BLUF: Consistently exceptional food and service located at a dry dock (dry boat storage) overlooking the water. I love Dry Dock Waterfront Grill and I always visit when I am in the Sarasota area. Dry Dock is always busy so I am also sure to make a reservation in advance using Open Table. Typically we sit inside but I know the back patio is popular too. If your timing and patience is perfect, you can also get a nice a nice window seat in the dining room that has sweeping views of Sarasota Bay. The inside atmosphere is bright and airy and although airy often translates to loud, Dry Dock thoughtfully put noise dampening panels on the ceiling. As far as food, I don't think you can go wrong. I always get something with grouper whether it be an entree, sandwich or tacos. On my most recent visit I got the grouper filet with coconut shrimp because I had originally been eyeing up the coconut shrimp as an appetizer. Ultimately, we decided to get the rock crab claws for an appetizer which were good but more work than I planned even though they were pre-cracked. I felt like a Neanderthal trying to eat those crab claws in such a nice restaurant. No offense to the Neanderthals, of course! I have no idea what my husband had as it disappeared. After entrees, apps and bread, we were too stuffed for dessert. I think our server was Cari and she was awesome! Attentive, friendly, funny and quite possibly a mind reader and magician. She saw the hanger in my eyes and made bread magically appear. I hope I got her name correct because she was superb! Shout out to all of the great staff members at Dry Dock -we've never had a bad experience. I love Dry Dock and it will forever stay in my Sarasota rotation. read more

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill - Grouper and coconut shrimp - divine! - Seafood Near Me - Longboat Key, Florida

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Great location and views. Arrived for our reservation and received a pager - to wait for our table. Drunk,man eating his dinner at the bar - was a deterrent to ordering a drink there Really average food: grouper poppers were way over breaded. Salads came - lettuce a cherry tomato and a slice of cucumber with a plastic cup of your dressing. The red snapper was overcooked Just boring food. Served was excellent. Very good service. Disappointed - not- read more

Beautiful setting, lovely views, and great service. My husband ordered the scallops and crab cake combo and absolutely loved it. The portions were generous and everything was flavorful. I had the snapper. It was fresh and not fishy at all, but unfortunately a little overcooked and slightly dry. I always wonder why restaurants tend to overcook fish because it can be so amazing when done just right. We finished with key lime pie for dessert, which was delicious, although the slice was on the smaller side. Overall, we enjoyed our experience. The prices felt a bit high, but honestly, that seems to be the norm at many restaurants these days. read more

First time here.... This was one of the best meals I've had in a long time. I had the seafood pasta and it was outstanding. The location and setting is great , on the water. Service is outstanding. Will def be back here. read more

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Food was great, the upstairs is super cute and really great views. Our waitress was also very sweet and nice and helpful. I had the lobster pasta which was so tasty. My husband had the citrus grouper which was good and a good portion. We got a side of bacon wrapped scallops as well that melted in your mouth. The Cesar that comes with fish was really good. read more

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill - Lobster Pasta - Seafood Near Me - Longboat Key, Florida

We shared a red snapper sandwich. It was very good and quite enough for lunch, with a side of Cole slaw. The sandwich is dressed with a slice of tomato and a piece of lettuce. There is a lovely, tangy dipping sauce on the side. The sauce had a little kick. I ordered my fish blackened. It had a very nice flavor although I did not really notice the blackened seasoning. It was very light. read more

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Very interesting place, beautifully decorated, I got a cheeseburger and it was very good, however, the star of the show was the fish, there is dock access right next to the outside seating area, with catfish and sheepshead. If you throw any food in, the catfish attack it, it is very cool, a kid threw a whole salad which was cool to see. Good place read more

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill - More catfish - Seafood Near Me - Longboat Key, Florida

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Dry dock never disappoints. Sitting outside with a view over the bay is great. We shared a Florida red snapper sandwich. It comes broiled or blackened. We choose blackened. It has a nice seasoning, I would have preferred a little bit more. It comes with Cole slaw (fries is the other option). The slaw is very good, not too much mayonnaise and has a nice bite. Also a small container of sauce. It is nice on the fish. It had a familiar taste, but I couldn't pinpoint it. read more

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill - Seafood Near Me - Longboat Key, Florida

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The ambiance was very nice and cozy. They have indoor and outdoor seating. The views were amazing. The food was excellent. Everything looked and tasted very good. The customer service was great. I would definitely advice anyone in the area to go to this restaurant. read more

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1. Great location 2. Amazing outdoor dining right on the water. 3. A lot of food options. 4. Service was good. 5. Food was good dessert was better. 6. Inside is loud outside is better. If in the area definitely check it out. read more

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We had last gone to Dry Dock on a visit to Longboat Key probably 30 years ago and for some reason we had not returned even through we visit the island one or twice a year. This time we decide to go again and we were glad that we did. The restaurant is way back behind some industrial buildings and located in a dry dock facility. The largest and most sought-after table location is at water level looking out at the docks, despite our not having a reservation. The place was packed at 1:00 on the afternoon on a weekday, so I highly recommend reservations any time of day. We began with two good drinks; a Shark Lady and an Aperol Spritz. We split a side salad and then each had tacos, shrimp and fish. The salad was ordinary; the tacos were excellent. For dinner rather than lunch we would delve into some of the more creative offerings. Now, about the prices - they are very proud of their tacos at 20 and 30 dollars an order. They were good, but it is obvious we are being charged for location a bit more than food. The same goes for service, which was spotty at best. Took too long to be greeted, too long for drinks and for food. That all leads to my final review rating. Since there are very few restaurants on Longboat Key, it would not re responsible if I didn't compare Dry Dock to the other bay side restaurant on the island. At these prices, I have to say that I would always drive further up island to go to Shore which has more variety in terms of food, much better service, a far superior location and water view, and pretty much the same prices. So, all alone with nothing to compare to, Dry Dock could be a 5. But in comparison to competition, I have to give a 4, because I can't give a 3.5, which is what service and prices deserve. read more

2nd visit here and it was as good as our first! Staff is very friendly and service very good. We had the Fresh Snapper (blackened) and the pasta with shrimp in white wine a garlic sauce...both excellent! The seafood here is amazing and fresh! read more

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Food- Excellent, super delicious. They bring you bread and the bread was fluffy. Brought us parmesan cheese for our entree that is fresh sliced. BOTH Wine and garlic sauce super delicious as well as Tuscan cream sauce. Would recommend doing an entree of each to experience both. Service- Server Andrea, unbelievably hospitable, attentive and so sweet. Very friendly too and personable and really added to experience. Very professional all wait staff seemed very nice. The who I assume was manager at the front desk with headset seemed a little stressed and short (we only had to deal with her prior to sitting) but all wait staff was incredibly kind. Ambiance- gorgeous. Water views, nautical decor. Inside or outside is definitely perfect no matter where you sit. We took a walk outside after so just if sitting outside may have more mosquitos so be prepared. Parking-limited BUT had no issues on a Monday night with nearly every table full. They have backup spots in a neighboring lot worst case scenario. There was about 3-4 official spaces when arriving at 730pm and multiple people "unofficial" parking on the grass so that seemed to be an option too. read more

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill - Upstairs View /Ambience - Seafood Near Me - Longboat Key, Florida

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Wow. That is one of many words I would use to describe my experience at Dry Dock. We arrived with no reservation so we had to wait about an hour for a seat, it was very busy, but calm and not too loud. But with this we would recommend a reservation. We had the calamari and bread to start off, and it came extremely fast and was tasty! We then got the fish and chips, Tuscan cream pasta, and the kids marinara sauce pasta. It all was so fantastic and our waiter Tyler was just the BEST and we left with full bellies and happy thoughts! read more

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The restaurant sits, literally, at the boat docks. I really could stop there...but I won't. I ordered bacon-wrapped scallops, seafood chowder, and seafood linguine in white wine & garlic sauce - oh, and broccoli. The broccoli was cold. First, would I return, HELL YEAH!. It was windy the day I arrived. The place had heaters to warm the patrons (perfect)! The scallops and chowder was good - not earth-shattering, but really good. The seafood linguine was the star of the show. It had shrimp, lobster chunks, and crab meat. They did not skimp on the meat. I couldn't eat all of the main dish. I was surprised they didn't provide bread to start the service, but not every restaurant does. I would rate this place and 8 of 10. read more

Food was ok, but not for the price. Grouper dinner, blackened, was dry/mushy and mild tasting to the point it wasn't worth ordering ( may have been old). The grouper fillet was smaller than it should have been for the price. Came with a tasteless rice and unremarkable summer squash and carrots. The crab cakes were also dry and needed seasoning not just a sauce. The drinks were very good and bar staff very friendly. Heard this place was very good but had recently changed owners. Should have checked recent reviews before eating there. read more

My cousins and I were in town for a girls weekend and were told to try dry dock and it did not disappoint! I will say the host was a little off putting when we didn't hear our pager go off he came over while we were waiting at the bar and said "you need to keep your pager where you can see it" we apologized and hoped that didn't set the tone for the rest of our experience. We were fortunate to have Shawn as our server and he was AMAZING! Very knowledgeable about the menu and we took almost all of his recommendations and the food was absolutely to die for. Service was impeccable, he checked on us the perfect amount of times, the drinks, appetizers, and entrees all came out in a timely manner. Definitely would recommend to anyone in the area! read more

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill - Seafood Linguine shrimp tacos - Seafood Near Me - Longboat Key, Florida

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We love it here. A regular for us. We always get the fried grouper tacos with rice and beans. The kids burger is so good. Beautiful views, no matter how hot it is we love eating outside there. Excellent desserts- always amazing key lime pie, and this time the caramel cheesecake was amazing. Great food, great service, great views. Make a reservation tho, sometimes it's hard to get a table without waiting. read more

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill - Seafood chowder - Seafood Near Me - Longboat Key, Florida

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Yes go We didn't have a reservation but they got us a nice table in a reasonable amount of time. Food was tasty and wait staff was very pleasant . read more

Celebrated our 25th anniversary here today. Food great as always. Server did a great job taking care of us. I had the salmon and it was so good. Son had the snapper burger and was very pleased with it and my wife had the citrus grouper and it was cooked perfectly. Can't wait to go back on our next visit to Long Boat Key Be warned. It is a bit high and I'm not sure the prices are in line with what you get. 34 dollars for salmon with rice. Not sure. Burgers are more reasonable. read more

The servers were amazing but the wait almost ruined the night. I had 8:15 reservations on the books for about 2 weeks. I checked in at 8 and did not get seated until 8:50. A few other people in the waiting area were also complaining to each other about having a long wait even with a reservation. There are a lot of mosquitoes in the elevator area so just take the stairs. The food was good though. I had the citrus grouper and it was cooked amazingly. It was nice and moist and came out hot. They have a good set of options for the kids menu but my son opted for a full burger instead of the slider on he enjoyed it. Price wise I think everything is priced fairly and when you make it upstairs to the main dinning area, it looks really nice. It felt like we were having dinner on a cruise with all the big windows that overlooked the bay. I would go back but they have to do a better job handling reservations. read more

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Our first experience here was so good that we decided to bring our friends to celebrate their 50th anniversary. We were warmly greeted and they told our friends they could celebrate with a free dessert, which was sweet. Our server, right from the start was not friendly. Our first experience was the exact opposite so we were really disappointed. I settled in the bourbon glazed salmon and yellow rice. We waited forever for our food as we watched others who came in after us get served. When food arrived it was barely warm. My husband and I didn't say anything as we didn't want to cause a scene with our friends. Our free dessert wasn't free and again, we didn't want to cause a scene with our friends. The server was oblivious to us, never asked about another drink, etc. If this had been my first visit, we wouldn't have come back. read more

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The food was delicious and the view was gorgeous! We sat outside. The last 20-30 minutes of our meal was plagued by gnats. If we were to go back, which we definitely would, I'd sit inside. read more

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill - Citrus Grouper & Coconut Shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Longboat Key, Florida

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We had a great experience at Dry Dock recently and I need to acknowledge one of the best servers I've ever encountered in a restaurant. We visited Dry Dock on Sunday, Feb. 15th for a very early dinner as reservations at Dry Dock are hard to come by, so we took what we could get. Parking is not easy, lots of tight spots to get in and out of, but you will find a spot if you are patient. We were seated right at our reservation time and smoothed right past a whole bunch of people who were on the wait list, and were seated in the beautifully decorated dining room, with great views. Jorge was our server and right from the start he was fantastic. He took our drink orders, offered us bread, and then took our appetizer orders and made good suggestions. He was so on top of everything that I thought to myself if I ever wanted to open a restaurant, I'd start by hiring a great chef, then I would hire Jorge to show the servers how it's done. From across the room, he noticed one of our drinks looking a little watered down as the ice was melting, and he refreshed it, and all our drinks- we never ran dry. Jorge took care of everything, we had to ask for nothing. Two of us ordered the seafood pasta dish, and he brought shaved parmesan cheese without us needing to ask. Our dinners were outstanding. My wife just had a fried chicken sandwich (not a seafood lover) and she said it was really good, better than the one she had at another good restaurant (Shore). The seafood pastas were terrific- the portions were plenty, with plenty of lobster, crab, shrimp and the sauces were super tasty. My daughter had the bourbon glazed salmon and she loved it, saying she could eat it the next night again if we went back. I was very impressed with the restaurant. The place runs like a well oiled machine and you never see any of the employees looking like they don't have anything to do. This is a vibrant restaurant, with a motivated staff, and in my opinion, Jorge was the best of all of them. Thank you all so much, we'll see you soon and next time, we're coming by boat! read more

Found this on yelp while looking for an upscale place to take my wife to dinner while staying in the Sarasota area. They take reservations which is great as it is very popular. We arrived about 30 minutes early but only had to wait ten to be seated. We were sat on the second floor next to a window overlooking the water. Waiter recommended the Grouper which was tender and flavorful. Wife got the lobster tails and loved them. Had salted caramel cheesecake for desert and we left QUITE HAPPY! Highly recommend. read more

Have been going for years! They have Excellent service and great food! It's is served hot every time

Best food on the Sarasota coast!! The service is impeccable...Greg was our server and best we have encountered! Ask for him!!!! We sat on the patio...best views ever! See pictures! We actually forgot to take pics of the food! Too enamored with the views!! read more

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill - Dry Dock patio view - Seafood Near Me - Longboat Key, Florida

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This is a nice restaurant with a nice view, the outdoor dock side seating is wonderful. Our waiter was also very friendly and helpful, attentive, and knowledgeable. The food was good, but honestly kind of disappointing, considering all of the great reviews. There was nothing that really stood out, except the prices. read more

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Pricey but delish. Waterside dining is great but bring bug spray. The lobster rolls were great and enough for two servings.

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill is a good spot to enjoy dinner outside with a water view. There is also seating inside, but if it's a nice evening out, I recommend sitting on the water to capture the best views. We went around sunset and saw the prettiest sky. I love that they give you some bread to snack on before your food arrives as well. I ordered the red snapper blackened and each entree was served with a side salad, vegetable, and starch of choice. The portions were very generous and the food was delicious. My table was celebrating a birthday, and we were brought a complimentary salted caramel cheesecake for everyone to share. I would definitely recommend making a reservation for this spot because wait times may be long without one. read more

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It was a beautiful, Saturday afternoon and I was craving some fresh seafood. After conducting diligent research on Yelp, I came across Dry Dock Waterfront Grill and my family and I set out on a 1+ hour drive to check it out! All I can say is every ounce of premium gasoline used was worth it. The views are immaculate, the service impeccable, and the food was fresh and delicious! We had Grouper bites, citrus grouper and the seafood pasta and the entire family thoroughly enjoyed our meal! read more

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill - Seafood pasta - Seafood Near Me - Longboat Key, Florida

We had an enjoyable lunch. Service was outstanding. Timing was perfect. The food was fresh and well prepared. Great idea to have fans that keep you cool and keep the bugs way. read more

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Delicious lobster rolls (they're the cold versions btw), and loved the Aperol spritz! read more

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill - Lobster Roll Combo - Seafood Near Me - Longboat Key, Florida

Unfortunately it's below expectations. We went for a birthday and while the view and service was nice, both food and drinks were extremely underwhelming with the oceanfront pricing.. read more

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill - Grilled snapper - Seafood Near Me - Longboat Key, Florida

Ambiance here is great, right on the water, and staff could not be more friendly. Our food - scallops for me and the pasta with Tuscan cream sauce and shrimp for my husband - was good. Not great or special, but perfectly good. Salads were nice and fresh and we enjoyed the lobster bisque. Solid choice read more

Food, service & atmosphere was excellent. Seafood pasta was delicious. Lots of lobster & shrimp. Coconut shrimp were freshly made & the best we've ever had. read more

We came to Dry Dock based on a recommendation. We were recommended to make a reservation, so we did a week in advance. When we arrived, we parked in their designated parking lot, which shares a lot with boat storage. We walked into the restaurant and a host greeted us, we let them know we had a reservation. We chose to sit outside, as they had expansive water views. Our server greeted us, took our drink order. We had time to look over the menu and I'll say, the prices are a bit high. Nothing was really calling out to me, but I decided on a grouper sandwich and at $30 it seemed really high. My husband opted for a chicken sandwich, and my kiddo ordered a grilled cheese. Our server was chatting with other tables, which is totally fine, but we didn't really get checked up on regarding fresh drinks or to see if we needed anything. Our meals came out hot. I will say, for $30 for a grouper sandwich, I was expecting to be a bit wowed. It was a little bland, and I ordered it blackened. All in all, it was fine, just not my cup of tea. read more

Dry Dock was one of the best meals we had on our trip, and it was even better because we could bring our puppy, sit outside, and witness a breathtaking sunset. I recommend making reservations so that you can select outside with the views. The five-star service made us feel like we were in the fanciest restaurant. They gave us a lovely water bowl for a pup. We drink wine all night long. They have an excellent selection of wine. I started with champagne and then moved on to rosé my husband drink Chardonnay all night Our meal started with bread, service, and Caesar salad. I had the seafood linguine sautéed Lobster, shrimp, and crab meat for the main course. There was so much seafood in it. I was thoroughly impressed. My husband had the Florida grouper, which came with vegetables and rice. read more

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Amazing stone crabs and views! Tyler was amazing as our server. The rose spritz, lobster roll, and oysters are a must! read more

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill - Seafood Near Me - Longboat Key, Florida

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Friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating service! Great view over the water. Dockside seating! But a wide variety of other choices inside and options to suit everyone. The salads were great. Garden sales with blue cheese - fresh and crispy. Caesar salad was also excellent- plenty of Parmesan. Red potatoes were great! Tons of very good vegetables- done perfectly! Citrus grouper was very good. Not my wife's favorite, though. She said it tasted different than other grouper she's had. The coconut shrimp and bacon wrapped scallops were excellent! Both were done perfectly. It took a bit to figure out which sauce went best with which, though. The white sauce seemed to be coconut based and worked very well the shrimp while the darker sauce, very sweet, paired better with the bacon scallops. The biggest downside was the entrees showed up way too early after the salads were served. Not the waiter's fault, he even apologized for it - again service was excellent. Everything was pretty cool, temp-wise, before we even had a chance to start on it. I wouldn't be surprised if it was done way earlier and sat inside a bit before they even brought it out. Had to knock a star off for that. read more

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill - Coconut Shrimp & Bacon Wrapped Scallops - Seafood Near Me - Longboat Key, Florida

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