Cap's Place Island - Lighthouse Point

I found Cap’s Place after searching for restaurants on the Intercoastal in South Florida. After reading numerous positive reviews and looking at their website, I excitedly made a reservation for that evening. A restaurant on the water that you can only get to by boat? How cool is that, right? Finding the marina was a little tricky but parking was a snap. The ferry boat was small, holding only 20 people but it was the restaurant’s dedicated boat. It makes as many trips to and from the restaurant as necessary. Our “captain” was friendly and entertaining, telling us a few anecdotes about Cap and the restaurant. The boat ride was just a short jaunt across the water and when our boat pulled into the dock, I started to wonder where the heck this great restaurant was. Beyond the dock, all I saw was 2 ramshackle, 1- story buildings, the blue paint faded and chipping with windows that looked smeared with age. It looked like the bunking quarters you would find at a summer camp. The lawn surrounding these buildings was in the same sorry state as the buildings, with bare and worn spots. Surely this couldn’t be an actual place where people came to eat?? Continuing up the walkway, I saw that those buildings were indeed the restaurant. There were a few wrought iron tables and chairs outside, haphazardly scattered near the entrance. I guess this is the romantic outdoor seating where I can enjoy the breezes of the intercoastal waterway (according the website). The interior of the restaurant is no better. The tables and chairs are, to be quite blunt, pretty filthy and dusty. The only lighting in the restaurant is a row of exposed light bulbs installed in a center beam of the low ceiling. And the light bulbs couldn’t have been any stronger than 20 watts. With the wood-paneled walls and threadbare rugs covering the floor, I felt like I was eating in a club basement. The ambience could still have been redeemed if the food was great, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t terrible, but it was just fair. The sautéed veggies that night were really nicely prepared. My fish was prepared how I ordered it but bland. The salad that came with dinner was a big mound of lettuce on my plate, still wet from washing (they should have washed it a little better, I had some gritty pieces). My boyfriend’s fish special was better but still just fair. His oysters could have been colder. We opted out of dessert/coffee in favor of hightailing our behinds out of there. On the way out, I made a pit-stop at the ladies room. Of the two toilets in the bathroom, one was out of order. The other was a mess, with toilet paper hanging out of the basin. The counter surrounding the 1 sink was puddled with water, the soap dispenser was hanging onto the wall for dear life. If this is what the restroom looks like, I can’t help but wonder what is going on in the kitchen. I didn’t dwell on this too long. If I did, my dinner would have come back up. I don’t know if Cap’s Place was once a better restaurant in its day and indeed the “must see” that I read about. I’d like to think that all the great reviews were accurate once upon a time. I do know, however, that today, Cap’s Place is a must-skip.

The crab cakes are awesome! I would reccommend this restaurant to anyone. Everything on the menu is delicious. The restaurant is great! You should try it!!!!

In the mid 60 's I would walk to Cap 's Place. Yes... walk! It 's not really an island. It 's on the end of a peninsula alongside the Intercoastal. My buddies and I would fish off the dock and talk to the kitchen help before the restaurant opened for business. I can remember getting treats from the kitchen. My favorite was the broiled fish. Yummy!

You can only get to it by boat!!! It's a really charming rustic place, wonderful for entertaining guests. They are the only place in South Florida with a license to serve fresh harvested hearts of palm. Well worth a visit and highly recommended!

This is one of those old Florida restaurants you must visit at least once. You first must board a boat to get to the island. It is a private island and you cannot drive to it. Until the State of Florida stepped in, the owner would go down to the beach and collect turtle eggs and prepare them for the customers. You must try their hearts of palm salad. They have an arrangement with the local Seminole Indians to purchase fresh hearts of palm. This is the only place I know where you can get fresh hearts of palm. The restaurant is old and so are the buildings but, that is what makes this place special. The overall ambiance is better at night. This place is loaded with history. Past presidents and gangsters used to frequent this place because of its seclusion.