Sanibel Island Restaurant where the locals eat - Island Cow

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Petar at the Sanibel Island Restaurant

Sanibel Island Restaurant - Island Cow


Our first visit to Sanibel Island Restaurant Island Cow showed us how different the lifestyle on Sanibel Island is from that in Fort Lauderdale and Miami. While in Miami it was a lightness of life that characterized life, in Fort Lauderdale it was the elegance and luxury of the super-rich. With their yachts, villas and shopping malls. You won't find these on the island. Sanibel Island is completely different. There are no high-rise buildings and no hotel palaces here. And certainly no magnificent villas or superyachts. Everything here is a step smaller, but also more homely.

 

 

An island where we feel comfortable

Our hotel is more reminiscent of a motel than an inn with its twin room, the living room table just big enough for a family and the kitchen. From our balcony we look out over a pool area, behind which the view of the Gulf of Mexico and the beach of Sanibel opens up. Cozy, comfortable and manageable. These are the terms used to describe how we feel about Sanibel Island.

 

Strawberry Banana Smoothie
With this strawberry banana smoothie at the Sanibel Island Restaurant Island Cow

 

Dinner at the Sanibel Island Restaurant Island Cow

Our first experience with locals was at the Sanibel Island restaurant Island Cow on Periwinkle Way. This is the main road that runs through Sanibel Island. You can't miss the restaurant.

The thick strawberry-banana smoothie makes us hungry for food. The decision is difficult, however, as the menu at Island Cow is so huge that it takes half an hour just to see all the dishes that are available. The choice overwhelms us. There are salads from Cesar's salad to tropical fruit salad. There are all kinds of pasta, tacos with fillings, grilled, fried and boiled dishes. We find spare ribs, steaks, several types of fish, burgers, sandwiches, wraps, soups, and much that we have never heard of before. Finally, out of desperation, we decide on grilled grouper (a local type of fish) and gumbo, a southern specialty made of crustaceans, seafood, chicken and sausage on rice.

 

The desserts at the Sanibel Island Restaurant
The desserts at the Sanibel Island Restaurant Island Cow

 

Desserts at the Island Cow Restaurant

While we wait for our food, we study the dessert menu. After all, we skipped lunch on the trip from Fort Lauderdale to Sanibel Island and are now hungry. There is also a large selection of desserts. A pie made from pecans, key lime pie, a “crazy” chocolate cake, peanut butter or even an explosion cake are available. Each of these names makes you curious about what is behind them. However, you certainly won't lose weight with these desserts. We are already thinking about how we want to finish our meal at the Island Cow. But we don't yet know what to expect.

 

Grilled Grouper with French Fries at the Sanibel Island Restaurant
Grilled grouper and french fries at Sanibel Island Restaurant Island Cow

 

Grouper from the grill

Petar's fish from the grill turns out to be a piece of fish on a toast roll with vegetables and French fries - a portion that we eat at home for several days.

 

Gumbo at the Sanibel Island Restaurant Island Cow
The Sanibel Island Restaurant serves gumbo

 

Gumbo, a southern specialty

The gumbo is a kind of fish, chicken and sausage stew on a bed of rice in a bowl of one size that we only use at home when friends come to visit. The food smelled fantastic and tasted the way you imagine mother's kitchen in the southern United States. Just delicious! However, after this meal, which we only ate part of the meal, there was nothing left with our dessert. There was no longer enough hunger for that.

 

Do you like to travel by motorhome?

  • Do you want to rent a motorhome? Then you will find information and a selection in these  booking options.
  • Check our packing list for campers to see whether you have packed everything for your motorhome tour.
  • On Sanibel Island you can use the Periwinkle Trailer Park Where to stay: 1119 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, FL 33957, United States. This is the only campsite on Sanibel Island.

 

 

The Island Cow Restaurant

The Island Cow Restaurant is very popular among Sanibel Island locals. As soon as a table was empty, the next guests were brought to the table. The guests were a diverse bunch. There were families with children, couples who came here after a bike ride, an older lady who had the menu explained to her in detail by the waiter and some of the city's dignitaries. It was loud in the restaurant, but somehow that's part of it. It is definitely a popular and good place to enjoy a meal with friends and family.

Don't forget that Tip. This is not included in the price in the USA.

 

That must be for a trip to Sanibel Island in the This must be in your suitcase

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Sanibel Island restaurant
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Source: On-site research supported by the Lee County Convention and Visitors Bureau. However, our opinions remain our own.

Text: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline

Sanibel Island Restaurant where the locals eat - Island Cow

Monika Fuchs

Monika Fuchs and Petar Fuchs are the authors and publishers of the Slow Travel and Enjoyment travel blog TravelWorldOnline Traveller. You have been publishing this blog since 2005. TravelWorldOnline has been online since 2001. Your topics are Trips to Savor and wine tourism worldwide and Slow Travel. During her studies, Monika Fuchs spent some time in North America, where she traveled to the USA and Canada - sometimes together with Petar Fuchs - and spent a research year in British Columbia. This strengthened her thirst for knowledge, which she pursued for 6 years Adventure Guide for Rotel Tours and then for 11 years as Study tour guide for Studiosus Reisen tried to breastfeed all over the world. She constantly expanded her travel regions, but curiosity still gnawed at her: “What is beyond the horizon? What else is there to discover in this city? Which people are interesting here? What do you eat in this region?” These are the questions she is now trying to answer as a freelance travel journalist (her articles have appeared in DIE ZEIT, 360° Canada, 360° USA, etc.), among others. travel writer and travel blogger answers in many countries around the world. Petar Fuchs produces the videos on this blog as well as on YouTube. Monika Fuchs from TravelWorldOnline is below Germany's top 50 bloggers in 2021 Other Information about Monika and Petar Fuchs. Recommendations on LinkedIn from tourism experts Further recommendations from cooperation partners and tourism experts Professional experience Monika on LinkedIn