Sarasota County restaurant named second best in Florida by Yelp
A Sarasota County establishment received a spotlight recently, when it was named the second best restaurant in all of the Sunshine State by a national website.
Tikka Indian Cuisine in Venice came in second place on Yelp's Top 100 Florida Restaurants 2023 list, with Pla-Tu Sushi Thai Tapas in South Miami winning the top spot. The list was determined by identifying businesses in the restaurants category, then ranked using numerous factors including the total volume and ratings of reviews between Jan. 1, 2022 and Jan. 1, 2023, according to the review website.
The Indian restaurant made a big leap up on the list, after landing at #66 last year. Yelp's blurb on Tikka Indian Cuisine praised its "sleek, modern presentations of authentic North and South Indian dishes — from clay-oven-baked meats to biryani rice blends," its "'everything-from-scratch cooking'" and "ingredients plucked from local gardens or shipped fresh from India," which "contribute to the crowd-pleasing flavors, says co-owner Pallavi Joshy, who joined founders Crystal and Radhakrishna Sureddy shortly after the restaurant opened in 2018."
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Particular menu items highlighted in the blurb include the chicken tikka masala, the restaurant's most ordered dish, its Goan curry, and its korma. Also mentioned were the complimentary starters of papadums (lentil crackers) with tamarind, onion, and mint chutneys and the dessert Cardamom Date Cake, "a spicy confection with a butter-toffee glaze and a scoop of vanilla ice cream."
"We are humbled by this recognition and could not have achieved this without your support," Tikka Indian Cuisine posted on its Facebook page. "We want to extend our deepest thanks to each and every one of you who has dined with us, recommended us to friends and family, and left us positive reviews."
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Although Tikka Indian Cuisine was the only Sarasota-Manatee restaurant included in the Top 20, receiving its own blurb, it wasn't the only local establishment on the list. Others included Sarasota's Fork & Hen (#22), which opened last year on North Tamiami Trail; downtown Bradenton's Château 13 (#40), known for its European-inspired cuisine; Longboat Key's Dry Dock Waterfront Grill (#54), which was also recently named one of the most romantic restaurants in the U.S.; downtown Sarasota's Kojo (#63), which plans to soon open sister businesses Bar Hana and Palm Avenue Deli; Willow's Cafe (#67), which opened in 2020 in the Rosemary District; and Meliora (#85), in Sarasota's Southside Village in the former space of Blasé Southern Style.
Tikka Indian Cuisine is at 525A U.S. 41 Bypass N., Venice. For more information, call 941-303-5073 or visit tikkaindian.com. For the complete Top 100 Florida Restaurants 2023 list, visit Yelp.
Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota Venice restaurant Tikka Indian Cuisine Florida #2 best Yelp
