It’s no secret that restaurants on Sanibel Island (and Captiva) are expensive. While I recommend visiting one of the top restaurants during your trip (check out our list of the highest rated restaurants here Frequent Islander’s Best Sanibel Restaurants), you don’t need to take out a second mortgage to eat great food on your vacation. Sanibel Island Happy Hour deals are a great way to eat great food for a reasonable price. Here’s our top picks!
*Updated Jan 25, 2020 added The Jac to the list
THE JAC
The Jac is back! Long time Sanibel institution, The Jacaranda has reopened as The Jac. The Jacaranda was known for it’s legendary happy hour deals and The Jac brings them back with a vengeance. We are adding this right to the top of the list, the deals are that good. It should be noted that the happy hour deals apply to the bar seating area only so make sure to find a spot there to get the deals.
Daily 12-6PM (Bar seating area only)
$3 Draft Beer
$4 Well Drinks
$5 House Wine
$6 Appetizers including Conch Fritters, Spicy Shrimp, Bacon Cheese Fries, Smoked Fish Dip, Fried Pickles, Sunken Mussels and more.
Our happy hour grade for The Jac: A+ Welcome back The Jac!
THE SANDBAR
Update 11/6/19: Prices have went up just a bit, still fantastic deals though. Important to note that all night happy hour on Friday is no longer offered, just 4 to 6. Beer, wine and mixed drinks are all $4 now, so only draft beer had an increase, still a great deal. Appetizers and sandwich specials (new) are still the best deal on the island. The new addition of Peel and Eat Shrimp for $5 is an absolute bargain.
$3 $4 Draft Beer, $4 Wine, $4 Well Drinks
$5-8 Appetizers including Raw and Rockafeller Oysters, Mussels, Boom Boom Shrimp, Flatbreads, Nachos and Salads
Updates:
Oysters and Bang Bang Shrimp now $6
Added Peel and Eat Shrimp for $5
Added cheeseburgers, grilled and buffalo chicken sandwiches for $6-8
Daily 4:00-5 PM
The Sandbar sits right off the beach on West Gulf Drive, and is probably the most popular Happy Hour on Sanibel. They offer Happy Hour specials every day from 4 to 6. Friday the Happy Hour specials run the entire night. It can be tough to get a seat on Friday night, you have a better chance if you get there early. The food on the Happy Hour menu changes frequently, but you can count on several seafood appetizers to be available. The Boom Boom Shrimp is delicious.
The drinks here are top notch too. The house wines are from brands you would pay a premium for at most restaurants, and the “well” rum here is Myers, which would be an upcharge most places as well. Our Happy Hour grade for The Sandbar: A+
IL CIELO
House Wines $4, Beers $2, Mixed Drinks $3.75, Martini’s $5.75
Small Plates $8-10, Soups $5, Salads $8
Daily 4:30-6 PM
Il Cielo is one of the top rated restaurants in Sanibel Island, and one of my personal favorites. It is also one of the most expensive, so their Happy Hour menu is a fantastic bargain. This restaurant is absolutely gorgeous on the inside, and you wouldn’t necessarily know that just driving by. It took me several trips to Sanibel before I even gave Il Cielo a try, and that is a shame. It is an absolute gem that shouldn’t be missed.
The appetizers on the Happy Hour menu here include their amazing Calamari Fritti and their Mussels Il Cielo. You can’t go wrong with either of these choices. The fish taco’s are fantastic as well. The drink specials are almost too good to be true at a restaurant this high end. $2 beer and $3.75 mixed drinks? It doesn’t get much better than this. You can read their Happy Hour menu here: https://ilcielosanibel.com/menu/happy-hour-menu/. Il Cielo is a can’t missed stop on your Sanibel Island Happy Hour tour. Our grade: A
Coconuts Beach Bar and Grill
Update 10/17/19: Coconuts now offers $2 off draft beer, daiquiris, well drinks, and wine from 3-5 daily. Unfortunately they have also raised prices considerably, here’s a link to their new menu with updated pricing. http://www.casaybelresort.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/SummerCoconuts2019.pdf.
Beer $3, Mixed Drinks and Wine $4.50, Daiquiri’s $5.75
Daily 3-5 PM
Located at the Casa Ybel resort and hotel, Coconuts is an awesome beach/pool bar with a view to die for. While the Happy Hour here isn’t quite as cheap as some of the others on this list, it makes up for it with the view. Many people are not aware that Coconuts is open to the public, regardless of if you are staying at Casa Ybel. It doesn’t get much better than grabbing a Happy Hour drink at Coconuts and walking 50 feet to the beach to lounge.
The food menu here is pretty limited, but the flatbreads are excellent and the seared Ahi Tuna tacos are delicious. The real winner here is the drinks. They offer beer, wine, and mixed drinks, but the star here is the Daiquiri’s. They can make just about any flavor under the sun, and the bartenders love to make you a custom drink based on what you tell them you like. At $5.75 for a Daquiri during happy hour, you get a lot for your money. You will find that the bartender’s mixing skills will mask just how strong these are. Beers at $3 are a great deal as well. The view from Coconuts is priceless though. Grade: B+ Updated 10/18/19 Grade: B-
Just FYI, the Sandbar happy hour is just 4:00-5:00 not 4-6. We arrived at 5:05 and were informed that happy hour is one hour🙁
Thanks for the heads up Melanie, they seem to have taken the term happy hour literally, now further changing it to a single “hour”. As the Sandbar has grown in popularity and word of their happy hour deals has gotten out, they keep shortening the hours. I’d suspect it won’t be long and it will be only offered M-Th.