New Restaurants in Sarasota
The latest places to eat and drink across the Sarasota area, from full-service restaurants to bakeries and ice cream shops — updated weekly.
September 2026
Sorella
Twin sisters Dana Malcolm and Danielle Pitruzzella, former New Jersey teachers, bring their family's Naples and Sicily roots to handmade pasta and pizza from a Naples-built wood-fired oven. Look for the Morta Bella with mortadella, stracciatella and pistachio cream, or a veal parm finished with molten mozzarella at the table. It takes over the former Yume Sushi space.
September 2026
MELT
A father-and-sons operation from Abe, Omar and Zack Alnadi, built around smash burgers cooked on a griddle you can watch from the counter. Order the Truffle Smash with caramelized onions, a Nashville-dipped Hot Chix sandwich, or a Levant bowl with sumac onions and garlic sauce. Murals of palm trees, Exit 213 and the Skyway cover the 35-seat room.
September 2026
Sarasocial
New owner Bobby Khush has turned the former Fork & Hen on Main into a Southern coastal restaurant and lounge, with two Fork & Hen cooks still in the kitchen. Think citrus duck over sweet potato mousseline, blackened Gulf shrimp on a smoked Gouda grit cake, and hot honey chicken and waffles. Patio hookah and a kitchen open until 1:30am on weekends keep it going late.
August 2026
Five Nine Grill & Tavern
Second location of the Bradenton scratch kitchen from Mike and Holly DeGirolamo, now in the former Bay Leaf space at Blackburn Point Plaza. Nearly everything is made in house: farmhouse burgers, grouper sandwiches, mac and cheese bowls, and a brunch that runs daily from 9am with biscuits and gravy and fried chicken and waffles.
August 2026
Whit's Frozen Custard
Local owners the Fineberg family, in Sarasota since moving down from Buffalo in 2004, brought the Ohio frozen custard chain to Siesta Key Village. Custard is churned fresh daily, with flavors rotating weekly through the likes of Black Raspberry Chip and Strawberry Cheesecake.
August 2026
Bread Bandits
Second shop for the Sarasota sourdough bakery, now on Lakewood Ranch Main Street. The starter behind the bread is over 120 years old, carried out of Alsace by Jules Thuet's father and down here by Thuet, who named the place after feeding it during an airport layover. Croissants and French butter share shelf space with Hoffmann's liquor cakes and Pa's Peanuts.
July 2026
Delany's Public House
Owners Tory Delany, Darren Shore, and Kevin O'Hanlon spent a year sourcing furniture and antiques from Ireland, then hired two Irish-born Lakewood Ranch woodworkers to build the bar. Shepherd's pie, fish and chips, and bangers and mash in whiskey onion gravy, plus an Irish provisions store up front stocking Tayto crisps and Barry's Tea.
June 2026
Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza
The Miami-born pizzeria from chef Renato Viola brings its signature five-point, star-shaped pies to The Market at UTC. Look for the ricotta-filled Star Luca and the Coffee Paolo, plus calzones, a burrata bar, and a Nutella pizza for dessert. Dough is made with imported Italian flour and proofed 72 hours.
June 2026
Happy Clams & Hams
The Big Water Fish Market crew brings their Siesta Key seafood know-how to Bee Ridge with a market-meets-deli hybrid. Work the daily raw bar of cold-water and local oysters, then grab a lobster roll, a grouper sandwich, or a legit Italian sub. BYOB.