Worst food I've ever had and way over priced! Chicken was over done, small portion of butternut squash (at least that's what they said it was, hard to tell), cold small portion of mashed potatoes and a rock hard small scoop of gelato? Please, it was just ice cream. Service was very slow, some drinks were never even served! Sorry, but we'll not be returning, if it's not closed soon I will be surprised! read more

Walk in the door.. smell of old mop bucket and oyster smell. Of course everyone working was wearing masks and didn't know what we were talking about. We ordered Grouper ceviche and beef carpaccio. The ceviche needed lemon or any type of citrus and salt. Very bland. Beef carpaccio was one of the worse we had. To the Sweet sugar dressing on the arugula to the powdered parm cheese it was lifeless. The waitress removed our dishes and we requested the check. She didn't even seem surprised that the dishes weren't finished. The desserts in the cooler all looked store bought. This was on our bucket list of restaurants to try and were sadly disappointed read more

So disappointing for Happy Hour and our first time visiting. The Bartender Richard, proceeded to tell us he was high on Weed, sweating and not keeping his face mask on. I saw he was drinking behind the bar after he made a martini for a couple sitting at the bar. The bartender was training a new guy who was a slopping mess, wrinkled shirt etc.The house Chardonnay and Pino Grigio was undrinkable. Had to order a 12.00 glass of wine. I do have to say the dozen oysters we ate were excellent. The carpaccio was ok, small and no creative flavor to it. We had bought a Groupon to enjoy dinner there sometime which we totally got a refund. We have no interest in returning to Chef Rolfe's. PS Feel sorry for the Chef, he seemed like a very nice man who had a passion for his work. read more

I convinced a party of six of us to go try their Blue crabs ( We're all from Maryland). We had a 6:30 reservation and were the only ones there when we arrived. Suspicion aroused when we saw all the tables had white linen tablecloths. We were seated and ordered 2 1/2 dozen of large crabs. The table cloths were not removed by the wait staff so we dumped the crabs on the nice white linen. The crabs were boiled and the first three I had were good. I also had Blue Point raw oysters and they were delicious. However, everything went down hill after that. The rest of the crabs were over cooked and mushy. We sent some back and they knocked $40 off the bill. Before we left at about 8PM there were two other couples in the restaurant, all eating crabs and complaining to the staff about the quality. I don't know how they can make it if they can only draw 10 people on a Saturday evening. The wait staff was very good. I felt very sorry for them because they didn't make much money that night. read more

YUK, YUK, YUK. I should of read the reviews before bringing my family here. I can't believe how bad the food is at this place. The first clue should have been that 90% of the tables were empty. This was the worst meal I have ever had in Sarasota. Also, we were overcharged on three different items, it felt like a last ditch attempt to rob the costumers to keep the doors open. I truly can not say enough bad things about this place. read more

Food was great loved the attention to detail. My waiter was not super attentive but wasn't bad either. The mushroom risotto is amazing though. I recommend checking this place out good value for your money read more

Our server Harrison was wonderful. The trout was great and the Charcuterie platter was great. However, the trio of soups were not so great...chowder tasted watery, cr of asparagus was good, red bean was way too salty. The salad was cold but wilted...not at all fresh. A little disappointing...for those prices, the food needs to be excellent from soup to nuts!!! read more

It was a great experience! I found this place through website and I'm not sorry about this visit My omelet with lobster meat and cheese was outstanding!!! Server Joseph was very professional and helpful ! I recommend this restaurant 5 stars definitely!)) read more

This used to be a good place. Covid has not been kind to this place. Either they just don't care, or they couldn't care less. The lunch service was lackluster, the restaurant was FILTHY. They first brought me to a table that was filthy. Upon finding a clean table,, The menu was crumpled, fifty & greasy. I asked for my beef cooked to a certain doneness, it was not. From the filth of the place, I honestly could not trust one item on the menu. One of the worst dining experiences of my entire life. Oh. And even though it was 12:30, the cook chose to clean the grills at that moment. The place became filled with smoke and the acrid, spoiled smell of old grease. The smell clung to me the rest of the day until I fumigated my hair & body and burned my clothes. Steer clear. Time to find a new hobby, chef. PS even the Coke was limp & tastless. I asked to taste a fry of the person I was with....the fries are cooked in the same oil used for fish. Seriously terrible. My beef was all gristle. There were only 2 other tables filled, and the 1 server never checked on us. Request for beverage went unheeded. Save your hard-earned $$. Never going there again. read more

We had a very nice dinner there last night. Richard was our server and took very good care of us. We ordered mussels and he returned several times to provide clean bowls for the mussel shells. The chef is Swiss and there are Swiss and German entrees. My husband enjoyed the schnitzel and I enjoyed the lobster flatbread. Pricey but more lobster than you'll ever see on a flatbread. The piano music was also very nice. The reviews are so harsh and almost insulting. We almost didn't go. The service was outstanding and the food good..... give it a chance! read more

Did Savor Sarasota on Saturday night. Arrived at 7:15 PM to a sparse crowd. Ordered drinks and appetizers. Buffalo cauliflower and kale caeser salad were good. Of to a good start or so we thought. - New York Strip & Shrimp Scampi w/ potatoes mashed and seasonal vegetables and Scottish Salmon over Spring Pea Risotto & Lemon Beurre Blanc were are entrees. Steak was possibly the worst I have ever had. The potatoes were way under-seasoned. The risotto was overcooked and we could not find the beurre blanc on the plate. Had the server box our desert and left. Service was good but the food was terrible. read more

Last night I went with a group of 18 people. The restaurant had 2 waitresses and a bartender call off last minute. They did a wonderful job of letting us know and really worked overtime to provide good service. All of us enjoyed our dinners and were surprised that they discounted our meals do to the wait. We had not asked for this or expected it. I must compliment Renee on keeping on top of all the tables. We will definitely return. Hopefully, the issues all restaurants are having with getting reliable help will improve. It is a cute place for a nice outside meal. Try it! read more

Visiting Sarasota and found this restaurant when we were looking for seafood that was more than the usual fried basket and fries. Located right beside Fleming's. Felt a little worried walking in and there were only 2 other tables seated: the restaurant is pretty big. Maybe everyone else was by the beach? Pleasantly surprised with the food and server was very friendly. Had largest oysters we've seen (actual oyster was half size of my palm) and was succulent and fresh! Good cocktails to start as well, warm bread fresh from oven dipped in oil and balsamic was yummy. Soft shelled crab, garlic sea bass with roasted cauliflower and pasta w clams were all quite good and very filling! Our family enjoyed the food. Had no room for the chocolate cake which we heard was good. Hope the locals come support! read more

The prices are way too high for the experience. All around, the food was bland and not the best quality. Our server didn't know a lot of the questions we asked about the menu. The menu was overwhelmingly large. The ambience felt kind of grim. The piano playing was the best part. There are many other better places to eat in Sarasota for the money. read more

My husband and I along with another couple went here for the first time tonight. First I want to say that our waiter Richard was excellent. He was very attentive and accommodating. With that said, we all thought the prices were quite high. On a Friday night, when seafood is really king, the place was empty. Only 2 tables and a few people at the bar. I think the pricing had a lot to do with that. Our tab for 2 people was $126 and included two cocktails. I think the chef did whatever he wanted as several several items differed from what was described. We were told they didn't have that so the chef made a substitution. We sent it back because that wasn't what we wanted. The best deal there are two 1 pound lobsters for $29. The all you can eat fried cod and fries were also $29. It was bear battered - you know fish and chips for nearly $30. . Most other entrees were much more. $40-$59. Just giving a heads up for those not expecting the pricing. I think all the desserts started at $11.00. The carrot cake was huge and delicious. The strawberry short cake was disappointing and sent back because it was not what was described. For us, we will occasionally treat ourselves to fine dining. But when we do, we would expect the food to be fabulous. It just wasn't. read more

Missed the mark by quite a bit. Starting with the positive. Restaurant was clean and had accommodating valet. Table was nice. Ok here we go. Ordered flatbread as appetizer. Wanted the cauliflower crust. Waiter reiterated order then Brought us the regular flatbread. Not a big deal. But things continued to unravel. I ordered the black grouper blackened. It was 1/4 inch thick. The waiter thought it was the trout and it looked like mahi fillet to me. Certainly not the nice thick grouper fillet I would expect. Chef stated it was grouper. Not sure how it could be. Thai sauce made it taste ok. My wife order New York strip medium rare. Came out medium at best. I asked her to send it back but she said we couldn't spare the time for them to make another steak. Here was to me the biggest issue. Everyone's food was served except they forgot my 5 year olds dinner completely. We had ordered a half pound of king crab legs added to my wife's steak order for our daughter. Nope. Also ordered a grill cheese. I was finished my 1/4 inch grouper fillet before she had been served anything. Also, very limited wine selection. My first 2 choices were not even available. Lastly, the dessert, death by chocolate was a large serving of a dry chocolate cake that tasted days old. Very disheartening evening. read more

One of the worst, most over priced meals I have ever had in Sarasota in the 20 years we have been here. Service was sub par - forgot many things and was overwhelmed. Very disappointed- we won't go back. read more

We had a great dinner here last night. Food tasted amazing. Caesar kale salad had a bit too much dressing and my drink was a bit too much juice but the scampi with grouper was so very good!!!! My hubby got the pork chop off the 3 course and the serving was huge. He lived the juicy chops and the apple chutney . We will be back! Tom took very good care of us and the setting was warm and relaxing. read more

Our family of 4 went to Rolf's on the 29th with High hopes.....we were sorely disappointed......3 of us love raw oysters and ordered them but couldn't eat them because they were not fresh at all, nor cleaned well. The very sweet but inept server got two of our orders completely wrong.... the only thing good all night was the fried flounder... very sad.... read more

Awful experience. Our wine was served in plastic cups (paid $42 for the bottle that we had to open and pour ourselves). Had a martini that never came, we had to find our waitress to get our checks, waited 30 minutes and she never came to run our cards so we had to find her again to run the cards. Our plates were never cleared, we never got water refilled. I will never come back. read more

Very disappointing. Terrible food. High prices. Appetizers and dinner served on paper and plastic plates. Will not return.

This restaurant is managed horribly. We were seated and then never saw a waiter. We sat for 20 minutes before the waiter's assistant brought water and bread. He was a nice man and kept apologizing for things being unorganized. Waiters continued to walk by the table and ignore us. To to it all off, the manager walked by and saw me looking at him, then briefly stopped and asked if everything was good. I told him we had been there 35 minutes and had not seen a waiter. He then appeared to be frustrated. I told him not to worry about it and that we ordered flat bread from the assistant and we would be leaving after that. Most bizarre dining experience ever. These guys are pee wee leaguers all the way. They will not make it as a business. Many other customers appeared to be very disturbed. read more

Very over priced and food was sub par. Dinner took a long time too. We won't be going back.

Very disappointed. Cocktails were watered down. Wine way over priced. KJ was $12 a glass. Ceviche $18 for a small portion. We did like the sautéed soft shell crabs. There are too many wonderful restaurants in town to go back. read more

MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT!!! Place was dead on a Saturday night at 7pm for a good reason. Food was horrible ! Cocktails no better! Staff was pleasant and apologetic, however will never go back. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY and TIME!!! read more

First visit on 6/24 for lunch. Service, food and ambience excellent. Will be back for Happy Hour and dinner. Starters of french style onion soup and perfectly fried calamari were followdd by a big soft shell crab sandwich and grilled trout with cole slaw and rice. Everything tasted great, portions good and nice and hot. Shared a cup of chocolate gelato to end a delightful meal. read more

We just finished an excellent dinner tonight. There were six of us in our group. We had four crab leg dinners, one lobster and one flounder. Everything was excellent. The bread was hot and fresh and the poppyseed dressing was outstanding. We have been vacationing in Sarasota for years and this was our first visit. We will definitely be back!'n read more

I don't even know where to begin. I wish there was a negative star rating option. We arrived for our 8:30pm reservation and did not get our food until after 10. The food was AWFUL. The lobster was chewy potatoes were salty and sticky and the 2 pieces of asparagus were shriveled up. My husband got a surf and turf with a side of scampi and the scampi came with 3 shrimp. We had a party of 15 and each one of the checks had items we did not order or more drinks then we had. I will absolutely never go back! read more

Went for my birthday and was so excited to try as I had heard so much about Chef Rolfe and was tired of hitting the same ole same ole places. I personally expected a larger restaurant as we were given a tour earlier when plans were just formulating and told about all the renovations to happen and none of that was done. Small room - all white - nothing top notch about the ambiance, decor, art, curtains, floor, etc... Could have been a school dining room. Waiter was friendly but not what I expected at all. We had reservations and were told to pick a table as place was practically empty. Dirty glass vases on tables with stones in bottom and later he dropped a fake candle inside. First one wasn't bright so fetched out with his hand and grabbed another and plopped in. My husband had Chef Rolfs Swiss Schnitzel as recommended but dry and not impressed with it as he has had overseas. More like an Indiana Pork Sandwich without the bread for $34. Speaking of bread - when the loaf came out it was overcooked on top and tasteless. We were told it just came out of the oven. My husbands salad was good. I had She-Crab-Soup - once again bread overcooked on sides and soup was cold. In addition, I had yellowtail fish with scallops (might have been triple tail) - all overcooked, crispy on edges and a white rice on side. Asparagus looked tough so didn't even try. It just wasn't a good meal at all and I never say that about a full meal - usually something is prepared well and tasty. I suspect Chef Rolfe was not there as we saw the cook and waiters conversing later that evening when we were leaving. I will say though .... the gentleman playing the piano was EXCELLENT and we enjoyed him very much. read more

In the area and just stopped for late lunch again great meal. Veal liver on the menu and had to have glad I did just like my German grandmothers sweet and delicious the bride had the now famous lunch NFk Style Burger Black Angus beef. If you have not had the coleslaw you are in for a treat and you can take some home to relive the experience. read more

Awesome food and service. So much variety. Just believe and go. It's a nice place and not cheap but so worth it.

We have been to Chef Rolf's three times in the past couple of months and have enjoyed each visit. The service and food are fantastic. During our most recent visit 3/6/21, we got a dessert called something like Baked New York Cheesecake. OMG! I can't stop thinking about it. It was A-MA-ZING! Wish I had taken a picture but maybe next time. read more

My wife and I had a wonderful evening at Chef Rolf's. It was our first time here and we will definitely be back for more. It all started with great service from Rachel. We ordered the "she crab soup" and garlic parmesan oysters for appetizers. They were both very fresh and a delicious way to start the meal. The soup was almost a meal in itself with a puff pastry on top and a little crab cake on the side. For our main courses, my wife ordered the scallops Sarasota Style and I ordered the garlic crusted sea bass. My wife loved her scallops and I honestly have not had a piece of fish better cooked than this. We also got a 1lb. Maine lobster to share because, "why not?" All of this, with a nice bottle of wine and the baked cheese cake for dessert. We honestly could not have asked for a better experience. Thank you Rachel and thank you Chef Rolf. We were impressed and we will certainly be back for more. Please keep up the good work! read more

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I was here last night, and I was very surprised how friendly the staff are and how wonderful the food is! I started off with the Orange Crush Vodka Marti it was nice and refreshing as my appetizers trio soup with lobster bisque and gumbo soup my date had sashimi grade tuna and served on a ice block which was incredible my main meal was cedar Plank salmon and a dozen blue crabs everything was incredible and the best part was a big slice of chocolate cake! BEST DINNER IN SARASOTA! MOST DEFINITELY GO BACK! read more

Chef Rolf's has become my favorite European style restaurant. It has easy parking, gracious welcome, a pleasing decor quiet enough to hear conversation, personal and professional service, a great menu, and exquisitely flavored food. It is the place I want to go when I celebrate something important. It is also the kind of place I want to go with good friends who won't mind when I zone out to concentrate on the taste. Worth every bit of the price. read more

Chef Rolf's restaurant was unique, with well prepared entrees, and friendly staff. I personally met Chef Rolf at a seafood festival, and he served the best triple tail sandwich at the festival. At his restaurant we ordered the scallops and triple tail entrees. They were phenomenal, and priced fairly for what they offer. This place is a must-go to if you enjoy seafood and want good quality. read more

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Decided to try somewhere new, and Chef Rolf's was a mistake. Our service was friendly and prompt, however the food fell far short. Portions were small and my wife's lobster was tasteless. The crab legs were chewy and the liquified butter was not butter. The food seemed on the cheap, which may explain the near empty restaurant at 7 pm on a Thursday. read more

We arrived just before 5:30, and were given the regular high priced menu. I asked the hostess for the early dining menu, and she said "that's only until 6:00" I looked at my watch and said it's only 5:30. She brought back a menu and a Savor Sarasota, also. Why weren't these given from the time we were seated? Also, had to ask if there was a happy hr, and Richard brought a small menu, with very few wines on it. Happy hr. wine is not usually 7 or 8 dollars, elsewhere. A few tables around us were getting a small item from the chef, we,did not. I asked Richard about it, and he said if you want it, I can bring you some. We ordered another round of drinks, my husbands came, mine didn't. Food was fine, but service and prices were terrible. read more

First I'll start with the positives. 1. It was clean 2. The wait staff were pleasent Next the problems. 1. Took a while to be acknowledged and drink order taken. A glass of wine and a water with lemon 2. Wine arrived and then I waited. And waited. And waited. I finished my glass of wine. And I waited. 3. Finally! I placed my food order. And asked for a glass of water, a 2nd glass if wine and the complementary bread. 4. The salad was brought... But I had no silverware. So I waited. And waited. Finally I flagged down someone for silverware and proceeded to eat my salad. 3 bites of salad and my fish was delivered. 5. I again asked for bread. 6. Was repeatedly apologized to and told there was a party the kitchen was busy. 7. Bread arrived as I took my last bite of my meal. With it I was given olive oil and vinegar. Odd in my book 8. I asked for some butter for the bread and was told that as the kitchen was busy, that most likely would not happen. 9. I asked for my bill, and yep. I waited, and waited and waited. 10. The bill finally arrived and I noticed I was charged the full price for my salad. When the menu indicated a lower price when it was paired with an entree. 11. Instead of waiting more for the bill to be adjusted, I just paid it. 12. I will not be returning. read more

Had dinner with friends tonight. Everything I ordered was perfectly cooked and delicious. Someone in our party ordered the fried apples, which were amazing. I think everyone at our table had some part of it; also delicious. Every person at our table was pleased with everything they were served. We will definitely be returning. read more