Cru Food & Wine

Had a group of 8 here for dinner this past weekend. The restaurant still looks very nice physically and the waiter/​service were very good. After that, however, things were all downhill. Specifically:
1. Perhaps it appeals to the very upscale restaurant goers, but the fact that the restaurant does not serve bread is rather remarkable and unfortunate.
2. The menu selections are somewhat avantgarde. And that would be okay if the entrees were good. Mosr of my guests were very unhappy with the menu and their meal. I will say that those who ordered steak were pleased.
3. The dessert selections were limited.
I am unlikely to return.

Always have an amazing dinner here. Recently, we did the chef’s tasting. It was wonderful and a fun experience. Would definitely recommend this to others!!!

We stopped by here for drinks while visiting family in Ft Myers. We arrived around 7 – 8 on a Wednesday evening and found that the bar was completely full! We were able to get a cozy little table outside without a wait. I tried the 6 month aged Manhattan which was good but sweeter than I usually like. My date got the elder fashioned which was really good! We also tried the filthy little pickle just for fun! It was really good! Earthy, pickly, with a nice Asian flavor. I tried eating the pickle and it tasted like vinegar, so watch out! Overall I definitely recommend this place for good service and quality handcrafted cocktails! I hope to try the food next time!

Expensive and food was not good. Took a long time to get our food. Im still starving.

Some things never change (allellujah) and others get better! Stopped in because I wanted a craft cocktail and cru as usual, did not diisapoint. TO DIE FOR!!! pickle martini… so so so good. Tastes like pickle, and olive and the vodka is smooth as a baby’s bottom. Can’t wait to go back for more.
The pressed cheeseburger (tapas menu) is what I had a yen for, and it’s still on the menu (praise God yet again). It the BEST. Just like it sounds… pressed which means there is no slide to the bun, and it’s compacted enough to dip in bar b que saude or ketchup.
Thank you Cru… may you never change.

This place is amazing! A quick bite to eat turned into hours of enjoyment. The tapas chef, Chris, was an absolute doll. He was so friendly and genuine. He truly cared about our dining experience. The food was amazing! Get the ahi tuna, probably the best I’ve had. The grilled cheese was another killer item. This all paired nicely with my sparkling French rose.
Please go enjoy a comfy evening at the bar in front of the fire and you will not be disappointed!

Enjoyed my birthday dinner at Cru. This is one of my regular spots, so I know the staff and visa versa. The parisian gnocchi, seared foie gras, and octopus ceviche appetizers were the highlight of my dinner. The arugula salad was excellent. The Cru steak was good, but not magnificent. Overall, a fine meal. Cru remains on my short list.

Love the meatballs! I’ve had a great dinner here before but come back for the meatballs… and sitting outside. It’s comfortable and fun!

Went here with my friends while staying in Fort Meyers. We really stopped because we wanted some truffle items. Unfortunately, we popped in on a Sunday and they had a smaller menu so we weren’t able to enjoy truffle fries or anything of the like. The three of us had a mango sangria which was pretty delicious, and potent.
When I go out to eat, and luckily my friends are the same way, we like to make the server pick items for us (haha!) so we chose the krab roll appetizer and asked our server to pick one other appetizer. She picked the short ribs which were tender and flavorful. The Krab roll we chose because lots of people on Unilocal reviewed it! It sort of reminded us of a cross between an egg roll and crab sushi. It’s a near little dish.
Next we enjoyed the arugula salad which had a nice contrast of salty and sweet with the goat cheese to give a mellow smooth flavor. We all agreed anything goat cheese is usually a win.
As our entrée we all split the fried chicken, the server said it was their special that month. It was ok, honestly. The breading was crisp but grainier than I personally was used to. The sides though were the bomb! We got (whoa truffle) mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. Overall I enjoyed the dish, it just wasn’t a super wow after the delicious appetizers!
At the end we split crème brûlée and bread pudding. The bread pudding wasn’t as moist as I’m used to. It sort of fell apart and was hard to grab a piece of, short of grabbing the little chunks of individual bread. I like it better when a bread pudding all sort of melts into each other and becomes one. The crème brûlée was delicious though!
Our server was really great, I wish I could remember her name. Overall we enjoyed our experience, though all agreed the ambience and décor of the restaurant is sort of all over the place. I didn’t read reviews to see if anyone else felt this way… I will go look now…

5 star, innovative food
4 star, lively atmosphere
3 star, hustling staff
Chef Bob Boye ponied up a fascinating series of mini plats for about 50 members of Greater Ft Myers’ Women’s Wine Club. Over the course of about three hours, small plates amazed and amused the crowd.
Menu: Salmon aboard crème fraîche and mixed with macerated strawberries. A single, seared scallop accompanied by a roasted scallion’s cousin called a ramp. Minced lamb on fettuccine topped with goat cheese. Citrus crème brûlée w fired basil on its torched, sugared surface. Wines kept up the pace set by the chef, from the initial sparkling to the gustatory ending — a thick tasting port.
Waitstaff were efficient. The men were in uniform black and appeared to be aged out Aeropostale models. Women were either in severe black or in self selected skimpy shorts.
Patrons were a raucous bunch. The noise level was happy but difficult for conversation. When a waiter loudly dropped an empty tray, the place erupted in applause that rivaled any high school cafeteria’s tray dropping event.
Bizarre. But worthy of a cumulative 4 stars.

Pros: eclectic menu, delicious food. Cons: so-​so service, terrible acoustics, gloomy atmosphere.
A friend who grew up in Fort Myers had told us that Cru was regarded as the best restaurant in the area, and we think that’s probably true, based on what we saw during a weekend trip. We thought the food and drinks were excellent (though a martini was on the skimpy side, with the glass about one-​third empty). Two of us had the crispy duck breast entrée, and it was excellent!
The service wasn’t great. Our server seemed generally confused and had difficulty answering questions about the menu. After we placed our dinner orders, one member of our party took her aside and asked if dessert could be brought with a candle, because someone at the table was celebrating a birthday; she said it would be no problem. She was quietly reminded of the birthday later in the meal, after we placed our dessert orders. But another restaurant employee brought out the dessert — with no candle. After about two minutes, our server appeared at the table, noticed the oversight, and went running to look for a candle.
It was also very strange that there was no bread service. I would expect a restaurant of Cru’s caliber and with its menu to bring interesting artisan breads to each table. That’s the routine at less expensive restaurants that are in this same league.
Cru needs to work on sound issues. When we arrived for dinner, a raucous happy hour was apparently going on in the bar. Though we were seated a couple of dozen feet away, it was difficult to have a conversation over all the racket. We also found Cru to be dark and dreary. The décor was rather depressing.

We were recommended to Cru. First night of vacation we dined at Cru. The ambiance of Cru was deceiving. The service was inadequate, extremely slow. The menu was small but looked promising. The taste was good however the price did not match its’ value. We will not return.

Cru is right across my work so it is so nice to hop on over. They have a great happy hour until 7pm. I forget what time it starts. So tapas are delicious and the service is excellent. I had the tuna tartar. I’ve als had their crab rolls! Those are a must try. I love that they have outside seating because I work in the office all day and it’s nice to get the fresh air. Some Fridays you’ll get to see the pouches come through. Bell Tower shops has yappy hour so we get to see all kinds of dog variety.

We chose this restaurant based on the Unilocal reviews, and had a great evening. Nichole was a very nice server. We had the spicy crab roll, which was delicious. I had the filet that was cooked exactly as I asked, and hubby had the sirloin, which was also very tasty. We had wine, as well, and chose the dark chocolate bread pudding and carrot cake for dessert. Will definitely come back! Highly recommend.

Really cool place. Service was great and food was too. Lots of cool things on the menu to try next time.

I have mixed feeling about Cru.
Food: ³⁄₅
Service: ²⁄₅
Décor: ³⁄₅
Highlights:
Spicy crab roll: fried roll filled with crab meat served with a spicy sauce… all delicious
Short rib entrée: fell apart nicely. Good flavors
Lows: the tuna entrée: was okay. Could have been cooked better but otherwise the accompaniments were delicious (potato and? fried kale)
Sweet potato fritter: was underwhelming. A bit mushy and the sauce was just okay.
I think the service was the main reason I wouldn’t come back. Some parts of my meal were good and I would consider going back but the pace of the meal was really too slow to consider doing again…

A friend and I decided to stop at CRU and have some happy hour offerings.
This restaurant has two sides to it. It has a fancy dining area, as well as a trendy bar area. I’ve been here for dinner once and it was a bit overpriced, but okay. This time I was there to try their happy hour and it was also okay, but with a more acceptable price tag.
They have an outdoor area, which is nice except for the fact that it smells like an ashtray. This place seems to be good for hook ups and meet ups. It has a nice ambiance and the atmosphere is casual. The bar side has TVs, so if you’re looking for a drink and some light appetizers to watch the game with, this will do. It also may be a good spot if you’re single.
I thought the happy hour was pretty good. We had some beers and five different appetizers. I sat at the high tables in the bar area, so we had a server. She was very attentive and always checked our table to make sure we had everything we needed.
For happy hour, I would go again and would recommend.

Cru was my favorite restaurant during my stay in Fort Myers. I came to this restaurant 3 times during the 3 weeks and ordered the exact same dish every time: the scallops and saffron risotto. This dish is to die for! Actually, everything I tried (from co-​workers plates) was amazing.
I’m surprised to see so many bad reviews regarding the service because that was not my experience at all. I have nothing but great things to say about the 3 different waitresses (including one girl who started working that same day). Every single one was attentive and knowledgeable about the menu and their specials. Our food arrived promptly and our drinks were always perfect. The only thing I will agree on with other reviewers is the noise level. It’s quite loud because the bar area is very close to the restaurant part. That part was a little annoying but we got over it the second the delicious food arrived.
Also, I asked the waitress if the chef would be willing to share his recipe for the saffron risotto and a little while later she came back with the entire recipe and instructions hand written by the chef! How many restaurants do that??? It was awesome!
I would definitely recommend this place and would love to come here again.

Can you say loud and noisy. OMG.
I suppose if I where still in my 20’s and 30’s and maybe my 40’s I would not mind that this place is so loud, but when I spend good money on food I would prefer to be able to hear the people at my table.
I had the risotto with my dish and I had to send it back. I was hard, tough and very chewy. I actually had to ask for something else, otherwise, it was taken as just something I didnt like… Really. A fine dining restaurant with a night club attitude. When I finally got my substitute which accounted for ½ of my entre, I had already finished my fish.
I wont be back. This is the first time I dont agree with John D.
Food 3 stars (only because the fish was excellent)
Location 5 stars
Ambiance 2 stars (décor was very nice. The noise from the bar way too much)
Service 2 ½ stars (had our waiter done something about my risotto 4 ½ stars)

I had high expectations going into Cru because of all the great things I’ve heard, but unfortunately they weren’t met.
The scallop appetizer was a great way to start the meal. Tender, perfectly seasoned, and the chef threw in a 3^rd scallop because they said the other 2 were on the smaller side. Win!
I had the black bass and I thought it was cooked perfectly as well. I wasn’t crazy about the cake thing it came on top of. It lacked flavor. The dish was good, but it was just room temperature.
My date had the filet cooked medium well and it came out rare. He sent it back and when he took another bite, it was still undercooked. He was pretty disappointed with the dish.
Service was standard.
I found the overall meal to be overpriced for the quality and what you get.