Even when they originally surveyed Florida in 1870 folks had to have a place to eat. This is a historical photo of the original Survey Cafe in greater down town Survey, Florida. Population: A couple of dozen government surveyors.
OK maybe the sign part isn’t exactly true. The Survey, Florida part is though.
Our fine city wasn’t upgraded to the name Bonita Springs until 1915 when a group of developers thought the name Survey lacked the sexy sales appeal they were going after.
Nearly 100 years later, when the Nelson family was thinking of opening a new coffee and sandwich shop in greater downtown Bonita Springs they opted to reference history and name their restaurant The Survey Cafe. It’s a stones throw to the Imperial River which was named Surveyors Creek, back in the day.
The Survey Cafe is located on Wilson Street just behind Benson’s Grocery Store. The restaurant’s building is a charming, restored historic house that features both inside and outside patio dining. The menu is currently breakfast and lunch items.
Everything is made fresh from scratch and totally delish. There is Wi-Fi on site so you can have a working lunch, too. Here’s a map to Survey Cafe at 10530 Wilson St, Bonita Springs, FL 34135. The phone number is 239-992-2233 if you’re ordering take out.
Important links:
The Survey Cafe Website and The Survey Cafe Menu (Psst. It’s Printable)
Tags: Bonita Springs, dining, florida, Old 41, old bonita, restaurant, survey, survey cafe
Thanks for posting this Chris. I tried a Google search for the restaurant and yours was the highest ranking post. Unfortunately the Survey Cafe website appears to be down right now.
I’m looking forward to my first visit to the restaurant today at lunch.
Steves last blog post..June 5th Report – Slow and Steady goes the Turtle Action on Bonita Beach
Thanks for stopping by, Steve. I had lunch there today, myself. The veggie plate with hummus and tabouli.
Based on the recommendation of the counter person we each had the BBQ sandwich and it was fabulous. The Survey is a great find. I can’t believe I didn’t know about it until the NDN review on Friday. It’s a bit off the beaten path but worth the effort to find.
Steves last blog post..June 5th Report – Slow and Steady goes the Turtle Action on Bonita Beach
I’ll let Laurie know, she’s in my Rotary Club. Have you tried Rail Head Deli? I posted a story on that restaurant, too. You can use the search bar to find it if you’re interested.