I'm constantly obsessing over where to find the best eats, and for the past two weeks, I've been dishing out my top 20 favorite restaurants in Sarasota and Manatee counties — complete with insider tips on what to order.
To celebrate the official kickoff of summer on June 20, I curated a list of 50 favorite local restaurants, each paired with an essential item. I mostly stuck to places with a laid-back vibe because, let's face it, it's too hot to wear pants or socks, but I adored a few dishes so much that I couldn't resist including some fancier joints.
Prepare to be hungry again! It's the third installment of my totally subjective rundown of the 50 absolute best things to eat in Sarasota and Manatee counties — served as bite-sized reviews. And because digesting all this deliciousness at once might be overwhelming, I'm serving it up in digestible 10-restaurant portions.
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Hand Cut Fries at Central Cafe
906 Manatee Ave. E., Bradenton; 941-757-0050; centralcafe941.com
A charming restaurant and full-liquor bar, Central Cafe occupies a first-floor space in a handsome brick building that formerly housed a historic hotel near the popular Bradenton Riverwalk. While I'm a big fan of the restaurant's burgers, pizza, and blue cheese-laced tomato soup, Central Cafe’s essential dish is the French fries. The thin, hand-cut fries are adorned with chunks of coarse salt and offered to guests as a heaping pile of decadent deliciousness.
Lightly fried, smartly salted, and served warm with a soft center and just the right amount of crispiness, each fry is somehow more fabulously addictive than the last. Central Cafe's fries are perfect on their own, but I do enjoy them covered in the Heinz malt vinegar the restaurant provides while dipping the occasional fry into ketchup. Another great option is to dunk the fries into a bowl of the cafe's brilliant tomato soup. It’s a bit messy, but totally worth it!
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Island Hopper at 3 Keys Brewing
2505 E. Manatee Ave., Bradenton; 941-218-0396; 3keysbrewing.com
Located just east of downtown Bradenton and the popular Riverwalk, 3 Keys offers a fun indoor and covered outdoor setting to enjoy games and live music, as well as freshly brewed beers and exceptional burgers . The hand-crafted, half-pound burgers are made with two quarter-pound patties of locally sourced, free-range beef — and yes, you will taste the difference the instant you take that first perfectly charred bite.
There are eight signature burgers, and while you can't go wrong with any of them, my all-time favorite remains the Island Hopper. It features two perfectly thin, crispy-around-the-edges, juicy patties with American cheese, candied bacon, shredded lettuce, and onion, all on a buttered brioche bun given a nice coat of their house-made Thousand Island dressing. Yes, it's burger nirvana, and you'll want to enhance it with a pint of one of their hand-crafted brews.
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Italian Hero at Faicco's Italian Heros and Grill
3590 Webber St., Sarasota; 941-960-1395; faiccossarasota.com
A New York City restaurant with more than a century of history expanded to Sarasota about two years ago when Faicco's Italian Heros and Grill opened at the former Webber's Hot Dogs location, at the intersection of Beneva Road and Webber Street. Dating back to 1900 at its West Village location, Faicco's serves massive sandwiches, which could easily feed two people. These "heros" are made with large loaves of Italian bread imported from New Jersey and baked in-house.
The must-try hero is the Italian, which contains piles of freshly cut prosciutto, "ham cappy," sweet soppressata, mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, roasted peppers, olive oil, and vinegar. You can also order it spicy with hot soppressata and hot vinegar peppers for the same price of $20. In addition to Faicco's heros filled with cold cuts, they offer "hot heros" like chicken or eggplant parm, and grilled sausage heros.
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Jerk Wings at Rodney’s Jamaican Grill
420 67th St. W., Bradenton; 941-981-3214; rodneysjamaicangrillinc.com
Montego Bay's Rodney Williams is back where he belongs in West Bradenton, at the exact same spot, 420 67th St. W. (behind the McDonald's), that he left a few years ago to set up shop in Palmetto. The vibes inside the reggae-filled room are absolutely positive, with authentically awesome Jamaican cuisine (and full-liquor libations) to match.
Jerk chicken remains Rodney's essential dish. While I love his jerk chicken on nachos, in sandwiches, on pasta, and as an entrée, the jerk wings covered in "jerk sauce" are probably my all-time favorite. During a visit this past Saturday, they were perfect: crispy exterior, tender interior, teeming with the bold, spicy, and aromatic flavors that are quintessentially Jamaican, much like reggae or Red Stripe — which, of course, is the ideal beverage to enjoy with Rodney's wings.
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Key Lime Pie at Beach Bistro
6600 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach; 941-778-6444; beachbistro.com
Boasting decades of history and myriad accolades, Beach Bistro excels at fine dining with a Florida twist. Secure a table on the soft white sands of Anna Maria Island and watch the waves gently crash on the shoreline while indulging in a fabulous four-course tasting menu (or simply belly up to the bar if you're solo). It begins with a delectable mini cocktail and somehow only gets better from there.
Choose from iconic entrees such as Lobstercargots and Bistro Bouillabaisse, along with my personal favorite, the grouper grenobloise. Just be sure to save room for dessert, aka course four. While it seems every restaurant in Florida makes a Key lime pie, after about 30 years in the Sunshine State, I know a special one when I taste it — and that's exactly what you'll find at the Bistro. They elevate their smartly balanced, sweet and tart pie with marshmallows toasted tableside (or, in my case, at the bar), crème anglaise, and raspberry melba sauce, for good measure.
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Margherita Pizza at 15 South by Napulé
15 South Boulevard of the Presidents, Sarasota; 941-867-8081; 15south.net
Restaurateur Alessandro di Ferdinando, owner of Napulé, the acclaimed Italian restaurant on South Tamiami Trail in Sarasota that earned a coveted Golden Spoon award from Florida Trend magazine, has done a brilliant job of reviving 15 South on St. Armands Circle . Opened in April, the place pays homage to the original 15 South with its upstairs bar and dance floor, as well as the first-floor dining area where your eyes will gravitate to the majestic wood-burning oven.
We are fortunate to have many places in Sarasota serving wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, but my current favorite is the pie I recently had at 15 South. The thin crust with a smart char brims with flavor, competing for star billing alongside the ridiculously good San Marzano tomato sauce, creamy house-made mozzarella, garden-fresh basil, and judiciously drizzled extra-virgin olive oil.
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Mar Vista Tater Tots at Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant
760 Broadway St., Longboat Key; 941-383-2391; marvistadining.com
Featuring more than 100 years of history, Mar Vista offers guests a one-of-a-kind waterfront dining experience, especially when seated at the wrought-iron tables under the buttonwood trees overlooking Sarasota Bay. To complement the Old Florida setting and rich history, Mar Vista serves delectable Southern cuisine, including some of the finest and freshest seafood dishes you will find in Sarasota-Manatee.
Regardless of what you order for your main course, every meal at Mar Vista should really begin with their signature tater tots, which are the best tater tots you will find, perhaps anywhere. They are plump and gooey with potato, onion, and pepper jack cheese, and perfectly fine eaten solo — but even better when dipped in the accompanying chipotle honey mustard.
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Mayan at Main Bar Sandwich Shop
1944 Main St., Sarasota; 941-955-8733; themainbar.com
Established in 1958 by a couple of former circus stars, Main Bar Sandwich Shop serves more than 50 sandwiches, and I’ve spent the better part of the past two decades trying to eat every single one of them. My favorite? Probably the Mayan.
It features thinly sliced smoked turkey breast and provolone cheese served on a toasted Kaiser roll with lettuce, tomato, and onion. The key here is the jalapeno dressing. Creamy with a satisfying kick, it elevates the sandwich, and I have been known to order an extra side for dipping.
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My Uncle’s Burger at Indigenous
239 S. Links Ave., Sarasota; 941-706-4740; indigenoussarasota.com
One of the most acclaimed chefs in the region, owner Steve Phelps earned a James Beard Foundation nomination for Best Chef, South, in 2014 and 2015 , and was more recently featured on “CBS This Morning,” where he discussed his use of ingredients native to the area, as well as fish farming.
Yes, people come to Indigenous for the amazing seafood dishes that change weekly on the menu, but what Phelps does with a burger — fortunately a fixture on the menu — is ingenious. My Uncle’s Burger features two thin, perfectly seasoned beef patties from locally sourced, grass-fed cattle covered with cheddar, bacon jam, and a shot of addictive "Indigenous sauce" on a brioche. The handheld masterpiece is served with duck fat roasted potatoes and pickled veggies.
Nashville Hot Wings at Ford's Garage
295 N. Cattlemen Road, Sarasota; 941-803-3673; fordsgarageusa.com
Founded down the road in Fort Myers, headquartered up the road in Tampa, and with a Sarasota-Bradenton location at University Town Center, Ford's Garage is best known for its dazzling build-out, delicious burgers and outstanding beer selection. In fact, it's one my favorite spots for a burger and a beer.
However, you will want to begin with an order of wings. Cooked to crispy perfection, they can be tossed in Buffalo, bourbon BBQ, or Nashville hot sauce. I'm sure the other two choices are fine, but I promise you will not be disappointed by the Music City-style option that I keep returning to again and again.
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Wade Tatangelo is Ticket Editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and Florida Regional Dining and Entertainment Editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Twitter , Facebook and Instagram . He can be reached by email at wade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing .
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Best restaurants in Sarasota area? 10 of my favorites and what to order (part 3 of 5)
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