The Timbers Restaurant and Fish Market Reviews

Always one of the meals planned before leaving Sanibel! Mangrove snapper was excellent!

Timbers is always consistent in serving wonderful seafood and steaks. Their prices are very fair as well. Great seafood market too.

Really not sure why this place has such good reviews. Was ok but certainly nothing to get excited about.

The best crab legs on the planet. We were on Sanibel for 6 days and ate there 3 times. It's a tradition every trip.

I ordered the filet mignon, my wife ordered the crab cakes. The food was amazing as always. Service was very slow from the beginning to the end. There were only 18 customers in the restaurant

Best restaurant on the island for seafood, value priced booze, and dependability of service.

Timbers has been here for decades and Matt has always kept the restaurant focused on the food. The fish always tastes so fresh and the dishes are simple so the focus stays on the main ingredients. Amazing food and a place everyone should eat. If you plan to come your own seafood while on the island, Timbers sells their amazing fresh fish at a counter just inside the door.

If it s your first time please please get the breaded/crunchy grouper! It is outstanding!

We had a good time while we were at the restaurant, and our waitress was top notch. I just wish that they had a "less fishy" selection for those of us who like REALLY MILD tasting fish. Even the "less fishy" choice that our waitress suggested for me was too strong. However, other two in our group were very happy with their choices. So, for those of you who like mild (like me) I will be choosing either steak, or something from the vegetarian menu the next time.

Great experience from start to finish. I was pleasantly surprised at the vast selection of fresh fish. If you are visiting Sanibel be sure to plan a dinner here.

Possibly one of the best seafood restaurants around!

The food was very disappointing after reading the reviews on here. The service was decent but didn't make up for the terrible food. Maybe they had a bad day... I don't know.

Excellent bread. Generous portion of tasty crunchy grouper. Very helpful and friendly server! Cool place.

Great food and service. Prices weren't bad as well.

Monstrous King crab legs. Tender swordfish. Excellent staff. Classic coastal atmosphere. And all on Christmas. Made for a wonderful evening

Had the Filet and the baked stuffed shrimp, it was all excellent.
Service was reasonably quick! Really enjoyed the clam chowder app!
I would definitely recommend.

Pleasantly surprised (after talking to our waitress) that my crab cakes were truly what I wanted and expected. Coming from the East Coast and growing up with hand picked jumbo lump crab cakes (with no filler) from NC, VA and MD, these crab cakes were the closest that I have found in FL to what I ve grown up on all of my life. Our service was great, our entire meal was plentiful and really good. Being pet friendly is a big plus for us!

Fantastic waitress who went above and beyond to make sure our family was not too cold and adjusted the ac....exemplary service and great atmosphere.

A favorite stop for the freshest seafood, dine it or take home and prepare. Delicious!

Got the baked scallop entree for dinner. Freshest and sweetest scallops I ever had in my life. I was shocked by how great they were. Simply amazing.

Lovely restaurant. Great choice in fish dishes. We were seated promptly. Waiter was attentive. Prices were reasonable. Food arrived on time and tasted delicious. Would highly recommend this place. Their bar next door also has great choice in TV sports channels. We watched European Champions League quarter finals match on another afternoon. On both occasions we were made to feel very welcome.

Food was fresh and delicious! Our server was on top of everything, bringing fresh drinks etc quickly. Boiled shrimp were tender and sweet. Fried oysters were cooked perfectly with a light breading (not greasy). The crunchy shrimp were good, but the breading overpowers the shrimp flavor and they tasted more like fried chicken tenders. The chowder soup was rich and extremely delicious. The seared sushi dish had big pieces of fresh yellowtail (loved it). Desserts were perfect. Bread pudding was light and fluffy, very chocolatey. Crem Brulee was light and creamy with a delicate cruncy sugar shell on top.

Great food
Try the popeyes pizza!

Service was excellent!! We had steaks and they were great. Wasn't over priced.

Awesome Island Restaurant! Wonderful service, great food and great prices! We live locally and will return!

Excellent food! The environment and interior designing has a great island/beach vibe. I recommend any of the fresh fish options

The crunchy grouper is over the top! Portions are big..fish is so fresh we believed they were swimming 30 mins ago. Staff are friendly..and restaurant is pleasant and don't forget the fish market...for something later to eat!

The timbers is our favorite fish market on Sanibel. They always have the freshest fish and always a friendly staff.

The grouper cheek is definitely the best value fish choice!! Very fresh, very tender and 40% less expensive than the grouper filet (and in my opinion tastes better than the filet). Whole fish is also very fresh and reasonably price.

The best part is the wonderful people who work the place. Food is great for sure. But those charged with delivering the quality menu are to be commended. Sarah! A very good meal made into a great evening.

We came to eat here on our vacation to Sanibel Island. We put our name on the list to be seated and was told there would be a 30 minute wait. As we were waiting we noticed 6 people that put their name in after us were being seated before us. 45 minutes later, after patiently waiting, we asked the hostess staff how much longer it would be and noticed they had skipped our name on their list. If this had been the only negative occurrence I could have let that go. Once we were seated we waited 20 minutes before our server took our drink orders. It was another 20 minutes to get our soups and salads (my salad was warm and made with old lettuce). The shrimp bisque was good, but that's about it. Our waitress never came by to check on us so we tried to grab another server that was running past our table and tried to ignore us. Our waitress was very rude and seemed to be rushing us through our meal so she could finish her 'prep work' and be done with her shift. We were going to stay for dessert, but when we asked her for the menu she huffed so loud that we could blatantly hear her. After that, we decided we were done giving them any more of our money and got our check and left. She didn't ask us how we wanted the check splitted and got an attitude when we asked her to fix it. As we were leaving we noticed all of the other tables had bread. We weren't even offered bread probably because she was in a rush to go home. If you value customer service and don't like wasting your money. Avoid this place.

Always great food, wonderful service and tasty dessert. Island favorite

The seafood was the best I had on Sanibel. The oysters were the best. Very quick service and very nice people. If you're looking for seafood - this is the place.

Great food, a little pricey, but what do you expect at a fresh fish market/restaurant.

An enjoyable seafood experience. Timbers always has an interesting daily fish list. The chowder is a good starter and the island style atmosphere makes it clear why this restaurant is a Sanibel tradition. Sometimes the wait is long in season, but once seated the service is good and the food well prepared.

Food was fantastic! Out server was very attentive and friendly

Good fresh sea food a must when you are the island!

Unbelievable
Outstanding seafood

Date night at Timbers was very enjoyable. Service was friendly and attentive. The sports bar on the other side of the building is also a nice hidden retreat. Watched many islanders visit Timbers' marketplace to get fresh seafood to take home and prepare.

Excellent seafood...from someone who likes seafood.

Waitress was friendly
..ordered the King Crab....crab was dry, mashed potato was gross, and veggies did not appear to be fresh. . ..should have asked the market price, as the price of 49.00 for this meal, was BS... again waitstaff was friendly.. but would never evee recommend anyone to order the Kibg Crab..food all in all was poor..., I grined and paid the bill, without comment, as my significant other hates any kind of drama.. If I was by myself or with friends I would have screamed murder, as I felt totally ripped off... I expected beter.

Delicious crab bisque, extremely fresh fish,pleasant atmosphere knowledgeable wait staff. We will make this happen again on our next trip to Sanibel

Excellent experience at Timbers during these intriguing times we are currently experiencing. I feel like the entire staff was extremely safe and the restaurant was expertly cleaned during our visit. Not once did I see an employee touch their face or fiddle with or remove a mask, not once. The staff thoroughly cleaned between guests & practiced all the proper social distancing guidelines, we were very impressed.
As for our meal, we'll Timbers just doesn't disappoint there either. We had appetizers or calamari, steamed oysters, & escargot (snails r dads). For a main dish I had an excellent red snapper blackened with a Chilean sauce w vegetables & rice pilaf with a side salad. My meal was delicious, cooked perfect and tasted so great. My 8 year old daughter had a beautiful bowl of steamed clams that she devoured happily, my wife enjoyed her Sea Bass broiled I believe. My parents both had fish, unfortunately I cannot recall which but neither of them left any on the plate. My father did remark that the New England clam chowder was very good. Timbers did not disappoint this family in any way and we felt very safe during these uncertain days of Covid. Very clean, and very delicious.

One of the best places to watch March Madness if your visiting during spring break. Has really good food as well!

This place has a wonderful nautical theme inside that compliments the items on the menu. The blackened and blue swordfish was delicious and so fresh. The peel and eat shrimp was a generous portion for the price and was perfect size entree for our 8 year old son. The BBQ shrimp was costed in a sweet BBQ sauce which we loved. The surf n turf was the perfect combo of steak and lobster to meet both cravings. Lastly, the creamy clam chowder soup was the best we had on Sanibel Island.

Amazing fresh and local fish options. Quaint atmosphere. Great cocktails.

Probably the worst meals we have ever eaten. Over $80 for the two of us. Waitress was rude. Went here on a recommendation. Never again.

It had been a while since I had gone to Timbers - no real reason other than there were other good choices on the island that we preferred. This trip I almost drove on by, but thought - why not renew an old acquantance .

Same place, just as clean, nice lift for those in non-stair climbing mode, warm interior after you pass the spotless fish market counter and check the fish for that night.

Service was impeccable but not overbearing, friendly, had good suggestions.

Kitchen - is FAST! We barely had sampled our cocktails when the appetizer arrived, Calamari, properly prepared with a nice thick marinara sauce. The chowder and crab bisque. I'll match their chowder with the best of New England and eastern Canada, and the Timbers would win. The crab bisque was just perfect.

Salads were crisp and cold and the bleu cheese dressing has to be a house secret. I had Red Snapper, and my wife had fried oysters ( she is the Gulf Coast expert on those) and said they were wonderful. My snapper was done to a "T", not overcooked, moist, and with just the right amount of seasoning.

The only drawback is that the dining room can be noisy if there are large groups there.

On short, you could do better but not by much, and this establishment has the mark of success with proper friendly service, excellent food, and a very affordable wine list.

We went specifically because they have local seafood options and we were not disappointed. They offered about 8 types of local fish (fresh catch of the day menu) and we tried 2, both were delicious! Service was excellent. The loaf of oatmeal - molasses bread was fantastic. We split plates and had plenty of food but were planning on going to a local ice cream shop after. I didn't have the peanut butter pie but it was amazing. The local offerings were more expensive than other entrees but we absolutely loved them, well worth at least one meal here while you are on the island.

Best seafood restaurant..., Yo... (that's her name)... best serve ever. Best crab bisque I've ever had. Friendly, afordable, fun, MUST GO

I love the Manhattan Clam Chowder. I had three cups in one night. The food is a great value. My husband and family love the shrimp trio.

Great sea food and excellent service. Have never had a bad meal here. Always consistently good and very fresh.

Food and service (Ginny) was great. Chilean Sea Bass was just as described. Large flakes and it flaked apart perfectly. The Thai chili sauce was not what I envisioned, but that was on my part. The sauce gave it a mildly sweet flavor with just a little kick which I did ultimately enjoy. I chose the clam chowder over the salad and enjoyed it down to the last spoonful. A Sanibel favorite of my wife and I. We will definitely return, if not this trip, next year for certain.

The service was outstanding. Wait staff really pays attention to detail. Host was a bump on a log. Unengaging and flat. Food was good
Grouper fresh and crunchy. Genetous portions.

Great local seafood and great raw bar. Johnny was a great server.

Perfectly cooked, terribly seasoned piece of grouper. Find somewhere else to spend your hard earned money. The front desk is rude and confused. Larry the waiter provided poor service. He did not guide us thru the menu or offer suggestions. We had to request refills on our beverages constantly.
I don t believe it s Larry s fault. I think the management is to blame to let a potentially great restaurant be so inept.

Slow, Not a place to take kids if they can't eat bread for 20 min just to wait for drinks to be served. BTW bad cocktail sauce(has green peppers).

The Timbers is always great. They have so many choices, but it's hard to pass the Crunchy Shrimp and Grouper that they are famous for. I always leave full and satisfied.

Timbers was our favorite restaurant by far. A little more pricey but really tasty food. Good service.

Food was a bit plain, but nice decor and excellent service

Great seafood, nice atmosphere. Our waiter was spectacular.

Very delicious food. The Manhattan chowder is delicious and the parmesan clams are excellent. I had the swordfish. Not the best I've had, but it was very good. They also have lots of gluten free options.

Great fresh fish dinner. Wonderful atmosphere and friendly service. Would definitely come back again the next time I'm on Sanibel Island.

Food was excellent and pleasant atmosphere. Would recommend.

The food was amazing. My nephew could not quit talking about how delicious his steak was.

This is our go to place for Christmas day dinner. We love the soups, the oysters, the crunchy grouper and shrimp were so tasty. I always try something new when I go and this crunchy grouper was so delicious. Our waiter Michael was so attentive funny and full of information when it came it items on the menu. Love this place!

Great fish, quick service, helpful staff. Very busy, so book in advance!

Fresh fish, average service. Pretty good, not outstanding.

Service was awesome , food awesome ! In my opinion , the best place to eat in all of Sanibel and Captiva and I have eaten at most places ! Can t be beaten , the food was delicious !!

We had the seafood plate. which was good but it was heavly breaded. I didn't like that

Food was okay. Our waitress was not good. We ordered two seafood platters.