Reviewing the Newest Restaurants in the Sarasota Area - Part 1

As enthusiastic foodies, Laurie and I are extremely lucky to live in, or near three great locations with fantastic restaurants – the cities of Sarasota and Bradenton, and our own Lakewood Ranch. Even better, the hits keep coming, with new restaurants opening almost weekly. Accordingly, here are our reviews of the newest restaurant openings in the area to help you decide which ones are worth visting!

Downtown Bradenton

About a year ago I wrote a two-part blog on some of the newest restaurants that had opened in the Sarasota area, and now it’s time to update those posts with two new ones on the latest restaurant openings in the area. The include everything from a farm-to-table restaurant featuring locally-sourced food, to an upscale Italian restaurant owned by a celebrity chef, to a Mexican restaurant with a hidden speakeasy, to two breweries with attached restaurants, to a new authentic Cuban restaurant. And that’s only half of them!

Laurie and I have frequented each of these restaurants and have the inside scoop for you on them! Here are our honest, no-holds-barred reviews to help you decide which ones to try!

 Cuba 1958

Cuba 1958 Restaurant, Churrasco de Pollo, and the Mojito flight

Cuba 1958 is the newest restaurant opening of 2024 and is located in downtown Sarasota on upper Main Street. This restaurant has a traditional vibe that transports you to an upscale Cuban eatery complete with Cuban music, décor, and food & drink. The staff is friendly and accommodating, and management is attentive as well with visits to each table to ensure everyone is satisfied with their experience. The menu is extensive and has a great selection of appetizers, soups and salads, entrees (pork, beef, chicken, and seafood), and deserts. The cocktails are solid and on the sweeter side, but nothing really special. The appetizers are the stars of the show here, with tasty empanadas and croquetas. Even so, both Laurie and I kept mentioning the same dishes at Selva and Beso which were far better. The entrees were where things fell short. Everything was a bit bland and slightly dry, with little to no sauce. For example, I got the Masas de Puerco, which is Cuban pork chunks “fried and bathed” in Cuban mojo sauce and topped with grilled onion. The pork was tender but dry, and was definitely not “bathed” in sauce. In fact, there was little to no sauce which only accentuated the overcooked pork. It was OK, but nothing special. We plan to give it another try at some point in time, but there are too many other great restaurants to visit before we return to this one. Definitely a disappointment after we had heard rave reviews from others.

Overall Rating: Average/Good; Food: Average/Good; Ambiance: Excellent; Service: Good; Cost: Moderate

 Bar Italia

Bar Italia Restaurant, crispy chicken Limone, and vodka and sausage pizza

Bar Italia is a welcome addition to the thriving Lakewood Ranch Italian food scene. Housed in a modern, airy, and open dining room with plenty of outdoor seating as well, this restaurant located in Center Pointe offers all the classics, and some new twists as well, using fresh ingredients and homemade pastas. The appetizers are a great way to start, and include tasty bruschetta options, along with house made meatballs and zucchini fritti to name just a few. They also have a nice selection of pizza, house made pastas, and seafood, fish, veal, and chicken dishes. Everything is cooked to order and presented artfully as well. The dining room and bar area are quite loud so you will find yourself raising your voice to be heard, but the food makes it all worth it. The cocktails and wine list are also well-curated and well-priced too. Compares favorably to Speaks Clam Bar and Osteria 500, and they take reservations as well (unlike Osteria).

Overall Rating: Very Good; Food: Very Good; Ambiance: Excellent; Service: Very Good; Value: Very Good; Cost: Moderate

The Naked Farmer

The Naked Farmer restaurant, grilled chicken bowl

Naked Farmer is a sustainable food restaurant that specializes in creative, healthy bowl food. It’s located in UTC across from the mall. The selection of different bowls changes seasonally, but you can always create your own with a variety of options for protein (chicken, seafood, steak), veggies, and sides (like mac and cheese, cucumber salad, cornbread, etc.). The food is fresh, and servings are large. Over-salting seems to be a problem here, but they are relatively new so hopefully they correct that issue quickly. Seating is limited and you order at a counter, so this is a very casual place that is better suited for lunch than dinner. They do a brisk take-out business as well, and they do serve an extremely limited selection of wine and beer. Laurie definitely likes this place better than I do, but it’s a good place to go for a quick, healthy meal.

Overall Rating: Good; Food: Good; Ambiance: Average; Service: Good; Value: Good; Cost: Moderate

Deep Lagoon

  Deep Lagoon bar, crab Rangoon, and tropical mahi

Deep Lagoon is an upscale seafood and fish restaurant located in the Waterside Place Town Center in Lakewood Ranch. The restaurant has a large outdoor patio and bar (partially covered) that sits right on the water for beautiful sunset views. The restaurant is quite large but laid out weirdly, with a long kitchen along the front and a long, relatively narrow dining room along the length of the restaurant. The dining rooms themselves are light and open, with large windows looking out on the water. They are going for a coastal casual theme here, and they succeed! If you aren’t a fan of fish or seafood, don’t come here. But if you are, everything is fresh and artfully presented. The crab Rangoon appetizer was the best version of that dish I’ve ever had, and the fish dishes are all creative and fresh as well. They have a few entrees available for non-seafood lovers, and they take care to prepare those well – the fillet and lobster tail entrée was perfectly cooked. They have a nice wine and cocktail list as well. A great place to go if you are craving fresh seafood and/or fish!

Overall Rating: Very Good; Food: Very Good; Ambiance: Excellent; Service: Very Good; Value: Good; Cost: Expensive

Inner Compass Brewing Company

Inner Compass Brewing Company restaurant, cider flight, and Philly cheesesteak sandwich

Weird location aside (you have to wind yourself through a corporate park in Lakewood Ranch to get here), this brewing company serves high quality pub fare in a casual environment. There is a large amount of seating both inside and out, with two bars and a great menu filled with tasty options like Philly steak egg rolls, warm pretzel with beer cheese, homemade pizzas, handhelds and burgers, and salads. Some of the food was just good, but other dishes were very good, so a bit of a mixed bag. They have 30 beer taps along with a nice variety of ciders – they also offer tasting portions if you want to sample 4 or 5 different options. Compares favorably to Big Top in terms of food and ambiance.

Overall Rating: Good; Food: Good/Very Good; Ambiance: Good; Service: Very good; Value: Good; Cost: Cheap

In next week’s blog I’ll review five more new additions to the local restaurant scene, including one that earns a “Superb” overall rating!