The 15 Finest Eating places in Sarasota, Florida

Whether or not you’ve got come to this attractive stretch of Florida’s Gulf of Mexico shoreline for business or satisfaction, prospects are you’re prepared to feast on the bounty of Sarasota’s community waters and dive into the tastemaking ingenuity of its chefs. Sarasota does not disappoint when it comes to high-quality dining places to eat, authentic Italian eateries, atmospheric community spots for great fish tacos and absolutely each individual form of cuisine you can visualize in between.
With the aid of specialist know-how and dozens of cafe, eating and vacation market overview sites, U.S. Information has compiled this listing of the best dining establishments in Sarasota.
Napulè
You will not require to journey all the way to Italy to get pleasure from a right salumi bar and mouth watering pizzas served piping hot from a true wooden-burning oven. Just more than 5 miles south of downtown Sarasota, Napulè amazed current readers with its authentic Italian menu – specially the pizzas and homemade pasta – and attractive presentation. Get started your meal with a platter of the chef’s range of meats and cheeses, excellent for sharing, then segue into an Abruzzo-design and style orecchiette pasta dish with do-it-yourself sausage or a large tomahawk pork chop stuffed with mushrooms and fontina cheese. Home made desserts are a address below, way too, and you won’t miss tiramisu if you decide for the Baba Napoletano, a wealthy rum cake loaded with product.
Venezia
Settle into a desk overlooking St. Armands Circle (Sarasota’s principal retail and cafe drag), purchase an Aperol spritz and get prepared to delight in a person of Sarasota’s finest dining ordeals. The latest diners at Venezia rave about the pasta dishes organized completely al dente, the outstanding veal marsala and the restaurant’s overall ambiance. Venezia appeals to couples and solo diners as substantially as people. Appetizers that are terrific for sharing include stuffed mushrooms and the bruschetta served on toasted crostini. Seafood admirers would not want to overlook the Risotto di Mare dish, loaded with mussels, shrimp, calamari and clams.
La Mucca Ballerina
Correct in downtown Sarasota, this family-owned restaurant – whose identify suggests “The Dancing Cow” – is run by the Zappaterreno family members. They moved to this Florida vacation spot from just exterior of Rome and place the concentrate on classic Italian dishes from their homeland and farm-to-desk dining. Lunch dishes spotlight basic salads and sandwiches with new mozzarella, prosciutto, arugula and other typical Italian elements. Meal is a heartier unfold of do-it-yourself pastas like cacio e pepe and vongole with clams as perfectly as meat and poultry dishes these kinds of as rooster marsala and veal saltimbocca. Modern restaurantgoers have raved that the eggplant parmigiana was as good as something they experimented with in Sicily and that eating right here feels like you might be in the owner’s household – the environment is that convivial and welcoming.
Selva Grill

(Courtesy of Selva Grill)
Positioned in downtown Sarasota – with a different location in College Town Centre – this popular Sarasota seafood restaurant is recognised for its scrumptious ceviches and clever cocktails. Latest diners have raved about the menu’s Latin fusion and Peruvian fare two top rated starters are the empanadas and the crab cake. For landlubbers, the skirt steak and quick rib spring rolls are among the meatier favorites for an entree. Really don’t skip the ceviche choices – especially the Selva Wild Ceviche – for a regular Peruvian seafood dish designed with uncooked fish.
Owen’s Fish Camp
Refreshing fish from the Gulf waters lapping at Sarasota’s doorstep star at this diner-favored seafood restaurant with strong Southern aptitude. The latest guests to Owen’s Fish Camp in the heart of downtown Sarasota savored its aged Florida appeal and dwell music, as perfectly as the local, fresh new and unpretentious seafood presentations. On the menu are baskets loaded with fried oysters, shrimp or gentle-shell crab and true Southern foodstuff specials, as well, from shrimp and grits to jambalaya and cornmeal-crusted catfish. A Important lime bar or slice of bourbon pecan pie is a sweet way to end a gratifying fish camp meal.
JPAN Sushi & Grill
1 of Sarasota’s finest dining establishments for sushi and contemporary seafood and sashimi, JPAN Sushi & Grill provides a pleasant experience for tourists in lookup of great food items and support. A single of the favorite rolls among the people is the Volcano, loaded with tuna, asparagus, product cheese and avocado. Lower-carb rolls and vegetarian rolls spherical out the large sushi menu in this article. Between the sashimi and seafood solutions are ocean delights you would not find in all places, these as uni, toro, mackerel and conch. In addition to its area in the Retailers at Siesta Row shopping mall, you can also uncover JPAN at University City Heart.
El Toro Bravo
About 5 miles south of downtown Sarasota, around Gulf Gate Estates, this welcoming Mexican cafe has impressed recent tourists with authentic cuisine and heat assistance. Get a large-prime table in the bar location at El Toro Bravo or settle into a seat in the dining area, and get completely ready to consider well-known dishes like the Relleno Plate – two stuffed environmentally friendly chiles smothered in cheese – or seafood dishes like the shrimp chimichanga. Diners rave about the margaritas and sangria and contact out the taco salad as a best menu product. New Mexico-fashion enchiladas topped with crimson or eco-friendly chile sauce spherical out the tempting possibilities, tying in flavors from the Southwest in addition to the Mexican specifications.
Mariscos Azteca Mexican Seafood Restaurant
Will not let its nondescript placing – tucked into a strip mall across from the baseball stadium 2 miles north of downtown – dissuade you. Previous guests phone this place a hidden gem for great explanation: Mariscos Azteca Mexican Seafood Restaurant is worth trying to get out for the bold flavors and tasty dishes that modern diners have raved about. Attempt an agave margarita for an additional kick. The large menu involves a vary of shrimp, octopus and fish ceviches as nicely as aguachiles: a tasty dish made with uncooked shrimp or fish with red, environmentally friendly or mango habanero salsa. Though all sorts of Mexican seafood dishes are the residence specialty at Mariscos Azteca, Tex-Mex favorites locate a spot on the menu way too, which includes nachos, burritos, fajitas and the like.
Circo

(Courtesy of Circo)
This taco joint may perhaps not be recognized for regular Mexican cuisine, but the fusion flavors here delight diners nevertheless. Right near downtown Sarasota’s Rosemary District, Circo pulls in crowds to check out its artisan Tex-Mex tacos, weekend bottomless mimosa brunches, and a vibe targeted on entertaining and very good food. Guests praise the yummy and inventive tacos and the new chips and salsa, recommending the content hour specials on foods and drinks. If you like your tacos with a twist, try the buffalo rooster, edamame falafel or Mongolian beef tacos, amongst other artistic versions on the menu.
Phillippi Creek Oyster Bar
Phillippi Creek Oyster Bar sits fewer than 5 miles south of downtown Sarasota, and locals frequently call this longstanding waterfront cafe merely “the Creek.” This eatery is identified in particular for its exceptional oysters on the fifty percent shell, seafood paella and stone crab (which is in year in Florida each and every 12 months from Oct by means of April). The cafe overlooks Phillippi Creek, giving waterfront sights regardless of whether you dine inside of or alfresco. Grab just one of the picnic-fashion tables close to the water and settle in for expertly cooked seafood like the grilled swordfish and snow crab. Latest attendees relished the waterfront eating, but some felt the meals was overpriced.
Drift Kitchen & Bar
Sights of the sparkling Gulf of Mexico outside of the dunes are unbeatable at this stylish cafe inside Lido Seaside Resort, located on the barrier island of Lido Critical only a several miles from downtown Sarasota. New diners at Drift Kitchen area & Bar praise the atmosphere and Lido Beach vistas – particularly at sunset – and note fresh new seafood dishes like the cobia with lobster succotash or pan-seared grouper amid the restaurant’s highlights. Other entree solutions include own pizzas and pasta dishes. Complement your meal with a collection from the wine list and a charcuterie board appetizer.
The Outdated Salty Doggy
Head to the Town Island community to dine at just one of the Sarasota outposts of this beloved local waterfront seafood cafe you may be addressed to sparkling water sights throughout Sarasota Bay and hamburgers lauded by recent diners. The Old Salty Canine sits on stilts in excess of the bay, with pelicans and boats producing frequent passes as you dine on seafood entrees loaded with fried mahi-mahi, shrimp, or the restaurant’s signature fish and chips. Breakfast is even served below – with a entire British breakfast of bangers and baked beans or a serving of shrimp and grits between the offerings – should you want to commence your working day with sunrise sights in excess of the water. Visitors rave about the coconut shrimp as a great deal as the unbelievable views.
Daiquiri Deck

(Courtesy of Daiquiri Deck)
Ideal in close proximity to downtown Sarasota, the St. Armands Circle location of this Florida Gulf Coast chain beckons families and pal groups with its frozen beverages and delicious food. The Daiquiri Deck is the location to be if you want to love some men and women-watching with your meal. Get a seat on the split-amount outdoor patio to watch the passersby as you dine on a flavorful shrimp corn chowder, mahi-mahi wrap or gator bites, amongst other menu favorites that new guests have loved. Calamari, nachos, salads and construct-your-have-sandwich options also spherical out the menu. The Daiquiri Deck runs a day-to-day delighted hour unique with frozen daiquiris whipped up in flavors that selection from watermelon and mango to electric lemonade. A couple of nonalcoholic daiquiris and other mocktail selections are available as effectively. When the weather exterior is wonderful, you can expect to locate it notably tough to depart. Tourists enjoy the enjoyment environment and crowd-satisfying drinks at this spot.
Blue Dolphin Cafe
Located in St. Armand’s Circle – with another place on Longboat Crucial – this popular breakfast and lunch location boasts plenty of egg dishes, waffles, burgers, sandwiches and additional. Visitors laud the generous portion measurements and take pleasure in the cozy diner ambiance of Blue Dolphin Cafe. The St. Armands Circle place, closest to downtown Sarasota, stays open for dinner on Fridays among December and April, when the city’s social and snowbird year is in comprehensive swing.
Columbia Restaurant
Florida’s unique Columbia Cafe was recognized in 1905 and sits roughly 60 miles north in Tampa the good news is its Sarasota location presents just as great an experience in St. Armands Circle with delicious Cuban and Spanish food crafted from household recipes. You can arrive as relaxed or dressed up as you prefer to the restaurant’s venerable dining area for lunch or dinner. Diners in this article appreciate the tasty food stuff and casual surroundings. Start your food with appetizers and fruity drinks – like the house sangria – then fill the table with a meal of more Spanish tapas to share (consider: empanadas, black bean cakes, baked scallops and far more) or go all in on an entree, with choices ranging from paella to different seafood and steak dishes. Salad fans shouldn’t skip the home favorite, the 1905 Salad, with Columbia Restaurant’s signature garlic dressing.