@paksat
@BloodEunsOrangeAndGreen
@stoopid311
I'll post this for everyone who will be visiting and wants to visit SRQ:
Downtown has AMAZING food and it’s mostly al local chefs and owners:
Food:
Owens fish Camp -- Small so expect a wait, but the "backyard" is an experience and really good food
Selva Grille -- Peruvian one of the best restaurants SRQ has to offer
Classico -- Redone during the pandemic and they did a good job. Good food and good drinks
Duvalls -- Seafood
Patrick’s -- Bar food, but they have great burgers
me Cali -- Viet Pho
BOCA -- Chain from TPA, but trendy little place with good food and drinks
O'Bricks -- BBQ joint down town
MADE -- Great Sunday Brunch
Entertainment/Bars:
Art Ovation Rooftop Bar "Perspective"
Any Bar along Main street -- Evies, Smoking Joes, a place righ next to Smoking Joes..
Gator Club -- older crowd, 80s band and i think they still do hip hop upstairs
Classico once you hit 10pm i think still gathers a crowd
Jewfish Key on a boat or be on a boat in general
Gulf Gate area has dive bars
Go downtown and restaurant hop until you find a place you like that's hoppin
close to Siesta Key...The gulf gate area is by South Bridge or Stickney point/Clark road. The Hillview area is closer to the North Bridge or Siesta drive. Both have very good food options. Hillview is more upscale and gulf gate is more dive but both offer options.
Gulf Gate Food and Bars:
Brine -- new place, upscale for Gulf Gate, but not out of this world expensive. You'll get the joke once you see Gulf Gate
Screaming Goat -- Craft Tacos
Rico's Pizza -- location in gulf gate and on Bay Road. Good Delivery pizza
Monks -- Oyster Bar and staple of Gulf Gate
Napule's -- Technically not in Gulf Gate, but right up the road. Redone place that is Very nice. Good food, good drinks. Make reservations
Gulf Gate is the home of more than a few Dive Bars as well. You can always find a place to drink in Gulf Gate
HIllview Area:
Pacific Rim -- Sushi place, maybe best sushi in SRQ. Good Vibe and drinks
Veronica's -- Monks is a Dive Oyster bar, Veronica's is an upscale Oyster Bar. Whole fried snapper is delish and good drinks
Libby's -- American Cuisine
Knick's -- Smaller place and the service is not great and borderline good. However their food is pretty good. Great salad and deserts are ballin
Origin Pizza -- GREAT PIZZA. Wings are pretty good too for being oven baked and craft beer
There are a few other spokes in Hillview like Geckos is a bar and there are a couple of places next to it that i have heard good things. Just haven't been.
The Yummy House -- Across the street from Hillview, but has some of the best Chinese food out there. If you're going to eat in and want Chinese this is your spot
Shakespeares -- Corner of Osprey and Siesta Drive (coming off the North Bridge back to SRQ) Some of the best burgers you will have. English pub with good beer selection
In between the gulf gate and Hillview area you will place a few local staples:
Alpine Steakhouse -- best meat in town and most restaurants by there meat from Alpine because it’s really a butcher shop at heart
walts Fish Market -- Family run fish market (5 Generations i think), tiki bar and restaurant
Darwin’s -- Peruvian Cuisine and Amazing local chef who started Selva Grille mentioned above
Da Ru Ma -- Hibachi style
Siesta Key
Summer House -- Expensive AF, but nice place with great food
Cafe Gabiano -- italian
The Pub -- Bar food
Daquari Deck -- overprice, sugar drinks, but a local staple (2 locations on the Key)
Siesta Key Oyster Bar -- Local Dive
Gilligans -- Local Dive
Beach Club -- This will be a party on Saturday night....at least i think haha
St Armands Circle:
Shore -- Great fried chicken and the place with the most energy on St Armands
Speaks Clam Bar -- Lobster Bisque "extra lobster" is the way to go
Cafe L'europe -- Italian place. Great French Onion Soup
Cha Cha Coconuts - Little dive on St Armands
Columbia -- SRQ favotire people rave about. Not my jam, but lots of people like it
Cheap entertainment
Lazy Parrot -- Like Music place @Beneva and Webber intersection. This is also close to the Amish section of town where you will find Yoders as
@CarolCityHigh mentioned
O'Leary's -- City Island or Marina Jacks location. Tiki bar with a park next to it with some great water/sunset views. Live music
Walk the beaches at sunset -- Siesta/Lido
Mote Marine -- kind of a run down aquirium that is being redone as someone mentioned above, but it's always been one of the world's leading sea research places. Cool for the kids and cheap
Jungle Gardens -- Again fun little cheap entertainment place for the kids
Ringling Museum -- A little more expensive, but i think you can get on the "Grounds" without paying for the art museum piece. Amazing views of sarasota Bay and great afternoon activity
Selby Gardens -- Again a little more expensive, but great gardens area on the water
RENT A BOAT -- CBs, Siesta Key Marina, Waves boat club at Phillipi Harbor, Hidden Harbor marina or anywhere else. SRQ is on a lot of water so boating is fun around here. STAY IN THE CHANNELS or follow other boats. The water gets shallow quick. Also if you go South in the channel you'll come to Pops and Blackburn point tiki bar. Fun times, but most boaters go North to S. Lido or Jewfish Island (Huge Party Sandbar)
I know this is a lot, but SRQ is a place that has a lot to offer