Best Seasonal Restaurants in Lake Sarasota

Wonderful food and experience! The service here is amazing!

We were seated right on time at our reservation. We were greeted warmly by our server Joanie and she gave us time to look at the menu after telling us about the specials for the evening. The ambience was very nice people dressed up a bit more due to the Christmas holidays. The noise level was low to medium, which allowed for a good conversation. I had the special for the night for the Casio de Pepe and a good glass of quilted Cabernet. I’ve been there before and they’re happy hours are awesome as well. We’ll be back !!!

We dined at Coopers Hawk Winery & Restaurant for my birthday celebration. Our Waitress, Paula, was very helpful, since it was our first time at Coopers Hawk, with choosing our wine, dinner and surprised us with a delightful birthday truffle dessert. We had the steak medallion lunch and it was tender, cooked to our request and delicious. We will be back to Coopers Hawk.

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.

The food will not disappoint and the staff is very attentive. This restaurant has a great menu of items to select from and my personal favorite is the plank salmon. The space, when busy, does make it difficult to hear the people you are sitting with at times, especially when sitting in the middle of the room, so booths and tables in the perimeter are suggested! Overall, they do a great job and it is worth checking out if you have not done so.