The Standard

Come here often. Bring friends all the time. Food was great. Would have given 5 Stars but $ 7 a beer is just simply too much. I get making money off the drinks, and $ 4-​$ 5 would be plenty… not $ 7.

Under staffed during an event weekend, out of several menu items including pizza. Writing this review while it’s been 17 minutes for our drink order alone. Clearly, a poorly managed restaurant. Would likely not return.

Ok. We just wanted a drink. People at bar were spread out. No two seats together. You would think they would offer to move. But no.
Even though they saw us looking to sit. All tables empty. I mean all. The reason I’m giving you a one star is because the host/​waiter didn’t seem any more interested in getting us a seat than the patrons at the bar. I asked if we could sit at a table in the hall. He said the kitchen didn’t open until 4. I said no problem. We just want a few drinks. He then said well we are between shifts. I then just looked at him and nicely said I guess we will just have a drink elsewhere. He seemed fine with that. What a shame. We had been there before the the staff seemed pleasant.
Lots of people everywhere right now and places packed. I would think just drinks would be something you would be ok with. But I guess not.

As I have mentioned before, in other dining reviews, Sunday brunch is my favorite time and meal of the week. Picking up the Sunday newspaper, sipping on some good wine, and dining on something that includes both breakfast and lunch creations is my ideal way to spend a few leisurely hours each week. To date, I have found two restaurants that provide nearly ideal environments for that activity.
The Standard Restaurant, located in the River District of Fort Myers, is a top venue that combines a credible wine list and appropriately varied menu. They offer endless Mimosas for $ 15, made with sparkling wines that may change from week to week. They negotiate with one or more of their wine distributors, to find appropriate wines that are of moderate quality and/​or reputation, and have enough personality to be enjoyed on their own, yet not have their flavor and character completely masked when paired with orange juice. This is in direct contrast to ‘Prime de Leon’, located just around the corner, that uses the cheapest sparkling wine available for their Mimosas — just one of many reasons to avoid patronizing that establishment.
The Standard’s menu selections for brunch are varied and thoughtful, including several vegetarian and/​or vegan options. Carnivore choices are evident in a variety of preparations, and include their house made sausage, which should be on your «must-​try» list. One item that I’d like to see added to the menu is Eggs Benedict, a personal favorite of mine, but that omission doesn’t keep me from going back again, and again.
The owner (chef) and his fiancée, the latter a highly skilled mixologist, are cordial and knowledgeable hosts who appear to have a genuine interest in making you feel at home in their restaurant. Even though they have a diverse wine selection, with many offerings by the glass, customers are permitted to bring in their own wine without being made to feel uncomfortable or disrespected when doing so. Their brunch business seems to be very robust, so reservations and/​or patience may be required — I’ve been fortunate to find a seat at the bar during each of my visits. And, I’ll be back.

We stayed at the Indigo Hotel in Fort Myers which is conveniently attached to the Standard restaurant so we thought we’d give it a try. We were very pleased with both the food and the service. The entire staff was friendly and upbeat. They had a two person band that was very good and didn’t play so loud as to drown out conversation. The food portions were more than we could eat and very good. The manager stopped by a couple times to make sure we were well taken care of. All in all this was a great experience and when we get back to Fort Myers we’ll certainly try it again.

We heard a new place opened up downtown Ft. Myers. The Standard. We’re always game. We were greeted by a friendly, very nice bartender. Not a lot of people yet, but it’s only 4:30 on a Saturday. The place is very comfortable and refreshing. I ordered the Sangria… Very tasty, but different. I think it had passion fruit in it… My husband ordered a martini which was very good. Then came our food. We ordered the hamburger which he said was excellent! Cooked perfectly rare for him. I wanted the fish tacos but was told they were out of the snapper for the tacos. She explained I could order it with shrimp. Also came with fries. I said ok. Not a good choice for me. First off… It was all cold. French fries too. Second, The taco shell had the corn tortilla inside a toasted flour tortilla. It did have a spicy sauce on it, but for some reason, that tortilla combination made it really dry. Would not order that again. Though our experience wasn’t the best, the couple next to us had the jalapeño Mac ‘n cheese and the crab dip which they said was delicious. Another couple ordered the ahi tuna and it looked fabulous. We will give it another shot because other people liked their meals. I hope it’s better.

One word sums up this place — different !
What makes it different is that it’s truly good, friendly, well managed and serves great food !
Stopped by this morning for breakfast while staying at an adjacent hotel.
The Standard doesn’t serve the usual cold over cooked bacon strips, cold sausage, cold greasy home fries, etc. Ordered the Standard Hash and was truly happy with it. I was totally amazed and pleased that someone actually knows how to serve HOT food — a very hard thing to find even in the most upscale restaurants in Florida.
The orange juice was a little small relative to the price — but the quality of the food and service from our server DJ (Aka Doug but not Doug the Manager) made up for the small volume of OJ.
Can’t wait to go back for dinner — I like the sound of the Pittsburgh Filet, Roasted Pork Chop, the Shrimp and grits etc.etc.
Wish we had a place like this in Naples — but sadly we don’t.

Sit in the back or else it is a bit loud, but the service and food are great

Amazing! amazing! Food was incredible-​drinks amazing! Do not miss eating here!

Busy Saturday night downtown and found this restaurant by luck via Unilocal.We had 2 young children and they loved the wings and pizza. The adults enjoyed the pizza, the short ribs, the standard burger and the steak. Andrew was a great waiter! Food was delicious! Highly recommend!
We weren’t crazy about the beignets… The ice cream was yummy!

We found this place on Unilocal and decided to take my mother in law here for her birthdsy. The restaurant ambiance is unassuming. We walked in and it had more of a feel of a bar, but they had both sidewalk seating and seating in the atrium to go into the hotel. We were promptly seated. The service was consistent and friendly, which was a good sign for us. They timed drinks and food appropriately. It was not a large selection, per se, on the menu, but I appreciate that because it makes me believe they do a better job focusing on the quality of a few dishes than offering a lot.
I had the Reubens like sandwich. The pastrami and corned beef were tender and aubtle. What I liked the best was that everything tasted fresh and was not over-​salted. I also tried one of the fish tacos of my mother in law. It was moist, nicely seasoned, and, again, fresh. This was a common refrain at the table. From the burger to the fries to the salad, everything was well-​seasoned, not at all salty, and cooked perfectly.
We also had key lime pie and a crème Brule to share for dessert. Perfectly done. This is definitely a restaurant we will come back to on future visits to Ft. Myers.

Dinner downtown during a Musicwalk Friday in season isn’t usually a recipe for a 5 star rating but the Standard isn’t the usual downtown fare. The owner really cares and it carries through in every step from the food to the service. Even the missteps are treated with respect and care. The Standard has set the bar for downtown. Love it. Btw. Shrimp and Grits blew it out of the park.

My husband and I, and a large group of neighborhood friends spent a couple of hours sampling just about everything on the menu this week. One of my favorites was the tuna tartar appetizer. It was light, fresh and beautifully seasoned. I will be thinking about that one for a while. The fried chicken was perfectly breaded /​fried, and the chicken moist and juicy. We shared a pizza and several pasta dishes as well, and they did not disappoint. I loved the little pasta purses. For dessert, their unique interpretation of key lime pie is a must try. It’s light and fluffy, and has seriously great key lime flavor.

Delicious! Was driving around trying to find somewhere to eat in area and stumbled upon Tha Standard! We had BBQ & Blue chips to start followed by a pizza and short ribs. Both were great! The short ribs were in a. chili sauce which was very differwnt from what I am use to making or ordering. It was a nice flavor change for short ribs, I will be doing this next time I make them. Very Large portions. Staff was great and ambiance was nice. Recommending giving this place a try. Brought home a key lime pie for desert looking forward to trying it.

Wish I could give 4.5 stars. Being from out of town we wanted to try something new down here. Walked in and reminded me of a good eatery place; it’s almost like you can feel it within the first couple minutes after you walk into a new joint.
Short ribs, pizza and hanger steak is all killer. Above average beer/​wine selection and great cocktails too. No complaints, and the service and owner were really cool. Stopped by and talked with my table for a bit about the deserts. We declined on the deserts BUT he brought us out one anyways, what a nice gesture!
—
Went back 2 days later for bottomless mimosas’. Maybe a better experience than dinner. Brunch is dynamite and the mimosas are really bottomless…

Great new addition to Downtown Fort Myers! The BBQ chips with blue cheese were fantastic! Pork Chops had great flavor and huge portion. Key lime pie wonderful!

My group of 6 stumbled on this place by accident and it ended up being the best accident! Appetizers were the crab dip and the wings were a great start! Everyone enjoyed! Dinners included the burger, steak and fries, and a few pizzas — absolutely no complaints and was all very good! The service was great and very friendly and helpful. We were here on vacation and would love to make it back again before we leave. My in-​laws live here half the year and they are excited to share this new place with their friends! No pictures because we all dove into the food before anyone had a chance to snap a pic! Don’t miss out — make sure you try it out!

This place was eh. Fish tacos were eh. They play music super loud and you can’t even have a nice conversion in the middle of lunch. I found the service to be the most annoying part of the whole experience. Our waitress was ok. but there were maybe two other tables and we had multiple bus boys, owners, waiters just walking around, sometimes staring at us just waiting to grab our plate from underneath our faces. Couldn’t even fully finish our appetizer before they swept the plate away. I just don’t understand why they wanted to get rid of us so quickly when there was absolutely no one eating in there anyway. I can see why. Also too expensive for the food… better off going to one of the other resteraunts downtown that actually have people in it. Don’t waste your time or MONEY at this place..

We came here with a group of 12 and I think everyone came away from the meal with a very good experience. The staff was very accommodating and attentive, drinks were good for the most part with the exception of the Old Fashioned being to sweet, the food all around seemed very good. I had the Shrimp and Grits which were top notch and my girlfriend had the burger which she thoroughly enjoyed. The only other low point was that we tried the beignet dessert and it really lacked flavor though the ice cream they served with it was quite good.

Been to «The Standard» 3 times and each time its been amazing!!! What a great addition to Downtown Fort Myers! The fried chicken is to die for and those Chipolte Cheddar mashed potatoes… Oh My!!! The steak and fries are also delish (bearnaise yes please!!) As is the Fiocchi pasta! I will absolutely be back again and you should check it out too, like ASAP! Atmosphere is great, servers are great and the manager has visited the table each time showing his involvement and concern for each guest.