Dining guide: The complete rundown on eating your way up and down Siesta Key
May 15th, 2009 by Brian Ries in Food and Drink, Sarasota-Manatee
Siesta Key is Sarasota’s casual answer to the high-end resort stylings of Lido Key. Here you’ll find places that cater to the casual beach-goer more than the ritzy tourist, which makes it a great place for visitors and townies to mingle. But, if you want something more refined, Siesta can provide that, too. Here’s a comprehensive list of all the dining spots on the favored island of Sarasota locals.
ANNA’S DELI 217 Avenida Madera, Siesta Key, 349-7790 or surfersandwich.com
Anna’s is Siesta Village’s long-standing spot for hefty sandwiches, recently relocated down Avenida Madera across from Sun Garden Café.
BELLA ROMA 5239 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, 349-0995 or bellaromaitalianrestaurant.com
You’ll find traditional Italian cuisine, with an exceptional array of pasta and risotto, at this small Village restaurant.
BIG OLAF 5208 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, 349-9392
For decades, this shop has provided cold treats to overheated locals and tourists, usually decadent ice cream piled into Olaf’s trademark waffle cones.
BLASÉ CAFÉ 5263 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, 349-9822 or theblasecafe.com
This funky spot serves an array of interesting appetizers focused on seaside seafood, along with standard modern American fine dining entrées.
BLUE SMOKE ISLAND GRILL 149 Avenida Messina, Siesta Key, 346-0738 or blusmokeislandgrill.com
This restaurant — in the former space of Maximo’s just off the main drag in Siesta Village — features traditional barbecue mixed with interesting open-fire grilling, along with a variety of sides.
BROKEN EGG 1140 Avenida Messina, Siesta Key, 346-2750 or thebrokenegg.com
Although it suffered a setback two years ago when it lost its lease, Broken Egg easily recovered its devoted breakfast and lunch fanbase in a new spot a block away, complete with outdoor dining converted from a few parking spaces.
CAFÉ CONTINENTAL PATISSERIE 5221 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, 346-3171
Fresh pastries and good coffee for anyone who wants a more casual early morning nosh in the Village.
CAFÉ GABBIANO 5104 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, 349-1423 or cafegabbiano.com
Pietro Migliaccio’s hearty, NY-influenced Italian fare has that distinctive balance of rusticity and elegance that is the hallmark of great Italian-American cuisine, the kind of elusive qualities that chains and even most independent places fail to replicate. The outdoor area is covered and elegant.
CAPTAIN CURT’S 1200 Old Stickney Point Road, Siesta Key, 349-3885 or captaincurts.com
Award-winning clam chowder, live music and big plates of steamed seafood with sides of butter highlight this casual spot near the south bridge.
CITY PIZZA 6645 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key, 349-4490
This south Siesta staple still serves amazing New York pies featuring floppy slices and incredibly gooey cheese. The dough is chewy and flavorful and the setting is perfect — sea breeze blowing, palm trees swaying.
CLAYTON’S SIESTA GRILLE 1256 Old Stickney Point Road, Siesta Key, 349-2800 or claytonssiestagrille.com
You can get three squares a day at Clayton’s — breakfast to dinner — all of it tailored to the elegant island setting that decorates this restaurant just off the south bridge to Siesta.
DAIQUIRI DECK 5250 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, 349-8697 or daiquirideck.com
It’s not all fried fish sandwiches and long rows of alcoholic slurpee machines at Daquiri Deck. Owners recently closed neighboring Speakeasy, expanded the Deck and added in an extensive raw bar menu to up the non-frozen options here.
GILLIGAN’S ISLAND BAR AND GRILL 5253 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, 346-8122 or gilligansislandbar.com
The usual lineup of bar food and boat drinks at a lively nightspot.
THE HUB BAJA GRILL 5148 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, 349-6800 or thehubsiestakey.com
A relatively new spot in the heart of Siesta Village serving vaguely Florida and Central American fare, The Hub looks like a tourist spot thanks to acres of faux island décor. Still, it’s difficult to argue with a big, open-air covered deck that sits right on the sidewalk in the center of Siesta activity.
JAVIER’S 6621 Midnight Pass Blvd., Siesta Key, 349-1792 or javiersrestaurant.com
Before the Peruvian invasion came to Sarasota in the form of Selva Grill and a handful of other restaurants, Javier’s was serving anticuchos and ceviche in a calm and elegant spot on south Siesta.
JO-TO JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE 5218 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, 346-8366 or jotosteakhouse.com
Jo-To has a humble facade in Siesta Village, but behind that door are the chop-socky shenanigans of tableside teppanyaki and the only sushi on the key.
LOBSTER POT 5157 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, 349-2323 or sarasota-lobsterpot.com
Seems strange to head out to a Florida barrier island for New England-style seafood, but the absurdly rich lobster bisque and a bucket of steamers will quickly convince you that seafood has no borders.
MERMAID’S ICE CREAM 5263 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, 346-0400
This new spot will compete with Big Olaf to provide cooling treats to Siesta visitors and natives.
MIGUEL’S 6631 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key, 349-4024 or miguelsrestaurant.net
Amidst a sea of bar food and casual spots on Siesta, Miguel’s stands out as the most refined traditional restaurant on the island. Here you’ll find Continental classics with a focus on French cuisine.
NAPOLI’S 5242 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, 345-2452
Great pies and standard casual Italian fare, with slices sold from the deck on busy nights.
OLD SALTY DOG 5023 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, 349-0158 or theoldsaltydog.com
The grouper sandwich is very good, the beer is cold and domestic, but the biggest draw for the OSD can be summed up in six words: beer-battered, deep-fried hot dog.
OPHELIA’S 9105 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key, 349-2212 or opheliasonthebay.net
Most Siesta restaurants get away with either hiding away behind a strip mall façade or amping the village’s island-party theme for atmosphere. Ophelia’s, however, fits the island better than all the rest. The high-end food is elegant and composed, but the location — mere feet away from the mangrove islands of an Intracoastal offshoot — is fabulous. Depending on the weather, and the bugs, try to reserve one of the tables placed right on the deck where you can eat to the natural music of jumping fish and buzzing cicadas.
SIESTA KEY OYSTER BAR 5238 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, 346-5443 or skob.com
SKOB is another spot that references the wood and surf theme common to village pubs, but here it feels a little more natural, in large part to a staff that’s turned it into a popular haunt for regulars. The food is standard bar and Floribbean fare.
SIESTA SMEAG’S 5263 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, 349-9494
Good pizza from a place with a name that more evokes Lord of the Rings than New York pie.
SOLORZANO BROTHERS PIZZERIA 215 Avenida Madera, Siesta Key, 349-2767
Big, New York pizza in the heart of the village, from a family that owns several Sarasota Italian spots.
SUN GARDEN CAFÉ 210 Avenida Madera, Siesta Key, 346-7170 or siestasungarden.com
Owned by former downtown Sarasota restaurateurs Suzanne and Rick Monroe, Sun Garden stands out from the rest of the village’s many breakfast spots. The sweet potato pancakes — topped with sweet almond butter — will cause cravings, and the fried baloney sandwich ain’t far behind.
TURTLES 8875 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key, 346-2207 or turtlesrestaurant.com
Way down on the southernmost section of the island, Turtles is a casual joint that serves bar items and fresh seafood across from Turtle Beach.
VILLAGE CAFÉ 5133 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, 349-2822 villagecafeonsiesta.com
Village Café is another entrant in the crowded Siesta breakfast scene, but it’s managed to hold its own for years against the other village powerhouses.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
[...] — Dining guide: The complete guide to eating Siesta Key. [...]
August 18th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
We recently did some dining in Siesta Key and were severely disappointed with one restaurant in particular. Siesta Key Oyster Bar (SKOB) was by far the worst eatery I have ever come across. The food was horrible, the service was ridiculous and the whole place just seemed dirty. We all got very sick after eating here. I got the fish & chips and my friend got the hamburger. She said that even the coke was iffy.
Another terrible place was Turtle’s. Another place that is supposed to be “casual” but is really just tacky and dirty. The food was the worst I’ve ever experienced and the service was terrible. The whole experience was depressing and caused me to wonder if there were any places worth going to on Siesta Key.
Then we found a gem. The Lobster Pot was terrific. I will certainly go back to this spot in the future.
Another great place on Siesta Key isn’t even listed on here. Bamboo Bistro is a great little spot with nice sandwiches and great frozen yogurt and yogurt smoothies. They’re at 5121 Ocean Blvd. Stop in early (before 3) for lunch or breakfast.
August 29th, 2009 at 1:19 am
[...] Here is what you need to know: [...]