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    JR's Old Packinghouse Cafe

    4.0 (204 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 3 weeks ago

    JR's Old Packinghouse Cafe Photos

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    JR'S OLD PACKINGHOUSE CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Live music
    Moderate noise
    Divey
    Casual

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    Here to see an old friend play!
    Candace M.

    We went here to see the band play last Sunday, I was excited when I saw the menu online, had no idea on a Sunday during the day they basically have burgers, hot dogs & chicken tenders, the only thing I can think of is they don't have a "regular" chef on Sundays? Glad we went for the band but wouldn't recommend to go on a Sunday during the day.

    Garlic parm wings
    Bambi B.

    We came here to see the band that was playing. The place was packed. It was super loud but fit the vibe. The decor is eclectic and fun. The vibe is fun. We only had the wings and soup. Soup was good wings were not. Did hear other people say how good the burgers were. The service was great. We would comeback here but try some different food.

    Ropa Vieja
    Amy M.

    This is a quaint place, off the beaten path, and definitely worth the trip. We are visiting on vacation and have family that lives locally, so they took us here. We sat outside on their covered patio. They had live music inside. My husband had the Cuban sandwich, which was delicious. Apparently the bread used for a Cuban is called Midnight Bread and is made with lard. It really was the perfect bread for a Cuban, but it seemed odd to me that the pickle was on the side. Either way, it was delicious and there was still a pickle! I had the ropa Vieja and it was delicious. I'm not one for rice and beans, which seemed pretty plain to me, but the beef was delicious. I guess I'm also not one for tostones. I've never had a good one. They're always bland, just plain fried starch, kinda dry, sometimes chewy. Meh. There was only one served with this dish like a garnish. If you like them, maybe use it to scoop up the beef, rice, and/or beans. The beer was cheap and the service was excellent. I'd definitely come back and recommend visiting. We came for dinner, had two entrees and two beers and our bill was less than $50! There is a brewery across the street that our local family also loves, so maybe give that a visit after dinner at JR's.

    Cuban Sandwich OPC Style
    Nina H.

    I loved the charm of this place. It's a small restaurant that makes you feel like your in a home (it might be in an old house?). We found a table that seated 6 people - there are only a few tables that do. The walls have all sorts of eclectic items on the wall. Specials for the day were posted near the door. Sadly, the jambalaya they had that day was all sold out. Instead I opted in for the Ropa Vieja and it was delicious! It was a hearty serving that came with rice, beans, plantains, and bread. The dish was absolutely flavorful and exactly what I was in search of. Others at the table had cubans and the basa (grouper like) sandwich. Everyone seemed pleased with the dish, except the cuban seemed to be missing mustard/mayo. Also to note, the restaurant has daily/lunch specials that are worth looking up. If I recall correctly, music is played several times per week if not everyday. It was a fun place to take visitors and I'll definitely be bring more guests.

    Cuban Sandwich OPC Style
    gary s.

    Went there after my grandson's basketball game last night. We had four adults and 3 grandchildren. My son used to live a mile from here and used to come here quite a bit. We all used to love the Ropa Nachos. We'll we had 2 orders last night and they have really gone down hill. Half the size with hardly any meat or cheese. Of course the price was higher which is fine but half the portion at the same price,REALLY! The burgers were still good and the best things were the chicken fingers. Music is still way to loud and the singer wasn't terrible, service was good .

    Ropa burrito
    Andrew T.

    Stopped by for lunch after some fun with the kiddo. Nice local spot with some old Florida feels. Food portions were huge and very tasty. Prices very reasonable. They have live music most days also.

    Placemat
    Drew S.

    If you are not a fan of dive bars and honky-tonks this place probably isn't for you. But if that's up your alley, cone on in! The burger is the real deal and so is the sagging floor! The blackened shrimp dinner is a great deal and the waitresses are snappy and sassy. They look like they can handle themselves too! We went at lunch so not sure what the night crowd is like, but there was a small stage set up for music and I would bet it kicks ass.

    Fantastic AND Fresh salad ! With Blue Cheese dressing

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    11 days ago

    Food and services! Really nice people all staff friendly! Interesting place to meet for Dinner and late lunch! I will give 5 Star

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    JR G.

    Thank you, Gene!

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    8 months ago

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    JR G.

    Thank you, Tina!

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    1 year ago

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    JR G.

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    1 year ago

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    JR G.

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    6 months ago

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    JR G.

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    4 months ago

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    JR G.

    Thank you, Jeff! We look forward to your next visit!

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    6 months ago

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    JR G.

    Thank you Sherri! We appreciate your continued support!

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    11 months ago

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    JR G.

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    JR G.

    Thank you, Carmen! Look forward to seeing you again!

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    Photo of Nina H.
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    2 years ago

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    JR G.

    Thank you so much Nina! Looking forward to next time!

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    6 months ago

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    JR G.

    Thank you, Thomas!

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    1 year ago

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    JR G.

    Thank you, Orlando!

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    4 years ago

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    JR G.

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    1 year ago

    Taco salad special was delicious. Picadillo, black beans, huge shell. Would eat again

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    JR G.

    Thank you, Andrea!

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    2 years ago

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    JR G.

    Thank you, Andrew!

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    1 year ago

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    JR G.

    Thank you, Carolyn!

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    1 year ago

    I ordered a cheese burger with bacon. It was worth it... I haven't been there in a long time but it was worth it

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    JR G.

    Thank you, Lisa!

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    7 months ago

    Just the basic but sometime that what you need. Service and food was good for our lunch stop.

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    JR G.

    Thank you for the review, Gregory.

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    2 years ago

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    JR G.

    Thank you, Matt! We look forward to next time!

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    2 years ago

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    JR G.

    Helpful 1
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    4 years ago

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    JR G.

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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    JR G.

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    2 years ago

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    JR G.

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    2 years ago

    Delicious food as always especially the pork stuffed baked potatoes. Service w a smile and good music too

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    JR G.

    Thank you, Jacqueline!

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    3 years ago

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    JR G.

    Thank you so much Cynthia! Well written review and glad you found us!

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    4 years ago

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    JR G.

    Thank you Tom!

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    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    JR G.

    Thank you so much, Kathie!

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    2 years ago

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    JR G.

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    Photo of Darlene B.
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    2 years ago

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    JR G.

    Thank you, Darlene!

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    2 years ago

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    JR G.

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    3 years ago

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    JR G.

    Thank you, Brent!

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    2 years ago

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    JR G.

    Thank you John for being a loyal customer. We appreciate you.

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    3 years ago

    Love this place! The service is always great & the food is fantastic! Music is good too!

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    JR G.

    Thank you, Stephen!

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    4 years ago

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    JR G.

    Thank you Keith!

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    2 years ago

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    JR G.

    Thank you, Polu!

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    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - JR's Old Packinghouse Cafe

    Review Highlights - JR's Old Packinghouse Cafe

    jR's Old Packinghouse is a decades old mainstay with a "old Florida" feel in Sarasota, Florida.

    Mentioned in 9 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    131 Main

    131 Main

    4.6
    (138 reviews)
    4.5 mi

    Apparently this place has been here for about a year or so. So, decided to try it! First thing i…read morenoticed was the bar and the upscale decor. There were at least three hostesses/waiters/tresses greeting us at the door. It's more of an adult environment. Very nice! We ordered an app, the cornbread, their claim to fame. And it certainly was fantastic!!! I had the cowboy salad. It was all chopped up just how I like my salads. Perfect amount of ingredients, they didn't skimp! The only issue, and I could have asked for more, was they should bring a small side of dressing when they bring the salads out. Regardless the salad was yummy! The prices were steep but not any more than you would expect to pay in an upscale restaurant, $23. And, what I appreciated was they DO NOT INCLUDE AN AUTO GRATUITY! YAY!!! Overall the experience was outstanding; environment was beautiful, service was good, food was delicious. We will be back, many times I'm sure!

    Was invited to dinner on a Friday night. We were two couples and had…read morereservations. Place was very crowded. Our server, Eric, was excellent. He had great suggestions and provided us excellent service. We tried the cornbread, which is a must have. Large enough for two, maybe three. I had the Danish ribs which were delicious and fell off the bone. Others ordered the prime rib sandwich, Trout, and Salmon. I had the cole slaw and mash potatoes as my sides. All of the food was delicious. They have a full bar and they also allow you to bring your own wine. No corkage fees. Great idea. I would say there were quite a few tables ordering drinks and drinking their own wine. The deserts are sinfully delicious, and huge. After a rich dinner, we shared two of them. The banana cream pie and key lime pie were equally good.

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    Main dining
    Main dining
    131 Main
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    Outside of restaurant
    Quincy's Original Lobster Rolls

    Quincy's Original Lobster Rolls

    4.1
    (19 reviews)
    3.4 mi

    I can't believe how we were treated by this staff member. I'm sure the product may be good. But…read morewe didn't have a chance to try it. And will never go back to find out ! My guest asked a simple question on the lobster. But received a sharp response without the information asked. Like ok. Maybe he didn't understand the question. Then we went to next Items and she had a question for him. He didn't seem to want to help answer it. Then to the final question. After ordering what would be over $100 of food items for lunch. Simple question on the contents of the soup ( which is important for an extreme allergy ). He gave a very smart a** response. I asked again this is important I get an actual response. Again he said a response not answering the question. We were now done and told him to cancel it. We would go somewhere else. He didn't seem to care at all. Wow. If the restaurants goal is to be rude to the customers then they hit a 100. But rudeness and no business doesn't pay the rent nor the staffs salary Don't go here. Give it less than a year will be closed. Spend your money at local places that appreciate the business and try hard

    All of it. Just get all of it. My friend and I could not decide which one we needed, so we got…read morethree options to share. Big fan of all three. They were delicious. The owner was friendly, spent time walking us through the menu, and if I can convince the child to eat a lobster roll I will go back much more often. 04.02.2026

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    Entrance
    Entrance
    Smells good but pretty small for the price.
    Smells good but pretty small for the price.
    Store Front -Waterside place next door to Osterio 500

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    Store Front -Waterside place next door to Osterio 500
    Rodizio Grill Brazilian Steakhouse Sarasota

    Rodizio Grill Brazilian Steakhouse Sarasota

    3.8
    (241 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$$

    Came here for my cousin's birthday. I've been before and remembered there being a lot of pork…read moreoptions, so I wasn't expecting much. When I got there, my party was already seated and I had to wait for them to bring another table over. By that time, the meat service had already started, so I missed some of the rotation. I checked out the food bar, the black beans looked good but had pork sausage in them, so I couldn't eat that. When the meats came around, most were medium rare or rare, which is too pink for me. I asked for a different temp and one of the guys kinda caught an attitude when I said the piece he gave me had too much fat. It got awkward real quick as he told me there is no fat on the meat. Also asked for A1 and it took a while. Overall, it wasn't terrible. I had a good time because I was with family, but food-wise it didn't wow me. If I'm doing Brazilian steakhouse, I'd rather drive to Texas de Brazil. If you're in Sarasota and don't feel like driving, Rodizio Grill is cool... just not my first pick.

    Went to Rodizio for Christmas Eve and we had a great experience! We went around 3:30 and it was…read morepretty empty. We walked in without a reservation. The service from the Gauchos are always really wonderful! Quick and plentiful! Every meet was tender and moist with the exception of the bacon wrapped chicken, that was dry. Loved the grilled pineapple and the cheese too! My fav was the lamb, the parm crusted beef and the spicy chicken!! The pricing was a bit higher for Christmas at $59.99 but it was still a wonderful evening!

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    Salad Bar
    Salad Bar
    All the goodness
    All the goodness
    Outside

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    Outside
    Twin Peaks

    Twin Peaks

    3.1
    (176 reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    Everything went really well tonight. As soon as we got, there was plenty of parking with a huge…read moreparking lot in the back. We were greeted very nicely by the hostess. They promptly brought us to our table. No wait at all. They sat us at a booth we requested a hockey game section. They put a whole bunch of TVs with the hockey game on all around so it was very easy to watch the game with no problem. And they had the sound on, amazing. I was really impressed with how nice and clean the restaurant was and their decor. Plus the amount of TVs. They have a lot of deals during week days like 3.99 bud-light and more and happy hour till 7:00pm. I ordered the smashed avocado turkey sandwich it was so delicious! I loved the creamy chunks of avocado in the sandwich! Comes with crispy sweet potatoes frys. The meat was so silky and good. Next my husband got the fish and chips and a bowl of chillis soup. He said the soup was amazing it tasted so homemade it was full of so many flavors he was so impressed. He got the fish and chips and he loved every bit of it because they were crispy and with large chunks of fish crispy and so tasty loved it. He loved would definitely get it again. We had good service the server helped me with my dairy allergy situation and made sure I was taken care of so I appreciate that. Also the manager help also. We had a great experience we would definitely be back again.

    Food is an absolute dud here. Nothing but old fries and fried pickles under a heating lamp. Manager…read moreis clueless of kitchen etiquette and had to get a consensus of those around me before he changed it to a Steelers game. No one around was watching the TV. Felt a little biased being LGBTQ. Mina was a gem but management here needs some grease and kitchen needs a lesson in cooking. Management reached out via email "wanting to make things right" and I wrote back same day Jan 9 2026, but Twin Peaks never responded. Go figure.

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    Twin Peaks
    Twin Peaks
    Twin Peaks

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    Fresta’s

    Fresta’s

    4.7
    (72 reviews)
    5.4 mi

    Claudia was our waitress and was welcoming, knowledgeable, and efficient. I couldn't have…read moreanother piece of fish so we went here to try FL Italian and a cheesesteak (crazy, right? A PA person having a cheesesteak in FL). I judge the bread first. Took one bite and my husband said, this bread HAS to be from DE or Philly. Sure enough, the bread dough is flown in from Philly! The meat was plentiful and delicious. If you want a REAL cheesesteak come here!!! We also tried the meatball appetizer. I asked the owner (Anthony) about them because they were just like my friend's Italian mom's meatballs. Tender and obviously not fried. The real kind. The last item we tried was the bolognese. Amazing. Good meat, not cheap junk like so many fake Italian places serve. The gravy has an ever so slight touch of spice to it...(?red pepper flakes, Anthony?) just like NJ Italian. So. Yes, you can get legit Italian food and a really good cheesesteak here! We did not try the pizza, but it looked like good thin crust pizza. Next time. Thank you Anthony for an excellent meal and Claudia for taking care of us. Go Birds!

    Despite the superb reviews, I wasn't thrilled with our meals. The chicken Milanese salad had a very…read morethin, rather dry piece of chicken on top of an otherwise ample fresh salad. The chicken cheesesteak was just ok. The service was pleasant and attentive. The ambience was nice. Perhaps we just ordered the wrong items.

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    Fresta’s
    Fresta’s
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    JR's Old Packinghouse Cafe - tradamerican - Updated June 2026

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