Restaurant Review: Annie’s Bistro 200 Broad Ave S. Naples, FL 34102
Can a hotel restaurant be worth the trip on its own?
Annie’s Bistro, located inside the brand-new Olde Naples Hotel, is a wonderful addition to the 3rd Avenue South dining scene. Nicola and I stayed at the hotel for our anniversary, which gave us a pretty unique opportunity to really put Annie’s to the test. In less than 24 hours, we ate there three times—lunch, our anniversary dinner and breakfast the next morning. I think that officially qualifies us to write a review!
The restaurant is located just off the beautiful hotel lobby and has the same upscale, classic Olde Naples feel as the rest of the property. Annie’s includes a bistro, bar and bakery, so it is designed to be more than simply a hotel restaurant. Whether you are staying at the hotel or just walking over from 3rd Avenue, it feels like a destination on its own.
Our first meal was lunch by the rooftop pool. I had the fish sandwich, while Nicola ordered the lobster Cobb salad. Both were excellent. The fish sandwich was exactly what I wanted sitting by a pool in Naples—fresh, flavorful and not overly complicated. Nicola’s lobster Cobb was definitely a step up from your typical poolside salad. Plenty of lobster and a great combination of flavors made it feel much more like something you would expect from an upscale restaurant than a hotel pool menu.
That evening, we went back to Annie’s for our anniversary dinner. We shared the grouper and the lamb chops, and both were very good. This is where Annie’s definitely shows its more sophisticated side. The food is beautifully presented, the menu is creative and there is certainly a little “fancy” built into the experience. Some of the dishes may sound a bit more elaborate on the menu than what we normally order, but once the food arrives, it works. The grouper was fresh and delicate, while the lamb chops were rich, flavorful and perfectly suited for a special dinner. It feels upscale without becoming so serious that you forget you are supposed to be enjoying yourself.
Then came breakfast the next morning. At this point, why go anywhere else? I ordered the lemon ricotta pancakes, and Nicola had the lump crab Benedict. The pancakes were a great combination of rich and light, with just enough lemon flavor to make them different from your typical breakfast pancakes. Nicola’s crab Benedict was exactly the kind of breakfast you would expect in Naples—decadent, loaded with crab and definitely not your everyday eggs Benedict. It was a pretty great way to finish our anniversary staycation.
What impressed us most was the consistency. Lunch by the pool, a special anniversary dinner and breakfast the next morning are three very different meals, and Annie’s delivered on all three. The food is definitely on the upscale side, and there is a little bit of culinary flair throughout the menu, but at the end of the day the most important thing is pretty simple: the food tastes really good.
Annie’s also does a Sunday brunch and offers special menus around the holidays, so there are plenty of reasons to go back. And because of its location, you don’t need to be staying at the hotel to enjoy it. It fits perfectly into an afternoon or evening spent walking around 3rd Avenue South.
We ate at a long list of great restaurants during Sizzle Dining this September, so choosing a restaurant to feature this month wasn’t easy. But after eating three different meals at Annie’s during our anniversary stay, it earned the spot.
After eating three meals at Annie’s Bistro in less than 24 hours, our answer is definitely yes, the restaurant is worth the trip.
