The server did a good job dealing with our party.
The one star is for the food and the lies that come with it. I ordered the grouper. It was not grouper. Probably a cod or some sort of cheap whitefish. It did not have the flavor or texture of grouper.
Don’t go to this place.

We found Doc Fords on our way back from the beach. This place rocked.
Pros:
Great atmosphere
Live music
Awesome food. Calamari and Peel and Eat Shrimp amazing.
Cons: None

What an unexpected delight! Had seen Doc Ford’s from the causeway many times in the decades we’ve visited Fort Myers Beach but had always assumed it was a tiny dive; I.e. Beers & fried food. WOW, it was quite the opposite! Great drinks, delicious food, lovely view, attentive service. Much larger than it looked from the road.
And a special treat was seeing the fabulous 500 gallon aquarium with living corals, minuscule starfish, anemones & tropical fish.

Doc Ford’s provides a great view of the harbor, excellent service, and a fantastic dining atmosphere. While securing a table outdoors for dinner can be a bit hectic, head to DF’s just before the dinner rush and you’ll be golden. Also, go for a table along the dock’s edge.
I’d advise taking your time during your visit by starting with an appetizer and maybe a specialty cocktail (the Yucatan shrimp are a must if you like shellfish — I’ve never had such large, succulent, tasty shrimp until these — if you have 3 – 4 people, do the ½ pound because the pound will be too filling with dinner on the way).
While you feast, observe the pelicans going after the scraps from the day’s fishing boats. If you like people watching, then you may enjoy boat watching as the harbor winds down for the day. Dinner at Doc’s can be a nice way to just unwind after a day on Sanibel Island, on the crowded beaches of Ft. Myer’s, or at baseball spring training. The menu includes a whole host of delicious items from salads to sandwiches, seafood to flatbreads. I can’t suggest much but I can definitely suggest you go!

Amazing! Has it all. Right on the water, great menu, excellent service! We did the Yucatan Shrimp to start. The best peal and eat I have had in Florida! Great local IPA on tap, loved the snapper cooked on a banana leaf. And best of all, dockside parking with your boat! we will return!

You know that mid afternoon feeling when you are not that hungry but you can get a little something? We did that here at Doc Ford’s. Oh, we just wanted a bowl of conch chowder, the mussels appetizer and their famous shrimp along with some bread to sop up all the juice and broth. Just a light little something with maybe 4 more hours or more before dinner. Not!
Everything we ordered was top notch fresh seafood. Juicy and tender. Flavorfully satisfying — you know the umami taste and feeling? This is it. The conch chowder was tomato based yet had a very rich deep herbacious flavor and there were many pieces of conch. The mussels appetizer was also tomato based but different and just as delish as the chowder, mussels were cooked just until they were tender and reminded me of gently steamed clams, so it was chewy rubbery at all — was perfect.
After the New York Times favorable review of the Yucatan Shrimp, why not try it? If you don’t like super spicy hot and just want a tingle on the tongue, order this. Large shrimp m the shell cooked just right, swimming in a light spicy sauce that is perfect for dipping your bread into. Go for it if you don’t order much of anything else.
We also ordered the spinach artichoke flatbread — by now we might as well skip dinner — was crispy hot (temp-​wise) and had a light tomato base with mozz and garlic. Quite good and because of its thinness was quick for us to devour.
Service was fast and attentive, nice people. You don’t know what to order, let them recommend — the Yucatan shrimp was a recommendation and it was sooo good!

Amazing place. We visited Doc Ford’s on a Saturday night and expected it to be so busy but we were in luck. It was busy but parking was easy and there was plenty of room for us.
This place is in an excellent location right on the water. We asked to sit outside on the deck. There are two decks. One of the decks is fed music that is so loud we wouldn’t have been able to have a conversation with others at the table. The second deck was different with no music blaring. We had a wonderful table with a great view of the boats and pelicans. Very nice.
The service was excellent and the food amazing. Their rack of baby back ribs is so big we could have split the order. The beach bread is another huge item that can be shared. It’s just like a great pizza. Other items at our table that were also raved on were the tuna special and the panko shrimp. We were all quite pleased with everything. The food was excellent and the attentiveness of our server could not have been better.
The only thing I did not like was their coleslaw. I definitely would not recommend it. It’s like eating uncooked big chunks of cabbage. I prefer mine chopped up like regular cole slaw. I didn’t eat it. Other than that, everything was perfect.

What a great place on the water! After reading the reviews, we HAD to have dinner here! We called ahead to confirm there wasn’t a huge wait as it was about 15 mins from our hotel.
When we arrived we were greeted by the hostess and advised that there was about a 30 minute wait so we opted for the 1^st available (inside or outside on the covered decks with tall heaters). After less than 5 minutes they called us and took us to our table outside. Almost every table has a tall heater so you were plenty warm! The weather was actually very cool that night but it didn’t bother me.
We were promptly greeted by our waitress and she brought us our drinks right away. I had viewed the menu online and knew exactly what I wanted. I ordered their Tropical Salad and let me tell you that I am more of an iceberg wedge salad type of girl but not anymore! This salad was the BEST salad I have ever had! The portion was HUGE! The plate was filled with mixed greens, mandarin orange slices, spiced pecans, dried cherries, mushrooms and I ordered grilled chicken with it. Their secret balsamic dressing was amazing. I was addicted and I plan on trying to make this at home for myself!
After I stuffed myself with the salad, my husband insisted on sharing a piece of their homemade carrot cake as that had great reviews too. We were served a huge piece to share and it was plenty for us both!
We loved our experience and food so much that we returned the next day –our last day in Ft Myers– and had lunch! I ordered the wedge salad this time and wasn’t disappointed! Lots of bacon and tomatoes which I covered in that secret balsamic dressing! We will be back the next time we are in the area!

Sehr nettes lokal, wenn man die Zufahrt findet, wenn man dann da ist trifft man auf ein gemütliches Lokal direkt am Wasser. Das Essen ist echt spitze, das wir zumindest selbst probiert haben, vor allem die yucatan shrimps sind der «Hammer» haben schon schlechter gegessen für das gleiche Geld, gehen gerne wieder hin

Leckere Fischgerichte im netten Ambiente. Der Blick auf den Hafen ist unschlagbar. Service wird wie überall in den USA groß geschrieben.

Location eher touristisch angehaucht, aber eigentlich gutes Essen. Schöné Aussicht auf den Hafen. Die Garnelen und Fisch Taco waren sehr gut. Der Tropical Salad mit Mandarinen ist sehr lecker.

Dieses Restaurant wurde uns von «locals» empfohlen. Über Telefon haben wir ein paar Stunden vorher einen Tisch reserviert mit Blick aufs Wasser.
Nach Eintreffen auf dem großen Parkplatz eröffnet sich dieses Restaurant, was aus mehreren Ebenen besteht und eher einer großen Fischerhütte ähnelt. Am Empfangstresen wurden wir super freundlich empfangen und zu unserem Platz geleitet, welcher sich wirklich direkt am Wasser befand!
Nach Erklären der Tageskarte haben wir recht schnell unsere Wahl getroffen. Wir hatten leckere und frisch panierte Fischfinger als Vorspeise und den Fischtaco als Hauptgericht. Beiden unglaublich frisch und lecker zubereitet. Getränke wurden zügig serviert. Besonders hier ist die reichhaltige Bierauswahl mit einigen lokalen Bieren und Besonderheiten aus der Craftbeer Szene. Leckere Cocktails gibt es ebenfalls. Als Dessert hatten wir einen Brownie, welcher locker 300g gewogen hat. Riesen ding! Neben dem Brownie gabs noch einen KeyLime Pie. Delikat! Rundum ein gelungener Abend mit leckerem Essen, tollem Ausblick und Florida Feeling.
Wichtig zu wissen: Es ist kein günstiges Restaurant, auch wenn die Speisen eher einfach anmuten. Die Qualität des Fisches, der Saucen und des Services sind das Geld Wert! Ist man in der Gegend und auf Fisch stehen sollte man Doc Ford unbedingt ausprobieren.
Tip: Speisekarte vorher online checken! Live Music gibt es ebenfalls an zahlreichen Tagen der Woche.

Schöner Ausblick auf die Fisherman’s Wharf und akzeptables Essen. Auswahl an Speisen entspricht dem Standard der Gegend: Steaks und Fisch.
Das Restaurant ist stylisch und hat durchaus Ambiente. Es ist ist allerdings auch ganz schön groß (für deutsche Verhältnisse) und nicht alle Plätze sind gleich gut (klar).
Die Bücher von Doc Ford können hier ebenfalls gekauft werden in Deutschland kennt man das jedenfalls nicht so, zumindest ich kannte es vorher nicht.