1592 Wood Fired Kitchen & Cocktails

1592 Main St., Sarasota, (941) 365-2234, 1592srq.com

1592 has maintained the old El Greco space as a destination for solid Greek food. But the new owners have also expanded the menu, adding flavors from Turkey, Syria, Portugal and Italy. A great place for a lunchtime meetup, 1592 offers one of the best lunch deals in town, two generous courses for just $14.

Bar Hana

1289 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota, (941) 536-9717, barhana.com

This tiki-inspired bar and restaurant features juicy cocktails paired with pan-Asian bites with a Polynesian influence. The interior has a hip feel, with a sleek, black-tiled bar anchoring the space, contrasted by natural tones from rattan-lined walls. Try the “Scarlett Macaw” cocktail made with cachaça, apertivo, vanilla and pineapple for an instant escape to a tropical island.

BESO

30 S. Lemon Ave., Sarasota, (941) 279-2999, besosrq.com

Brought to you by the owners of State Street Eating House, BESO offers the best riff on Spanish tapas Sarasota has ever seen. And much like its sister restaurant, the nightlife vibes are impeccable. The cocktails are an unexpected delight, most made with various amari (herbal amaro liqueurs like Aperol or vermouth), which make for a unique flavor profile you can sip all night long.

The Bijou Garden Café

1287 First St., Sarasota, (941) 366-8111, bijoucafe.net

Bijou has been serving fine dining fare in the heart of downtown Sarasota’s arts district since 1986. Chef Christopher Covelli infuses French and Californian flavors into this continental menu, with standouts like butternut squash soup with truffle oil and a roasted half duck with warm cinnamon apple faro salad.

The Breakfast House

1817 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, (941) 366-6860, sarasotabreakfasthouse.com

We may be exaggerating a bit by saying that The Breakfast House has revolutionized the art of the pancake, but we do love them. A pancake here marries a lovely, tight griddled skin to a creamy interior pocked with air holes and bearing subtle toasted notes. The package is enlivened by butter and genuine maple syrup. The ’cakes taste even better when eaten as part of “Uncle Harry’s hearty breakfast,” a belly-busting sampler of most of what the House does best.

Cafe Epicure

1298 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota, (941) 366-5648, cafeepicure.com

A lovely trattoria on the corner of Main Street and Palm Avenue, Epicure offers a nice selection of unfussy pasta dishes, salads and pizzas and an excellent mix of wines by the glass. The carbonara is great, as are the chicken milanese and the oriecchiette with broccoli rabe and sausage. To start, order some bresaola or carpaccio.

Caragiulos

69 S. Palm Ave., Sarasota, (941) 951-0866, caragiulos.com

Caragiulos is the ideal neighborhood pizza-pasta place where vintage Italian movie posters are the theme. Children are encouraged to craft their own pizzas while adults nibble house-made foccacia and peruse the array of Italian-American specialties. Meatballs and spaghetti, of course, but also lovely linguine with clam sauce, lasagna and Sicilian eggplant, too.

C’est La Vie!

1553 Main St., Sarasota, (941) 906-9575; 8527 Cooper Creek Blvd., Sarasota, (941) 355-2323; cestlaviesarasota.com

For almost two decades, C’est La Vie! has delivered a cup of joie de vivre to Main Street diners in the mood for crêpes, quiches, croissants, sandwiches and salads. Just gazing at the pastry cases filled with fresh-baked French concoctions—oh, those chocolate and almond croissants!—can bring on a sugar rush. The downtown location eventually proved so popular that a pair of Parisian transplants struck a deal with the original owners to open a second location out east.

Drunken Poet

1572 Main St., Sarasota, (941) 955-8404, drunkenpoetcafesrq.com

A small bohemian-styled place with poetry scribbled on the wall, Drunken Poet serves Thai and other Asian delectables expertly prepared in a small kitchen. This is also a good place for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes. The sophisticated dishes include Thai crispy duck, lamb shank in tamarind-scented curry, preserved duck eggs, stir-fry creations and tempura dinners.

Duval’s

1435 Main St., Sarasota, (941) 312-4001, duvalsfreshlocalseafood.com

If you spend any time at all downtown, you can’t miss the Duval’s shuttle—an aquamarine van that circles the area, conveying passengers for free to one of the city’s best seafood outposts. Duval’s chef Nils Tarantik rotates his selection of fresh fish throughout the year, meaning you can go each month and still not taste the same filet twice, and he’s just as adept with shellfish. The restaurant’s lunchtime po’ boys, stuffed with fried shrimp or oysters, are fantastic.

Indigenous

239 S. Links Ave., Sarasota, (941) 706-4740, indigenoussarasota.com

We’re running out of adjectives to describe chef Steve Phelps’ Towles Court cottage, where the tiny kitchen continues to deliver one-of-a-kind plates with an emphasis on sustainability. Phelps has a magical touch with Gulf fish, and whatever the seafood special on the menu is, we recommend it. But Indigenous isn’t just a special occasion spot. The restaurant’s rotating fish sandwich specials offer one of the best dining deals in town.

Jack Dusty

Inside The Ritz-Carlton, 1111 Ritz-Carlton Drive, Sarasota, (941) 309-2266, ritzcarlton.com

Hotel restaurants are a tough go. You have to please travelers from morning to night, while also plating up food that’s unique and delicious enough to reel in locals. Jack Dusty does it all. Start with extensive raw seafood options, a well-curated pick of meats and seafood entrées that change regularly, then throw in blissful water views and topnotch cocktails. That’s a winning formula.

Lila

1576 Main St., Sarasota, (941) 296-1042, lilasrq.com

More than any other restaurant in recent years, Lila has changed the face of Sarasota dining. While the city had been home to a handful of vegetarian, vegan and even raw restaurants before the restaurant opened in 2016, it was Lila that pushed vegetables to the forefront of Sarasota menus. The restaurant’s zingy Burmese bowl will leave you slurping up the dregs of its curry-coconut broth, while the macro bowl’s tahini-turmeric dressing should come by the barrel. Lila proved that Sarasota was finally ready to embrace meat-free cuisine.

Made

1990 Main St., #112, Sarasota, (941) 953-2900, maderestaurant.com

The name Made is an acronym for “Modern American Delicious Eats,” a perfect encapsulation of chef Mark Woodruff’s mission, which is to present soulful comfort food with lux flourishes. His menu is a blend of high and low, containing everything from street food like grilled corn dogs and Nashville hot chicken to fancier fare like scallops seared in a cast-iron skillet or house-cured salmon. It’s all fantastic.

Mattison's City Grille

1 N. Lemon Ave., Sarasota, (941) 330-0440, mattisons.com

Chef Paul Mattison’s award-winning menu includes fresh seafood, aged beef, duck, tapas, creative cocktails and first-rate wines and brews. Dine al fresco on the corner of Main Street and Lemon Avenue, where there's also live music at night.

Mediterraneo

1970 Main St., Sarasota, (941) 365-4122, mediterraneorest.com

Mediterraneo has a loyal following of discriminating diners. The menu is contemporary northern Italian, and you can expect a fine wine list and a relaxed pacing to your meal. Impress your in-laws or take a client who knows good food and you’ll seal the deal over a stellar bottle of red wine and a plump veal chop.

Owen’s Fish Camp

516 Burns Court, Sarasota, (941) 951-6936, owensfishcamp.com

A joy to visit, Owen’s prepares some of the area’s best seafood and serves it in a rowdy Old Florida shack where the boisterous conversation is soundtracked by twangy folk standards from a live band in the back yard. We love whatever’s fresh on the “Naked Fish” menu dressed with either the brown butter Hollandaise or lemon-caper butter. A meal isn’t complete without a side of the restaurant’s perfect collard greens, and the succotash is a home run. Don’t miss the chance to snap a pic on the tire swing out back.

Palm Avenue Deli

1297 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota, (941) 263-3742, palmavenuedeli.com

Yet another hit from the owners of Kojo and Speaks Clam Bar, Palm Avenue Deli (pictured at top) marries classic Jewish deli food with a ’50s diner feel. Stop in for breakfast and order a bagel with whitefish salad or a good old-fashioned schmear. For lunch, try the Rueben sandwich, made with housemade corned beef, sliced thin and piled high.

Il Panificio

1703 Main St., Sarasota, (941) 366-5570, panificiousa.com

What puts Il Panificio head and shoulders above Sarasota’s rich and varied collection of crust-creating cafés? For one thing, the plethora of specialty slices, which allows pizza pursuers to cobble together custom lunches that can include everything from the breakfast pizza with egg and bacon to more traditional options like pepperoni and sausage. Panificio’s crackling crust, with a flavor like toasted cereal and a texture like a cat’s tongue, underpins all that variety, and it’s always on point.

Kojo

1289 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota, (941) 536-9717, eatkojo.com

From Palm Avenue’s ubiquitous Hi Hospitality Group comes Kojo, which serves upscale Asian fusion cuisine. The sleek dining room gives way to an open kitchen, where cooks remain as cool as the cucumbers they include in the sushi rolls. The tender bao selections are a unique interpretation of the Chinese street food, with options like crispy rock shrimp and barbecue mushrooms. An udon noodle carbonara, meanwhile, riffs on the Italian classic with east Asian ingredients. Save room for dessert—specifically the passion fruit panna cotta. 

Pho Cali

1578 Main St., Sarasota, (941) 955-2683, phocalisarasota.com

Consistency is a must at every great restaurant, but Pho Cali must be the most consistently consistent restaurant in Sarasota. No matter how many times you order your favorite dish, the talented cooks will prepare it correctly every single time. We love the pho. The broth contains a riot of spices, while the fresh flavorings—bean sprouts, basil, lime juice and sliced jalapeños—are bright and herbal. We like to order our soup with all the trimmings (that means three cuts of beef, tendons and tripe), but whatever proteins you choose, rest assured that it will come out just like it did the last time.

Project

538 S. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota; 1419 Fifth St., Sarasota; 5055 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, Sarasota; projectcoffee.us

Known by locals as the place for a coffee date, Project —which serves all vegan food—is so much more than roasted beans and oat milk lattes. In fact, the menu is so robust that you might wonder if the plant-based qualifier is a joke. When visiting one of its two locations, keep the vibe in mind. Burns Court is the spot for a filling breakfast, while the Rosemary District hypes up lunch in a thoughtful and purposeful way. The newest location on Siesta Key, meanwhile, focuses on bowls, smoothies and pastries.

Sage

1216 First St., Sarasota, (941) 445-5660, sagesrq.com

You’ll drop ducats at Sage, where a romantic dinner for two recently cost us $250, but you won’t have any complaints about the food. The menu changes often, but we licked our fingers after polishing off executive chef Christopher Covelli’s lamb—a thick double chop marinated in Indian spices—and a Thai bouillabaisse with an intense red curry base. Even the Caesar salad was impeccable, peppery and assertive. Be sure to make a reservation, and arrive early for a cocktail on the roof, one of the best places to spend a sunset in Sarasota.

Selva

1345 Main St., Sarasota, (941) 362-4427, selvagrill.com

With its extensive ceviche menu and cavalcade of small plates meant for splitting with friends, Selva helped kick off Sarasota’s mania for Peruvian food early in the century, and the restaurant is still going strong. It boasts one of the area’s coolest environments: a dim dining room pulsing with colorful lights and a lush lounge with one of the best happy hour menus in town. The restaurant is also a rarity in that it offers a late-night menu, stuffed with satisfying bites like ceviche and a juicy skirt steak.

Siegfried’s Restaurant

1869 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, (941) 330-9330, siegfrieds-restaurant.com

Siegfried’s includes two separate areas: an indoor sit-down dining room in a historic cottage and a beer garden with long picnic tables and a food trailer out back. Don’t miss the pretzels, as big as a hubcap and served with an addictive spicy mustard that comes from the Rhineland hometown of owners René and Kim Zimmermann.

State Street Eating House + Cocktails

1533 State St., Sarasota, (941) 951-1533, statestreetsrq.com

We already loved State Street, home to one of the city’s best bars, but when the eatery added ramen to its menu, we fell head over heels all over again. Not in the mood for noodles? The restaurant also makes one of the city’s best burgers and some terrific salads.

Turmeric

1001 Cocoanut Ave., Sarasota, (941) 212-2622, turmericsarasota.com

Located on the corner 10th Street and Cocoanut Avenue, Turmeric revitalizes the Indian food scene in Sarasota. Warm aromatic spices permeate the dining room with hints of cinnamon, clove and cardamom hanging in the air as dishes pass through. Start your meal with a mocktail from the restaurant’s extensive list or grab something with higher octane if you’re in the mood for a little more fun. We love the sham savera for dinner, made with paneer (house-made cheese) dumplings in a warm tomato sauce.

Tzeva

Inside Art Ovation Hotel, 1255 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota, (941) 413-7425, tzevasarasota.com

The success of a hotel restaurant hinges on exceptional food. Chef Ken Shiro Lumpkin provides just that, with dishes inspired by the Mediterranean and Middle East. The lamb shashlik (kebab) is a must-order: Tender lamb bites are skewered and served over a bed of fragrant, sweet and savory rice. To make things even better, Tzeva offers happy hour from 5  to 7 p.m. daily, with all small plates that cost $10.