Friends and neighbors,
Sometimes I become so preoccupied with what's opening in Naples that I forget there is very good eating in both directions.
So this week, we're leaving town.
Head north and you'll find The Bohemian, one of two Bonita Springs restaurants to receive a Michelin recommendation this year and a place where the menu can wander from Florida grouper to Korean barbecue in a matter of inches. Head south and there is The Oyster Society, a decidedly swanky Marco Island seafood restaurant with one of the more useful happy hours I've found this summer.
Consider this your excuse to drive a little farther for dinner.
Warmly,
Table of Contents
The Bohemian: Bonita's Michelin-Recommended Date Night
Along with the recently opened Canary Club, which we covered earlier this year, The Bohemian is the other Bonita Springs restaurant to earn Michelin recognition.
Husband-and-wife team Brandon Schewe and Caitlin Emery-Schewe opened The Bohemian in 2022 after first establishing Downtown Coffee and Wine nearby. Brandon had previously cooked at Tulia, The French and BALEEN, which helps explain why a restaurant with such a playful menu can also be extremely precise.
The dining room is enveloped in a deep turquoise, with mirrors, gold accents, and enough visual distraction to give you something to discuss should your date prove less interesting than anticipated. The atmosphere is both cozy and transportive: The Bohemian took the Best Date Night Restaurant title in Gulfshore Life's Best of the Gulfshore 2026.
The menu tells you even more about the place. It's divided into Seafood Towers & Raw, Snacks & Shareables, Lighter Fare & Sides, and Not Least of All, a cheeky name for its dessert menu. More importantly, it changes almost weekly.
As of this writing, you can start with yellowfin tuna crispy rice with chipotle aioli and yakiniku sauce, or cold-water oysters with citrus aguachile, cucumber and yuzu-coconut pearls. The Florida grouper yakitori gets sweet chile nuoc cham and pineapple escabeche, while the Sweet Pig Buns combine steamed lotus buns with house kimchi, gochujang and pickles. There is also a smoked and braised short-rib "bánh mì" served with Bibb lettuce, pickled daikon and carrots, cilantro and shiso.
If those combinations sound like several countries sharing one dinner table, that's rather the point. The kitchen describes itself as globally influenced, cooks over a Florida hardwood-oak grill and sources from nearby farms and fishermen when possible. Plates arrive as they're ready and modifications are politely declined.
One warning: don't become too emotionally attached to anything I've just described. By the time you go, Brandon may have changed it. But that also means it’s worth repeat visits.
The Bohemian
(239) 451-9619
27975 Old 41 Rd., Bonita Springs • Daily 5–10 p.m.
thebohemianbonita.com
The Marco Island Happy Hour to Know: The Oyster Society
The Oyster Society sounds expensive before you've even opened the menu.
And, to be fair, the regular menu can be. This is an Art Deco-inspired seafood restaurant with a serious raw bar, elaborate sushi, and a daily selection of eight to 14 East Coast oyster varieties alone. The oyster program regularly includes both East and West Coast varieties, with the selection changing according to availability. If you’re not sure which variety to pick, the menu offers specific descriptions ranging from a “sweet, briny” to “springy meats, minerality finish.”
But arrive between 4:30 and 6 p.m. and things get considerably more interesting.
The daily Social Hour takes place at the bar and lounge. Current published specials include Blue Point oysters for $9 per half-dozen or $18 per dozen, $10 shrimp cocktail and $9 California rolls. Drinks include $4 domestic and imported drafts, $8 glasses of wine and $10 signature cocktails.
Eighteen dollars for a dozen oysters at a restaurant like this is the detail that got my attention.
If you're hungrier, the Social Hour menu has also recently included fried oysters, sautéed mussels, fish tacos and the restaurant's well-loved Lobster Monte Cristo—Maine lobster and triple-cream Brie tucked into brioche, battered until crisp and served with fig preserves and saba glaze.
If you miss happy hour and are on a later schedule, there is another useful deal to remember: sushi is currently 50% off from 9–10 p.m. at the bar Sunday through Thursday. The sushi menu goes well beyond California rolls—the Firecracker combines spicy tuna and crab with jalapeño and Sriracha, while the rather ambitious Ocean King piles lobster, blue crab, shrimp, avocado, asparagus and caviar into one roll.
Friday through Sunday evenings also bring live jazz music to set the ambiance. So while Marco is a drive, the happy hour makes a reasonably persuasive argument for putting a few extra miles on the car.
The Oyster Society
599 S. Collier Blvd. #218, Marco Island • Daily from 4:30 p.m. • Social Hour 4:30–6 p.m.
theoystersociety.com
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Poll Results: Yes, Chef?
Last week we asked: Some chefs insist their dishes should never be modified. Where do you stand?
Here’s where you landed:
Minor changes should be fine led with 37.50% of the votes, followed by I’ll trust the chef with 35%. Personally, I agree with you all that minor changes should be fine. I’ve also worked behind the line at restaurants and understand how too many customizations can slow down service.
This Week’s Poll: Leaving Naples?
If you leave Naples, where are you more likely to go for dinner ?
Why It Matters
Naples has plenty to keep us close to home, but some evenings are worth the extra drive.
Bonita offers the kind of inventive dinner that keeps changing, while Marco makes oysters, sushi, and live jazz feel like a perfectly reasonable detour. Sometimes the best local discovery is waiting just beyond the city limits.
Wherever you head next, I hope dinner gives you a good story to bring home.
See you next edition,
Elizabeth Bellotti
Editor-In-Chief
Naples, Florida
The Naples Florida Review
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