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Sarasota, Florida, is known as “Circus City” for its connections to the Ringling Brothers Circus. The city is also famous for its incredible modern art displays. Sarasota is a metropolis situated South of Tampa, Florida, and it is the gateway to miles of beautiful beaches like Lido Beach and Siesta Key Beach.
Sarasota restaurants have embraced a regional culinary tradition of excellence. Residents and visitors alike can find various types of cuisines across the city. From a perfectly cooked steak to homemade pasta dishes, eateries in Sarasota have raised the bar on excellent dining experiences.
The 14 Best Restaurants in Sarasota
For visitors traveling to Sarasota, finding local, delicious, and fun restaurants to try with family and friends is an essential component of a successful trip.
Below are the fourteen best restaurants in Sarasota, Florida, from seafood dishes to Italian meals to cheeseburgers in paradise.
Owens Fish Camp
516 Burns Ct #7030, Sarasota, FL 34236
Owens Fish Camp specializes in serving locally sourced seafood and Southern classics. The bar offers various craft beers and an extensive wine selection. The restaurant is open for dining daily, beginning at 4:00 pm. Located in the Laurel Park Community, the restaurant offers guests a comfortable space to enjoy creative seafood dishes.
The restaurant’s signature dishes include fried oysters, the crispy fish sandwich, and the chicken fried lobster tail! Other popular menu items include the oysters Rockefeller, the seared sea scallops with succotash, and the shrimp and oyster po’boy with bacon remoulade and pepper jelly.
Selva Downtown Sarasota
1345 Main St, Sarasota, FL 34236
Selva, located in Downtown Sarasota, is a 2020 OpenTable Diner’s Choice award winner. The restaurant serves authentic Latin American Cuisine with bold and contemporary plating. Selva also offers a lounge area for guests to enjoy with lively beach vibes and late-night music on the weekends. Indeed, one New York Times article said Selva is “serving possibly the best food in Sarasota.”
The restaurant is known for its outstanding ceviche, like the tropical ceviche with red chili and lime marinade. The menu is filled with creative, fusion dishes like the short rib spring roll and the lobster tostada.
Selva is known for the Selva’s Surf and Turf Special, including a Petite Filet Mignon, served with Argentinian chimichurri, a fig demi-glace, roasted red pepper polenta. The “surf” part of the dish is a Tempura Jumbo Shrimp with Huacatay aioli and a jumbo lump blue crab-stuffed zucchini.
Marcello Ristorante
4157 S Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34231
Marcello Ristorante is located near the Oyster Bay neighborhood in Sarasota. The restaurant serves traditional Italian dishes and is open for dinner between Tuesday and Saturday. Marcello Ristorante achieved TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Award in 2020 and has won Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence for two consecutive years.
Since 2013, the restaurant has been serving specially crafted dishes from locally sourced ingredients. The menu regularly shifts with the seasons, but favorites include the gulf shrimp and lobster pappardelle, the Chilean sea bass, and the beef carpaccio.
The desserts are also phenomenal with creative items like a limoncello sorbet or classic options like the tiramisu. Marcello Ristorante requires reservations which guests can make by calling the Italian restaurant.
Brick’s Smoked Meats
1528 State St, Sarasota, FL 34236
Located between Laurel Park and the Rosemary District, Brick’s Smoked Meats offers smoked, Texas-style barbecue in a hip yet casual atmosphere. The restaurant offers live music on Friday and Saturday nights and is filled with the best whiskeys and tequilas for the perfect Texas and Florida merging.
The restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner. For an incredible meal on your next vacation to Sarasota, visit Brick’s Smoked Meats. The menu offers smoked meat platters, including:
- Pulled pork
- Smoked sausage
- USDA prime brisket
- A smoked meatloaf
Add one or more side dishes to complete your meal, like pimento macaroni and cheese or collard greens, and don’t skip over the corn muffins or the fried pickles and peppers. Notably, the menu offers various vegetarian options like the crispy buffalo cauliflower tacos.
Figaro Bistro
1944 Hillview St, Sarasota, FL 34239
Figaro Bistro serves excellent French cuisine near the Sarasota Heights community. The modern European restaurant brings the casual, comfortable vibes of a French bistro to South Florida. Chef-owner David Albanese aims to create a space for visitors to try new foods in a welcoming environment. The restaurant is open between Tuesday and Saturday for dinner.
The menu includes traditional dishes like Escargots de Bourgogne, Toulouse Cassoulet, and Tournedos Rossini. The Terrine de Foie Gras de Canard served with a blueberry apple chutney is a decadent and delicious dish. The creme brulee is a perfect dessert to finish your French dining experience at Figaro Bistro.
Leaf & Lentil
2801 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34234
Leaf & Lentil is a vegan restaurant that is open between Wednesday and Sunday for lunch and dinner. Chef Michael Schoening develops meat-free dishes that will satisfy every guest. Chef Schoening attended culinary school and has created unique dishes in various locations to refine his skills in preparing vegan, gluten-free, and plant-based dishes.
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Leaf & Lentil serves dishes like a portobello Reuben, gluten-free brownies, and a New Orleans Po Boy with zucchini fritters. The lentil salad is a menu staple with green lentils, roasted baby carrots, apples, and cucumbers. The menu shifts as local and seasonal ingredients become available. The restaurant offers indoor and outdoor seating.
Reyna’s Taqueria
935 N Beneva Rd Suite 701, Sarasota, FL 34232
Reyna’s Taqueria is a family-orientated traditional Mexican restaurant. The restaurant uses recipes passed down through generations from mother Doña Reyna, and the eatery works with only the freshest ingredients. The restaurant is painted with gorgeous artwork like Yulner DÃas, who is a renowned local artist. Chef Gino Calleja is the executive chef of the taqueria and has worked across the country in popular restaurants.
The menu offers tacos, sopas, and quesadillas. The grouper tacos with avocado crema are a perfect fusion bite. Other popular menu items include the Barbacoa beef burrito, Pastor pork quesadilla, and street corn. The housemade sangria is a traditional recipe and is often ordered by visitors.
Michael’s On East
1212 S East Ave, Sarasota, FL 34239
Michael’s On East opened in 1987 and has offered a refined dining oasis to the Sarasota community since. In 2021, the restaurant received its 32nd consecutive AAA Four-Diamond Award. Visitors can make reservations for dinner between Tuesday and Saturday.
Live entertainment occurs nightly in the lounge area of Michael’s, and for private dining, Michael’s Wine Cellar can accommodate up to fifty people.
The Maine Lobster Bisque and the Filet Mignon Tartare are popular appetizers. For entrees, guests agree that the Miso-Glazed Chilean Seabass, the Wild Mushroom Risotto, and the USDA Prime Bone-In Ribeye with chimichurri sauce are delicious options. An often-ordered red wine is the 2019 Chianti Classico, Castello di Volpaia.
State Street Eating House + Cocktails
1533 State St, Sarasota, FL 34236
With a chic industrial interior, State Street Eating House + Cocktails is a modern eatery catering to guests interested in comfortable culinary expeditions.
The restaurant is open for dinner daily and weekend brunch. The bar focuses on developing and serving craft cocktails, and visitors can make reservations online. Many people visiting Sarasota agree that the restaurant was a highlight of their vacation.
Some of the most ordered dishes here include Sweet Potato Gnocchi with caramelized cauliflower steak, spinach, tomato, broccolini, and hazelnut green romesco, Blistered Shishito Peppers with shallot-mustard vinaigrette, and the Pork Ragu with house-made pappardelle, Pomodoro-based sauce, whipped ricotta, and fried rosemary.
Reef Cakes
1812 S Osprey Ave, Sarasota, FL 34239
Reef Cakes is centrally located near the Sarasota Memorial Hospital. The restaurant’s interior is decorated with brightly colored, large fish illustrations. Reef Cakes is open between Tuesday and Saturday. A Reef Cake is a local dish that is similar to a crab cake. The restaurant was opened in 2020 and is thriving as a neighborhood seafood joint!
The Bob Marley signature reef cake is made of Jamaican Jerk Grouper topped with Caribbean Salsa. The teriyaki salmon bites are a delicious appetizer. The most popular menu items include the salmon cake Banh mi, the key lime pie, and the Jamaican jerk grouper cakes. Reef Cakes is a well-loved Sarasota restaurant and an excellent option for visitors to the area!
Antoine’s Restaurant
1100 N Tuttle Ave, Sarasota, FL 34237
Antoine’s Restaurant is a fun and casual eatery mainly serving seafood dishes. The restaurant is open between Thursday and Monday. Dinner is served from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Notably, the restaurant offers daily specials like Monday Mussel Mania with all-you-can-eat mussels. Antoine’s Restaurant is near the Poinsettia Park neighborhood.
The menu includes excellent items like the Carrot Ginger Bisque, the Lobster and Salmon Lasagna, and the Chardonnay Mussels. Many guests enjoy the Steak Tartare and the Filet Mignon en Croûte. The menu is very diverse and offers something for any visitor. Try the blood orange sorbet or the sea salt caramel ice cream.
A Sprig of Thyme
1962 Hillview St, Sarasota, FL 34239
A Sprig of Thyme is open between Tuesday and Saturday from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. While the restaurant is closed to the public on Mondays, it is available for private events. The restaurant is located between the Sarasota Heights and Arlington Park neighborhoods. It is one of the best restaurants in Sarasota.
Some creative culinary dishes are listed on the restaurant’s menu. The most popular menu items include the Saltimbocca of Scallops with a trio of colossal scallops dusted with sage and wrapped with prosciutto and smoked bacon. The Sprig of Thyme Filet Mignon with green and black peppercorns.
Hamlet’s Eatery
821 Apricot Ave, Sarasota, FL 34237
Hamlet’s Eatery is nestled within The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime in a gorgeous courtyard. The restaurant is a casual eatery that offers menu items for guests of all dietary needs, from vegan to gluten-free to meat-focused.
The eatery also serves local cold brew coffee and locally crafted kombucha. Hamlet’s is open between Thursday and Saturday from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. The restaurant is actively working on expanding its open hours as the eatery continues to grow.
The brunch menu is absolutely delicious and diverse. The eggs benedict and the breakfast burrito are excellent choices, but some of the most popular menu items include the Stuffed Banana French Toast and the Midsummer Fruit Kabob. The restaurant offers daily and seasonal specials like a tofu scramble and a barbecue quesadilla with caramelized onions.
The Old Salty Dog
1601 Ken Thompson Pkwy, Sarasota, FL 34236
The Old Salty Dog is one of the oldest restaurants in Sarasota and is known for offering delicious dishes! Lunch specials are available from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, and the restaurant offers a daily happy hour.
Be sure to stop by the gift shop for Old Salty Dog shirts, mugs, and other souvenirs. The restaurant is fun for visitors to visit, view the water, and try local specialties.
The crab dip and crispy calamari are tasty appetizers. The spicy fish gumbo is an excellent starter to your meal. Try the Island Tacos with grouper, Mahi, or shrimp with pineapple slaw and Boom-Boom sauce for entrees. The Maui Wow-Wee Burger is an excellent fusion of tropical tastes with traditional American burgers. And the coconut shrimp with a sweet chili sauce is delicious.
Book Your Stay in Sarasota
Sarasota, Florida, is a great place to plan your next vacation. The city is located along beautiful sandy beaches and boasts a robust culinary scene. Siesta Key Beach is a popular tourist destination and a local favorite.
Exploring the city via Interstate 75 is a great way to see many local attractions and eat at most of the best restaurants in the city. Sarasota is a beautiful Gulf Coast metropolis that is a lovely place to live and a beautiful place to visit.
