Sandbar, Naples, FL USA

Ordered beachside at Sandbar in Pelican Bay, a fantastic destination in Naples.

Father son trip to Naples to see his grandmother, my mother – I remember doing this as a kid with an individual parent, and was looking forward to making memories with our 2.5 year old while my wife stayed home and watched our 3 month old. Man on man coverage for the long weekend!

Pelican Bay is structured into two main beaches: North Beach and South Beach. With a 2.5 year old, South Beach suited us more thanks to its elongated sandbar and ample collection of shells, making it safe for swimming and highly entertaining.

We arrived at 10am to a fairly empty beach, and an hour later there must have been 300 people crowding every corner of it. With our front row perch, we soaked up every moment of the perfect morning, before hunger overtook our energy.

South Beach’s restaurant was called – as you could almost guess – The Sandbar. With a takeout window just steps from the beach (the restaurant required shirts and shoes, obviously) and our lounge chairs lapping the warm ocean waves, how could we say no to lunch with our feet in the sand?

The honey sriracha club sandwich beckoned me, and my mother added it to the meal, along with her salad, our mai tais, and my son’s grilled cheese. 15 minutes later, our food was ready and we dined.

A truly unique club sandwich, there were a few firsts for me, and coupled together, I knew this club was one of a kind.

You had to start with the pineapple. One massive slice, lightly grilled, lit up each bite, packing every morsel with sweet smokey flavor and firm yet creamy texture. This was the star of the show and it was bashful about it. The honey sriracha glazed grilled chicken did its best to compete, adding a spicy and equally sweet note to each bite, and a protein that fueled you up. The bacon, that was a bitter sweet ingredient – and I don’t mean its flavor; while fairly terrible bacon when it comes to all standards relating to bacon (perhaps it was just over cooked, reducing it to crumble), the crunchy touch it added couldn’t have been more perfect for this club sandwich, and was the ideal texture accompaniment this sandwich begged for. To top it all off, the jalapeño aioli smeared across the toasted brioche bun provided all the ingredients the sandwich they deserved.  This club sandwich also came with “artisanal lettuce,” and while I had no idea what that was, it sounded fancy, so I obliged.

Among all the ingredients, perhaps the most notable was the one missing: no tomato. My first club sandwich in many, many, many years with no tomato or tomato based ingredient. I was so pleased they left it out, because this club sandwich didn’t need one. For those that don’t know, the tomato is the most popular ingredient, after bread, for a club sandwich.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the crispy French fries this meal came with. Super solid, the Sandbar was clearly an expert in frying these up for many beachside meals. We all enjoyed them, but I tried my best to not finish them.

Overall, such a fun club sandwich. I was like a vacation from other clubs, and fittingly so while I was on vacation. If you’re ever at Pelican Bay in Naples, I highly recommend it!!

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