My Favorite Eats on Siesta Key
I’ve been going to Siesta Key for family vacations for as long as I can remember. My grandparents bought a condo in the Crescent Royale complex in the seventies and it was their winter home for many, many years. Growing up, my family would spend a week or two at the condo each February. It was during our “mid-winter break” at school. Mid-winter break fell between the Christmas and Easter holidays, which seems bizarre to have another week off of school, but I loved it.
Over the years, Siesta Key has become more and more popular. Dr. Beach has named it the best beach in America and MTV now has a reality show based there. However, I knew it before its heyday and so I’ve tried many restaurants. Here are my absolute favorites that even on a short trip I HAVE to eat at.
This is my favorite place for breakfast for many reasons. Most importantly, the food is delicious! The menu is varied and has a wide array of sandwiches, omelettes, juices and combination plates. Secondly, they have such a cute atmosphere. I prefer to sit outdoors in their sun garden (hence the name). It is a lush patio with trees providing shade, a dozen or so tables with wooden chairs or benches to sit upon and fans to help customers cool off and also to keep bugs away. The interior is cute as well with another dozen tables for patrons that want air conditioning to complement their morning cup of coffee.
I always order the Bikini Bagel. The menu describes it as including: turkey sausage, avocado, dried figs, tomato, sprouts and basil pesto. I had mine on an everything bagel. It is divine. The sandwich is overflowing with fresh ingredients and honestly, it is hard to eat. My jaw simply doesn’t open that wide. It works well to cut the sandwich in half and then finish out with a fork and knife when the avocado slices and bits of tomato simply decide to break free of their surroundings.
While the Bikini Bagel is incredibly filling in its own right, I also always get a side of the SG Potatoes. The SG simply stands for Sun Garden. These are cheesy scalloped potatoes that are perfectly creamy and a great portion. My mom and Best Friend Kyle said there was no way they could eat SG Potatoes at 8:30am as I was doing, but I had zero qualms about it. I am game to eat delicious potatoes that melt in my mouth at any time of the day or night!
The Village Cafe is an unassuming restaurant with good food, variety, fresh coffee and large portions. My family has been going there for breakfast for well over 20 years. I don’t think a person can go wrong with anything from its menu as it is overflowing with breakfast staples such as waffles, pancakes, omelettes, bacon and toast.
On this trip, Best Friend Kyle and I split the Greek Omelette which was filled with feta cheese, green peppers, onions, sausage and tomatoes. We had it made with egg whites per my request and it was delicious. We got it with a side of dry wheat toast and home fries, which just added to the experience. The omelette had so much feta on top of it that we both couldn’t stop ogling at it. I failed at taking a photo and I really regret it.
The Lobster Pot is my favorite restaurant on Siesta Key. It is rather quaint and unassuming but it has great food. Each table is served a basket filled with fresh cornbread and butter. I always get their Chicken Fiery Pasta as my entree. It is divine. It’s a large bed of pasta covered in a slightly spicy red pepper cream sauce. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! There is a shrimp option as well, and you may find it odd I get chicken instead of shrimp when I am in Florida, but the chicken just absorbs the flavors so well. It comes with a side of garlic bread and I always opt to add a side salad with their garlic ranch dressing. I could drink their salad dressing!
A fun tidbit for wine drinkers when going to Lobster Pot. When you’re walking around Siesta Key you will often see boxes with free visitor guides filled with coupons for local attractions and restaurants. The SEE guide includes a coupon for a free glass of house wine at Lobster Pot with the order of an entree. My party was able to get four glasses since we had four coupons and four adults getting entrees. #winning
Big Olaf Creamery has my favorite ice cream! Like most places on Siesta Key, the shop is quite small. There will nearly always be a line beginning at 7pm when people have finished their dinners and are seeking a sweet treat to end the day. There are a couple of Big Olaf locations in the Sarasota area but I’ve only ever been to the one on the Key. Their Cookies and Cream is my absolute favorite ice cream they offer. It is the perfect texture and the flavor is ideal. It truly tastes like eating an Oreo and whenever I stray from ordering the Cookies and Cream, I immediately regret the decision. The cookie dough is great as well. Honestly, I am sure every flavor is great and you’re only going to be disappointed if you walk out empty-handed.
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#PeaceLoveEd
