USA TODAY named its Restaurants of the Year. This Sarasota area favorite made the list.
Star Fish Company, located on north Sarasota Bay in the historic commercial fishing village of Cortez, made USA TODAY’s list of best restaurants in the country.
The USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year 2024 list, released today, features 47 restaurants from fine-dining establishments to counter-service seafood shacks.
“To me, it’s almost shocking,” Star Fish Company owner Karen Bell said. “I know we do a good job with seafood, but we’re such a tiny place in this little village; it seems incredible to be recognized."
How many have you been to? Check out USA TODAY's 2024 Restaurants of the Year
USA TODAY Network food journalists from across the country pooled their expertise to select the list, which includes the places they know, love and recommend.
Star Fish Company was chosen for its fresh Gulf of Mexico seafood in a genuine Old Florida setting. The ultra-casual restaurant serves expertly prepared Florida favorites like grouper, shrimp, and oysters, but is best known for its mullet — a fish best enjoyed fried or blackened with a side of cheese grits.
Here’s the full list, and more about Star Fish Company.
USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year: Sarasota area restaurant named one of the best in U.S. Everything to know before you go
Wade Tatangelo is Ticket Editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and Florida Regional Dining and Entertainment Editor for the USA TODAY Network.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Star Fish Co. in Cortez FL named to USA TODAY list of best restaurants
