Best Restaurants for Groups in Siesta Key

We went for Christmas dinner. The service was spot on and the food was great. Many places have issues on a holiday with either service or a special menu that is disappointing, but NOT Café Gabbiano. We have had several holiday dinners there and they have all been superb. Hats off to a wonderful restaurant.

If you want authentic Spanish/Cuban food, Columbia is the place to go in Sarasota. We tried a number of things from the menu, chopped tomatoes, Cuban black bean soup (vegan), stuffed shrimp, key lime pie, and white chocolate bread pudding. These items, along with the crispy bread and an Andulusian Gimlet with fresh strawberries were fantastic. Our waitress has quite friendly and extremely prompt, which added to the overall experience. We will definitely be visiting again and hoping to have a cozy table inside. We were seated on the sidewalk (which was the only availability when we made our reservation), and the constant parade of cars, people, and dogs often distracted us from the wonderful meal before us. Note to self: reserve early, this restaurant is extremely popular!

We’re always happy and well fed when we eat at 1592

I have lunch at Connor’s at least once a month. I view it as a combination of excellent food and reasonable prices. I’m particularly fond of their half price happy hour. It’s pretty easy to have a delicious meal and a beer for $20. That’s hard to find these days. Today our server was Frank and he couldn’t have been more attentive. He let us take our time before before ordering, checked if we needed anything during the meal and then wrapped up leftovers for us. If you haven’t gone already, treat yourself to lunch at Connor’s and I think you’ll be happy.

Sage is probably the most beautiful restaurant in Sarasota or its environs, and the professionalism of the staff is the highest level we have seen in the area. Unlike most joints which stop serving by 9:00 PM, Sage serves dinner until 10:00 PM on weekdays and 11:00 PM on Friday and Saturday, with last reservation at 9:30. We walked there in 4 minutes from seeing the Ballet at the Sarasota Opera House, and I called ahead to say the performance was delayed (it was an actual world premiere). Bless them, they kept the kitchen open just for us, the last diners, and we had the best after-theatre experience since we've lived in Florida, like the old days when we lived on the Upper West Side and went to Lincoln Center.