New Places, Familiar Faces, and a Few Good Bites
Restaurant comebacks, culinary celebrations, and a few tasty developments worth sharing.
📆 What We’re Celebrating This Month
🍨 November 11 – National Sundae Day (Whit’s & Kilwins)
😋 November 17 – National Baklava Day (Blu Kouzina & Nikki’s Greek Café)
🍞 November 21 – National Stuffing Day (Yoder’s & Dutch Valley)
🍵 November 23 – National Espresso Day (Project Coffee & The Bean)
🦃 November 26 – Thanksgiving Day! (Here’s our Thanksgiving List)
📋 The LIST – NOVEMBER 2026
We know that you’re just dying to see this. So why not just jump right in?!
👀 Some Observations
Five Nine Grill and Tavern is making itself right at home at the top of The LIST. After claiming No. 1 last month, Five Nine once again holds on to the top spot for November. Not bad for a restaurant making just its second appearance.
Look who’s coming up fast! SaraSocial makes the biggest move in the Top 10, jumping seven spots from No. 9 to No. 2. 📝 We’ve got it on OUR list of places we need to visit AND write about.
Meanwhile, Mouthole Smashburgers holds steady at No. 3 for the second consecutive month. Nice going, Ray & Nikki!
Plenty of new faces make an appearance this month. Tastes of The Philippines arrives at No. 5 (we had a nice little piece on them a few weeks back – READ THAT HERE). They are followed by back-to-back pizza spots, Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza and Tralia.
Yoder’s Restaurant stays at No. 8 after its BIG 15-spot climb last month. You must all be dreaming of those Thanksgiving pies! 🥧
One more thing worth mentioning: The Shebeen Irish Pub & Kitchen scores really high each and every month. But since they’re not officially open, we can’t really place them on The LIST. You’re still searching for them. We hope they open soon!
➡️ SEE THE ENTIRE TOP 25 HERE!
🎶 Musical Chairs… There is A LOT of house swapping going on in the Sarasota restaurant community. Must be something in the water.
Let’s run down a few of the highlights.
Lucile’s just became Mitchell’s Food and Wine. Former Zoria Chef Ryan Boeve (if you remember Zoria, then you’ve been around for a bit) really knows his way around the kitchen. Expect the same top-quality dishes and service he’s always been known for. This time around, it’s a family affair. Chef Ryan is now joined by his son Aaron in the Mitchell’s kitchen as Chef de Cuisine! Chef + Chef! 🧑🍳🧑🍳
Alma de España will now be calling Towles Court home. They’re moving into that cozy little house that was most recently Indigenous. The move from their Southside Village location will be a nice upgrade. More space, plus a super unique dining experience.
Caragiulos gets a bright, shiny new place to call its own. For 36 years, the Caragiulo family called their Palm Avenue restaurant home. But times change. And so do addresses! 1833 Ringling Boulevard is now the place where they will be dishing out their delicious homemade Italian comfort food. In bocca al lupo! 😋
🥣 “Bowling” For a Great Cause. We have a lot of fundraisers here in Sarasota. But not many hit home for our local food community like the annual All Faiths Food Bank fundraiser, Empty Bowls. I have great memories of strolling through row after row of handmade ceramic bowls at Phillippi Estate Park, looking for just the right one.
Those bowls were lovingly made by local Sarasota-area kids and students. Picking the right bowl was only half the fun. Selecting the perfect soup to fill that bowl was equally important!
The name has been changed to Bowls of Hope. But the important mission stays the same: Providing badly needed funds for our local food bank. This year’s event is on Sunday, November 8th at Ed Smith Stadium (2700 12th St). It starts at 11AM. – HERE’S MORE EVENT INFO
📝 Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee County is sponsoring a similar event called Empty Bowls (yes, this is a bit confusing). That will be held on Friday, November 13th on Main Street at Lakewood Ranch. – MORE EVENT INFO HERE
🐟 Fast Forward 555. That’s how many days it’s been since Snook Haven served up anything from their Myakka River location in Venice. After a long wait, they’re cutting the ribbon on their spiffy new place today!
Oh, for those of you who are wondering, YES, the banjos will be back! This is something that everyone needs to experience at least once! Their first performance in the new Snook Haven will be Thursday, November 12th. Come on out and show ‘em some Sarasota support! 🪕
⚡ LIGHTNING ROUND
1️⃣ Shakespeare’s English Pub has new ownership. I’ve been getting all kinds of messages and emails wondering if the Caramelized Onion and Brie Burger will survive the handoff. The word from the new owners is a resounding YES! They’re going to keep the status quo for the time being. Good luck to Richard and Marilyn Neal on their exit from the restaurant biz. And congrats to Michael Calomeris on his new adventure!
2️⃣ Whole Foods opened their new store in Bradenton on Thursday. This is the first store for the Austin, TX-based company in Manatee County. But our area is no stranger to Whole Foods. This makes it store number three for us. Location number four is slated to welcome shoppers in Q1 2027 at a new Sarasota Square setting.
3️⃣ “Boutique” BBQ spot Smoke & Fire has taken up residence at the former Brew Life, just off the corner of Clark and Beneva. It’s only open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (that’s why I use the term “boutique” 😄). Local internist Dr. Todd Horiuchi is the pitmaster. His “cue” gets rave reviews. This is one of those places that is open until they sell out. And THEY DO sell out. That means get there early if you want your fix!
4️⃣ For those of you who wait every year for the start of stone crab season, you already know your wait has ended. For those of you who might be more casual admirers, IT’S ON NOW! 🦀
From Oct 15 – May 1, you can eat your fill of these local seasonal delicacies. This isn’t totally without effort. You will have some choices to make:
First, claw size: medium, large, jumbo, colossal, or super colossal.
And of course, would you like your order hot or cold? 📝 Cold with mustard sauce is the correct answer. 😂
There is one last decision to make. Where to score yours. Here are some of our favorite sources:
Walt’s Fish Market and Restaurant: 4144 S. Tamiami Trl.
Gulf Coast Crab & Seafood: 6986 S. Beneva Rd.
Big Water Fish Market: 6639 Midnight Pass Rd.
That’s a wrap for this month’s Quick Bites. Hope you found something you liked. Hey, if you have a friend who doesn’t get our newsletter, send them our way! – HERE’S A LINK!
~ LH
🗓️ SARASOTA FOOD INFO🗓️
Here is some local food information that we think you might find interesting. We’ve provided you with a link to more info.
📖 BUY A COPY OF OUR 2026 SARASOTA DINING BOOK! – ORDER HERE 📖
📰 ALL THE LATEST SARASOTA FOOD NEWS! – OUR NEWS PAGE!
📋 MENU OF THE MONTH!! – Michael’s On East – ITALY!
🧑🌾 FARMER’S MARKET INFO 🌾
EVERY SUNDAY – Siesta Key Farmer’s Market – DETAILS
EVERY SUNDAY – Farmer’s Market at Lakewood Ranch – DETAILS
EVERY SUNDAY – The Meadows Farmer’s Market – DETAILS
EVERY WEDNESDAY – The Phillippi Farmhouse Market (Oct-Apr) – DETAILS
EVERY THURSDAY – Englewood Farmer’s Market (Oct-May) – DETAILS
EVERY SATURDAY – Sarasota Farmer’s Market – DETAILS
EVERY SATURDAY – Downtown Bradenton Public Market – DETAILS
EVERY SATURDAY – Venice Florida Farmer’s Market – DETAILS
THIRD THURSDAY EVERY MONTH – UTC Night Market – DETAILS
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