Many more dining options are coming in 2023 to Bonita Springs and Estero.  

The future venue in Bonita Springs with the best buzz must be Lake Park Diner Bonita Beach, under construction on the south side of Bonita Beach Road west of U.S. 41 and targeted to open this May. The growing brand operated by veteran restaurateur Paul Fleming builds on the original location that launched in 2019 in Naples’ Lake Park neighborhood.  

Planted on a larger piece of property at 3601 Bonita Beach Road SW, the new restaurant will be nearly double the size of the original with a lot more parking, more indoor and outdoor seating, a dedicated takeout area and a separate outdoor covered bar that’s an additional feature not at the original.  

Expect Lake Park’s tried-and-true menu that bans steroids, antibiotics, hormones and genetically modified food. Items will include small plates, salads, sandwiches, grass-fed burgers and favorites such as fish and chips, miso salmon and rotisserie chicken. Beverages will include cocktails, beer, wine and over-the-top milkshakes.  

Additional food-and-beverage businesses are coming to Old 41 Road in Bonita. Some of the most-anticipated venues are coming to Causeway Commerce Park on the west side of Old 41 Road south of Bonita Beach Road; Entrada on the northeast corner of Old 41 and Bonita Beach Road; and the Rooftop at Riverside food truck park under construction across Old 41 from Riverside Park.  

After more than a year’s delay, The Causeway, a local food hall with a full bar, is planning to launch in late March or early April at 28280 Old 41 Road, said co-founder Ken Delaney. Initially known as The Industry, The Causeway name stems from Causeway Lumber Co., which operated at that site for more than 30 years until it closed in 2009.  

“We’re in the final phases of buildout now and really excited to show off what we’re doing,” Delaney said. “The premise of our place is a food hall where we will be introducing four new concepts to Bonita with a huge variety of foods from around the world along with a full bar, indoor and outdoor seating, live music and Sunday brunches.”  

The Causeway will have a self-serve beer wall featuring 20 taps with all Florida craft beers, most of them from local breweries, Delaney said. That’s in addition to four different food spots.  

The food offerings will include Orzo, serving pizza and Italian favorites with fresh pasta made daily with a variety of sauces; Roast, a deli bar with freshly prepared meat selections, salads and charcuterie boards; Smithy’s, an international kitchen serving foods such as fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, curry dishes, noodles and more; and Dessert Lab, which will have giant milkshakes made to order with a choice of toppings such as cookies, cupcakes and doughnuts.  

Opening nearby in the commerce park but not directly affiliated with The Causeway business is another new brewery along Old 41. Chubby Mermaid Brewery, a startup microbrewery and brewpub, is set to open this summer at 28292 Industrial Road, Unit 9. A chubby mermaid is another name for a manatee, which is the centerpiece of the brewery’s logo.  

Three more eateries soon will join the redeveloped property of Entrada, where The Bohemian Restaurant, Napoli on the Bay pizzeria and the Rabbit Hole Kava Bar all opened last year. Look for Waffle Monkey, Wolfmoon Bakery and The Boba Shop to finally open this spring on the southern end of Entrada nearest Bonita Beach Road.  

Abraham and Elicia Bedell are channeling island vibes with their Waffle Monkey breakfast-lunch concept. Expect conventional waffles as well as waffles replacing bread or buns for waffle sandwiches and waffle burgers.   

“We are ready to go as soon as the building is done and delivered to us,” said Elicia Bedell. “We are excited and can’t wait to open to the community.”Sharing a large patio on that southern end of the building will be Argentina-born Clara Fasciglione and her Wolfmoon Bakery. Specializing in a variety of French croissants, Fasciglione’s bakery café also will serve quiche, sandwiches, soups and salads. She plans to open by May.  

Also in Entrada, The Boba Shop is shooting to open as early as March 1. Naples residents Jon and Lisa Armendariz have found recent success with a pop-up version of their new bubble tea business in Bonita. They look forward to serving their popular milk and tea drinks in their first local mom-and-pop shop.  

Meanwhile, construction is underway on Rooftop at Riverside in the Old 41 historic district on a half-acre corner lot at 10450 Reynolds St. The local destination will feature seven food trucks and a two-story rooftop bar that will jut over the sidewalk.  

“We don’t have an exact opening date yet but we are expecting our C.O. (certificate of occupancy) in the middle of August so our opening will be shortly after that,” said Chris Magnus, co-developer of Rooftop at Riverside.  

All the concrete walls are up for the first floor of the bar and the building of the second floor will soon follow. “We are starting to crank things up in the new year,” said Magnus, who broke ground on the project last May.  

Magnus isn’t revealing a projected lineup, the names of the food trucks or even the types of cuisine they will serve yet. “We have some really terrific unique vendors that we will have out there,” he said.  

More dining options are coming to Estero this year, too, with an on-deck lineup heavy with chain restaurants.  

Cheesecake Factory, coming to Coconut Point, seems to be grabbing the most attention. The family-oriented restaurant concept with a formidable menu and notable desserts is busy building out the large space that used to be Stir Crazy for many years. A projected opening date is not available yet.  

Also at Coconut Point, Juice Society is making a big leap this year from its tiny kiosk near the regional mall’s former cinema to the larger inline space next to Starbucks that recently was vacated by Vampire Penguin Shaved Snow & Desserts. Until the juicery’s new superfood café launches this summer, it will continue to operate its kiosk to provide cold-pressed organic juices, smoothies and açaí and pitaya bowls.  

Chicken Salad Chick was the first eatery to open in the new Estero Crossing on Corkscrew Road just west of Interstate 75, but expect it to be followed soon by other dining options that will include Bubbakoo’s Burritos, Crisp & Green, Dunkin’ and Oak & Stone. Other places eyeing Estero include the Banh Mi & Tea Vietnamese restaurant coming soon to Miromar Outlets and a Culver’s drive-thru proposed near the Bonita-Estero border on the southeast corner of U.S. 41 and Pelican Colony Boulevard.  

The “Tim Aten Knows” weekly column answers local questions from readers. Email Tim at Tim.Aten@NaplesPress.com. Follow him on social media: @TimAtenKnows on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.