10 best new restaurants of 2023 in Sarasota and Bradenton: My top favorites, ranked
Familiar faces dominate my list of favorite new restaurants that opened this year in Sarasota and Manatee counties.
While the vast majority of my dining lists are presented in alphabetical order, this one is ranked, with the No. 1 spot for the best new restaurant awarded to a sandwich shop by one of the region's most famous chefs. For the second place, I chose a bar with exceptional food opened by a chef who now oversees three businesses in downtown Sarasota, with two more of her restaurants located nearby. My picks for the best Italian, tapas, and Mexican restaurants — ranked at three, four, and five, respectively — are all new concepts by local restaurateurs with previous successes in the area.
To keep the list to 10, I excluded restaurants bringing the same name and concept to new locations. However, I did feature a couple of overperforming chains that opened their first Sarasota location this year, both within walking distance of The Mall at University Town Center, and one of them is another Mexican restaurant — because you can never have too many great Mexican restaurants. And yes, the UTC district has become quite the dining destination, with no time busier than now during the holiday season.
Nine of my favorite new restaurants are located in Sarasota County, with the lone Manatee County selection operating in a burgeoning neighborhood north of Palmetto. As a proud downtown Bradenton resident, it would have been nice to spotlight a new place in The Friendly City — but I do have high hopes for at least two restaurants scheduled to open in 2024.
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10. Best new Florida chain to open in Sarasota: Rocco’s Tacos
243 N. Cattlemen Road, Sarasota; 941-477-8226; roccostacos.com
This Florida chain, founded in West Palm Beach, finally made it to Sarasota just in time for Cinco de Mayo, and the fiesta has not stopped. Rocco's serves tacos, guacamole prepared tableside, and various other Mexican dishes in a lively, open-air atmosphere that transports guests from their University Town Center surroundings to the Yucatán Peninsula. Yes, it's a trick best experienced while sipping on one of Rocco's potent margaritas.
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9. Best new national chain to open in Sarasota: Yard House
115 University Town Center Drive, Sarasota; 941-536-0778; yardhouse.com
With a menu nearly as massive as its 130-tap beer selection, I expected Yard House's food to be mediocre at best. Originally founded in Southern California and now operated by the Orlando-based Darden Restaurants, whose portfolio ranges from Olive Garden to The Capital Grille, Yard House's new UTC location, resembling its various counterparts with a rather vague classic rock and sports theme, serves very good food. During multiple visits to the new UTC location, I started with basics like burgers and wings and eventually graduated to more sophisticated dishes such as shiitake garlic noodles and Thai-Grilled Pork Chop, experiencing a series of surprising delights and not a single disappointment along the way.
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8. Best new sports bar: The Greyson
5045 96th St. E., Palmetto; 941-845-4195; greysonbar.com
I appreciate a good sports bar and grill as much as the next football-loving American, especially one like The Greyson that puts as much emphasis on the food as it does on ensuring every NFL game is properly displayed on Sunday afternoon. Located in a modern strip mall alongside Corporate Ladder Brewing Company in north Palmetto, near Interstate 75 and Moccasin Wallow Road, The Greyson serves elevated sports bar classics like wings, burgers, and fried chicken sandwiches, along with surprisingly good seafood options such as their blackened mahi-mahi bites. Oh, and fitting with the theme of familiar faces on this list, Greyson's co-owner played an integral role in launching the local Daiquiri Deck chain.
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7. Best new restaurant for dog (and pizza) lovers: Boo's Ice House & Dog Bar
1314 10th St., Sarasota; 941-960-2669; boosdogbar.com
If you, like myself, harbor an affinity for dogs, pizza, and adult beverages, then you need to spend some quality time at Boo's Ice House & Dog Bar in downtown Sarasota's Rosemary District. An entertainment complex featuring an indoor/outdoor dog park, a full bar, and a first-rate pizzeria, the kitchen is helmed by Chef David Grammer, who gained recognition in the area as the owner and operator of Goodfellas Cafe & Winery on Clark Road for 13 years before it closed in 2022. The wood-fired pizza boasts a thin, smartly charred, highly craveable crust. The one I had earlier this year, topped with fresh mozzarella, fresh tomato chunks, red sauce, and fresh basil leaves (and cutely named the NeoPAWlitan), easily ranks among the best pizza pies I've had this year from anywhere.
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6. Best new deli: The Original Wolfie's & Rascal House
1420 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota; 941-312-4072; originalwolfies.com
During the past year or so, Sarasota has gone from hosting zero New York-style Jewish delicatessens to three. There's Meshugana Deli to the south on Clark Road, Palm Avenue Deli in downtown Sarasota, and Wolfie's just to the north of downtown in the Rosemary District. In recent months, I dined at each one and found that all three have their charms, especially if you're seeking a super-sized pastrami or corned beef sandwich. For this list of favorites, I chose Wolfie's. The sandwiches are great, sure, but what I really enjoyed was the "chicken in the pot" — broiled chicken with matzo ball and kreplach dumplings in soul-warming broth. Next, reward yourself for eating healthy with a decadently huge slice of Chef Sol Shenker's cheesecake, which is among the richest and most delicious desserts you will find in town.
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5. Best new Mexican restaurant: Kolucan
6644 Gateway Ave., Sarasota; 941-921-3133; kolucan.com
Since opening in 2018, Reyna’s Taqueria in Sarasota Commons has been a go-to spot for discerning locals craving high-quality Mexican food. Now, there's another option, thanks to Reyna’s owner, Gino Calleja, partnering with Jose Rojas, former chef of downtown Sarasota’s now-closed Louies Modern, to open Kolucan. Situated in the former Opus (and previously IL Panificio Pizzeria) location in Sarasota’s funky Gulf Gate district, Kolucan offers a more upscale version of Reyna's with chic indoor and patio seating and an elevated menu, especially at dinner, to match the fancier setting. However, Kolucan can still amaze with a deceptively simple lunch consisting of, say, uncommonly good tacos and a bowl of equally alluring sopa de tortilla, paired with a cold beer.
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4. Best new tapas restaurant: Beso
30 S. Lemon Ave., Sarasota; 941-279-2999; besosrq.com
Occupying the first floor of the luxurious Mark condo complex at Lemon Avenue, Beso is owned by the same folks who operate nearby State Street Eating House + Cocktails, which I've enjoyed since it opened in 2012. However, while State Street excels at things like brunch and burgers, Beso adheres rather strictly to the Spanish tradition of tapas — and I absolutely love that dedication. I'm also a fan of the restaurant's enchanting ambiance, characterized by exposed ceilings, dangling lamps, and judiciously placed plants. It's a smart urban setting, perhaps best appreciated while savoring a dish like Beso's fantastic pork and chorizo-stuffed red peppers, served in a gorgeous orange-colored, saffron-infused sauce dotted with slivered almonds.
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3. Best new waterfront Italian restaurant: Osteria 500
1580 Lakefront Drive, Sarasota; 941-866-8962; osteria500.com
Located on Kingfisher Lake in the upscale new Waterside Place neighborhood of Lakewood Ranch, the expansive Osteria 500 opened this summer with plenty of well-deserved hype. Its proprietors include Giuseppe Del Sole, who previously co-owned Napulè, the acclaimed Italian restaurant on South Tamiami Trail in Sarasota that earned a coveted Golden Spoon award from Florida Trend magazine. My high expectations were surpassed, though, during multiple visits in October. While the Disney World-esque Waterside Place is not exactly where you would expect to find one of the region's most legit Italian restaurants, that's precisely what you get at Osteria 500. Everything, from the tagliere misto and pizza to the fried calamari and homemade pasta, is among the most authentic and exquisite Italian food you will find in the Italian food-rich Sarasota and Manatee counties.
Seeking a cozier Italian neighborhood joint? Consider Osteria Southside in Sarasota's Southside Village. No relation to Osteria 500, it's a charming new endeavor by the old Pazzo Southside owner Michael Calore and Rami Nehme, owner of fellow Southside Village business Origin Craft Beer & Pizza Cafe that now has multiple locations.
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2. Best new bar for exceptional food: Bar Hana
1289 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota; 941-536-9717; barhana.com
Back in June, I wrote that Sarasota’s best new restaurant is this downtown tropical bar. Bar Hana remained my favorite restaurant in Sarasota or Manatee counties right up until last month, when a two-time James Beard semifinalist opened a game-changing sandwich shop in south Sarasota. I still adore Bar Hana, though; a feeling that once again filled my thoughts on a recent afternoon. Seated on a bar stool, soaking up the awesomely chilled atmosphere recalling California's tiki bars of the 1950s, and discussing and sampling digestifs with our knowledgeable mixologist, I savored pan-fried wagyu and shiitake dumplings, as well as big mouthfuls of fall-off-the-bone glazed pork ribs topped with Thai basil, crispy shallots, lime, and green onions. These are just two of the many delightful fusion dishes you will want to try.
Opened in April, Bar Hana is the neighboring sister business of Kojo and Palm Avenue Deli, offering an upscale drinking and dining experience unlike anything else in the area. Start with their Instagrammable cocktails, served in vintage tiki glassware, but be sure not to overlook the food. Bar Hana's menu, by gifted chef and owner Natalia Levey, features some of the most creative and satisfying dishes I've tasted this year. Dishes such as the "coconut habanero ceviche," featuring local snapper chunks and pieces of fresh avocado served with a deftly rendered version of the classic sweet-heat Peruvian marinade "tiger's milk," and presented in a newly halved coconut on a bed of ice with a side of plantain and taro chips. Paired with their Mainland Margarita, it might just be the perfect dish and drink to complement a lovely, perhaps even late, evening in downtown Sarasota.
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1. Best new restaurant: PigFish
5377 McIntosh Road, Sarasota; 941-777-5220; pig.fish
First things first. There is a sea creature occasionally called a "pigfish" due to the grunting sound it makes, but that is not what is offered at PigFish, the counter-service restaurant located inside the vast and beautiful new Calusa Brewing taproom. PigFish takes its name from the same sobriquet as its signature sandwich featuring fish and pork. Yes, PigFish is a clever play on words, but not nearly as ingenious as the sandwich itself and all the other food I recently enjoyed while visiting chef, owner, and two-time James Beard semifinalist Steve Phelps' new restaurant.
The thing is, I've probably eaten a thousand fish sandwiches during my lifetime, largely spent in Florida, and probably at least 50 this year, and I can't recall one as good as The PigFish — but I'm not even sure if it was the favorite thing I ate at PigFish. That honor might just have to go to the Cobia Hot Dawg, which, if memory serves, debuted years ago at Indigenous, Phelps' renowned downtown Sarasota restaurant open since 2011 and visited this year by celebrity chef Bobby Flay. Like Indigenous, PigFish's primary focus is serving sustainable seafood, with the élan one would only expect from a next-level chef such as Phelps.
The PigFish sandwich, for instance, consists of lovely cuts of kanpachi topped by braised pork rendered at once crispy and tender, much like the fish. It is complemented by green tomato relish, bacon tartar sauce, shaved cabbage, and red onion on a fresh, eight-inch hoagie. The Cobia Hot Dawg features thick fillets of cobia that have been wood-grilled and enhanced by pastrami spice, served with sauerkraut, grilled onions, and Bertman Original Ballpark Mustard. Both taste, in a word, amazing.
Equally impressive is the backstory displayed on a big screen while you dine. The kanpachi is an omega-3 rich fish raised off the coast of Panama by Forever Oceans, which has its corporate office address in Maryland. The cobia is a product of open ocean farming by Open Blue Sea Farms based in Stuart, Florida. The sauerkraut on top of the "hot dawg" comes from Fermentlicious right here in Sarasota.
Yes, you will have lots to think and talk about while dining on a handheld, or perhaps some hush puppies or beer cheese fondue, at PigFish. Paired with a pint of Calusa's Kolsch-style ale, Bait Shop, which happens to be the best new beer I've tasted this year, it should amount to a memorable dining experience. One you will want to return to again and again — and actually should be able to afford, since The PigFish and Cobia Hot Dawg are priced at a very reasonable $24 and $25, respectively, which is often less than your average grouper sandwich these days.
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Wade Tatangelo is Ticket Editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and Florida Regional Dining and Entertainment Editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. He can be reached by email at wade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Best New Restaurants of 2023 in Sarasota and Bradenton
