Sweet Melissa’s Restaurant: The Fort Myers Must- Try Dining Experience.

If you’re searching for a memorable date night restaurant in Fort Myers, Florida, there is a chef driven dining experience you need to know about: Sweet Melissa’s Restaurant. Located at 16230 Summerlin Road in Fort Myers, Sweet Melissa’s is the next chapter of a beloved culinary story that began on Sanibel Island, survived Hurricane Ian, and returned to the kitchen with even more heart.

And after experiencing the restaurant for ourselves, we quickly understood why locals have such a strong connection to Chef Melissa Donahue and her food.

From Sanibel Island Favorite to Fort Myers Dining Destination

For years, Sweet Melissa’s Café was a beloved fixture on Sanibel Island, where Executive Chef Melissa Donahue built a loyal following with seasonal, chef-driven dishes and a menu inspired by her culinary background and the flavors of Southwest Florida.

Sweet Melissa’s spent 14 years on Sanibel, becoming a gathering place for both locals and visitors. Then Hurricane Ian changed everything. When Hurricane Ian devastated Southwest Florida in September 2022, Sweet Melissa’s Café was among the businesses severely impacted by the storm.

That next chapter officially arrived on March 2025, when Sweet Melissa’s Restaurant opened its new location on Summerlin Road in Fort Myers.

Welcome to Sweet Melissa’s Restaurant in Fort Myers

Today, Sweet Melissa’s Restaurant brings Chef Donahue’s culinary vision to the mainland. The restaurant describes its approach as chef driven cuisine with a focus on seasonal ingredients, while its culinary team combines Southwest Florida’s coastal bounty with influences from the South and New Orleans. Executive Sous Chef Thomas Juneau works alongside Donahue, while Sommelier and Mixologist Kevin O’Malley oversees the beverage experience.

The result is a restaurant that feels sophisticated without feeling overly formal.

It works for a weekday lunch, drinks with friends, a special occasion, or as we discovered a really good date night in Fort Myers.

What We Ordered at Sweet Melissa’s

We visited Sweet Melissa’s for date night, and from the first bite, it was obvious that Chef Melissa wasn’t playing around. We started with the crab pasta appetizer, and this was easily one of the standouts of the meal.

The pasta was warm, buttery, and packed with crab. And when we say they were not stingy with the crab, they were NOT stingy with the crab!

Every bite was rich, flavorful, and practically melted in your mouth.

Our only complaint? There wasn’t enough!

Honestly, this dish deserves to be an entrée. We could have easily eaten an entire plate of it because it was that good.

For my entrée, I ordered the duck, which came with confet fried rice and a puree. The duck was incredibly seasoned, tender, and flavorful, while the rice complemented it perfectly.

My boyfriend ordered the roasted red fish with the andouille ravioli and his dish was just as delicious.

What stood out most was that none of the dishes needed rescuing.

You know how sometimes you get a beautiful plate at a restaurant and immediately start reaching for the salt, pepper, hot sauce, or some type of sauce? We didn’t need any of that.

The food was already seasoned and flavorful exactly as it came out of the kitchen. And that’s when you know the chef knows what she’s doing.

A Chef Who Knows How to Build Flavor

Chef Melissa Donahue’s culinary background helps explain why the food at Sweet Melissa’s feels so layered.

Her cooking has been influenced by Southern and French traditions as well as her time working in New Orleans, and her résumé includes some serious culinary credentials. She has also appeared on the Food Network, including a 2024 appearance on Beat Bobby Flay.

That experience comes through in the food.

Sweet Melissa’s isn’t simply about putting beautiful food on a plate. The dishes are designed around flavor, texture, seasonal ingredients, and thoughtful combinations.

And if you’re a seafood lover visiting Fort Myers, this is a restaurant worth putting on your radar.

Don’t Forget the Famous Fish Stew

Longtime Sweet Melissa’s fans will also recognize one of the restaurant’s most beloved dishes: its iconic Fish Stew.

The dish has become part of the restaurant’s culinary identity, bringing together Gulf fish, scallops, shrimp, clams, mussels, and smoky chorizo in a tomato saffron broth with lemony saffron cream and fennel.

For longtime Sanibel visitors, having this signature dish continue at the Fort Myers location is a delicious piece of the restaurant’s history.

And for first-time visitors?

It’s an introduction to what made Sweet Melissa’s so special in the first place.

A New Home, Same Culinary Heart

And based on the food we experienced, Chef Melissa is making sure the legacy didn’t just survive. It’s thriving.

Is Sweet Melissa’s Worth Visiting?

If you’re looking for the best restaurants in Fort Myers for a date night, a special dinner, or simply somewhere to experience chef driven Florida cuisine, Sweet Melissa’s deserves a spot on your list.

It’s especially worth visiting if you appreciate:

• Locally owned restaurants
• Chef-driven menus
• Florida seafood
• Southern and New Orleans-inspired flavors
• Seasonal ingredients
• Date-night dining
• Restaurants with a story behind them

For us, the combination of the food and the restaurant’s history made the experience even more memorable.

Because you’re not just sitting down for dinner at Sweet Melissa’s.

You’re experiencing the comeback of a Southwest Florida culinary institution.

Plan Your Visit

Sweet Melissa’s Restaurant
 16230 Summerlin Road, Fort Myers, Florida

Reservations are highly recommended through the restaurant.

Whether you’re a longtime Sanibel visitor who remembers the original Sweet Melissa’s or you’re discovering Chef Melissa Donahue for the first time, this Fort Myers restaurant is a reminder that some culinary legacies are simply too good to stay down.

And after that crab pasta? We completely understand why people keep coming back.