Bayside Private Events at Bonita Fish Company debuts coastal-inspired catering menu

Bayside Private Events at Bonita Fish Company, a private indoor-outdoor event venue overlooking Matanzas Pass on Fort Myers Beach, has introduced a thoughtfully curated catering menu highlighting unique flavors and an array of creative three-course selections. One of a select few standalone waterfront event spaces in Lee County, Bayside Private Events accommodates intimate seated dinners for 70 guests and up to 150 people for standing receptions.

The catering menu offers coastal choices inspired by Bonita Fish Company’s seafood menu and includes a selection of 17 appetizers, four salads, 17 entrées and 12 sides. The dinner collections include the Bayside and Sunset packages. Bayside Private Events also offers three bar packages.

“Our chefs were very imaginative with the menu, offering dishes you don’t typically find in catering,” said Joe Sletten, Bayside’s private events manager. “Guests will enjoy our signature Yucatán shrimp, snapper and grouper, as well as chicken and beef menu items like our Nashville chicken with hot honey glaze appetizer and carved smoked brisket entrée.”

Bayside Private Events offers platters, butler-passed and buffet-style appetizers. Hors d’oeuvres include sliced corned brisket, ceviche, the restaurant’s signature mullet dip, conch or shrimp fritters, crispy grouper bites with Key lime tartar, pecan-crusted chicken and bistro filet crostini. Sides range from grits and elote street corn to pecorino risotto and blue cheese-stuffed Roma tomatoes.

Delectable entrées include chimichurri chicken, sauteed snapper with pineapple salsa, shrimp and vegetable risotto, blackened salmon with lemon dill sauce, seared grouper with mango pico de gallo, New York strip steak with creamy peppercorn and chicken Amarillo. Bayside Private Event’s scratch house-made dessert menu features Key lime pie, coconut cheesecake, flourless chocolate cake and a fruit and berry bowl.

Bayside Private Events also offers a vetted list of vendors and entertainment.

Perfect for community gatherings and events and private celebrations like weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and holiday parties, Bayside Private Events at Bonita Fish Company overlooks the bustling Matanzas Pass harbor and the restaurant’s 30-slip deep-water marina accommodating long-term rentals and boat-in customers. The restaurant features a large center bar, daily music and a menu focusing on fresh seafood.

Originally constructed in 1926 as Bonita Fish House, the century-old building has a storied past as a gathering place for the Fort Myers Beach community. Bonita Fish Company’s name and history pay homage to the heritage and history of old Florida fish houses and Fort Myers Beach’s fishing industry.

Bayside Private Events at Bonita Fish Company is part of HM Restaurant Group’s vision of revitalizing the block between Doc Ford’s and Bonita Fish Company into a destination for dining, entertainment, waterfront and marina access. The company has also introduced Doc Ford’s Lounge at the Fort Myers Beach restaurant, a private event space for 25 or more guests.

For more information, contact Bayside Private Events Manager Joe Sletten at joesletten@hmrestaurantgroup.com or 239-788-4067.

Philanthropy and community outreach are engrained in HM Restaurant Group’s philosophy. Proceeds from specialty cocktails at Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille have raised over $140,309 to support children’s hospitals in Southwest Florida and St. Petersburg. HM Restaurant Group also supports local nonprofit organizations dedicated to conservation, community, education and the environment. The “Ding” Darling Doc Ford’s Tarpon Tournament has donated over $1.57 million for conservation and water-quality research at Sanibel’s J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge since its inception in 2012.