The Best Sarasota Restaurants for Fine Dining - Part 1

Our hometown since retirement, Sarasota FL, has one of the most exciting dining scenes in America right now! You can find fantastic fare representing cuisines from around the world, along with classic American cooking as well. Here’s an introduction to Sarasota’s top fine dining establishments.

Downtown Sarasota at night

One of the reasons Laurie and I decided to move to Sarasota when we retired was the vibrant food and culture scene here in Sarasota. The number of restaurants opening each month is staggering – we can’t keep up! And the tried-and-true restaurants that have been around for years are fantastic as well. Laurie and I have been eating our way through Sarasota and the surrounding areas since we arrived a year-and-a-half ago and have only scratched the surface of the fine dining scene here. That said, we have enjoyed some amazing food at some superb restaurants, and I wanted to share our top fine dining restaurants in Sarasota (so far!) with our local friends as well as those of you who plan on visiting us in the near future!

In future posts, I’ll cover some of our favorite casual dining restaurants, breakfast restaurants, BBQ joints, and other eating establishments that have wowed us with their wonderful cuisine. So, without further ado, here is our countdown of the top ten fine dining restaurants in Sarasota:

10. Element

Al fresco dining at Element, and their steakhouse wedge salad

Located in downtown Sarasota on lower Main Street, Element is a modern steak, seafood, and pasta restaurant with creative and innovative dishes. Everything about this place is sleek and refined. Their specialty is steak – they have eight different options including a flat iron wagyu and a roast chateaubriand. Other entrees include fresh fish, pasta, and pork chops. Nightly specials augment the regular menu and are often the stars of the menu. The dining room is plush, modern, and quiet. There’s also a great bar that serves delicious cocktails, a perfect spot for a pre-dinner drink. The wine list is extensive and includes Coravin-poured wines by the glass. In fact, they serve almost 50 wines by the glass! This place is definitely pricey, but the food is consistently excellent as is the service.

9. Mediterraneo

Mediterraneo dining room, and their Costoletta di Vitello alla Parmigiana

Mediterraneo serves some of the best Italian food in Sarasota. Located on the eastern end of Main Street in downtown Sarasota, this Italian eatery has both a modern feel as well as old world sensibilities. The menu is filled with the classics – lots of pasta dishes (everything made fresh in house), veal parmigiana, braised lamb shank, and fresh seafood as well. Appetizers and salads are fantastic too. They also have a pizza menu that features over 20 different pizzas – we haven’t tried the pizza but what we saw come out of the kitchen looked fantastic! The dining room is always full and quite loud as well, so their outside dining area, which is extensive, is probably the way to go when the weather is nice. The wine list is heavy on Italian wines – it’s a great selection with a nice range of prices. The veal parmigiana is huge and tasty – this dish alone is worth the trip into town! Great place for a casual but refined dinner with family or friends.

8. Beach Bistro

Beach Bistro dining room, and the Bistro Caesar salad

This romantic restaurant is located on Anna Maria Island at the northern tip of the barrier island chain that runs from south of Sarasota to Bradenton. It’s right on the beach with gorgeous views of the Gulf of Mexico and the sunset as well. The space is small with a tight bar and small dining room that probably has maybe 15 tables max (there are also dining tables in the bar but without a view). When the weather is nice, they set up tables outside on the sand for true waterfront dining. The menu features a tasting menu with five courses and options for add-ons as well as a vegan tasting menu as well. All the food was superb and artfully presented, and the options were unique and varied (Lobstercargots, bourbon and maple grilled shrimp, lamb, beef tenderloin, duckling leg confit, etc. – you get the idea). Service was friendly and attentive. The wine list had a nice mix of great value wines along with the classics (Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay, Opus One, Kosta Brown Pinot Noir, Walt Blue Jay Pinot Noir, …). And Beach Bistro is apparently a favorite destination for Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brookes who have a house nearby. Definitely worth the drive and the price – a great destination for a special occasion meal!

7. Sage

Sage Restaurant living and dining rooms, and their bison short ribs

This gorgeous restaurant tucked away on a side street in downtown Sarasota is a true gem. The cuisine is international with a seasonal menu that changes every three months. The offerings vary from bison short rib to vegetarian dishes, to roast duck, to fish and seafood, and everything is cooked to perfection and plated beautifully. The chef has made numerous appearances on cooking challenge shows on the Food network over the past few years. The two-story dining room is elegant and amazingly quiet. There are two bars at the restaurant – one open air on the 4th floor – the views aren’t anything special but it’s a nice cozy place to have a cocktail. The full seasonal cocktail menu is available at the main bar inside the restaurant, and it’s one of the best bars we’ve been to in Sarasota. The cocktails are absolutely fantastic, and the bartenders extremely knowledgeable and friendly. After telling our bartender what kind of drinks we like, she actually made up a drink for us on the spot and wrote down the recipe for us to take home with us! Also, they have a license to sell bottles of liquor so if you find a particular gin or rum you like there but can’t find elsewhere, you can purchase it at the restaurant. All in all, one of the top restaurants in Sarasota!

6. Michaels on East

Michaels on East restaurant, and their hoisin duck veggie spring rolls

One of the most popular fine dining establishments in Sarasota, Michaels on East serves prime steaks and seafood in a traditional steak house atmosphere. They also have a covered outdoor veranda for outdoor dining and events, along with a banquet hall and a fantastic underground wine cellar. The dining room is dark but stylishly decorated. Full disclosure – we had problems with service the first time we ate here, but they definitely went above and beyond to address it and make sure we came back. Since then, our subsequent visits have been absolutely wonderful. The dining room is muted and quiet, with live piano music every night which really sets a nice (and somewhat retro) mood. The servers are attentive without being fussy. And of course, the food is fantastic as well. The menu spans the range from fresh seafood and fish to prime steaks, to other protein such as duck, lamb, pork and veal. The porterhouse for two is a standout, as are the deserts made fresh daily. This is the perfect special occasion destination when you are in the mood to splurge!

Next week I’ll finish the list of our top 5 fine dining restaurants in Sarasota – until then, Bon Appetit!!