Friday, January 16, 2026 - Two for a burger bite. Not before the FST show…read more (GOSUB to the **** for the meat/burger of the review ((smile)) ) I have reviewed about 30 restaurants in and around Sarasota since 2021 when we moved down permanently and are members of the FST. On this Friday night, nothing was going right. My wife was delayed at school etc. So then a delayed departure from Venice, a false stop at Mad Moe's for a burger in Osprey (PACKED) and then a direct shot and parking across from FST we hope for a quick burger or something at the bar or restaurant at FST? But it was PACKED and they weren't serving any more???? We threw our tickets in the trash because now we could not make it back in time, (( frown :-( )) So a walk to Main Street to see if Patrick's or anybody might have room for two? NOPE. and we were walking along and THERE WAS BREWSTER's GASTROPUB!!!!!!!!!! For some reason I have 128 restaurants on my Sarasota Favorites list and Brewster's was not on it? I checked them on as I entered??? Looked VERY full at the bar, and most tables were full but it looked like we had a shot...... and there was a four top high-top!!!!!!! WIDE OPEN!! I think the no table service might be the delineator. We weren't looking for a sit down "dining" and full service gig. Nor did we need the overhead and pomp and circumstance of a host/hostess, army of bus staff, a waitstaff and being waited on with drinks and water and etc? ******** We came to EAT GOOD SIMPLE FOOD and have FUN. **** And that's what we did!!! "Todd" at the bar was friendly and fantastic. All the bartenders and staff were helpful and friendly. The "security guy" when he saw me at the bar for about 20 seconds helped me get some ketchup. Zone defense and team effort!!!! I got the signature Brew Burger and a side of Street Corn and had an endless glass of water w/ lemon I think I had Todd fill about 5 times. My wife and I bantered about what the Street Corn would be and we were happily surprised with the authentic Mexican Street Corn (elotes?) on the cob with a stick and a delightful creamy Chile, garlic, and Cotija cheese sauce I think. (problem is we gobble them up before we could figure out the exact sauce composition here. BUT it was very tasty. 10/10 The burger (for this adult usually nutritarian plant-based eater) was EXACTLY what I had hoped for. A wonderfully fresh an warm brioche bun, fantastic angus burger, cheddar and a "secret sauce" . I got lettuce onion and pickles which are standard...... this was VERY VERY VERY tasty. only quip is I will opt for sauce on the side and its was a little too much sauce. This was mega and uber better than some greasy Five Guys or Smashburger or any of that stuff. 10/10 My wife got the Shroom & Swiss Burger that had a wonderful portobello mushroom on it nicely cooked, terrific angus burger properly cooked exactly as we ordered it, she loved the blue cheese perfect amount, She also felt a bit TOO much of the secret sauce, but its pretty tasty so not a catastrophe. This was also an AWESOME burger!! 10/10 The sweet potato fries were not crazy greasy and perfectly crisp but not crunchy for fries - good, cross-cut and obviously bulk bag. Cut or sliced would be nicer but of course not expected, its a side. 7/10 The place is clean and glassware and silverware perfectly clean. The counter/bar service is fantastic. I had to make a few trips for ketchup and place ware and etc but hey when your wife gets one of the better vodka cranberry w/lemon and club in a large tumble for $9 instead of $15 or $16 for a 6 oz martini glass with 4 oz of watery drink........ its a home run!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With all the TVs and sports that is probably the summary of my review. Brewster's Gastropub is a Grand Slam for food and service......and especially burgers!!! Bravo Zulu.

Every thing about Brewsters is phenomenal. Food, outstanding, great beer and awesome servers…read more Plenty of TVs for sports watching, just an all around fun place

Chicken is incredible - would highly recommend to anyone who appreciates southern cooking and the…read morechef was incredibly gracious

We made an impulse visit to the Fork & Hen for dinner. We were able to get in without a…read morereservation and opted to sit inside, they also have outdoor seating. Interesting décor of stuff. I was seated facing a wall so I didn't get a good long look at my surroundings but between what I did see and looking at photos posted on Yelp the theme seems to be chickens. Our server was friendly and available to answer any questions as we spent time looking over the menu. I settled on The Hitman, a double patty smashed burger with American cheese, hen sauce, fried mozzarella, Nueske's bacon, with a side of garlic parm fries. It isn't listed on the online menu but there is a note the menu changes frequently so it may not match the day's offering. Let me start by saying that two of the people at my table got salads and were disappointed that there was too much lettuce and too little other stuff. With that out of the way, let me talk about The Hitman, which I loved. What is Nueske bacon? This is a special smoked flavorful bacon made by the Nueske family. Fork & Hen uses thick cut, and there were two slices on my burger. My burger towered so high there was no hope of picking it up, so I attacked it with knife and fork. Being made with Focaccia bread certainly added to the height, but so did a thick block of mozzzrella cheese. The cheese, melted on the inside and crispy on the outside, was substantial. I would be careful biting into a hot block of melted cheese, think pizza mouth. In my photo I broke into one corner to show that is cheese, so much cheese. The burger patty part topped with American cheese was by itself great, like you might find at a home cookout or Smashburgers. Other toppings were there but for me this was meat and a lot of cheese. And as much bread as you want. I loved my surprising good cheeseburger.

There's a floral pop up event of some sort going on The food…read morewas great! And the drinks were unique and tasted even better! The charcuterie was like a dream, and the Popsicle champagne drink wasn't too shabby! The service was good, and it wasn't too busy when I went. There's definitely photo ops for days for all my fellow content creators! The manger was friendly as well, and was nice enough to check in on all the guests here and there. Will def come back soon!

Would we return? Maybe…read more We tried Wink Wink before a symphony at Van Wezel two evenings ago. The menu - though not expansive - offered a fish, a steak, a chicken, a pasta, a burger, wagyu meatloaf, salads and several other options, appetizers, a full bar & wine. The four of us were very pleased with the food, service - and live music (guitar/singer was excellent). Overall experience, 4.8 stars out of 5. For that, we'd definitely return. However - the parking experience was a fiasco. Given this was our first visit, my husband circled the hotel/restaurant twice as the clogged pull-in area was full and there was no valet in sight. Also / no signage to direct us. Finally - my husband opted to pull into a reserved lot behind the hotel/restaurant and temporarily parked as I sought someone to direct us.... I walked past the valet "station" - nobody there (perhaps busy with other guests) and I headed to the restaurant to request assistance with parking. My husband followed shortly as he found the valet and asked if ok to leave the car - the male valet handed us a parking placard and said he'd take care of it, no problem. Ten minutes later a young lady valet approached our table - telling us she dug thru my glovebox to find us - asking if we realized she could have us towed. Beyond rude. We attempted to tell her the other valet had checked us in - but she continued down a shaming diatribe at our table - telling us how folks park back there illegally, etc. When we asked to speak to a manager, the young lady valet informed us that her company was a third party and she was not employed by the restaurant so our dissatisfaction with her rude & threatening behavior was nothing the hotel or restaurant manager could do anything about.... Eventually she walked away /her nasty attitude intact - and the male valet squared things so we could enjoy a lovely dinner. When exiting, no valet in sight again, we waited at the pull-in area where two other couples stood next to cars asking us where they were supposed to park or find the valet. Another couple were standing next to their car asking where the valets went, waiting for their keys to depart. Fiasco. Time for a better valet system! So Wink Wink gets a 5 but the valet is a big negative. We live here year round and there are too many options in Sarasota to deal with a valet threatening to tow us at our dining table.

Very good chicken Caesar wrap from this establishment for nine dollars which is one of their lunch…read morespecials. I stopped in on a Thursday, wings are eighty nine cents on Thursdays. I went with five hot honey Nashville and five golden bbq fried crispy. The wings were like that, very tasty. I sat at the bar and received excellent service. The ambiance is cool, the area looks dope and revamping. There are plenty of TV's for sports goers also. I walked here so I don't recall what the parking situation is. I saw a lot more options on the menu I would like to try in the future.

Currently sitting at a booth watching my food sit at the pass get cold for about 10 minutes because…read morethe two women bartenders are just talking and not working. Terrible service

Real deal hidden gem! Actual railroad train on railroad tracks. Excellent food. The owner was so…read morecool gave us a lil tour! This isn't far from the Ringling Museum so we decided to go check this out and was extremely satisfied. Very well done on the inside. Feels like in an old movie. I will mention again the food and drinks were great. They are open and or closed certain days of the week so make sure to pay attention to that. Went to go another time and didn't check. Will be back soon Bob thank you

If you're looking to see the old train cars and the circus memorabilia, then it's a good…read moreexperience; lots of good stuff to see. However, if you're looking for a great meal experience, I would suggest looking elsewhere. Though I understand they've gotta keep the lights on, the food quality was certainly not worth the price, in my opinion. Fries are an up-charge from homemade chips, so a cheeseburger and bacon burger each with fries was $35. A thing to note would be that burgers come with pickles. While other tables were told as much after we got our food, we never received this warning. As a pickle despiser, this was an unwelcome addition to my meal. The people working there were very friendly. Even though there was only one server, she was attentive and efficient. The man on the grill was also very nice, as he came out to speak with some guests when we got there.

Visited yesterday while in Sarasota for lunch. We decided to hit the drive-thru before heading to…read morethe beach. When we pulled up at the ordering station and a young lady answered to take our order. I'm not sure if the speaker was going o but it was hard to understand if the Order was getting through. We finished ordering and got to the next window and we paid and waited for our food. Overall it took about 10minutes for our food to be ready when we got it we started pulling off as my husband was handing out everyone's food he noticed they didn't put his sandwich in the bag they put a burger instead so I pulled back around so he could go talk to them inside. He explained that they gave him the wrong sandwich and when he told them that they kept saying they definitely put it in the bag so he came back out checked our bag and the kids bag and of cno blt chicken... he went back in and told him which they said they were 100% sure it was in the bag at this point there was no way I could prove except if they wanted to search my car I was so shocked that they made him come back out to look again! I told him to please get a refund and we aren't coming back over a sandwich that could have been easily fixed! They did give us a refund thankfully but wow what a hassle over a sandwich.

Solid franchise with a solid burger and fries. The fries are extra thin cut and delicious…read moreespecially when hot. Love the retro vibes of the place and prefer eating in to taking out. That was my mistake this weekend. I decided to do the drive through and the people in front of me were the slowest people in the world!! It would have been better to just park and go in. Granted it was my first time using the drive through so maybe it's not always like that.

We went for dinner after a day from HELL at Sarasota Memorial Hospital for a procedure that was…read morenever done We had to be there at 5:30 am so neither of us had anything to eat for a procedure that was supposed to be done at 7am After being there 13 hours and nothing we opted to just leave By now you can imagine we are starving not having ate in 24 hours. Grabbed our son at home and went to our favorite place The server Windsor was absolutely AMAZING hot coffee for me and fresh brewed iced tea for my husband and of course soda for our son. He kept it coming Not only that he got the food out to us hot and fresh quickly His pleasant attitude and smile is just another bonus to the establishment Never have we been disappointed however that night when he heard what we went through he made sure everything was fast fresh and as always delicious Thank you to Windsor and the entire team at the diner.

My family and I came in for a late breakfast around 10:30am. The atmosphere was what you expect…read morefrom a diner. The vibe was upbeat but mellow with a moderate crowd volume. We ordered eggs,omelets,and pancakes. It was just okay, nothing special but still a good meal. They offer breakfast,lunch,and dinner all day,which is nice. They have a wide menu but I didnt see a kids menu. If I could suggest one thing it would be to remove the steel cart full of utensils boxes from the front doorway. It was my first impression.

Great second floor pub in downtown near the theaters. Great vibe with classic rock posters and good…read moresports on TVs. We visited by chance for their nice happy hour. Great wing options and we tried their cilantro garlic version--delish and different. They had about 10 wing options--wow! Some nice happy hour drink specials--including a great Old Fashioned with Forrester. Calusa IPA beer in big mug. The big hit was their special Irishman burger, really big with a tasty whiskey bacon jam and tons of arugula. A truly special burger. One super nice woman bartender/server made our drinks and brought us the tasty food. We will definitely return.

May 1, 2026 - two for dinner before a show at Florida Studio Theater…read more My first visit. An easy walk from the FST parking and the FST theater. Drinks very reasonable and decent volume/quantity/pour. A buck for my soda water with lemon..... a bargain for the driver and non-drinker! The boss got 10 wings, 1/2 parm cheese and 1/2 barbecue. The reputation is best wings in Sarasota??? She like flats only and we paid $1 for just flats. This was a very nice option as I the whole food plant based "spartan vegan" will usually cringe at leaving those drums behind or wasted??? I did try one of each though. I believe they are baked and then before serving deep fried to crisp them up and heat them. Sadly the barbecued ones where burnt (see picture) and a little too crisped. The meat and most of the wing and the flavor was pretty good. 5/10 The parm wings where actually the opposite and the meat and wing undercooked, but the deep fry dunking crisped up the skin which would have been really raw and rubbery. These were also seasoned nicely and tasty. 8/10 Both easily fantastic with attention to pre-cooking and cooking? I got the Cup o' Spuds (sweet potato) in a little basket. These were pretty deeply fried and a few blackened/burnt but were nice and hot and flavorful and couple burned gave it some character and was a big deal. The menu is very limited for whole food plant based, vegetarian, vegan, nutritarian mix and match or anything....... so went with one of the three salads. the Side Salad I got an entree size. Romaine, diced tomatoes, cucumbers and black olives and a balsamic. My server missed my point after the second ask about adding "protein". I would have LOVED to have seen some black, pinto, kidney, navy, garbanzo, or any kind of BEANS to add to this salad as a "PROTEIN" or a quinoa, or even scoop of rice or edamame or even a few chunks of toasted or grilled tofu!!!! The salad ingredients were fresh and a nice amount of each. Dressing good but I only used a little since I thought I had asked for Balsamic Vinegar (no oil) and this was a Balsamic "Dressing" with actually quite a bit of oil. Service by "Nightime Bar B" was very attentive and friendly. REALLY good! Fielded our myriad of questions and we were never wanting or waiting. We had a long discussion about the wings which is why my wife wanted to go here. Maybe I should have put this first.......but the pricing was EXTREMELY reasonable especially for Main Street and I guess technically IN Season? The drinks about $12 for a Cosmo, Tito and club $10 ? Tax, tags, tip at 20% plus and we got out under $70 for two!!! VERY nice! Good spot. We will be back!!! As we have just about completed the Mainstreet and City of Sarasota circuit these guys are in the "rotation" for a before cabaret or full production play at the FST.

Great drinks, awesome atmosphere, delicious nachos. Dogs and live music on the patio.read more

is a laid-back, welcoming spot in Sarasota with a great indoor and outdoor dining space, ideal for…read moreeverything from happy hour to casual dinners. The staff is super friendly, though service can be a bit slow at times just something to keep in mind if you're in a rush. The food is flavorful and satisfying, with a menu that covers everything from classic pub bites to heartier entrées. One of the best times to visit? During the holidays, when the space transforms into a cozy winter wonderland, complete with festive decorations and seasonal charm. Holiday Pro Tip: Come during December to enjoy the decked-out décor and festive atmosphere - perfect for photos and good cheer. If you're looking for a relaxed bar and grill with personality in Sarasota, Tamiami Tap is a solid choice.

Had the BEST REUBEN sandwich of my life today! I've tried many a Rueben in many different states…read more.. this was hands down the most amazing one EVER! Started with the Focaccia bagel, delicious corned beef, smoked provolone cheese, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and thousand island dressing....all made of the best ingredients that are actually good for you! If you love a Reuben... you have to go try this one! They always have stellar food! So, if a Rueben isn't your thing... try a different one! I'll be back for another one soon! Thanks Team Focaccia!

This place is unique in that all of their sandwiches are served on their homemade focaccia, and it…read moreis incredible! I ordered the artichoke sandwich and it was so flavorful. The focaccia is perfectly soft and fluffy, and the fillings all went very well together. The service was good and pretty quick, and the inside of the store is very cute. There is seating both inside and outside, and I like that you can see them cooking! They also do daily special sandwiches and monthly special loaves. I want to come back to try more sandwiches and get some other flavors of focaccia to take home!