Sarasota seafood restaurant named one of best in U.S. by Yelp

Wade Tatangelo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Updated ·4 min read

One of the best waterfront restaurants in Sarasota and Bradenton has made Yelp’s Top 100 U.S. Seafood Spots 2024.

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill, located on Longboat Key with a picturesque view of Sarasota Bay, placed No. 32 on Yelp's list. Alongside Dry Dock, 10 other Florida restaurants made the cut, including Cape Cod Fish, situated approximately 100 miles south in Fort Myers, which ranked No. 38.

Yelp outlined their methodology, stating that they compiled the list by identifying businesses in the seafood category on their crowd-sourced review website with a "large concentration of reviews mentioning 'seafood'" and subsequently ranked these spots based on various factors, including the total volume and ratings of reviews.

10 best waterfront restaurant in Sarasota and Bradenton

Top 10 restaurants I recommend when asked 'Where should I eat in Sarasota and Bradenton?'

Ticket Newsletter: Sign up to receive restaurant news and reviews plus info on things to do every Friday

What makes Dry Dock Waterfront Grill in Sarasota stand out

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill, on Longboat Key overlooking Sarasota Bay, photographed Feb. 25, 2024.
Dry Dock Waterfront Grill, on Longboat Key overlooking Sarasota Bay, photographed Feb. 25, 2024.

Dry Dock offers diners two floors of indoor seating and a full-liquor bar area, all overlooking the water, as well as covered outdoor tables that place diners right on the docks of Sarasota Bay. To complement the waterfront setting, Dry Dock serves deftly prepared Gulf of Mexico seafood, particularly grouper. The combination of the amazing view, which often includes pelicans and playful dolphins, and the delicious, locally sourced seafood dishes, has earned Dry Dock numerous national honors in recent years.

Last year, Yelp ranked Dry Dock at No. 54 on its annual Top 100 Florida Restaurants, a few months before the Longboat Key restaurant placed on OpenTable's annual list of the 100 Most Popular Restaurants for Outdoor Dining. In 2022, Dry Dock appeared on OpenTable's 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America list.

What to order at Dry Dock

Grouper bites at Dry Dock Waterfront Grill on Longboat Key photographed July 9, 2023.
Grouper bites at Dry Dock Waterfront Grill on Longboat Key photographed July 9, 2023.

Grouper bites: No visit to Dry Dock is complete without savoring their locally sourced Gulf grouper, prepared in at least two different ways. Allow me to recommend starting your feast with the grouper bites. These large, flaky bites of fish are coated in a light, flavorful batter that pairs beautifully with Dry Dock's addictive sweet chili sauce.

Bacon-wrapped scallops: Another essential appetizer at Dry Dock is the succulent sea scallops wrapped in delightfully salty strips of crispy bacon. The surf-and-turf combos are drizzled with maple syrup, with ample pools on the plate for dipping if you wish to indulge your sweet tooth.

Red snapper: While Dry Dock is best known for its grouper dishes, it also does a commendable job of regularly procuring fresh red snapper. I recommend ordering this grilled as an entrée, accompanied by a Caesar salad to start, and served with some veggies and red skin potatoes on the side.

Grouper sandwich: Few, if any, dishes are more quintessentially Floridian than a grouper sandwich, and Dry Dock serves one of the best ones around. Go ahead and get it blackened, slather on their tasty tartar sauce, and wash it down with a cold beer. Regardless of whether you just drove to Dry Dock from your condo down the road, you'll feel like you're on vacation.

The citrus grouper at Dry Dock Waterfront Grill on Longboat Key photographed July 9, 2023.
The citrus grouper at Dry Dock Waterfront Grill on Longboat Key photographed July 9, 2023.

Citrus grouper: The most exciting and essential dish at Dry Dock remains the citrus grouper. The fresh fillet of local fish is lightly breaded and sautéed, locking in all that juicy grouper goodness, and then topped by a citrus cream sauce that lovingly recalls liquified Key lime pie.

Did you know?

Dockside Waterfront Grill at 509 N Tamiami Trail, Venice, photographed Sept. 17, 2023.
Dockside Waterfront Grill at 509 N Tamiami Trail, Venice, photographed Sept. 17, 2023.

Dry Dock has a rich history dating back to 1989, with the Sarasota-based Gecko’s Hospitality Group operating the waterfront grill since 2015. The Gecko's folk also own Dockside Waterfront Grill in Venice. The more casual and less famous sister of the two waterfront grills, the Venice gem offers a laid-back, mostly open-air setting in the Fisherman's Wharf Marina on the Intracoastal Waterway. While the menus at Dockside and Dry Dock are very similar, both serving the citrus grouper entrée I adore, only Dockside offers the house-made potato chips that originated at Gecko's and elevate any meal they touch.

If you go

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill is at 412 Gulf of Mexico Drive, on the Sarasota County side of Longboat Key. For more information, call 941-383-0102 or visit drydockwaterfrontgrill.com.

Ticket Editor: Best restaurants Sarasota to Punta Gorda including Venice waterfront gem

Who lives here? Most famous celebrities with homes in Sarasota and Bradenton area

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: Sarasota seafood restaurant named one of best in U.S. by Yelp