Restaurants Now Open On Fort Myers Beach Following Hurricane Ian

It's been nearly four months since Hurricane Ian rolled through Southwest Florida, devastating Fort Myers Beach.

Though the recovery process is far from complete, some restaurants have opened their doors and eagerly await a packed house.

It gives us a sense of normalcy to be able to dine at some of our Fort Myers Beach favorites. While many restaurants were demolished and won't return, there are some with plans to rebuild and some, as mentioned, open for business. Keep in mind, some restaurants are open but operating with limited menus and resources. Some are even located at a different location.

One in particular is La Ola Surfside Restaurant

The restuarant was destroyed by Hurricane Ian and has been serving food out of a food truck since October. What's next for them? A beach bar made of shipping containers.

The owner, Tom Houghton, told NBC-2, “These doors are going to fold out into a deck to be the first row of tables. It will be a roughly eight-foot deck and then the bar will be about three feet inside. The bar will run around 28-29 feet. Behind the bar will be a center area that has a large ice machine to the back. To the right, there will be a 10 x 8 walk-in cooler.” And get this! If another storm approches, the containers can be packed up and taken off the beach within 48 hours.

Food will still be prepared in the food truck.

The curfew on Fort Myers Beach has been loosened.

So, now is the time to make a trip over the bridge for a long awaited meal or fruity drink at a local hot spot.

What restaurants are open on Fort Myers Beach? The Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce continues to update their site. These are the restaurants listed as open as of today.

Let's get out there are support these local businesses. We are #FloridaStrong