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KEYLIME BISTRO
The award-winning Keylime Bistro opened a third location in December at the Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers.
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KEYLIME BISTRO
The new Keylime Bistro at the Southwest Florida International Airport features a pared down menu of restaurant favorites, along with a design style that is a bit more contemporary and airplane decor.
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KEYLIME BISTRO
The new Keylime Bistro at the Southwest Florida International Airport features a pared down menu of restaurant favorites, along with a design style that is a bit more contemporary and airplane decor.
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An island restaurant dynasty recently expanded again to add a new location in Fort Myers.
With the original located on Captiva and a second situated on Boca Grande, the award-winning Keylime Bistro now boasts a third home inside the Southwest Florida International Airport.
“We’ve been working on this for years, so it’s a dream come true to finally have it open,” Stilwell Enterprises & Restaurant Group owner and Chief Executive Officer Sandy Stilwell Youngquist said.
“It’s been very busy and it’s been very successful so far,” she added.
Located in Terminal D at the airport, the newest site opened to customers in late December.
“It was about a year from about the time we started designing,” Youngquist said of the timeline for its opening, adding that there were about five years of negotiations and working together before that.
She reported that the airport partners with area restaurants as a way to offer local flavors.
“Since I have one on Captiva and one on Boca Grande, I thought it would be a great way to get our name out there,” Youngquist said of the opportunity. “But also to offer our keylime pies to go.”
Serving fresh regional food with a coastal vibe, the restaurant seats 80 people and encompasses 2,000 square feet. She added that she took over two spots — a former retail space and former restaurant.
“It’s the largest location at this particular point at the airport,” Youngquist said.
“It has a very large bar area, so people can sit there,” she added. “There’s also sections where you can plug in your computer and work.”
The restaurant features a pared down menu compared to the others. However, it still covers all of the bases with appetizers, breakfast, lunch, dinner, soups, salads, a kid’s menu and its beloved dessert.
“It’s some of our favorites,” Youngquist said of the options. “They also gauged it by timing. They wanted to do things that could be ordered and enjoyed by people, while still serving a good product.”
She reported that the crab cakes have been a big hit.
“And, of course, our keylime pie,” Youngquist said.
The location does feature one unique item: the sunrise burrito. It consists of a flour tortilla with sausage links, vegetables, seasoned black beans and fresh scrambled eggs, served alongside breakfast potatoes.
“I knew we needed a good breakfast burrito to go or have as a top seller,” she said.
There is a deli counter that offers up prepared salads and sandwiches.
“There’s also a whole grab-and-go section,” Youngquist said.
MHK Architecture and owner Matt Kragh oversaw the design and decor.
“I wanted to have each restaurant have its own unique identity,” she said, explaining that this one incorporates airplanes and such, while the style is a bit more contemporary to fit in with the airport’s scheme. “We have more of the coastal colors with some green, but not the bright keylime green.”
Youngquist noted that the restaurant is in D, but also situated near a future terminal.
“It’ll have access from both terminals, which is really neat,” she said.
The new Keylime Bistro is open seven days a week from about 4:45 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“If this one does well, I’m hoping that it will open the door to other locations,” Youngquist said.
For more information, visit https://keylimebistrocaptiva.com/.
The Southwest Florida International Airport is at 11000 Terminal Access Road, Fort Myers.