In the 1930s, Draine and Mamie Weeks built a shack on this stretch of Estero Bay. It grew into a fishing camp that locals called Weeks Fish Camp. By the 1940s the family had opened the marina to the public for commercial fishing, wildlife photography and marine research, and the place collected the kind of memories that come with sunsets and bonfires. Then, in 2014, the shoreline closed.
It stayed closed for more than a decade. On Jan. 21, 2026, a Michael Mina restaurant opened its doors on the same water. Most of what has been written about Acqua Bistecca Estero Bay is about the chef. The more useful fact for anyone who lives nearby is that the restaurant is the public entrance to a piece of bayfront that had no public entrance for twelve years.
What Closed in 2014 and What Reopened
Saltleaf on Estero Bay describes its marina as a restoration of access to a historic shoreline that had been closed since 2014. The developer, London Bay, says the marina has 72 slips for vessels up to 30 feet. Those slips are available to the public and for annual lease. The marina also has launch points for kayaks and paddleboards.
Saltleaf's marina page says paddlers can borrow kayaks and paddleboards from the Saltleaf Ship Store, which also sells snacks, fishing gear and apparel. The same page lists sunset cruises, dolphin sightseeing, shelling excursions, fishing charters and custom trips to Sanibel and Captiva. That is the developer's own marketing copy, so it is worth calling ahead about which of those are running on a given day before planning around them.
The restaurant address is 5500 Coconut Road, which is a Bonita Springs address. Gulfshore Business notes that the site sits just west of Estero. Gulfshore Life, in its May 2026 review, wrote about it as an Estero event and called a restaurant of this ambition arriving there a coup of sorts. The review points out that the area's most ambitious kitchens have long clustered farther south in Naples, with Fort Myers building its own pockets of culinary energy to the north. Estero Bay's shoreline sits between the two.
A Restaurant Built to Be Visited More Than Once
The people behind the restaurant have said plainly what they were aiming for. Mark Wilson, CEO of London Bay Development Group, put it this way at the opening:
"It's meant to be a neighborhood restaurant where both visitors and residents feel at home."
Michael Mina has said his first goal at any opening is to become part of the community fabric, a place people go numerous times a week and for different occasions. Those are aspirations, and only the diners can say whether they have been met. The menu structure does support the intent. Gulfshore Business reported the launch prices in January 2026, and they span a wide range:
| Menu item | Price at launch (January 2026) |
|---|---|
| Pasta, including Campanelle Verdi and Spaghetti | From $23 |
| Salads | $20 to $23 |
| Lasagna alla Piastra | $31 |
| Seafood, starting with Arctic Char | From $37 |
| Two-pound Maine lobster | $91 |
The cheapest pasta and the lobster sit roughly four times apart. Gulfshore Business reported that Mina wanted the menu accessible both to the wealthy patrons who will live next door and to middle-class diners looking for an elevated meal. A Tuesday pasta and a birthday lobster are different visits, and this menu is priced for both. Menus change, and Yelp's listing shows a banner for a new menu, so treat these figures as a launch-era baseline and check the current menu before booking.
The restaurant's Sizzle Dining offer runs through tomorrow, Sept. 30. It is a three-course prix fixe dinner at $49 per person, which is $12 more than the $37 that the least expensive seafood entrée cost at launch. It ends this week, so anyone curious should book now.
What Early Reviews Say About the Room
The room is large, at about 7,500 square feet with 184 seats across indoor and outdoor space and a private chef's room for 16. Terraces face the marina and the mangroves.
OpenTable showed 105 reviews as of a May 2026 snapshot. Diners praised the water view, the attentive service and the presentation. Some described the noise level as a drawback, though one reviewer said it did not affect the evening much. A few brunch and Mother's Day diners found the food and drinks pricey, and one said they would return for dinner. The dress code is listed as Resort Casual.
Reviewers also describe portions as fine-dining size. Many say the pastas and Experience Menu items are well balanced, while proteins such as Dover sole or grouper can feel expensive for the portion. OpenTable's summary suggests ordering a starter or a shared side for more volume.
Tripadvisor tells a more mixed story from a much smaller sample. It showed a 3.0 rating on 7 reviews, with one diner writing that the service was polite but hard to flag down and another praising the Experience Menu and the mushroom pasta with truffles. Seven reviews from the first months of a 184-seat restaurant is an early read. Gulfshore Life, visiting a few months in, described the kitchen as running like a well-oiled machine, and reported that Mina flew in and trained staff himself for a few weeks.
Across the OpenTable reviews, the water view is a consistent draw, and the platform's summary says the dinner hour near sunset is peak time and can be noisy.
An Evening Plan That Uses the Whole Shoreline
Put the history, the price range and the reviews together and a visit can be built around the water instead of only the reservation:
- Arrive early at the marina. Saltleaf's page says the Ship Store lends kayaks and paddleboards, so confirm availability by phone first.
- Ask the restaurant whether the Happy Hour menu, listed on its site alongside the Dinner, Cocktail, Wine and Dessert menus, suits the evening. The days and times were not confirmed in what was published, so the reservation page is the place to check.
- Book a table closer to sunset for the view, and closer to early evening for a quieter room.
- Order pasta, a raw bar item or a shared starter first. The menu names Florida stone crab claws and oysters with limoncello mignonette, and reviewers describe the pastas, including the Due Linguine with Florida clams and nduja butter, as the balanced part of the menu.
- Check hours before leaving. A January press release listed dinner nightly from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., while Yelp's listing shows earlier closing times on several nights. Both were early-year snapshots, and the reservation page is current.
The Skyline Behind the Terrace Is Still Being Built
The view from the terrace will keep changing. As of a Sept. 24, 2026 industry report, the North Tower of The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Estero Bay has topped out, completing vertical construction on the second of two 22-story towers. The first tower opened in March, and the North Tower is expected to be delivered in 2027. Together the towers hold 224 residences and stand just steps from the restaurant.
Saltleaf Golf Preserve, designed by Raymond Floyd, adds an 18-hole course, a nine-hole short course and a 12,500-square-foot clubhouse with a restaurant and bar. It replaced Raptor Bay Golf Club. Its hours and access were not confirmed in the reporting, so it remains a question for the front desk.
The shoreline that a fishing camp once made public now has a dock, a public marina and a bayfront table within sight of each other. Anyone who wants to think about what that stretch of Estero Bay means for the coast around Bonita Springs and Estero can request a private consultation with Amy Nease and start the conversation at the marina.
