The Original Egg Offers an Egg-Celent experience As far as breakfast goes it's usually a meal skipped, but breakfast at the Original Egg will be one to remember. The Original Egg owned by Dawn Hair was originally founded by Oasis Café in 1985 where its first location was Siesta Key. With its original name being The Broken Egg it was changed as of Jan. 2016 where its new name stands as The Original Egg. Upon arriving to The Original Egg on Clark Rd. it looks like your standard restaurant with outdoor patio seating and typical clean cut landscaping, but as you walk through the doors you're greeted with smiling faces of amazing staff and the intoxicating sweet and savory smells of all the food you will later enjoy. As you look around you'll notice the bright teal blue walls and colorful paintings from local Sarasota artists hanging all around the restaurant. The homey feel gives a comfortable vibe and makes for a great first time experience. As soon as I stepped through the door I was greeted and brought to my table where I was then dying to eat. I was handed a menu in the shape of an egg, mimicking the name of the restaurant. When time to order I decided to go with Brianna's Cookie Butter French Toast ($9.39) a delectable pairing of 3 slices of Texas French toast, sautéed strawberries, Bananas and Cookie Butter. When set down in front of me I could smell the fresh scent of the strawberries and Bananas as well as the sweet cookie smell of the cookie butter sitting on top of the golden brown toast. Immediately without hesitation I picked up my fork to get a bight of this tempting treat, cutting the toast was a little difficult but it was all worthwhile because the taste was bittersweet. As soon as the forkful hit my taste buds I could taste the cookie butter which gave the impression of gingerbread as well as the fresh strawberries and bananas a personal favorite. On the side you could find a dollop of whip cream which made a light pairing to the meal and left me wanting more. Other great tasting meals include Cheese Blintzes ($9.99), Pecan Chicken Medley ($9.99), & Cheesy Potato Casserole ($3.39) al la carte. If you're looking for a meal that will push you out of your comfort zone go with the Cheese Blintze a grilled crepe with cottage ricotta cheeses, flavored with orange zest and served with homemade blueberry sour cream sauce. This meal sounds awfully frightening but I was surprised with the flavors that I got from the plate. The bright purple blueberry sour cream sauce serves as the perfect pairing to the crepe as it provides a sweet punch to the creamy cheeses, as well as the subtle hints of orange zest that give it the perfect flavor. The Pecan Chicken Medley for lunch is a flavor packed item that will leave you wanting more. The Medley includes Marinated chicken, grapes, pecans, and basil. On the first bite you can definitely taste the basil and the sweetness of the grapes, as you eat you can expect a little crunch from the pecans and you get a nice creaminess from the mayo. Now, if you're looking for the perfect side dish option, position your eyes towards the Cheesy Potato Casserole this golden treat will satisfy your taste buds. When served the Casserole looks like a crisp little potato pancake, golden brown and crispy. On the first bite you can taste the cheddar cheese a great pairing to the potato. Whether you're going to The Original Egg for breakfast or lunch you'll find that all the food is prepared and cooked extremely well. I give the Original egg a 5 star rating not only because of the amazing food but because of the kind hearted staff and comfortable atmosphere. When stepping through the doors of this establishment you feel as if you're a part of a family and you definitely won't regret your choice of restaurant. read more

Located on Clark road, The Original Egg, owned by Dawn Hair, is an experience like no other. The restaurant was founded in 1985 by the Oasis Café, and it was first located on Siesta Key under the name The Broken Egg, but this was then changed to The Original Egg in January of 2016. The interior of the restaurant provides an upbeat, cheery feel with its bright teal colored walls and unique paintings hung on the walls from local artists. The exterior is kept very clean, the lawn neat, and includes a shady area for those who wish to sit in the fresh air. The staff was delightful; all the servers and kitchen workers had a welcoming attitude that made it easy to feel comfortable inside of the restaurant. I was brought to my table upon walking into the establishment, and handed a menu, appropriately shaped like an egg. I decided to sample Brianna's Cookie Butter French Toast, at the reasonable price of $9.39. The dish included three slices of French toast, sauteed strawberries, bananas, and Cookie Butter over the top. My food was brought right to me after a short wait, the sweet scents of the different ingredients wafting through the air. I quickly cut into the toast and took a generous amount onto my fork and bit in. The different flavors swirled together in my mouth; the sweetness of the cookie butter, the tartness of the strawberries, and the tropical taste of the bananas, forming a symphony of flavors that went together magically. The meal was everything I could want for breakfast and more, as I paired it with a side of hash browns as well, which were perfectly warm and crispy around the outside. Overall, my experience at The Original Egg was splendid between the food, service, and atmosphere. If you're looking for a brunch place in the Sarasota area, I rate The Original Egg at five stars, as they take reservations, offer take-out, has a good environment for children, and offers WiFi as well. The Original Egg is a wonderful restaurant that everyone visiting or living in the Sarasota area should try. read more

Went here for the first time today- no one at the hostess stand; this was around 9:45am. We got coffee right away, but it was so weak it had hardly any flavor. This should have been a clue. Watched a waitress pour coffee for another client, she spilled alot on the floor but did not wipe it up until we pointed it out. (We were concerned about someone falling). Ordered Biscuits with gravy, comes with 2 eggs - ordered mine over easy. Biscuits were good, lots of tasty gravy BUT the eggs were COLD. We were in a hurry and hungry, so did not send it back (I should have!) Waitress came by asked "Everything OK?" but left before we replied. My husband's Bananas Walnut french toast was soggy. When we got our check, we said the eggs were cold - she apologized, offered to get new batch but we did not have time to wait. Waitress left with our check, we thought she might be making an adjustment, but NO - still the full amount which we paid. I do not intend to return there. Suggest you take your money and business elsewhere. read more

Clark Rd. location, VERY disappointed!!! Took Mom in law, sis in law, wife and daughter yesterday 5/12. Order was placed and after 2-3 minutes waitress came back saying they only had sesame bagels left for the lox and bagel. Okay that would work. 10-15 minutes later she came back saying sorry, no more bagels. Ordered a GRILLED chicken pesto sandwich on SOURDOUGH. The 3 ladies got the veggie mix breakfast, 2 were steaming (nice), one for my wife, barely warm, nice touch on Mother's Day! Daughter's burger and sweet tater fries were decent. My Grilled chicken was not, it was a slice of overcooked breast, not grilled and most likely left over from chicken salad pre-cook??? It was also served on plain white toast, also leftover from breakfast pre-cook. The bread was COLD and the fries, skimpy and cold. Unreal and unexpected. NO RECOMMENDATION OR RETURN BY US, seemed like a disinterested staff that was having more fun joking among themselves than taking care of customers and getting the orders to match the menu. I didn't want to say anything as this was to be a happy Mother's Day get together. Maybe they serve Dick Vitale with a dedication to elicit a great review, we didn't have any such experience!!!!! Bruce T. Sarasota read more

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and should not only be important but delicious. I like a breakfast that makes me say "wow" and keeps me wanting more. Not only does The Original Egg accomplish this but they also go above and beyond when it comes to their meals. The Original Egg is located on Clark Rd in Sarasota, Fla. and is easily ignored. Being located in the corner of a large complex makes it easy to miss. From the outside it looks like an average local restaurant with the usual front porch seating, Florida's postage stamp palm trees, and possible run-of-the-mill meals. But when you walk in you are greeted with much more. You will be greeted by a smiling hostess, bright blue walls, and the intoxicating smell of hash browns and coffee that will beckon you into the restaurant. Hanging all around you will be colorful and exotic paintings that have been painted by various local artists. With all of this going on it's almost impossible to not stop and smell the roses or in this case the bacon. The Original Egg first opened as the Broken Egg Café in 1985, and was started by the owners of the local Oasis Café. After years of dispute between another company over the name of the restaurant The Broken Egg lost its rights to the name. Starting on January 1, 2016 The Broken Egg became The Original Egg. Either way The Original Egg still serves up tasty, mouth-watering food. While I dined at The Original Egg I was able to try multiple meals that they serve. But one of them stood out to me above the rest: The Blueberry Cheese Blintze ($9.99). This crepe wrapped treat is wafting with smells of ricotta cheese and a faint, sweet blueberry aroma. As it is placed in front of you it seems almost a little daunting, due to the fact that it isn't your normal breakfast treat. As you inspect it further you are able to see the slightly toasted crepe that contains the smooth, thick ricotta cheese. Poured over all of these flavors is a blueberry sauce made from powdered sugar, sour cream, and obviously blueberries. When your taste buds first touch these concoctions of flavors you see fireworks. The sweet blueberry sauce and the tangy ricotta cheese go so well together that it feels like anything else you are served at this Café cannot be better. But you could not be more wrong. If you ever dine at The Original Egg a must try is their award winning Hash brown Casserole ($3.39). This blend of sour cream, garlic powder, and cream of potato, cheddar cheese, shredded potatoes, and Worcester sauce will leave your taste buds satisfied. As the casserole is on its way to your table it leaves a lingering aroma of melted cheese that you can smell a mile away. At this point you begin to get antsy, anticipating the meal to come. Now you can see it in the waiters hand and your mouth begins to water. All of this leads up to taking that first bite. At first you just taste cheese and then potato, and after that it's a mixture of all of the flavors that were used to create this masterpiece called food. You get a crunch from the toasted outside and a chewiness from the potatoes and cheese that go quite well together. You take another bite, and another until you realize that you've eaten most of the meal. Of course there are other dishes that you can enjoy at The Original Egg but none of them compare to the flavor packed Hash brown casserole and the outstanding Cheese Blintze. One of the other choices is their chicken salad which can come as a side or on a sandwich. Is it good? Yes. Is it the best thing that they offer? No. This $9.99 dish is not as worthy of your money. To me I felt like I was eating just a regular chicken salad. It surprised me only because it was the only thing I tried there that lacked a bit of pizazz. There was no surprise, no extravagant twist there was just a well-made chicken salad. The last dish that I thought was pleasant enough to praise was their Speculoos Cookie Butter French Toast ($9.39). This sweet treat is a regular well-made piece of French toast that has been topped with cinnamon, powdered sugar, and cinnamon glazed strawberries and bananas. But the best part that gives this toast its name is the syrup like Speculoos cookie butter that is drizzled on top. The cookie butter that they use is made out of traditional Holland and Belgium cookies called Speculoos'. These cookies resemble ginger snaps in both taste and appearance and contain cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom and white pepper. The toast has a French toasts signature toughness on the outside and a warm, chewy, and soft inside. Plopped down beside this is a dollop of fluffy whipped cream that balances out the heavy meal. Mix the cream, the toast, the fruit, and the cookie butter all together and you get a dulcet flavor combination. The Original Egg is a comfortable atmosphere swimming with the sounds of small talk, clattering plates, sizzling food, and well known music playing in the background. It's hard not to enjoy your meal. read more

Made special effort to try this much talked about breakfast experience. The greeting was welcoming. Seating was fast. We sat outside; very nice. Waitress approached us immediately to get a drink order. Coffee was not hot but enough to melt the sugar. The meal experience meter trended down from that point. Service: The waitress asked all the appropriate professional questions but was impersonal to the point I thought she must be an android. Food: I had a basic breakfast, 2 eggs (sunny side up), grits, bacon, toast. I had an immediate negative impression of the meal by its visual presentation. The eggs were crusted around the outside. The inability to cut a fried egg with a fork should be descriptive enough. I compare the bacon to a store-bought tomato; it looked delicious but had zero taste. If you cannot cook a basic breakfast meal, it is either due to inability to afford a qualified chef or it is a family member you cannot fire. To finish the experience, I spilled a small glass of water on the table (yes, by accident). As we used our napkins on the spill, the waitress walked by and kept on walking. Androids are not programmed for spills. My wife got up, retrieved a cloth and cleaned my spillage. Wrap-up: My wife requested one take out container for her remaining entree and side of fruit. She received a small hamburger box for both. Android logic: it all ends up in the same place anyway. The waitress then comes by and asked if everything was okay. I could not lie, it was exactly, just okay. She was fast returning with my credit card. She set it on the table without stopping and then gave us a drive-by thank you as she continued on her rounds. Overall, the experience was not bad but was below expectation. I equate the experience to dining outdoors at a waffle house. On a side note, it did appear that the seated retired local regulars really seemed to enjoy the place or at least being with each other. A star for the greeting/seating and another for the toast. read more