Diners' Choice: Best Overall restaurants in Sarasota / Bradenton

OpenTable

Updated November 05, 2024

Looking for the best overall restaurants in Sarasota / Bradenton? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Dolce Italia

4.8

4.8 (588)

$31 to $50

Italian

Sarasota

About the restaurant

Dolce Italia was established in 2010 by Tiziana Di Costanzo who came from Ischia, an island in the Gulf of Naples. Using a combination of classic Italian dishes, family recipes passed down for generations, and warm hospitality, Dolce Italia has built a reputation in Sarasota as a destination for anyone seeking great food and ambiance. In 2015 Matthew joined as manager of the front of house and is now a managing partner of Dolce Italia. The kitchen staff trained by Tiziana from the beginning are still with the restaurant with Maria being the capocuoco.
Some of the specialities Dolce Italia has become famous for are the Napoletan Eggplant- a tender sautee eggplant with fresh tomatoes crowned with ricotte, the Trenne Dolce Italia- the signature pasta dish with creamy tomato sauce, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and mushroom.

Top review

Melissavip

Dined 4 days ago

Amazing Italian food! The pasta is all fresh made and sauces are fresh made as well. It is outstanding. It’s a very small place, so definitely plan on reservations and keep this in mind. Servers are very polite and quick. We will be back, it’s our new favorite in the area.

La Dolce Vita Authentic Italian Cuisine

5.0

5 (343)

$31 to $50

Italian

Sarasota

About the restaurant

We welcome our guests to an authentic Italian restaurant: here we offer traditional cuisine, with a modern take on northern and southern Italian recipes. Mauro, the chef, and his wife Tina, have an huge amount of experience behind them.

Mauro is from Naples, Tina was born in a little sicilian town near by Enna.
He began to learn everything about the southern cuisine by his experience in Naples since he was a child, from “Polipetti alla Luciana” to “Paccheri ai frutti di mare”. Furthermore he moved in Milan and he had the chance to learn the northern cuisine, from “Risotto ai funghi porcini” to “Polenta grigliata”, one of his favourite specialties!
From an ancient sicilian tradition, Tina learnt everything about the desserts by her grandmother and her mother, from “Millefoglie” to “Cannoli cake”.

We hope you enjoyed reading about us. but it would be great if you would have the chance to taste our fantastic dishes! It will be an amazing experience with no

Top review

jennifer

Dined on Nov 2, 2024

Great authentic Italian food. The service was great too!

Apulia Osteria Italiana

4.9

4.9 (330)

$31 to $50

Italian

Rotonda

About the restaurant

Apulia Osteria Italiana is located in Placida, Florida just a few miles away from the beautiful Island of Boca Grande and Manasota key just 20 minutes from Port Charlotte and Venice.
The warm hospitality and the professionalism you will receive at Apulia will make you feel welcome throuout your entire visit. Chef Dario Leo along with his staff will make sure you will be delighted with superb food and great service.
You will enjoy dishes from his native region " Apulia" also called "The hill of the boot", specialties such as Orecchiette with Rapini, Fritto misto di Paranza ( seafood) , Burrata, Baked Snapper, Beef Braciole, Pasticciotto Leccese and so many other dishes from all over Italy such as Ossobuco, Risotti, Gnocchi, Branzino, Ravioli, Tiramisu, Gelati and so much more......

Top review

dinavip

Dined on Nov 8, 2024

Wonderful experience at apulia, as always great food,great atmosphere,great people,the osso bucco,is totally recommended,very delicious, comes with a saffron risotto, you will never have a bad meal here food is always great, Chef Dario always serves the best!

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Popular dish

Tagliatelle alla Bolognese

Côté France

4.8

4.8 (458)

$31 to $50

French

Venice

About the restaurant

Thank you for choosing us.
Executive Chef of Côté France of 4 years, Thomas Civallero is passionate about creating an authentic French experience with homemade and traditional French Cuisine.
Our team has extensive knowledge of complementary pairings and is dedicated to providing an excellent dining experience.

Top review

Maryvip

Dined 2 days ago

Great food, great service and such an adorable, quaint atmosphere. Highly recommend.

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Popular dish

Classic French Onion Soup

Popular dish

Scallops Risotto

Rumours Wine Bar

4.8

4.8 (117)

$31 to $50

Wine Bar

Englewood

About the restaurant

Rumours Wine Bar was brought to life from a vision that began back in 2019 in our living room. Dana had recently resigned from her Wine Sales position and wasn’t sure what she wanted to do next. She had always dreamed of opening her own Wine bar so we created our logo, our name, and our brand and simply followed our heart. We opened as a retail store in January 2020 and pivoted when the Pandemic started by creating an online store and offering curbside pick-up and delivery. In September 2020, we passed our final inspections and received our beer and wine license for “on-premise” consumption as well as a restaurant license. We have not slowed down since. We have won numerous awards from our local community including 2022 and 2023 "Best Local Cheers Bar." Our mission at Rumours Wine Bar is to simply embrace intellectual stimulation linked to wine in a relaxed and friendly environment.

Top review

Debbievip

Dined 3 days ago

Awesome wine bar with great food!! Love taking friends there to enjoy a great evening!!

Selva Grill Downtown Sarasota

4.9

4.9 (5772)

$31 to $50

Latin / Spanish

Sarasota

About the restaurant

Selva offers innovative, intricately prepared dishes, plated and presented as works of art. Selva has earned raves from all
over the world, including from the New York Times, which write that Selva is “serving possibly the best food in Sarasota,”
and that “everything on the menu is worth trying.”

Top review

TNTDowntownvip

Dined 2 days ago

Wonderful as always!

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Sophie's at Saks Fifth Avenue- Sarasota

4.9

4.9 (731)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Sarasota

About the restaurant

Sophie's offers globally influenced yet decidedly American cuisine in a luxurious intimate setting featuring an outdoor terrace, open kitchen and private dining area. Sophie's dining experience captures the style and elegance of Saks Fifth Avenue, with a passionate focus on outstanding food and drink. Sophie's Chef Andrew Thompson changes his innovative menu seasonally using the best locally-sourced ingredients. The menu is complemented by a selection of craft cocktails and a thoughtfully curated wine list.

Top review

Lynettevip

Dined on Nov 12, 2024

Lovely lunch place to catch up with friends!! Food always good!!

Bruschetta Fine Italian Cuisine

4.9

4.9 (39)

$31 to $50

Italian

Gulf Gate Estates

About the restaurant

At Bruschetta Fine Italian Cuisine , our history is rooted in family and tradition. Our recipes have been passed down for generations, and we take great pride in using authentic ingredients and techniques to create the flavors of Italy. From our humble beginnings in a small kitchen in Rome to our bustling restaurant today, we've always stayed true to our roots.

Top review

Teresavip

Dined 4 days ago

The food was delicious. Pasta made fresh. Bruschetta tasty. Loved the limoncello.

Baker & Wife

4.8

4.8 (2003)

$31 to $50

Global, International

Sarasota

About the restaurant

BAKER & WIFE is a comfortable, casual cafe committed to fresh, high-quality food and driven by our passion for
handcrafted cuisine and cocktails.

Inspiration is sourced globally, ingredients are sourced locally.

This unique perspective on comfort food is the epitome of BAKER & WIFE:
simple, delicious, and it just feels good.

Top review

Lee

Dined 4 days ago

I don't know what took us so long to get here. We should have been here years ago. Our meal was special. We loved the tiger shrimp. The service was great. Everything about Baker & Wife was fabulous.

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The Capital Grille - Sarasota

4.8

4.8 (2884)

$50 and over

Steakhouse

Sarasota

About the restaurant

Make it a day to remember. From birthdays and anniversaries to professional milestones, we aim to make every gathering special at The Capital Grille. Open seven days a week, The Capital Grille is best known for our expertly prepared steaks, which are dry aged in house for 18 to 24 days and then hand-cut by our restaurant's on-premise butcher. The Capital Grille's wine list features more than 350 selections, and its floor-to-ceiling wine kiosk regularly houses 3,500 - 5,000 bottles. Reservations are recommended but not required. For more information, please visit our website. We look forward to delighting you.

Top review

Lisa

Dined 2 days ago

Shauna in the bar area was awesome she took great care of us!

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Popular dish

Creamed Spinach

Popular dish

Parmesan Truffle Fries

Popular dish

Caramelized French Onion Soup crock

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