Sanibel Island Roars Back: 3 New Eateries Open

Sanibel Island is celebrating a significant boost to its dining landscape with the recent opening of three distinct eateries. Island Panda, a new venture by Eve Alves, offers a takeout-focused experience featuring sushi, poke, and hibachi. Located in the former Paper Fig Kitchen space, this restaurant emphasizes fresh, made-to-order dishes and convenient online ordering. Its opening on April 27, with a ribbon-cutting on June 4, marks a welcome return to restaurant ownership for Alves.

Ibis Grill has also made a comeback, reopening as a full-service restaurant within the Sanibel Island Golf Club. This renovation, completed by XUDE Hospitality, transformed the space into a bright and welcoming environment. The menu highlights include authentic New York-style pizza, scratch-made burgers, and well-regarded salads. The restaurant officially opened its doors on March 11.

Adding to the island's new culinary offerings is Scooters Pizza, a takeout pizza joint that opened on March 11. This establishment has quickly garnered attention, winning an award for its Detroit-style pepperoni pizza at the 2026 Taste of the Islands event. Scooters Pizza prides itself on making its dough and pizzas from scratch daily, offering various styles including hand-tossed, thin-crust, gluten-free, and New York-style. All three establishments are contributing to a vibrant recovery and expansion of Sanibel Island's food scene.