DINING

10 best waterfront restaurants and tiki bars for outdoor dining in Sarasota

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

While al fresco dining has become increasingly popular nationwide, Sarasota restaurants have been offering outdoor seating year-round for as long as people have been flocking to Florida. And many of our most beloved dining and drinking destinations put us right on the water, which is always a nice place to be — especially during our steamy summers, which now seem to last about half the year.

To create this list, we picked out favorite waterfront restaurants and tiki bars offering outdoor dining in Sarasota as well as on Siesta, Lido and the Sarasota County side of Longboat Key. To determine the popular menu items, we consulted with the restaurants. And while on the phone June 12-13 with the restaurants, we were told by all 10 that they’re requiring their employees to wear face masks while following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

At many of the places, diners are asked to call several days in advance for reservations and outside reservations are not always guaranteed in the case of inclement weather due to indoor seating restrictions, which remain at 50 percent.

And we didn’t forget about all the great waterfront restaurants in South Sarasota or Manatee County, which we plan to spotlight in the future.

The Boatyard Waterfront Bar and Grill

1500 Stickney Point Road, Sarasota; 941-921-6200; boatyardwaterfrontgrill.com

Overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway and south Siesta Key at the base of the Stickney Point Road bridge, The Boatyard offers dining rooms with interiors that open completely to the waterfront. Open daily 12-8 p.m. for lunch and dinner, popular dishes include the honey soy mahi tacos (topped with red onion and cilantro, drizzled with sriracha and wasabi creme and served with rice and beans), jambalaya (shrimp, chicken, andouille sausage and rice sauteed with celery, onion, tomatoes, green and red peppers in a mildly spicy Cajun broth) and the chicken or beef Island Nachos (tortilla chips smothered in cheese topped with pico de gallo, black bean salsa and house-made cilantro ranch).

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill

412 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key; 941-383-0102; drydockwaterfrontgrill.com

Named one of the “100 Most Scenic Restaurants in America for 2019” by OpenTable, Dry Dock occupies a prime spot at the Boathouse marina on Longboat Key, providing panoramic views of Sarasota Bay. Open daily 11 a.m.-9 p.m. for lunch and dinner, popular menu items include the grouper sandwich (Florida Gulf red grouper on brioche bun), lobster rolls (two lobster rolls mixed with celery, onion, lettuce, tomato and mayo served on buttered New England frankfurter split rolls) and the Boathouse Burger (half pound U.S.D.A.-certified choice angus chuck on brioche bun). In addition to following CDC guidelines, Dry Dock is offering a touch-free menu experience that customers can operate on their phones with assistance from staff.

Jack Dusty

1111 Ritz Carlton Drive, Sarasota; 941-309-2266; ritzcarlton.com

Offering waterfront seating on the first floor of the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Sarasota, Jack Dusty’s nautical-themed setting manages to be effortlessly trendy with a fun Florida feel. Open daily 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but closed 3:30-4:30 p.m.; popular dishes include whole fried snapper (with market vegetables, pique sauce), sarasota cioppino (shrimp, bay scallops, middleneck clams, mussels, Gulf fish, orange peel, tomato broth, grilled baguette) and Jack’s Original Shrimp & Grits (smoked shrimp, andouille sausage, white cheddar grits).

Lido Beach Resort Tiki Bar

700 Ben Franklin Drive, Sarasota; 941-388-2161; lidobeachresort.com

Not long before the statewide pandemic shutdown in March, Lido Beach Resort opened its Drift Kitchen & Bar featuring 180-degree, floor-to-ceiling views of the Gulf waters and Sarasota cityscape. Drift Kitchen, though, is on the eighth floor of the resort. For outdoor dining right on the sand, visit the resort’s eternally cool beachfront tiki bar. Open from 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. daily, popular menu items include the Maine lobster sliders (on a brioche roll), salads such as the Otter Key (artisan greens, seasonal berries, mandarin oranges, gorgonzola, toasted almonds, red onion, cherry tomato, mango vinaigrette; topped with blackened or grilled chicken, blackened or grilled salmon, fried or grilled shrimp), and the Signature Burger (grilled butcher’s blend beef patty, lettuce, tomato, onion, and choice of Swiss, American or cheddar, toasted brioche bun).

Marina Jack

2 Marina Plaza, Sarasota; 941-365-4232; marinajacks.com

Boasting the Blue Sunshine Patio (open daily for lunch and dinner) that places diners right on Sarasota Bay next to the docked yachts as well as the second floor dining room (now open only Friday and Saturday evenings) with waterfront window views plus The Deep Six Lounge (open daily for lunch and dinner, also with outdoor seating), Marina Jack offers both upscale and casual drinking and dining experiences on downtown Sarasota’s bayfront. Popular dishes include the grilled grouper or grouper Reuben (grouper, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and thousand island dressing on grilled marble rye), potato-crusted grouper (baked Gulf black grouper with a crispy potato crust topped with horseradish beurre blanc) and baked oysters Rockefeller (oysters with pernod and spinach topping, finished with hollandaise sauce and parmesan cheese).

Old Salty Dog

1601 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota; 941-388-4311; theoldsaltydog.com

Located on City Island overlooking the New Pass Inlet, Old Salty Dog is featured in a classic episode of “Man v. Food” as well as at least one episode of MTV’s reality show “Siesta Key.” Open from 11 a.m.- 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday for lunch and dinner and 7 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday for breakfast, too; popular menu items include the must-try Loaded Salty Dog featured on “Man v. Food.” It’s a quarter pound hot dog dipped in batter and fried to a golden brown and topped with sauerkraut, bacon, grilled onion and mushrooms, American, cheddar, pepper jack and Swiss cheese. Other popular dishes are the peel and eat shrimp tossed in garlic butter and Old Bay, and the steam pots made to order with a half pound of Gulf shrimp, one pound of PEI mussels, one pound of snow crab legs, fresh andouille sausage, corn, potatoes, onion and celery.

O’Leary’s Tiki Bar and Grill

5 Bayfront Drive, Sarasota; 941-953-7505; olearystikibar.com

A tropical getaway located on Bayfront Park in the shadows of downtown Sarasota’s condo canyons, O’Leary’s is the charmingly casual and funky tiki bar and sister restaurant of Marina Jack. Open daily starting at 8 a.m., you can’t really go wrong pairing one of their burgers (blue cheese and bacon, swiss and mushroom, bacon and cheese, “The Works” with mushrooms, bacon and cheese or a vegetarian burger) with one of their margaritas while enjoying one of the daily live music acts; which might just be doing one of those Jimmy Buffett songs about cheeseburgers in paradise or wastin’ away again with a margarita or three.

Ophelia’s on the Bay

9105 Midnight Pass Road, Sarasota; 941-349-2212; opheliasonthebay.net

Featuring outside patio seating — plus two glass-walled dining rooms — right on Little Sarasota Bay, Ophelia’s has been a popular destination for romantic waterfront dining since opening in 1988. While the newly printed menus change nightly, hours are 5-10 p.m., here are three dishes that continue to prove popular and are offered most, but not all, evenings: Tataki of Yellowfin Tuna Loin (Chinese five spice dust, sweet soy glaze, mustard-sesame dressing, spicy lobster and shrimp salad, nori, warm sushi rice, wakame salad, kim chee cucumbers, tempura fricks), mahi mahi (coconut and macadamia crumb crust, tropical fruit jam, sriracha potatoes), and Crispy Milanese of Veal (tenderized cutlet with parmesan herb crumb, mushroom-madeira sauce, crème fraiche potatoes).

Phillippi Creek Village Restaurant & Oyster Bar

5353 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; 941-925-4444; creekseafood.com

If you’re seeking a place with a fun Old Florida feel, check out Phillippi Creek, the restaurant founded in 1978 about four miles south of downtown Sarasota on its namesake waterway. Open 11 a.m. to 9 daily for lunch and dinner, popular menu items are Creek Combo Pots (each pot contains two dozens unshucked steamed oysters, half pound peel and eat shrimp, two ears fresh corn on the cob, onions and celery, and fresh baked garlic bread), stuffed grouper (shrimp, scallops and blue crab stuffing) and seafood paella (baby Maine lobster, shrimp, mussels, calamari, andouille sausage). Need a face mask? They sell them in the gift shop.

Turtles on Little Sarasota Bay

8875 Midnight Pass Road, Sarasota; 941-346-2207; turtlesrestaurant.com

Coconut palms and parakeets set the tropical scene for this laid-back dining destination on south Siesta Key overlooking Little Sarasota Bay that has been welcoming locals and tourists alike since 1986. Open daily 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. for lunch and dinner, favorite menu items at Turtles are the grilled grouper filet, coconut-crusted mahi mahi, and Turtle Salad with grilled shrimp. The restaurant also offers $19.99 three-course meal specials including Surf and Surf (grilled grouper and baked stuffed shrimp) and Surf and Turf (mango-kiwi mahi mahi and barbecue ribs). The mango-kiwi mahi can also be paired with the coconut shrimp, or the mango-kiwi chicken with a choice of ribs or grilled New York strip steak. Each entree also comes with a side salad and an appetizer.

Dining information

Restaurants are now permitted to reopen with 50% indoor capacity and outdoor seating following recommended social distancing of at least 6 feet. Bars can also open at 50% indoor capacity with recommended social distancing, read the guidelines posted by the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association. There’s no limit on capacity for outdoor seating as long as social distancing guidelines are followed. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Phase 2 reopening executive order also allows restaurants to serve at the bar with social distancing. The governor’s executive order does not mandate the use of masks. However, the FRLA recommends customers, employees and employers consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for employers responding to COVID-19.

RESTAURANT NEWS

Have a suggestion for a great place to eat, drink, play or stay in Southwest Florida? How about a pop culture topic? Email entertainment editor Wade Tatangelo at wade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. You can also follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.