The Best Sarasota Restaurants - For Breakfast

While we were living in Alexandria, VA Laurie and I always lamented the lack of good restaurants for breakfast. We had Silver Diner, which was great, but beyond that, you were left with IHOP, Bob Evans, and Le Madeleine. But in Sarasota, breakfast is king and breakfast/lunch only restaurants are plentiful. Here are our favorite local restaurants for a great breakfast!

Laurie and I absolutely love breakfast as a meal. Most mornings we eat breakfast at home, which usually consists of yogurt with granola and fruit, a bagel with cream cheese, or a homemade ham, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich on the weekends. But once a week, we treat ourselves and go out to eat at one of the many local restaurants that specialize in serving breakfasts.

Breakfast is a big deal down here in Sarasota, so there are plenty of options to choose from which is a welcome change from the limited choices we had while living in the DC metro area. And best of all, Sarasota folks absolutely love their breakfast cocktails so most of these restaurants serve creative and delicious libations such as Bloody Mary’s, Mimosas, and other spirit-based “wake me up” cocktails!

We have eaten our way through many if not most of the best breakfast joints down here and have our list of favorites (in no particular order!) that we return to frequently for a great meal to start the day. Here’s a quick rundown of the best breakfast restaurants in the Sarasota area!

And for all of our Sarasota/Lakewood Ranch peeps, let me know if I missed one of your favorites – we are always looking to discover new restaurants that we haven’t yet tried!

The Breakfast Company

The pastry bar at The Breakfast Company

The Breakfast Company is a locally owned breakfast/lunch restaurant with an on-site bakery that makes amazing muffins, breads, rolls, and cookies. A light-filled, airy dining room and friendly staff greet you upon arrival at this always-crowded restaurant (go on-line to get on the waiting list so you won’t be disappointed when you arrive). They have an expansive menu with omelets, skillet bowls, and a large number of chef selections as well. Everything is made from scratch and delicious – standouts include the prime eggs benedicts, biscuits and gravy, and the brioche French toast. But truth be told, the bakery here is the real draw – we frequently stop by to pick up treats for breakfast when we have guests visit. Their homemade cinnamon rolls are the size of your head and absolutely delicious. The fresh-baked muffins and “stuffins” (stuffed muffins!) are wonderful as well! The newest location at UTC is our favorite - it's larger and the wait is usually shorter as well!

Kurtos Chimney Cake and Bread

Kurtos Chimney Cakes

Never heard of chimney cakes? Neither had we, until we stumbled across Kurtos Chimney Cake and Bread, a small bakery right in the middle of downtown Sarasota. Apparently, you can find these delectable pastries around the world, where they are known as kürtőskalács, kurtosh, trdelnik, baumstriezel, or baumkuchen. They are light and airy pastries (think croissants) that break apart into rings and are made in both sweet (cinnamon, cocoa, walnut, sprinkles, etc.) and savory (cheddar cheese, everything bagel, bacon and cheese, etc.) styles. Kurtos makes breakfast sandwiches out of the savory chimney cakes, but we love the sweet cakes served as is as the perfect breakfast (or desert!) treat!

Forked at Waterside

Breakfast Tamales at Forked at Waterside

Forked at Waterside is a relatively new upscale breakfast restaurant at Waterside Town Center in Lakewood Ranch. They serve breakfast and lunch in an airy and open modern dining room with lots of outdoor tables as well for al fresco dining. The menu is expansive, with a nice list of specialty items that tend toward Tex-Mex style cuisine.  Portions are big, and all the food is fresh and delicious. While everything here is great, we couldn’t stop eating the pancakes for some reason – they are fantastic!  The Siesta Fiesta portion of the menu is definitely worth exploring, as are the skillets. This is a great place to bring visitors from out of town for a casual and delicious breakfast! Oh, the breakfast cocktails aren’t bad at all either!

First Watch

The Carna Asada Hash at First Watch

First Watch is our absolute favorite place for breakfast in the Sarasota area. A local chain, this restaurant (and other great restaurants like it!) were one of the selling points for us deciding to retire in Sarasota! They have a great selection of breakfast items, with everything from tacos to omelets to breakfast bowls to breakfast burritos.  They also have seasonal breakfast specials which are always delicious. They also have fantastic breakfast cocktails to start the morning off right! Don’t forget to get on the waitlist before leaving for breakfast – this place is always jam packed but especially on the weekends! Their newest location opened up a short 2 miles from our home - extremely convenient for us but also extremely dangerous!!!

The Granary

Eggs Benedict at the Granary

This locally owned restaurant in Lakewood Ranch is another one of our “go-to” places for breakfast. They serve a nice mix of classic breakfast items (omelets, pancakes, waffles) along with a large number of special items (chicken fried country steak, breakfast tacos and quesadillas, corned beef hash, and a variety of breakfast sandwiches). Everything is fresh and delicious, and servings are nice sized but not huge.  Service is great, and dining room is clean and quiet as well. If you don’t know what to get, try the chicken fried country steak or the breakfast grilled cheese, our two favorite items on the menu!

Five-O Donut Company

Five-O Donut Company at UTC Sarasota

This is the place to go if you want fresh and tasty donuts that you can’t get anywhere else! In addition to the traditional donut offerings, they also specialize in gourmet, ridiculously decadent donuts that are guaranteed to clog your arteries for days! Just a few examples include maple bacon, cinnamon toast crunch, cookie butter cheesecake, and Nutella smore. Fair warning – get here early as they sell out quickly in the mornings and once they do, they close down for the day!

Keke’s Breakfast Cafe 

Famous pancakes at Keke’s Breakfast Café

Keke’s is a classic breakfast restaurant with a large and expansive menu that includes eggs/omelets, pancakes, French toast, and other specialties. The pancakes are the star of the show here – in fact, they are so large (they come three to a plate) that the servers actually warn you what you are getting into and almost beg you to order just one or two so you don’t complain about the portion size once they bring them to you – fluffy and delicious!  The service is attentive, and everyone is extremely friendly. They are very busy with lines out the door on the weekends, so go during the week for “no wait” service!

EggTown

Chicken fried steak and eggs at Eggtown

One of the newest breakfast restaurants in LWR is EggTown which opened in 2024 just off of the 70 and 75 interchange. It’s a great addition to the other breakfast/lunch restaurants in the area. The menu is huge with everything from omelets to benedicts to skillets to breakfast sandwiches to sweet treats like pancakes and waffles. They also have classics like chicken fried steak with southern gravy (I can vouch for this one!) and breakfast burritos. Everything is cooked fresh to order and arrives at the table piping hot. The portions are quite large so make sure you are hungry when you arrive! The staff is friendly and eager to please. The dining room is light and airy as well.

Remy’s On Main

Remy’s on Main in Lakewood Ranch

Remy’s is a nice cozy restaurant on Main Street in LWR that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We’ve eaten here for all three, and have never been disappointed, but breakfast is our favorite meal of the day here. They offer a wide range of items with a creative flair and a Korean spin. They have benedicts (the bulgogi benedict served on a scallion potato pancake is one of our favorites!), skillets, omelets, along with pancakes, waffles, and breakfast sandwiches as well. It’s upscale food at a reasonable price. Fair warning though - during the week they don't open until 11:00 am and on the weekends they open at 9:00 am so no early breakfasts here.

Jersey Girls Bagel Shop

Jersey Girls bagels

Jersey Girls is a small bagel shop nestled in a strip mall at University Town Center. They serve authentic New Jersey bagels, which are thick and soft bagels. You know these folks are from Jersey since they offer Taylor Ham on their sandwiches! Selections include all of the classics, in addition to cheddar cheese and asiago cheese bagels. Their breakfast sandwiches are also very good but be prepared to wait for a while – not only to order (there is always a line as this place is very popular) but also to get your bagel sandwiches. They work slow and inefficiently but everyone is nice, and the sandwiches are tasty so that makes up for the usually long wait! We always buy a dozen to take home and freeze for our own bagel sandwiches and stay-in breakfasts.