Any ';Don't Miss'; places to eat???

We are planning our vacation in July and I have been reading a ton of stuff about all the resturants on the key and in Sarasota. Can anyone recommend any ';don%26#39;t miss'; places to eat. We were looking to enjoy lots of good seafood. I was also looking at the Cafe Gabbaino. It looks great, my husband and I love authenic Italian. Can anyone reccomend this place or anything else that we have to visit. We also have children so we would also like places that are somewhat kid friendly. Thanks!!

Any ';Don't Miss'; places to eat???

Hi there, we go to Siesta Key every year (at the Crescent Beach end by Stickney Point), and our kids just LOVE ';City Pizza';. It is located in a little strip mall on the east side of Midnight Pass, just past the 7/11. It is the opposite of ';fancy';, but the pizza is great, and the waitresses always remember our kids. It%26#39;s always our first stop after arriving in the evening.

In the same mall is a Peruvian restaurant which always receives rave reviews....enjoy your trip!

Any ';Don't Miss'; places to eat???

ophelia%26#39;s on siesta key is a really nice restaurant on the water. there is a patio outside for dining, or just to take the kids out to while waiting for dinner. there is a dock out there. it is upscale (not cheap!), but sarasota is always casual.

Have been to Siesta Key many times and are going again in a couple of weeks. Always love breafast at The Broken Egg down in the village - their hash browns are particularly good, they have a good web site. Coasters is good too on Stickney Point Rd, also Rod and Reel on Anna Maria Island, worth the drive for good fresh sea food and great views.

I have to disagree with the poster about City Pizza. I will never go there again. The pizza was fine, but not good enough to endure being treated like we weren%26#39;t worth making a pizza for. We called in a pizza order, was told to pick it up about 25 minutes later. We arrived 25 minutes later and were told the pizza would be ready in 25 more minutes because AFTER we called in our order, they received a bigger order so they bumped them ahead. Maybe a fluke, and maybe a trivial complaint to some, but just their attitude about our inconvenience angered me. I%26#39;ll never go back.

Having ranted about the above, I can%26#39;t recommend Blase Cafe enough. GREAT food, cool atmosphere, and friendly wait staff.

Thanks everyone for your ideas! Does anyone know about Cafe Gabbaino? It sounds like they have a great menu. We can%26#39;t wait to get there, 18 days and counting........

The Broken Egg is a must for breakfast (get the hash browns no matter what else you order)

Any location of Barnacle Bill%26#39;s Seafood (best fresh seafood anywhere in Sarasota) - Trendy new location on Main St., original (not glitzy or trendy) location at Beneva %26amp; Webber or a new location in the Palmer Ranch area are all good.

The Table on Hillview is awesome too.

You have got to go to the Longhorn Steakhouse, it was wonderful and the service was great. We also went to Siesta Key Oyster Bar and it was very neat atmosphere, and it has good seafood. we have children as well and they liked it as well. We did have a bad experience with a waitress at Captain Curts, it was quite expensive and not nearly worth what we paid for it. As far as the Cafe you mentioned, I can%26#39;t help you there, I am not much for Italian food

Hope you enjoy your trip, we just got back on July 8th and we had an awesome family vacation.

You will love the beach.

Lynn,

We have been to Siesta Key every year for 6 years now. Just booked today for next spring for year 7. Our absolute favorite place to eat is Cafe Gabbaino. We typically stay on Siesta Key for a week and during that week Cafe Gabbiano is the only place we will typically dine at twice during the week. My kids also love this place and when asked where they wanted to have their birthday dinner this year, they said ';Cafe Gabbiano!'; even though it wasn%26#39;t possible to travel to Florida for a birthday dinner. The family that owns this restaurant moved to Siesta Key from New York City in 2004 when he sold his restaurant in New York City and ';retired'; to Siesta Key and opened Cafe Gabbiano. This is excellent Italian food. My husband and his family are Italian and even they approve. You will not be disappointed.

The other don%26#39;t miss spot is ice cream at Big Olaf%26#39;s Creamery. This is very popular. Don%26#39;t be put off by the line out the door, it goes quickly. One of the highlights of our vacation is when I tell the kids they can have ice cream everyday.

Also if you are looking for good seafood, check out the Lobster Pot. This is another don%26#39;t miss on my list.

Have a great time

Thanks everyone for all of your ideas. We can%26#39;t wait for our vacation to start.

SweetSailing-- Thanks for the information on Cafe Gabbaino. We can%26#39;t wait to try it. It is definitely on our list. I have already told my kids that we were going to be eating ice cream A LOT on vacation. The Lobster Pot is on our list to.

jhayden1994-- Thanks for the suggestions. Good to know that you guys had a great vacation. We have 9 more days!!!! yea...

I have to second the ice cream place, it was awesome, I can%26#39;t remember the name of it but it was kinda by SKOB, Daquari (sp?) Deck, We also got some ice cream that was in the Captain Curts Village, I am a sucker for good ice cream and got iti at both places

It will be interesting to hear about your trip if you decide to post when you return. We had a fabulous time, I posted the Siesta Key Trip Report, should you want to read it,

I hope your vacation is a memorable one

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