C Level: A Bonita Restaurant That Deserves More Attention
Some restaurants become destinations. Others end up in a strange middle ground—good enough that everyone who knows them returns, but just far enough away that people forget to recommend them.
C Level falls into that second category.
Drive fifteen minutes north and you’ll find one of the more unusual dining rooms in Southwest Florida. The restaurant glows blue after dark with textured walls that seem to ebb and flow. The whole room feels as though someone tried to recreate the inside of a reef instead of another steakhouse. It shouldn’t work nearly as well as it does.
But for those who know, summer is the best time to go. Unlike many prix-fixe specials that feel like shortened versions of the regular menu, C Level still gives you choices. Three courses begin at $29.99 and are offered Monday through Thursday all evening, plus Friday and Saturday from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
French onion soup arrives under a proper blanket of bubbling Gruyère. Black grouper ceviche brightens things up if it’s too hot to think about soup. Entrées range from mushroom tagliatelle with Cognac truffle cream and pan-seared mahi-mahi to Branzino Provençal and a bone-in pork chop with apple cider gastrique. If you’re indulging, move up a tier for filet au poivre or roasted Maine lobster.
One thing I appreciate is that the pricing doesn’t punish you for wanting a nicer entrée. Instead of forcing everyone into one menu, C Level lets you decide whether tonight is a $30 dinner or a $50 one. Named Diner’s Choice last year on OpenTable, C Level might not be as well known to Naples locals, but it should be.
C Level Restaurant & Cocktail Bar
4450 Bonita Beach Rd., Bonita Springs
Summer Prix-Fixe: Mon.–Thu. all evening • Fri.–Sat. 4:30–6 p.m. • Three courses from $29.99
c-levelbar.com
Originally published in
The Naples Florida Review.
Read the full edition here.