New Bayshore Cafe already receiving raves for food, decor — even flatware
Customers that have been to the new Bayshore Cafe are already applauding the eatery, for everything from the food, to the decor and specials – to even the important touches like good flatware.
There is a chalkboard hung prominently in the hall for patrons to voice their opinions.
“Good food, good service equals a great meal,” wrote Paster John Matey of Victory Baptist Church after his recent dining experience.
“The food was very good – now we’ve gone there a second time,” he said. “Both times the dishes were very good.”
Matey said he looks with an eye for detail when he goes to a restaurant. “Cleanliness is the first thing that has to pass the test. My wife Sharon also got a tour of the kitchen and the kitchen passed,” he said.
He said that right away he could tell the owners were happy to serve the customers.
“Also the thing I really enjoyed – they had real flatware,” he said. “A lot of restaurants have real thin flatware. The dishes themselves were also very good.”
The owners of the new cafe are Rex Rexhepiof and his wife Thelma, who remodeled the place for beautiful decor. Red mahogany stained wood, wainscot walls, terra cotta floors and comfortable booths are the focus, with yesteryear Americana black and white prints, and those of old-time movie icons.
“We wanted people to feel welcome,” said Rex.
He is an experienced restaurateur, owning several restaurants in the past and studying cooking at a culinary school in Bonn, Germany.
The restaurants he has owned have been very community oriented – some inside gated communities. That is what he likes, he said. “So you get to know people, like family members.”
A goal is to know all the local residents year round, not just snowbirds.
“It’s good to see everyday the same faces and talk to the same customers,” he added.
Bayshore Cafe is located off Bayshore Road in the Bayshore Plaza, in what is commonly known as the Lynx Plaza. It is now open for breakfast and lunch only, but the owners plan to open for dinner later in the year.
Rex said they specialize in “a little of everything” but when someone tries the pizza, they will come again.
“It is a brick oven New York-style pizza,” he said. “We have New Yorkers say you can’t find anything like it around here. The whole pizza is from scratch – no frozen dough – we make it here.”
Freshness is important, he said. “It’s the same for breakfast. Potatoes are fresh, peeled and grilled.”
“Not fried,” Thelma added.
“I always stick with the idea – nice, fresh and simple – you know what you are going to get, good portions for the price you pay,” said Rex.
“You never walk our hungry here – especially with the calzones,” said Thelma. Calzones are also a house specialty – a huge serving.
Another specialty is the biscuits and sausage gravy, with a wonderfully unique taste.
Traditional breakfast favorites are offered, and for lunch there are sandwiches, wraps, quesadillas salad platters and, of course, pizza and calzones.
There are daily specials. Monday it is a cheese burger platter (with fries or cole slaw) for $5.95; Tuesday all you can eat pancakes for $4.50; Wednesday a 12- inch pizza with up to to two toppings for $5.95; Thursday wings are 50 cents each; Friday is a fish sandwich platter, fries and cole slaw and all the fixin’s for $6.25; and Saturday is the “2+3+4 is Just 5” – 2 eggs, 3 bacon and 4 pancakes for $5.
The pair are residents of Fort Myers, but chose the North Fort Myers area to open shop.
“We thought this was a good market, there is nothing really around here,” Rex said. “And we think the customers are more loyal around here, if they like you, they will start coming back.”
The new owners said they really enjoy their neighboring businesses personnel in the plaza.
“We thank you for the warm welcome we’ve gotten from the community, from Lynx to Classic Concepts Salon to the dollar store and The Pet Doctor. It’s really nice. It makes you happy to get up in the morning and come to work. They’ve eaten here, taken and distributed to go menus, and more,” said Rex.
Donna Debin is the owner of Classic Concepts Hair Salon next door.
“The food is excellent, and the owners are very nice people. It’s nice to have a place to go if you haven’t had breakfast and come into work. The biscuits and grave are awesome, and my staff like the homemade soups.”
For the owners, having a to work only breakfast and lunch for now is a treat. “We have two children – a boy and a girl. We like to spend time with our kids, its all about them,” Thelma said. “This is the first time we’ve had a restaurant just for breakfast and lunch. We used to only take two days off a year – sometimes only a day and a half when we opened Christmas morning.”
There’s also a Kids Menu for $3.95, and they also have take-out available.
Bayshore Cafe is located at 6351 Bayshore Road, Unit 44, in the Bayshore Plaza. For information, call 543-1015.