The Bubble Room

We had a really fun time in this crazy, colorful, unique place where it’s «Christmas all year long». A random, insanely quirky stop while on beautiful, quiet Captiva Island. It may not be for everyone as it is jam packed with stuff and stuff and stuff. You may think you’re on an acid trip, but we thought it was really fun. The kids loved it, especially sitting under the giant vintage Mickey Mouse and it took my parents back to their childhood. It’s unique. Very different. The outside makes you feel like a happy, carefree kid again, painted in rainbow with trains, gnomes and classic Coca-​Cola signs. The inside is filled with nostalgia spanning over many different generations. So much to look at! Not for the claustrophobic! They encourage you to walk around and take it all in. Take a photo in the «tunnel of love» and explore every nook because every inch is indeed covered. Girls, don’t miss the ladies room which is filled with photos of handsome men haha
We arrived around 4:30pm on a random weekday in January. Parked right out front, greeted with smiles and were seated right away.
The food… The menu is a hoot with names like «Some like it hot, hot, hot», «Gone with the fin» and «Marilyn Mignon». A good variety of food from soups to salad and old time classics even newer, trendier items like zoodles (zucchini noodle pasta) which is what I had and the only vegan option on the menu. Delish! They are really known for huge slices of desserts and their «bubble bread». «Bubble bread» comes with your meal or you can order it by the slice for $ 2 a piece. It wasn’t as big of a hit for our table as we thought it would be. It was a multi cheese bread with mayo. I think the mayo threw people off. I can however see why people would like it. It looked delicious. The cinnamon buns which also come in the bread basket were a big hit however. The table started dinner with key lime martinis which were great! Exactly the way I make mine at home. Some ordered creamy soup with chunks of crab, fresh catch of the day, salads and kid menu items. The waitress dressed in her scouts uniform split meals for us, no problem. All were very satisfied with our meals. Large portions. Reasonable prices.
Then comes dessert (if you have room which you probably won’t. A lot of people took slices home. Our entire table was able to share one single slice!) The waitress brings over a tray of goodness. You will get the exact price from that tray. Hunks and hunk of their famous cakes. Orange Crunch is their most popular. Red velvet, key lime pie to name a few. We ordered the «Very Moist» which they say is so chocolaty, so moist and gooey you need can’t possibly finish it without a glass of milk. Everyone LOVED this decadent treat.
We had a truly great experience which is what it is. This is not your everyday place! So different but like I said, not for everyone. It’s not fancy. It’s definitely sensory overload but, it’s neat. The entire staff was super friendly, food was decent, desserts were huge. If lived in Florida, I would come back.

This was a great experience! The food & dessert was amazing. Service was great. The atmosphere was macabre, fascinating, entertaining, so fun!!! Over 3500 antiques — a truly fun experience.

A trip to Sanibel/​Captiva is not complete without a stop to the Bubble Room. We’ve been coming here since 1982, and were recently pleased when a stop for lunch did not disappoint. Our Bubble Scout Nilki was the best. Knowledgeable and fun, she paced the meal just right without rushing us. I had the catch of the day, Mahi, grilled, with the Soy/​Pineapple sauce. «Smoke gets in your eyes».Very light, very tasty. Wife had the «Errol Fin» lightly breaded Grouper. Done to perfection.
Note; try the homemade potato chip appetizer, and cover half of it with the cheese/​bacon bits. Sounds gross, but was fabulous. Good cheese, and I’m from Wisconsin.
Got to do the Orange Crunch desert. We tried it for first time, and I regret not trying it sooner.
Get there at 11:30 for lunch, and you won’t have to wait. If it’s open, take the 3^rd floor. Have more room, it is worth the climb.

Our favorite part of our visit to the Bubble Room was looking at the colorful décor! We only stopped (about 2pm) to look and have dessert. We had a hard time finding parking, and after driving around looking, while 2 of us stayed in both of the Bubble Room lots to wait for spots to open (staying in touch by phone), we finally parked across the street. Then we had about a 40 minute wait to be seated. We ended up in a room near the bar upstairs. We enjoyed looking at all of the quirky items and old photos.
All of the desserts in the display cases by the entry door looked fantastic and huge! While we were waiting, we decided on what we were getting.
Our waiter Britt did a great job, and when he saw that my adult daughter hardly ate her cheesecake (because it was not good, kind of dry, all 3 of us tried it), he brought her another dessert of her choice. I got the chocolate Moist cake, and my friend got the Key lime pie. We tried each others choices, and even though I’m a chocoholic, I think the key lime pie was the best!

This review is for dessert and the experience only. We did not have dinner. This place has been around since 1979. It’s a place you have to go just for the hell of it because everyone else goes here and has been since before I was born. The waiters dress in boy scout outfits. The cakes are amazeballs. We had the orange crunch as was recommended in many reviews below. Kids and kids at heart will enjoy the funky antiques and kid themes. Definitely take a tour of the restaurant. My four year old daughter enjoyed the «christmas room».

This place is fun to take kids to. It has all kinds of cheesy decorations, but the food is great. I love their desserts. It is a fun atmosphere for the family.

A must see in Captiva.
Quirky and fun. Expect Santa Claus, Electric trains, neon Juke boxes, gobs of Nick knacks and a giant Mickey mouse.
Very good food.
The burgers are great and had a very interesting 4 cheese sauce on them. Highly recommend.
Also has a cheesey potato chips appetizer. Best ever with lots of cheese!
The upstairs bar was really cool too. We only got a look as we had the kids with us.
Believe the hype and make a trip to the Bubble room!

The Bubble Room is an experience in itself. Go for the fun atmosphere and wonky, vintage decorations. Expect to pay about $ 30 a plate, though. The free bubble bread (cheesy bread) and sticky buns (cinnamon rolls) will make up for the wait & hefty prices Check out their huge slices of cake before you leave!

Eating here was definitely an experience, but I think once was enough. We came for dessert so I can only speak about the cake. Between our table, we had the chocolate cake, key lime pie and orange cake. All were good, although the key lime pie was hard and cold like it had just come out of the fridge. The portions were huge and nobody finished.
We waited close to 40 minutes for our table and were told we could explore the restaurant or sit at the bar while we waited, but it was so crowded it was impossible to move around and we chose to wait outside. You can order cakes to go, which is what I would do next time. The parking lot is a disaster and getting in and out was a nightmare.

ok so you go here for these reasons, in this order…
#3 for the food… it’s not the healthiest or tastiest, it’s not the cheapest, but it’s better than average and there’s lots of it. stuff yourself silly with bubble bread and wrap up your dinner for tomorrow’s lunch ;)
#2 for the tradition/​fun of it… it’s like visiting your great aunt the hoarder’s house. the décor makes no sense and some of it is kinda creepy. the bathrooms are the creepiest — way too few pottys for the size restaurant
#1 for the dessert and service… sure, the dessert script is rote and rehearsed but the servers are genuine. they truly represent sanibel and truly love their jobs. you need to to wear those scout uniforms. as many have said, orange crunch cake. do it.
i can see why people return to bubble room year after year… we probably will.

Amazing experience and great picture opportunities! Loved cupcake she was awesome!
Service was fantastic, the atmosphere was fun and playful, drinks were tasty, and I really cannot stress this enough you really should go to this restaurant

This place was quite hyped when we visited, so we knew we had to try it, but it turns out that there are many better options nearby on the island.
The experience was nice, the restaurant was very interestingly decorated and had a really cool vibe, and the desserts were fantastic. But the overall meal quality didn’t live up to the hype, the price, or the other nearby restaurants we tried.

After a brief search on the net of places to check out in Captiva, The Bubble Room sounds like it’s definitely worth checking out. Although the reviews are just average, most reviewers seem to agree that its cakes are a must try.
The Bubble Room is located on Captiva’s only main road. It’s hard to miss because its exterior is painted so colorfully with multi bright colors and painted bubbles everywhere. There are lots of parking spaces, but parking is tight. At the lot’s entrance is a popular photo op spot — a cage where people can get inside and have their picture taken. As you walk to the entrance you can’t help but check out everything because everything is so colorful and so out of place. Immediately inside the door the hostess station is to your right and the cakes are to your left.
Based on Unilocal reviews we decided to only get Orange Crunch Cake to-​go and no other food. The lady took out a huge very orange cake and cut us a huge slice. One slice is definitely enough for 2 people. With cake in hand we asked if we could explore the place.
The place has multiple rooms but feels very cramped. It’s decorated floor to ceiling with mostly old Christmas themed items, lots of photos on the walls and very old toys and gadgets. The tables are like shadowboxes that are filled with miscellaneous Christmas items. There are absolutely no blank spots on the walls. Assault on the eyes is the best way I can describe this place.
And the servers… They’re dressed like boy scouts, except they have Christmasy accessories, such as antlers or a green hat. Uh, what?!
Let’s talk about the Orange Crunch Cake. My bf and I decided that inside was too stuffy so we took our cake outside and ate it at one of the very colorful concrete picnic tables. One bite into the cake part and we knew we had made the right decision to stop by. It was moist and full of orange flavor. The crunch was crunchy and sweet, but not too sweet. The orange color frosting, on the other hand, was too sweet for us. We like the orange slice made out of frosting on top of the cake, but we barely touched any frosting.
In my opinion, The Bubble Room is more a tourist attraction rather than a restaurant. It’s worth a visit only if you’re in the area. Hey, at least you’ll have something to tell people back home about. The Orange Crunch Cake is different and better than average and is worth a try.

Love love love The Bubble Room! Amazing fun place in Captiva not far from the water. This trip was a stop for dessert only. The cakes OMG amazing delish!

Ok, this review is based only on the décor and the desserts alone. We used to have a Bubble Room in Orlando, it was legendary even, but it closed some years ago. My husband was in love with their red velvet cake so when we found out the original restaurant still exists in Sanibel you know we had to stop by! The place was packed and completely over the top tacky. We walked around from room to room looking at the the knick knacks all over the walls and ceiling. There are plenty of picture taking opportunities.
Before we left of course we picked a selection of various cakes. Hubby was excited to find that the red velvet was just as he remembered. I liked the orange crunch cake, we ate the entire slice on the drive back to our hotel! And the slices are huge, easy to share between two people. There is a gift shop in the parking lot which we walked through but found nothing of interest. I think when we return to this area we might try sitting down for a meal as well as getting some cake (of course!). The atmosphere is unapologeticly touristy and tacky but everyone seemed to be having a good time.