FLORIDA
From Waterfront Shacks to White Tablecloths: Sarasota’s 17 Essential Restaurants
By Eric Barton | Sept. 21, 2025
Kojo
AUTHOR BIO: Eric Barton is editor of The Adventurist and a freelance journalist who has reviewed restaurants for more than two decades. Email him here.
I lived in Sarasota for years, back when I was at the Herald-Tribune and owned a tiny clapboard house off Bee Ridge Road. It was where I first figured out that the city’s dining scene runs on extremes: downtown rooms that feel like they belong in Manhattan, and waterfront grills where the grouper sandwich is the only thing you need.
The best restaurants in Sarasota today still carry that mix of polish and salt air. This is a city where your favorite meal might be Friday night fine dining or hearing the ocean lapping up to the sand nearby. In the list below, we cover all of my favorite Sarasota restaurants, from the fish shacks to the downtown gems putting out Michelin-quality dishes.
Café on St. Armands
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For half a century, Café on St. Armands (formerly Café L'Europe) has been the grande dame of St. Armands Circle, offering a dining experience that feels both timeless and timely. Established in 1973 by Titus Letschert and Norbert Goldner, the restaurant occupies a building originally intended as John Ringling's real estate office, adding a touch of historical flair to your meal. Chef Will Parard’s menu expanded after a rebranding and now takes inspiration from places like Spain, Greece, Italy, North Africa and the Middle East.
Best for: Eclectic flavors with classic St. Armands Circle vibes
Drunken Poet Café
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It’s been downtown since 2009, a mainstay that doesn’t get enough credit for being consistently good. The vibe is a little chaotic—books stacked against the walls, dim lighting that makes everything feel a little more interesting than it is—but the food is the reason to come. Aporni "Oy" Punyhotra’s Thai curries that actually bring heat, sushi that’s well above average, and a kitchen that isn’t afraid of spice. The Drunken Poet roll, a messy, delicious mix of tempura shrimp and spicy tuna, is a safe bet.
Best for: Sushi, Thai, and a quirky artsy setting
Element
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For a more swanky Sarasota night, Element is where Michelin-quality experience from chef Nils Tarantik meets wood-fired steaks and pasta so good it will make you rethink all your carb decisions. This is Sarasota’s power-dining scene, but without neckties.
Best for: Steaks, seafood, and sleek nights out
Indigenous
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Chef Steve Phelps, a James Beard semifinalist, takes sustainable seafood to another level at Indigenous. The menu changes based on what’s fresh, and the focus is on local ingredients, making this a Florida-forward dining experience you can feel good about—ethically and gastronomically.
Best for: Local, sustainable, chef-driven plates
Jack Dusty
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Jack Dusty is the kind of place where you can order oysters and a cocktail and feel like you’ve successfully dodged real life for a night. Chef Joe Bennett keeps the food tight — seafood that leans refined without losing its edge — while the bar mixes drinks you’ll want two of before you even glance at the menu. It just happens to sit inside the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota, which means the service is as polished as the silverware, though the vibe stays more easygoing than uptight.
Best for: Ritz-side seafood and cocktails on the water
Jpan Sushi & Grill
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For years, Sarasota’s sushi scene felt like an afterthought. Jpan, now with two locations, changed that. The fish is fresh, the rolls are inventive without being ridiculous, and Daniel Dokko’s kitchen goes beyond sushi with dishes like sizzling teriyaki and seared scallops. It’s casual but polished, the kind of place where you might end up ordering way more than you meant to.
Best for: Creative sushi in a modern, casual spot
Kojo
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Ramen meets Southern comfort at Kojo, a Japanese-inspired restaurant that’s anything but conventional. Chef Brian Mottola’s wood-fired ramen and pork belly buns are the mainstays, and a cool vibe make this the spot for anyone who wants a global twist in a place where flip-flops are still acceptable.
Best for: Stylish Japanese fusion with global flair
La Brisa Tacos y Mariscos
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The best taco joints tend to be the ones that put most of their energy into the food, and La Brisa nails that formula. It’s a no-frills kind of place, just solid tacos, fresh seafood, and a cucumber-and-cactus salad that somehow tastes like the beach in a bowl. The ceviche, served with homemade tortilla chips, is bright and refreshing, a perfect bite on a hot Sarasota afternoon.
Best for: Fresh coastal tacos in a relaxed space
Lila
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Downtown Sarasota finally has a vegetarian-friendly restaurant that doesn’t feel like a compromise. Lila serves dishes so fresh and well-prepared you won’t notice that half the menu doesn’t involve meat. The house-made fettuccine with cauliflower is a favorite, but the real star is the grilled Brussels sprouts—charred, smoky, and tossed in something vaguely addictive. It’s a casual spot, bright and airy, where the servers can actually tell you where your vegetables were grown.
Best for: Plant-focused dishes in a casual setting
Mediterraneo
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One of the few places in town where you can get a proper Neapolitan pizza, Mediterraneo does Italian food without the shortcuts. Fresh seafood, house-made pastas, and a few stellar meat dishes round out a menu that feels effortless but refined. Their thin-crust pizzas, crisped to perfection, are worth the trip alone.
Best for: Classic Italian pastas and thin-crust pizza
New Pass Grill
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You go to New Pass Grill & Bait Shop to soak up old Florida. You go for the burgers and fish sandwiches and crispy fries, served on paper plates and best eaten out back on salty tables that overlook in the water. You go for a rare spot with no pretense, just simple food served on paper plates with a view of the water.
Best for: Burgers and fish sandwiches by the water
Owen’s Fish Camp
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Hidden behind some serious banyan trees, Owen’s Fish Camp gives you upscale seafood with Southern charm. There are porch swings, fried green tomatoes, and a whole lot of folks pretending they’re at a family reunion with a Michelin-star chef. It’s casual, but in the kind of way that feels deliberate.
Best for: Southern seafood in a funky cottage
Peachey’s Baking Co.
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Peachey’s used to be the kind of place you had to chase down in parking lots and markets, but now the Amish sourdough doughnut king finally has a permanent address at The Landings. The move indoors hasn’t slowed them down — the doughnuts are still the size of your head, pillowy and glazed like they’ve been lacquered by a perfectionist. It’s the rare case where Sarasota’s most hyped sweet actually lives up to it.
Best for: Oversized Amish sourdough doughnuts in a permanent home
Selva Grill
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If there’s one restaurant in Sarasota that could pass for South Beach, it’s Selva. Neon lighting, a lively crowd, and a menu from Peruvian chef Ysacc Sanchez that leans heavily on Peruvian flavors make it stand out. The ceviches here are the main attraction, bright with citrus and just the right amount of heat. Pair them with a well-made mojito, and you’re set.
Best for: Peruvian ceviche and bold cocktails
State Street
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State Street Eating House + Cocktails is the kind of place that proves downtown Sarasota can feel both stylish and unfussy. Chef Michelle Wolforth builds a menu around comfort food done with intention — braised short ribs that melt apart, a burger stacked just right, plates that are familiar but sharpened. The cocktail list more than keeps pace, giving the room its hum and making it a spot that works just as well for a weeknight dinner as it does for a night out.
Best for: Modern comfort food and strong drinks
Sun Garden Café
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Mornings in Sarasota should start here, ideally with a plate of their sweet potato pancakes. Tucked away on Siesta Key, Sun Garden Café is a breakfast and brunch institution, the kind of place where people linger over strong coffee and impossibly fluffy omelets. The menu leans healthy, but not in an obnoxious way—there are plenty of indulgent options if that’s what you’re after.
Best for: Breezy Siesta Key breakfasts and brunch
Tide Tables
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Perched right on the Intracoastal in Cortez, Tide Tables is the kind of place you find once and then start planning your entire day around. The fish tacos and smoked grouper are the main draw, and the setting—a weathered tiki bar with boats bobbing nearby—is just about perfect. Get a cold beer, order whatever’s freshest, and linger until the sun starts setting.
Best for: Dockside Gulf seafood and sunset views
