-- Life-Changing Experience (Mostly Because of the Manager) I came to Veronica Fish & Oyster Bar expecting fresh seafood and a nice atmosphere... but what I wasn't prepared for was the absolute spectacle that is the manager. From the moment he walked onto the floor, it was like the room shifted. Conversations paused. Oysters trembled. A soft, imaginary breeze seemed to follow him everywhere, gently tousling his hair like he's the star of a slow-motion movie scene. Let's talk about appearance. This man is offensively handsome. Like, "should come with a warning label" handsome. If confidence were currency, he'd own the entire Gulf Coast. I'm pretty sure one of the servers dropped a tray just trying to maintain eye contact. Honestly, same. And the smell? My god. Somewhere between a luxury cologne ad and a fresh ocean breeze with notes of success and mystery. If they bottled that scent, I'd go broke trying to buy it. I'm still not convinced the entire restaurant doesn't smell better just because he's in it. Now, onto his management skills--impeccable. Smooth, attentive, effortlessly in control. He moves through the restaurant like a conductor leading a symphony, except the symphony is perfectly shucked oysters and flawless service. At one point, I'm fairly certain he solved three problems, greeted five tables, and made someone's day just by nodding at them--all in under 30 seconds. I don't know if that's training or just raw, natural greatness. The food? Fantastic. Truly. But let's be honest--this review is about the man, the myth, the beautifully well-groomed legend running the show. Would I come back? Absolutely. For the oysters... and definitely for the manager. 10/10. Would be managed again. read more

Oof--this one was disappointing because I was really looking forward to dinner here. Our party had a reservation, and the hostess was warm and welcoming, seating us promptly upon arrival. Our server was a peach from the start. When my husband asked for recommendations, she shared her favorites and why she liked them, and he ended up ordering one of her suggestions. I had already looked over the menu earlier that day and had decided on the lobster roll. I let our server know that I can't have chives and asked if they could simply be left off. She assured me it wouldn't be a problem. When our food arrived, it was immediately obvious that my lobster roll contained chives and/or green onions. I asked the food runner, who wasn't sure and said he'd go get our server. She came over, confirmed the mistake, and took the dish back without hesitation. No big deal- mistakes happen. A few minutes later, she returned to explain that the lobster mixture is actually pre-made with the chives already mixed in, so they couldn't be removed. She brought me another menu, and since everyone else was well into eating at this point, I ordered a burger, figuring it would be a quick replacement. Once again, I specifically asked that there be no onions or chives. The same food runner brought out my burger, and as soon as he set it down, my sister-in-law pointed out what looked like baked onions on the bun. He didn't say anything to that comment and I figured I'd wait to ask the server. But by that point, I was pretty frustrated and hungry, so I scraped off the top half of the bun and ate about a quarter of the burger. Everyone else had already finished their meals, and I was honestly just ready to call it a night. My husband ended up eating the half of the burger that hadn't been scraped apart and said it tasted fine. What surprised me most was the lack of any gesture to make things right. At a restaurant with this price point and atmosphere, I would have expected my glass of wine to be comped or even a complimentary dessert. Neither happened. Our server remained kind and apologetic throughout the evening, and I don't fault her personally, but there is definitely à la k of awareness of communication that happened. Hopefully it was a one off. Unfortunately, the overall experience left me disappointed. read more

I ordered the lobster ravioli appetizer which was $26.00 The 4 very small raviolis didn't even have a shred of lobster. My martini was around $22. Too many other restaurants to enjoy without getting gouged. read more

I started out with a tequila cocktail featuring a nice size slice of cucumber and a slice of jalapeno pepper. Finished off with a delicious locally brewed IPA. We shared a bunch of appetizers. Stone crab season just started and they were good. Followed that up with hand cut french fries with a great dipping sauce. The roasted brussel sprouts were delicious. The cauliflower app was unlike any I've had before. It was roasted and served over a delicious melted feta cheese sauce. The whole bronzino was roasted properly and tasted great. Out server made some great food and drink suggestions. read more

Veronica Fish and Oyster - Waygu smash burgers - Seafood Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Solid, not the absolute best. Their happy hour specials are good, if limited. Cocktails on special were long drinks of primarily ice. Oysters were solid, though disappointing that they were all new England varieties, not local. Whole snapper was yummy, on its own did feed two of us though with room left over. Service was prompt and friendly. I would not object to being here again, but I felt like it was not the best value for money. I think next time I'll go somewhere a little more dive-y. read more

Great food, service and cocktails! Our favorite when we're in Sarasota. Customers from the next table came I've got a friendly chat. If feels like an upscale neighborhood hangout. read more

Always best food and drinks great ambiance, Adam is the best!! Will definitely be back read more

Veronica Fish and Oyster - Outside seating Friday night - Seafood Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Went here for my 3 year anniversary with my boyfriend, and it was great! I love the ambiance/ vibe of the inside of the restaurant it's a darker setting. Our server was very nice. I got a Bloody Mary and he got the Topa Topa Tea. The Topa tea is great if you like sweeter drinks. For appetizer we got the house made potato rolls and half a dozen oysters three ways. For our main dish I ordered the Faroe island salmon and he got the 8oz skirt steak and a side of truffle Mac and cheese. For dessert we got the Ube cheesecake and it had pistachio gelato on top. Everything was delicious! read more

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Food, service and ambience were all 5 star BUT it is at the top of our budget. Glad my brother was footing the bill

Love this local restaurant. So accommodating and a cool space. A HUGE bar and spacious dining room await. The menus is loaded with delicious dishes many locally sourced and creatively prepared. The oyster selection is excellent and fresh. Our group of 6 ate 30 as just one "starter". We all loved this and will be here again soon! read more

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Adam G was the bomb as our server! Great service! Great food! Special tonight was off the hook. Grouper was fresh and it of this world. 1-10 scale a 15! read more

I don't like to write disappointing reviews unfortunately I ordered Thai snapper low quality product at high margin pricing owner should know this is a product does not deliver and should take off the menu. Highly recommend not ordering any of these whole fish products at this location also, the bathrooms are filthy smell like urine? I was shocked by this last visit and you should consider other higher quality reputable locations in this area. Avoid this location unfortunately not serious about what they're doing. Very disappointed !! expected much higher standards from this location read more

We came in for a very early celebratory light dinner after having been released from a couple days and nights admitted to SMH next door . After the hospital food we were looking forward to it . We've been here several times - birthdays , anniversary , out of town company -.etc . We've always enjoyed the great seafood platters , oysters , lobster with the rolls... I love mussels and have had them - everywhere - some few places choose to add meat - they do here - sausage . As a four-decade plus Pescatarian I had to pass. Coming from New England I love my clam chowder - which admittedly often includes pork - here the meat choice is Serrano ham . Some places feel the need to ramp up their chowder with meat . Maybe a burrata salad - Always a fine choice . But - prosciutto ? Oops . Don't often see that cold cut addition. Surely in a seafood house a nice fish sandwich is a natural . It is here - if you like you some Bacon to ramp up that local mahi . We'd opted for the bar this day as we wanted to eat lighter and not a full big meal . Bar service was of the grudging type . We felt kind of bothersome asking for anything - a bus person helped us to package leftover sides . Let's just say we sense a predilection for adding meats to seafood dishes . Apparently this is news to some . We had some nice sides . No substitutions please . Reservations for four ? Nope . read more

Veronica was THE best meal I had on my trip to Sarasota/ Siesta Key. The ambiance is lovely and their happy hour runs until 6. We LOVED their smoked fish dip with the warm crispy crackers. We assumed the portion sizes would be moderate so we opted to split the brussel sprouts and mahi BLT, but OMG it was so much food. The BLT had some sort of tomato jam that was incredible. Even the fries blew our mind. Shoutout to Bruno, our server, who was also fantastic! read more

Veronica Fish and Oyster - Mahi BLT and brussel sprouts - Seafood Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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January 16, 2024 - Two for dinner before a play. Getting to really dislike going out to eat in Sarasota. Parking is simply pitiful. Signs, apps, fees, people walking around parking lots telling you to go somewhere else. (I will NEVER frequent those places) Here at Veronica rolling into the lot with many many open places....... to now have to get jacked for valet parking to park my car three places after his 'booth' (after dinner, when he was returning my car he slid to a stop and my rear hatch was up/OPEN??? WTF? Waste of a few bucks for a needless expense/tip.) The menu is fairly limited and considering how many seafood options or dishes at many others of this theme.....this was more of a modified bar selection. apps and sides. Not a lot of whole food or healthy options without SOS (salt, oils/fat, sugars) My wife got a fish of the day on a salad bed, not on the menu from what I can see. It was market price for $48 - massively overpriced. Fish was pretty dry and not hugely flavorful. The accompanying salad was simple but fresh and tasty. 5/10 She ordered 3 drinks but the the lag for the last was so long she was almost finished dinner and we cancelled it. A nother waitstaff or bar person brought it after she was finished. We were told it was taken off the bill. She took a few sips since our server left it there. She took a few sips and left the rest. (we did get charged and these diminutive drinks were $16 (plus tax) a piece?? My wife had an almost $110 dollar dinner with tax and tip?? 2/10 I went the Side route. Got the Grits n Green which was a spicy stewed collards smothered in a very "city grits" greasy/buttery grit almost gracy that was very runny because of all the butter. The two components was massively salty. The collard were fairly spicey which I liked, but my wife thought too much. 6/10 I also got the Roasted Brussel Sprouts. They tasted pretty good, were incredibly sugary sauced, oily/greasy, salty, and overcooked. 4/10 The Whole Cauliflower side was the best of the three and has the most potential. Mice head of cauliflower, accompanied by chia, sunflower, and other seeds it was impressive looking in presentation. However like all the other vegetables way over cooked and even the inside was mushy (boiled and then baked maybe? One hemisphere of the head was "lobotomized" with a burnt spot, that smelled like charcoal. (did not taste it, but the rest of the head tasted burnt.) 6/10 ignoring the burnt spot. (grimace) This was fairly disappointing and very expensive for what was served/delivered. $188 with tips for valet and waitstaff and etc. Between the forced valet or lack of parking, the overcooked, overspiced/garnished, salty/oily/sugary products...... I think we are moving on with other options. ~ Thomas ~ read more

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Veronica consistently serves the best oysters in Sarasota. Frankly, the ones I had tonight are better than any I've had in San Fransisco or New England. It isn't close. Anyone that tells you differently is either a liar, a fool, or both and is not to be trusted. Their menu is stunning, the atmosphere is one of my favorites, and the cocktail program is very strong. One of the best restaurants you will ever find anywhere. Truly classy, and undeniably elevated without pretension. My better half has not been hugely fond of oysters in the past, but not to worry - we have begun to make short work of her conversion at Veronica. read more

I love Veronica Fish and Oyster! Their happy hour at the bar is always fun and fresh. I recently had the lobster rolls with a cocktail and both were fresh and delicious. read more

Still thinking about how good our food was here! We've been visiting Siesta Key for YEARS and finally tried Veronica's. The smaller menu size had steered us away in the past, but what they make they make WELL. The smoked fish dip with fried saltines was delicious. The caesar salad had a touch of vinegar flavor that we loved and the croutons were shaved so there was a little bit in every bite. Grouper entree was phenomenal, loved the crunch of the crispy potatoes on top paired with the caviar blanc sauce. Veronica fries were also a table favorite & everyone wanted to get their hands on the aioli that came with. Overall the restaurant has a moody vibe & our waitress was so friendly. She helped us with off the menu mocktails which were also amazing. Can't wait to visit again! read more

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I love this bar and atmosphere. When I'm in Sarasota, I love to hit up this spot. Also do not skip out on the restaurant Owens Fish camp.

The food was the worst Ive had in Sarasota! The Calamari was inedible. Like Shoe Leather. It was very crowed and LOUD! Would not return.

Food is exceptional, service is good, ambience is really nice however if you go during early dinner hour and it is full the noise level was so heavy you couldn't even have a conversation with your party without having them constantly repeat themselves. Took daughter there for her birthday and after spending $380 on dinner there was not even a little complimentary birthday desert like most restaurants do. I guess that's too much of an inconvenience for this pricey restaurant. read more

Love this restaurant! Great service, food, and location. Always fun to go for happy hour and grab some drinks and appetizers

This is a neighborhood restaurant for my family we can walk in a few minutes which is fabulous! This restaurant is a go to if we have any out-of-town guests. I can guarantee that the food will be excellent, fresh and tasty with great presentation. The ambience and the service, is always spot on. I'm not a big oyster eater, however our friends we have taken for oysters have been very very impressed. The Caesar with a serving of anchovies is a must have, it's a slightly different take on it with radicchio ...and I love it. The fries .... The best. The shrimp always fresh cold with a great cocktail sauce. Veronica's also has my favorite tequila which they ran out of this evening .... However Marsi along with the bar staff encouraged me to try a few others! Marsi was attentive, we laughed a lot Thank you for another amazing evening. We love the bar! You will always be our go to.... We also took our dog and it was starting to rain ... we were told we could come in with our fur ball if we wanted read more

This was our best meal in Sarasota last week. The room is pretty. It is loud, and we were there on a quiet night. Our waiter was a pro, and gave us very good guidance. We shared the whole roasted cauliflower with feta, chickpeas and pomegranate seeds to start. It was terrific, and more than enough for 4. Each couple ordered and shared a halibut and a redfish. We all agreed the halibut was the best we've ever had. That's a statement. It was my birthday, and the waiter comped us to a dessert. They are famous for their bananas foster bread pudding, and I understand why. Fabulous. read more

Fantastic meal and service - highly recommend the PEI oysters and crab and avocado dish to get your meal started! Everyone is quite friendly and looking to ensure you have a high-quality dining experience. Stop by soon! read more

Seafood tower looked awesome and we noticed many tables ordering it. When we go back that is what we will order. Our dinners were just ok. Not great. Too pricey for that. Great service and cute place with nice ambiance. read more

Nice place to enjoy good oysters and cocktails. They will tell you where the oysters are from too if asked. The one I had was from the East coast. Steamed mussels was good too, although I did not like the orange peel in there, I think it kills the flavor. The service is great and and staff is friendly too. Great place. read more

Veronica Fish and Oyster - Seafood Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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What a nice surprise to find so good restaurants in Sarasota. Veronica's restaurant delivers so delicious and fresh seafood, maybe better than high end miami's spots. The service was excellent, fast and so friendly and the cocktails were so good. The place offers inside and outside seating in a very nice ambiance. Really a must visit restaurant read more

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What a find! Excellent meal! Excellent service...truly A++! During a weekend trip up to Sarasota, my friends and I had a celebratory dinner at Veronica. The restaurant is in a cute area of town, and the interior design and decor is incredibly impressive. The lighting is so warm, everyone looks gorgeous! And we lucked out with a booth, which was so comfortable and gave us a great view of the whole restaurant. Our server was the best...she gave us great recommendations for cocktails to start the meal. I got a very unique absinthe and rum drink that I loved. For appetizers, we opted for the crab cake and the potato rolls...both of which were so tasty and shareable. My entree was the Lobster Fra Diavolo, and the server warned me that the Louisiana-based chef liked to make things spicy and just wanted to check if I'd enjoy that. I still went for it and loved it! Portions were nice and large. Dessert was also special and perfectly appropriate for our celebratory mood. The Bananas Foster and Chocolate Mousse were my favorites! Make a reservation today! You won't regret it! read more

Great evening with the Mrs after a fun day on Lido Key. Great service as we both dove into their burger and a bottle of wine. Don't judge Chardonnay with burgers it just worked after a day on the beach. read more

Veronica Fish and Oyster - Chardonnay wine - Seafood Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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Very classy but laid back vibe, wait staff was spectacular in describing the specials and recommending drinks and dishes. Our party decided to share the grouper with caviar beau blanc , nestled in bok choy. This was piled high with crunchy potatoe threads as garnish. Well, none of us expected the surprise delectibleness of this fish. The sauce was spectacular and a hit with all 4 of us! We literally ordered based on curiousity but were blown away by how delicious ever speck of food was. The stone crabs as an appetizer were spot on, priced fantastic and was a pleasure to get hands dirty just digging into that sweet crab meat. Our drinks were also excellent. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a new sweet spot for relaxed atmosphere, sofas for lounging and drinks and a wonderful dinner you won't soon forget! read more

Our family loves Veronica's. It is our go-to place for special occasions. We went last night for a family birthday, and weren't disappointed! We always ask for Marcie. She's my favorite server- always outgoing, professional and efficient. My favorite item is the appetizer of crab and avocado with a shrimp chip. SO delicious! I WAS disappointed to see they had taken the Tilefish off the menu. It was always my favorite entree there. I love the decor at Veronica's also. It's in a great neighborhood, so if you have time, get there early, drive around and look at some of the beautiful homes and shops in the area, you will be glad you did! I am taking a group of girlfriends there in a few weeks, and once again, I have requested Marcie as our server for that event also! read more

Whole crispy snapper. Yep it's all that and more. Do yourself a favor and order this dish at least once. It's amazing. So much meat to eat. So much flavor. And it stays warm due to the crispy outside but oh so tender inside. The Thai flavors with it just add to the enjoyment of this dish. But there's much more that we enjoyed. Great decor. Great cocktails. Excellent service. And more food that we loved like the potato rolls. Or the crab and avocado dip. I especially loved the oysters which were uniformally excellent in flavor and texture. Overall just loved this place. read more

Veronica Fish and Oyster - Seafood Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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First timer. This hits on all cylinders. Great seafood bar ambience like NOLA or the East Coast. Best Rum Runner that I've had in the States. The crabcake was solid and the herbed sauce with it was outstanding. The potato rolls with sea salt butter are so good they should be illegal. Fish doesn't get any better than the Redfish with a light chili lime sauce. The lump crab salad that accompanies it was a star too. I expected no less from the owners of Owen's and we were not disappointed. It's not cheap but it's worth it! read more

Absolutely recommend. Brought my girlfriend here for her birthday and they did not disappoint at any point. We had some of the best oysters we've ever had here, the lobster pasta came with half an actual lobster. Their cocktails blew me away. The service was exceptional as well. Literally no complaints. read more

Last Sunday, we tried this restaurant with another couple. They served us two types of oysters that were clearly bad. The next day, all of us had gastroenteritis and were miserably sick. When we called the manager, she offered to refund just the oysters and then blamed our breakfast or lunch. The other couple wasn't even with us for those meals, so her excuse was ridiculous. My entrée was a fried grouper that tasted like a giant fish stick from my high school cafeteria. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. read more

The consistency is always on point. The food is always delicious. The drinks are always wonderful. The service is good and lovely atmosphere. Highly recommend all of his restaurants- Fish Camp, Veronica, and Cargaiulos! read more

We found this restaurant on a whim. But how lucky were we. CB was our AMAZING waiter. His joy and enthusiasm for the foods and drinks was contagious. We started off with the freshly made potato rolls with Lobster salad. We built ourselves 4 mini lobster rolls by first spreading the delicious butter on the rolls and layers of fresh lobster salad. YUMMM. I ordered the burger with drives EXCEPTIONAL. My husband ordered the fish special which was a thick Halibut filet seasoned perfectly served with an arugula salad sprinkled with lump meat crab DOUBLE YUM. To end the evening we chose the Bananas Foster bread pudding served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. CB brought us two glasses of champagne to cleanse our pallets. If your ever in the area definitely try this place. Exceptional read more

We were BEYOND blown away at the 20/10 experience we received at Veronicas! We're pretty particular when it comes to seafood & oysters (we know fresh!) & satisfied is an understatement. We tried a little bit of everything (even got a custom craft gin cocktail!) Rebecca our server truly made our experience. She's perfect representation of how one should be in the service industry!! We WILL be back! read more

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Incredible food, drinks and service at Veronica's Fish and Oyster Bar last night for our Anniversary Highly recommend! We shared the octopus appetizer. My hubby had the skirt steak. I had the whole branzino (not pictured BC the photo was too blurry) it came with the Greek salad. We shared the wild mushrooms and the roasted Brussel sprouts. They also have a fabulous selfie mirror in the ladies room Our waitress Alexandra was amazing and even brought us a free dessert to celebrate read more

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