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Wandered in here early one evening - what a treat! Casual ambiance, friendly bartender. I was dining solo and sitting at the bar so that friendly face was extra important. The mussels were so beyond divine - and that broth!!! A delightful key lime pie martini to finish the night and a leisurely walk from St. Armand's Circle back to My hotel.
I stopped in for lunch with my family after a beach day. Speaks Clam Bar marked all of the check marks we were looking for. Open and spacious seating with two floors, beautiful decor, a variety of food and cocktail options, and excellent service. The menu is designed like a newspaper to match the name of the restaurant. We enjoyed the Pimm Spritz with our lunch. Several of us ordered the pistachio and arugula salad with chicken and salmon. Very fresh! Two of our guests ordered the lobster roll with a side of fries. Also very fresh and great flavor. We enjoyed the side of bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, too. From start to finish, this place delivered. I can't wait to come back to try more options (including the dessert)!
The food was so good! I wish mine had a bit more spice especially the lobster needed some seasoning. The flavor of the sauce was good though. The drinks were good. Good service. The rigatoni was delicious! The inside is so cute. The bathroom is upstairs next to the kitchen. There is a bar upstairs as well. Highly recommend. Same company as kojo in downtown Sarasota which I loved as well. This is located in Armands circle. Parking on the street. Got lucky with it being Sunday it was free.
On our last night in Longboat Key, we went to Speaks Clam Bar in St Armands Circle for dinner. We dined outside on the balcony on the 2nd level of the restaurant. We ordered cocktails and they were excellent. Hubby had a bourbon drink, and I had a mezcal grapefruit drink that were the special cocktails of the day. Danielle was our server and she provided great service, wonderful recommendations and was engaging and friendly. On Danielle's recommendation, we ordered the steamed clams to share. Great suggestion as they were plump and juicy swimming in a delicious white wine garlic broth. The warm bread brought to the table was perfect to dip into the broth. We also ordered the smoked fish dip to share. It was served with capers, cherry tonatoes, red onion, peppers and crostini. Unfortunately, it was lacking the smokiness that I've had in fish dips at other restaurants in the area. It was a miss for me. For dinner, my husband opted for the seafood lasagna and I went with the fruitti di mare linguine. My husband's seafood lasagna was very rich served in a lobster bisque sauce. My pasta came with the catch of the day which was grouper, shrimp, clams, calamari and mussels. The homemade pasta was cooked perfectly and the whole dish was delicious. The portion was generous and the seafood was plentiful, I couldn't even finish what I ordered. It was huge and I only ate a third of it. The menu has a lot of choices from Italian dishes, meats and seafood. Plenty of choices for everyone.
Relaxed, casual, fun setting on The Circle" serving very good Seafood & Italian with super friendly service! Highly recommend the bone in veal parmigiana & the seafood "Diablo style" over linguine.
Stopped in for lunch- great spot, homemade pasta's great atmosphere. 2 levels all with a great view for people watching. Service, food and ambiance perfect!
Great seafood spot for St. Armand's area. Loved the entrees we ordered. Great ambience and service was decent.
We visit St Armands Circle frequently when we are in town for dinner and have our usual places. We were looking to add a new place to the rotation and found this one on yelp! We visited today for lunch after the art festival. A party was going on upstairs. We were seated immediately. It took awhile to be greeted and get water service. That's when we should have left! The experience was disappointing from this moment and never improved sadly. The bread made it to the table after the starter & after asking. The cheese for the pasta that was requested came when the meal was almost finished. Never asked if I wanted another beer. Portion size for the clams was extremely small. Took awhile to get cashed out. We were thanked for our patience multiple times. We would have preferred to be alerted upon entrance that patience would be required. We will keep looking for our next favorite. Maybe it was an off day with just inexperienced staff.
We had this place planned for our last night in town and the ambiance and service was amazing. I was skeptical about seafood lasagna at first but it blew our minds. It was rich and velvety with the perfect combination of flavor and texture. We even saw a rainbow out the window. Fantastic place!
This place was great! First of all, don't make the mistake we did of wandering around St. Armand's looking for a place to eat without a reservation at peak dining hours. My dad wanted somewhere with an ocean view (even though it was night time). While there was no ocean view, I'm very glad we ended up here! The staff was very patient, helpful, and accommodating, and they really were a highlight of the experience. Given we didn't have a reservation, we had to be seated outside. When it started sprinkling rain, I don't know how they were able to get us moved inside, but I am so very grateful for their help and flexibility. Again, make a reservation! For dinner, I got the lobster and shrimp parpadelle. They boast about their homemade pastas, so I really wanted to try one of the pasta dishes. The boasts were justified, the pasta was delicious and tender, and the sauce and seafood accompaniments to it were fantastic. The location, while not on the beach, is convenient, and the locale itself is pretty big and swanky. In tourist-dense places it can be difficult to find quality, non-gimmicky food. This place was great, and I would highly recommend it!
So good! We've eaten at many spots over the years in the circle, but we always skipped Speaks. What a mistake. We'll definitely be back. Fried calamari - light & crispy. Would I order it again? I've had better. My 12yo is obsessed with fried calamari so I would probably order it again because he'd ask for it. Seafood lasagna - very decadent & delicious. My 14yo son devoured it. He loves lobster bisque and the cream sauce for the lasagna tastes just like it. I would for sure order this again. Frutti di mare linguine - my 12yo ordered this and didn't care for it. The rest of the table enjoyed it. It's bursting with seafood. We brought the leftovers back for my oldest son and he loved it. I would order this again but with the spicy marinara instead of the sweet. Fried seafood basket - arguably the best fried seafood we've had our entire weeklong trip. My 14yo discovered that he loves fried clam strips. The seafood was crispy & juicy. My family said they'd order this again. Crispy eggplant napoleon - I loved this dish. My kids didn't touch it once they saw eggplant. I'll get this every time I come here. The service was great. My only knock would be we made reservations for upstairs dining for lunch, but when we arrived the hostess told us they don't open the upstairs until dinner. We reserved through Resy so I'm not letting that affect the rating. Great place to eat. Highly recommend!
Yes, yes, YES!!! We LOVED dinner at Speaks!!! Excellent service and wonderful food - must visit at Lido beach. Reservations at 8 pm on a cold Feb night were not necessary, but we were seated by the front windows immediately after arriving. Wonderful service from Camryn, fantastic cocktails, excellent chowdah. Them the main dishes & the lasagna bolognese is the best I have ever had. It's huge and 1/2 way through I should have stopped...but couldn't. The sauce was sooooo goooood!!! Wow. My wife enjoyed the grouper - but it was a large serving and there was no way she could finish. Great night in a really place w a great vibe.
Enjoyed a holiday dinner with the family. Our server Danielle was fantastic, made our night very enjoyable! In order of ranking by table favorites: #1 - unanimous- GRILLED BRANZINO butterflied & deboned, italian salsa verde, crispy rosemary potatoes, roasted fennel & garlic #2 - so creamy and good! - RIGATONI ALLA VODKA creamy vodka sauce, parmesan, basil # 3 - my dish - very good, even coming in third place! - LINGUINE VONGOLE middleneck clams, white wine, garlic butter broth Ambiance was festive for the holidays, with the circle decorated for the holidays!
Came here for dinner while In town. Sat at the bar and had good service. Nice ambiance. Ordered a beer and a Ceaser salad to start. Came with warm Bread. Salad very good. Ordered linguine frutti di mare. Decent amount of seafood but the medium red sauce was bland. Prices were reasonable however. read more
7 months ago
Loved the food and cocktails and wine Service was good not great. The vibe upstairs was cold, decorations meh, lighting meh. But the food is great. Do not pass this up. read more
We stopped by St. Armands Circle and we looking for a place to eat. We came up with Speaks Clam Bar and this place is an absolute GEM. We were seated in the upstairs dining room and Danielle helped us with our selections. We started out with a Ceasar Salad and Calimari. The salad was crisp and the dressing tasted spot on. The Calimari was lightly breaded and wasn't greasy. It came with a mild and a spicer marinara dipping sauce...outstanding! For a main course, I had the Pistachio Crusted Grouper with Mashed Sweet Potato. My wife had the Rigatoni Bolognese and our nephew Rigatoni with Vodka Sauce with Grilled Shrimp. Honestly, all of these three dishes brought nothing but raves at out table. Every dish was absolutely delicious and we will certainly be returning. The only problem was, the menu had so many dishes we want to try, we had a hard time picking out what to order! read more
10 months ago
Wandered in here early one evening - what a treat! Casual ambiance, friendly bartender. I was dining solo and sitting at the bar so that friendly face was extra important. The mussels were so beyond divine - and that broth!!! A delightful key lime pie martini to finish the night and a leisurely walk from St. Armand's Circle back to My hotel. read more
1 year ago
I stopped in for lunch with my family after a beach day. Speaks Clam Bar marked all of the check marks we were looking for. Open and spacious seating with two floors, beautiful decor, a variety of food and cocktail options, and excellent service. The menu is designed like a newspaper to match the name of the restaurant. We enjoyed the Pimm Spritz with our lunch. Several of us ordered the pistachio and arugula salad with chicken and salmon. Very fresh! Two of our guests ordered the lobster roll with a side of fries. Also very fresh and great flavor. We enjoyed the side of bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, too. From start to finish, this place delivered. I can't wait to come back to try more options (including the dessert)! read more
The food was so good! I wish mine had a bit more spice especially the lobster needed some seasoning. The flavor of the sauce was good though. The drinks were good. Good service. The rigatoni was delicious! The inside is so cute. The bathroom is upstairs next to the kitchen. There is a bar upstairs as well. Highly recommend. Same company as kojo in downtown Sarasota which I loved as well. This is located in Armands circle. Parking on the street. Got lucky with it being Sunday it was free. read more
1 year ago
On our last night in Longboat Key, we went to Speaks Clam Bar in St Armands Circle for dinner. We dined outside on the balcony on the 2nd level of the restaurant. We ordered cocktails and they were excellent. Hubby had a bourbon drink, and I had a mezcal grapefruit drink that were the special cocktails of the day. Danielle was our server and she provided great service, wonderful recommendations and was engaging and friendly. On Danielle's recommendation, we ordered the steamed clams to share. Great suggestion as they were plump and juicy swimming in a delicious white wine garlic broth. The warm bread brought to the table was perfect to dip into the broth. We also ordered the smoked fish dip to share. It was served with capers, cherry tonatoes, red onion, peppers and crostini. Unfortunately, it was lacking the smokiness that I've had in fish dips at other restaurants in the area. It was a miss for me. For dinner, my husband opted for the seafood lasagna and I went with the fruitti di mare linguine. My husband's seafood lasagna was very rich served in a lobster bisque sauce. My pasta came with the catch of the day which was grouper, shrimp, clams, calamari and mussels. The homemade pasta was cooked perfectly and the whole dish was delicious. The portion was generous and the seafood was plentiful, I couldn't even finish what I ordered. It was huge and I only ate a third of it. The menu has a lot of choices from Italian dishes, meats and seafood. Plenty of choices for everyone. read more
2 years ago
Stopped in for lunch- great spot, homemade pasta's great atmosphere. 2 levels all with a great view for people watching. Service, food and ambiance perfect! read more
11 months ago
We visit St Armands Circle frequently when we are in town for dinner and have our usual places. We were looking to add a new place to the rotation and found this one on yelp! We visited today for lunch after the art festival. A party was going on upstairs. We were seated immediately. It took awhile to be greeted and get water service. That's when we should have left! The experience was disappointing from this moment and never improved sadly. The bread made it to the table after the starter & after asking. The cheese for the pasta that was requested came when the meal was almost finished. Never asked if I wanted another beer. Portion size for the clams was extremely small. Took awhile to get cashed out. We were thanked for our patience multiple times. We would have preferred to be alerted upon entrance that patience would be required. We will keep looking for our next favorite. Maybe it was an off day with just inexperienced staff. read more
2 years ago
We had this place planned for our last night in town and the ambiance and service was amazing. I was skeptical about seafood lasagna at first but it blew our minds. It was rich and velvety with the perfect combination of flavor and texture. We even saw a rainbow out the window. Fantastic place! read more
2 years ago
This place was great! First of all, don't make the mistake we did of wandering around St. Armand's looking for a place to eat without a reservation at peak dining hours. My dad wanted somewhere with an ocean view (even though it was night time). While there was no ocean view, I'm very glad we ended up here! The staff was very patient, helpful, and accommodating, and they really were a highlight of the experience. Given we didn't have a reservation, we had to be seated outside. When it started sprinkling rain, I don't know how they were able to get us moved inside, but I am so very grateful for their help and flexibility. Again, make a reservation! For dinner, I got the lobster and shrimp parpadelle. They boast about their homemade pastas, so I really wanted to try one of the pasta dishes. The boasts were justified, the pasta was delicious and tender, and the sauce and seafood accompaniments to it were fantastic. The location, while not on the beach, is convenient, and the locale itself is pretty big and swanky. In tourist-dense places it can be difficult to find quality, non-gimmicky food. This place was great, and I would highly recommend it! read more
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Olivia P.
Thank you so much for these kind words and great review! We…
8 months ago
1 year ago
1 year ago
So good! We've eaten at many spots over the years in the circle, but we always skipped Speaks. What a mistake. We'll definitely be back. Fried calamari - light & crispy. Would I order it again? I've had better. My 12yo is obsessed with fried calamari so I would probably order it again because he'd ask for it. Seafood lasagna - very decadent & delicious. My 14yo son devoured it. He loves lobster bisque and the cream sauce for the lasagna tastes just like it. I would for sure order this again. Frutti di mare linguine - my 12yo ordered this and didn't care for it. The rest of the table enjoyed it. It's bursting with seafood. We brought the leftovers back for my oldest son and he loved it. I would order this again but with the spicy marinara instead of the sweet. Fried seafood basket - arguably the best fried seafood we've had our entire weeklong trip. My 14yo discovered that he loves fried clam strips. The seafood was crispy & juicy. My family said they'd order this again. Crispy eggplant napoleon - I loved this dish. My kids didn't touch it once they saw eggplant. I'll get this every time I come here. The service was great. My only knock would be we made reservations for upstairs dining for lunch, but when we arrived the hostess told us they don't open the upstairs until dinner. We reserved through Resy so I'm not letting that affect the rating. Great place to eat. Highly recommend! read more
Yes, yes, YES!!! We LOVED dinner at Speaks!!! Excellent service and wonderful food - must visit at Lido beach. Reservations at 8 pm on a cold Feb night were not necessary, but we were seated by the front windows immediately after arriving. Wonderful service from Camryn, fantastic cocktails, excellent chowdah. Them the main dishes & the lasagna bolognese is the best I have ever had. It's huge and 1/2 way through I should have stopped...but couldn't. The sauce was sooooo goooood!!! Wow. My wife enjoyed the grouper - but it was a large serving and there was no way she could finish. Great night in a really place w a great vibe. read more
Business owner information
Olivia P.
Thank you so much for the 5 stars and great review! We are so glad…
Enjoyed a holiday dinner with the family. Our server Danielle was fantastic, made our night very enjoyable! In order of ranking by table favorites: #1 - unanimous- GRILLED BRANZINO butterflied & deboned, italian salsa verde, crispy rosemary potatoes, roasted fennel & garlic #2 - so creamy and good! - RIGATONI ALLA VODKA creamy vodka sauce, parmesan, basil # 3 - my dish - very good, even coming in third place! - LINGUINE VONGOLE middleneck clams, white wine, garlic butter broth Ambiance was festive for the holidays, with the circle decorated for the holidays! read more
Business owner information
Olivia P.
Thank you so much for your awesome review! Danielle is great and we…
This was a fairly casual restaurant/bar...though it did have a cool, black motif going on. It also played really cool, sophisticate overhead music...and the A/C was really comfortable. The seats were not! Just these basic table with hard-back (and bottomed) chairs with no cushion. The foods were quite disappointing. We started with the Calamari Fritto. I expected a much better version than this....given its outlandish pricing of 18 bucks. It was good, but definitely not one of the better ones I've had, priced at much less. The portion wasn't even generous! I tried their Clam Chowder...and again, I expected much better. The Clam Chowder was a bit bland. My son had this Fried Seafood Basket, with Cod...and he wasn't a fan. In fact, he said that of the 3 versions of Fish 'n Chips he had during this trip to Sarasota, this was the worst. My husband had their Crispy Eggplant Napoleon...and he was not a fan of that either. I wasn't a fan of my dish, Rigatoni Alla Voda with Shrimp, as well. It was too heavily red sauced...not the pink Vodka sauce that I love. Also, the shrimp was too salty. Given their high ratings, I expected stellar foods here...but based on what we ordered, I thought they were all just O-Kay at best. read more
Business owner information
Olivia P.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review! We are disappointed…
7 months ago
8 months ago
Stopped in for lunch on a Saturday and place was very quiet which was odd because other restaurants in the area were packed. Wife had pasta which was fantastic, I had oysters and salad - both were just ok. The service was great and servers very nice. Will try it again but was just ok read more
Came for a late lunch when visiting the area and Speaks did not disappoint. Service was friendly and prompt, drinks wonderful, and all of the food we had was delicious. My kids especially liked their meatballs and chicken Parmesan. The highlight for me was the oysters and my Key Lime Martini- highly recommend if you are in the Sarasota Area! read more
1 year ago
Hubbie and I went for my birthday, they received me with a glass of champagne on the house and we both tried the Parmesan crusted grouper and I have to say it was delicious. Key lime pie for dessert was just okay and white wine was really nice. U have to say even when the grouper was delicious it was pretty small size. But the view was also great and servers were attentive. read more
Cute moody atmosphere here w/Speakeasy theme. Our server was a little distracted (forgot the bread and dipping oil at first) but did give us really good recommendations- Stuffed shrimp really good w/nice serving of asparagus! My Shrimp and Scallop pasta special was absolutely Wonderful! I'm very particular about scallops and they were cooked to perfection (looked like they were lightly pan seared first) We would definitely do a return visit here. read more
10 months ago
1 year ago
1 year ago
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Melissa B.
Good afternoon Diane,…
While on Lido Key for some R/R we stopped for dinner at the bar and everything was awesome! Great food and service capped off another great day on Lido Key. Highly recommend read more
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Olivia P.
Thank you so much for the 5 stars and great review! We hope to see…
4 years ago
Returned with friends who were staying on Lido Key and were not disappointed - 4.5 stars. Alexa took good care of us and attended to our every whim. We started with clams casino (12 clams)which were plentiful and topped with bacon bits. Our Cesar and house side salads were very fresh and I loved the light balsamic dressing. For entrees we ordered the chicken saltimbocca, lobster roll and shrimp and scallops scampi special- all plates were clean at the end. The warm bread with oil and glazed infused balsamic to begin added to our carb count. I love that management checks on you to make sure you are happy (shows commitment and good ownership). Overall, a nice dining experience, even if we may have overextended our stay and drank too much. Will definitely return to this popular restaurant on St. Armand's Circle. read more
Business owner information
Melissa B.
Good afternoon Richard,…
2 years ago
Wonderful experience great service and delicious food. Bread/oil/vinegar The atmosphere was also great out door and in door seating! read more
We made reservations for my birthday and went during the day on a Sunday. It wasn't busy at all. We sat upstairs as there is two floors. Minutes later, we had a waiter in training serve us. He acknowledged it was my 21st birthday since there was a paper that saids it. However, they didn't do anything to celebrate it. I noticed other people had champagne for their anniversary on yelp but nope, nothing for me which was very sad. The food is decent, I've had better seafood. We had the lobster roll which is apparently one of their most popular dish and the shrimp ravioli on the chefs special. Our free bread and olive oil came out as we were eating our entree. Wasn't bad but not the best I've had either. As for my cocktail, I had the engagement with gin is was recommended by the waiter since I'm not much of a fan of the strong alcohol taste. However, it didn't taste sweet and had a strong taste which made it hard to finish. I like the atmosphere since the window is open so it let in some breeze. It had a good view but make sure to reserve if you want outdoor seating as it is limited. As for the service, the host didn't have much energy but our waiter is nice and sweet. Overall, I will not be back or be recommending this place. read more
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Melissa B.
Good afternoon Marcia,…
The service, the ambiance and the food was perfect. The staff was very helpful and friendly and the seafood was so fresh. Get the burrata.. one of the best I've had read more
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Olivia P.
Thank you so much for the great review! We are pleased to hear you…
9 months ago
1 year ago
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More info about Speaks Clam Bar - St. Armands Circle
29 N Boulevard Of Presidents
Sarasota, FL 34236
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(941) 232-7633
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http://www.speaksclambar.com
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Ask the Community - Speaks Clam Bar - St. Armands Circle
Can the chicken Milanese be gluten free?
Unfortunately, the chicken Milanese cannot be made gluten-free as it's breaded. However, we'd be happy to substitute grilled chicken served with the arugula salad, scampi butter, and blistered cherry tomatoes—that would be gluten-free!
Can we make a reservation for an outdoor door table and is the restaurant on one or two levels?
Good afternoon Stephen, Our restaurant is two floors with a with a balcony and a patio.…
Are you dog friendly?
We do have a patio on the first level that is very dog friendly.
Are you handicapped accessible? motorized scooter accessible?
Yes we are. We have a ramp on the Madison side Of the restaurant.
Are you open on thanksgiving?
Chris. Unfortunately we are not open on thanksgiving but we hope you have an amazing holiday!
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