Our next restaurant is Mango’s Dockside Bistro, located on the Esplanade Shoppes on Marco Island.

It was a cool and windy day to enjoy a late afternoon lunch by the water. Although the clock was getting closer to 4pm, which is usually the perfect time to eat between late lunches and early dinners, it was quite crowded on a Monday – I wouldn’t even attempt to come here on a Saturday or Sunday (I’m just saying).

Things started well with the soup of the day ($6 cup, $9 bowl). Today was split peas. Yum! The split pea is one of my favorites. And this one did not disappoint.

Continued:‘Watts for Dinner’: Jackie’s – Lots of great food choices for little money

For my main course, I chose the club sandwich ($14). It includes honey ham, roast turkey and applewood smoked bacon, as well as lettuce, tomatoes and mayonnaise. You can have it on white, rye or multigrain toast. I chose the latter.

I opted to skip the ham and ask for extra turkey instead. You get two sides and can choose from fries or black beans with rice, coleslaw or fruit. I chose the fries (sweet potatoes for an extra $1) and the coleslaw.

The fries were soft and delicious with a hint of cinnamon. The coleslaw was tasty with bits of the restaurant’s namesake (mangoes) mixed in. The turkey was loaded with fresh vegetables and just the right amount of mayonnaise! A perfect lunch! I highly recommend this dish.

My dining companion opted for the Honey Sesame Chicken Salad ($16). It features crispy fried chicken fillets drizzled with honey. You also get caramelized pecans, tangerine bites, strawberries, mango, and crispy wontons on a bed of tossed greens with a sweet onion vinaigrette. He loved this salad, which is as beautiful as it is delicious, saying the dressing and honey made a fantastic, “tropical and sweet” combination. I can also highly recommend this dish.

My previous visit to Mangoes was in January 2021. Highlights of this visit included the bacon-wrapped prawn jalapeños, Mongolian pork chops, vegetables, and linguine with basil and spinach pesto.

Ribs, baby back ribs with hoisin sauce (which is a thick, fragrant sauce – think syrupy soybeans – with ginger and garlic) and shrimp, six fresh jalapeños with a large shrimp, cheese with cream and wrapped in applewood bacon, were appetizers. An amazing start to a meal.

For the spinach basil pesto linguine, you can top it with chicken, mahi mahi or shrimp. Yum!

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We were also in the dessert mood for this visit, choosing Mango’s strawberry “not so shortbread cake”. This dessert is big enough to share, with delicious sponge cake, syrupy strawberry compote and thick whipped cream. To try absolutely!

Back to the present day. The service was friendly and efficient. The setting and atmosphere are amazing (so grateful we can eat again). Even though I was working, this lunch made me feel like I was on vacation. So relax and enjoy some great food, right by the water, in one of the best spots on the island.

Continued:Hey Marco Island, looking for a place to eat?

This journal pays for all meals related to restaurant reviews. We do not solicit or accept free food. Not all dishes are featured in print, but you can find a gallery of all dishes reviewed online at marconews.com.

If you are going to

Mango quayside bistro

• 760 N Collier Blvd #109, Marco Island
• 239-393-2433
• mangosdocksidebistro.com