The Bubble Room

If you could take just one photo: The Bubble Room

The intoxication of curiosity I felt as a child just before "Willy Wonka" opened the gateway to his marvelously edible "land of imagination" is just how it feels to walk through the whimsical doors of this eccentric restaurant nestled along the winding road of Captiva Island, Florida. It’s hard to know which sense to turn on first. Is it sight which delights in the visual stimuli of antique toys and treasures from the past mounted on every inch of every wall? Or, perhaps the sound of the “choo choo” coursing its way on the overhead tracks or the smell of the famous Red Velvet Cake that takes your focus first? For me, it is the combination of all of my senses perking up simultaneously at the sights, the sounds and the deliciously aromatic smells wafting from the kitchen arousing my taste buds to take a “bath” in the wonders of the Bubble Room Restaurant.

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Named for the captives held on this Florida island when pirates ravaged the area, Captiva is home to the insanely popular Bubble Room eatery. Navigating around wacky memorabilia, electric trains and retro toys, the servers bound around in scout uniforms and goofy headgear with baskets of cheesy Bubble Bread and sticky buns. Slurp a tropical cocktail and scarf Gulf shrimp dripping in garlicky butter, or dine on super grouper, locally-caught and steamed in a paper bag.

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The Bubble Room has kitsch nailed down to a science, from the classic carnival exterior to the Boy Scout-uniform bedecked waitstaff. The walls are crammed with nostalgic memorabilia; old black-and-white photos of mustachioed Hollywood heroes, creepy Santa dolls and vintage circus-performer leaflets. Portions at this must-see independent eatery are staggering. One look at the dessert tray will send your blood sugar levels into a pre-diabetic shock, but you'd be a fool to pass up the lush red velvet cake, tropical citrus cake, or better yet, a darn good piece of key lime pie and a cup of coffee. When the chain restaurants of nearby Fort Myers have lulled you (and your tastebuds) into a snooze, head to Bubble Room.

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