Ophelia's Restaurant
9105 Midnight Pass Rd
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.
opheliasonthebay.net
Turtles Restaurant On Little
8875 Midnight Pass Rd
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.
turtlesrestaurant.com
Lobster Pot Restaurant
5157 Ocean Blvd
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.
sarasota-lobsterpot.com
Siesta Key Oyster Bar
5238 Ocean Blvd
SKOB is another spot that references the wood and surf theme common to Siesta 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.
skob.com
Broken Egg
140 Avenida Messina
Broken Egg caters to its devoted fanbase in the heart of Siesta Village, complete with cute outdoor dining carved on a deck that juts out into its parking lot.
thebrokenegg.com
Bella Roma Italian Restaurant
5239 Ocean Blvd
You’ll find traditional Italian cuisine, with an exceptional array of pasta and risotto, at this small Siesta Village restaurant.
bellaromaitalianrestaurant.com
Old Salty Dog
5023 Ocean Blvd
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.
theoldsaltydog.com
Daiquiri Deck Siesta Key
5250 Ocean Blvd
It’s not all fried fish sandwiches and long rows of alcoholic slurpee machines at Daquiri Deck. Owners expanded the Deck a couple years back and added in an extensive raw bar menu to up the non-frozen options.
daiquirideck.com
Clayton's Siesta Grille
1256 Old Stickney Point Rd
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.
mattisons.com
Miguel's
6631 Midnight Pass Rd
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.
miguelsrestaurant.net
*Sun Garden Cafe
210 Avenida Madera
siestasungarden.com
Click here for discount gift certificates
Village Cafe
5133 Ocean Blvd
villagecafeonsiesta.com
Anna's Delicatessen & Sandwich
140 Avenida Messina
Anna’s is Siesta Village’s long-standing spot for hefty sandwiches.
surfersandwich.com
Lelu Coffee Lounge
5251 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key
lelucoffee.com
Lelu is a full service spot, with everything from breakfast sandwiches and a cup o’ joe to caffeinated martinis and blue cheese sliders.
Napoli's
5242 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key
345-2452
Great pies and standard casual Italian fare, with slices sold from the outdoor courtyard on busy nights.
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.
Sun Garden Cafe'
210 Avenida Madera, Siesta Key
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.
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Joto Siesta Key Japanese Restaurant
5218 Ocean Blvd
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.
jotosteakhouse.com
Javier's
6621 Midnight Pass Rd
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.
javiersrestaurant.com
Cafe Gabbiano Restaurant
5104 Ocean Blvd
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.
cafegabbiano.com
Captain Curt's Crab & Oyster
1200 Old Stickney Point Rd
Award-winning clam chowder, live music and big plates of steamed seafood with sides of butter highlight this casual spot near Siesta’s south bridge.
captaincurts.com
Blase Cafe
5263 Ocean Blvd # 9
This funky spot serves an array of interesting appetizers focused on seaside seafood, along with standard modern American fine dining entrées.
theblasecafe.com
Turtle Beach Pub Restaurant
8865 Midnight Pass Rd
restaurantsinsarasota.com
Gilligan's Island Bar & Grill
5253 Ocean Blvd
The usual lineup of bar food and boat drinks at a lively nightspot.
gilligansislandbar.com
Hub Baja Grill
5148 Ocean Blvd
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.
thehubsiestakey.com
Cafe Continental
5221 Ocean Blvd # 6
Fresh pastries and good coffee for anyone who wants a more casual early morning nosh in the Village.
(941) 346-3171
*Solorzano Brothers Pizzeria
215 Avenida Madera
(941) 349-2767 - Click here for discount gift certificates
Summerhouse Restaurant
6101 Midnight Pass Rd
(941) 349-1100
Maximo's Restaurant And Wine Bar
149 Avenida Messina
(941) 346-7865
Beach Club
5151 Ocean Blvd
beachclubsiestakey.com
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.
Blu Smoke Island Grill
149 Avenida Messina, Siesta Key
blusmokeislandgrill.com
This restaurant features traditional barbecue mixed with interesting open-fire grilling, along with a variety of sides.
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.
Pita Shack
5214 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key
thepitashacksk.com
Meat, veggies and cheese stuffed into warm pita makes Pita Shack a favorite Siesta Village spot for quick and casual sustenance.
Solorzano Brothers Pizzeria
215 Avenida Madera, Siesta Key
solorzanobrospizzeria.com
Big, New York pizza in the heart of the village, from a family that owns several Sarasota Italian spots.
Village Cafe
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. |
