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Restaurant: Yanos
Address: 2262 First St., Fort Myers, 33901
Phone: 239-332-7797
Website: yanosrestaurant.com
Recommended by: Susan Bennett, Susan Bennett Marketing & Media
Hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday. Closed Mondays.
Reservations: There were plenty of tables available for a recent lunch, but you can make reservations online at OpenTable.com.
Parking: Finding a parking spot in downtown Fort Myers can be a bit challenging and will test your parallel parking skills. Also, the meter maids are aggressive if you overstay your welcome. We suggest you park at the parking garage near Main and Jackson streets.
Seating: The restaurant can seat 78 people with 32 outdoors. Two tables on either side of the entrance have large windows but offer more privacy than the tables further inside the restaurant. Outside seating is delightful at this cooler time of the year, though you'll be on the sidewalk with passersby and near auto traffic.
One-hour test: The wait staff is efficient and attentive, and our lunch passed the one-hour test easily. In fact, we could have had dessert and coffee and still been in and out within one hour.
Privacy: You will run into people you may know because the restaurant is near the courthouse and other government buildings. Attorneys, judges and politicians are frequent diners. Business executives lunch here, too; auto dealer Sam Galloway reportedly dines here frequently.
Food: If you request it, the waiter will bring you a basket of crispy chips with a fun dip that has a dash of spicy Sriracha sauce. The Asian theme is sprinkled throughout the menu, from the sweet and spicy Vietnamese noodles to the Pork Udon noodles. Most of the menu is American, however. The prime burger with caramelized onions is impressive, and the restaurant makes a macaroni and cheese with artichokes, spinach and roasted peppers. For smaller appetites, there are five salads from which to choose.
Ambiance: The restaurant is located in the heart of downtown Fort Myers, which is experiencing a revival after years of reconstruction. There are unique shops and coffee houses nearby, so you can stroll around if you're early for your lunch appointment. The restaurant is located across the street from the Florida Repertory Theatre.
Owners: Chris and Sarah Yanovich have worked for years in the restaurant business but never had an opportunity to own one until recently when they bought the location and renamed it after Chris' nickname, Yano. Sarah Yanovich calls her menu contemporary American, and you'll find both husband and wife in the kitchen during mealtime. “People like a lot of different things. You can have an upscale meal and a real casual meal,” she says. The restaurant does a brisk dinner business, too. Downtown boosters have created events that bring crowds to the center of town. “It's bringing a lot of attention downtown,” she says.
Review Date: December 2012
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