High-end steakhouse plans new SWFL location

The Capital Grille is set to open its first Fort Myers location. 

The fine-dining steakhouse, a unit of Orlando-based restaurant giant Darden, will open a spot in Bell Tower, a shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Daniels Parkway Fort Myers. The location, near the Jared The Galleria of Jewelry store, is expected to open in late summer 2024, according to a statement. The Capital Grille has at least 10 other locations in Florida, including Naples, Sarasota and Tampa. 

“The addition of a coveted restaurant like The Capital Grille is yet another way in which Bell Tower is becoming one of Fort Myers’ top day-to-night destinations,” says Jim Brennan, general manager for the shopping center, in the statement.

The Capital Grille, the release states, “is best known for its expertly prepared steaks, which are dry-aged for 18 to 24 days in-house and hand-carved in-restaurant by a butcher.” The restaurant’s wine list features more than 350 selections, and its floor-to-ceiling wine cellar regularly houses 3,000 bottles. The restaurant has been honored by Wine Spectator magazine with an Award of Excellence for the “breadth and depth” of the list, the release states. The Capital Grille also offers personalized, on-site wine lockers, available by annual lease.

Bell Tower has added a roster of new tenants over the past year that include restaurants McGregor’s Public House and La Ola Surfside Restaurant, studio space provider Zero Empty Spaces, the KidStrong confidence and fitness training program and specialty beauty service provider Issa Beauty. Real estate investor and developer Madison Marquette owns Bell Tower.