April 3, 2026

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Issue: 248

🗓️ What We’re Celebrating This Month

🥪 April is National Grilled Cheese Month!

✡️ April 1-9 – Passover

🐰 April 5th – Easter Sunday (A great day for brunch or a beach BBQ)

🍕 April 5th – Deep Dish Pizza Day (Joey’s D’s)

🍺 April 7th – National Beer Day!! (99 Bottles & Island House)

🧀 April 9th – Pimento Cheese Day (Lucky 8)

🥩 April 27th – Prime Rib Day (Connor’s & Alpine Steakhouse)

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📋 The LIST – April 2026

It is almost impossible to believe that we’re already a quarter of the way through 2026! They say time flies when you’re having fun. I think time just flies – period!

✅ OK – Here we go. Masō is still king of the mountain—at least for another month. This is not your ordinary Sarasota dining experience. This is a fine-dining niche. And that niche seems to have been properly filled.

My new favorite Sarasota County dive bar, Wally’s Pour House, hangs in there at number two. They also have a really great burger, as every proper dive bar should! – READ ABOUT THEIR BURGER HERE! 🍔

The Shebeen Irish Pub moves from seventeenth last month to number three. I’m guessing that a lot of you were searching for fun things to do on St. Paddy’s Day. And you were probably disappointed (like I was) that The Shebeen didn’t throw its annual bash this year. No word on when the new Gulf Gate place might open, but when it does, we’ll have a full rundown for you.

Samba and Ringside round out the top five for April 2026!

⭐ SEE THE WHOLE APRIL 2026 LIST HERE!

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🆕 New Kids on the Block. We’re trying really hard to keep up with the database additions. But honestly, restaurants are opening at a mind-blowing clip. I’m not sure if there are enough people living in the area to work at all of these new spots.

The Island Chick-N-Shack (312 S. Tamiami Trl.) down in Venice is a throwback! I mean that. This place doesn’t even have a phone (or at least an advertised number). In 2026, that is not the norm. They do have chicken tenders (not very old school), just about any way that you want them. 📝 We’ll be down there as soon as traffic lets up a bit. And, yes, we’ll be going with our Venice restaurant connections! Stay tuned for that – MENU HERE!

Kitchen Social (257 N. Cattlemen Rd. | 941-315-6607) opens up in the UTC Mall neighborhood. There has been A TON of chatter about this place in the Sarasota Facebook food groups. It’s a big debate (I really don’t know why 🤷‍♂️). This is a “mini” chain. 📝 They have six locations, including the brand-new Sarasota location.

Everyone seems to be all spun up about whether or not they really are “scratch.” My feeling – if you like the food, service, and ambiance, you should go. If not, pick another place that suits your preferences better. Maybe save your outrage for something a little more worthwhile.

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🐰 The Bunny System. Easter is here, the day after tomorrow. That means if you don’t have Easter brunch/dinner plans already in place, you may be in scramble mode. We may not be able to use our connections to get you into Michael’s On East or The Summer House. But you still may have some last-minute options.

Osteria 500, The Ritz-Carlton, The Capital Grille, and Turtles on Little Sarasota Bay (MENU HERE) all have indicated that they still have some availability on Sunday. (I completely understand that two of those four may be out of a lot of people’s price range.)

As a more budget-friendly alternative, how about a visit to our local Honey Baked Ham store? Those hams are delicious, affordable, and easy for a group of any size!

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⚡Lightning Round

🍷 Chardon-hey. Downtown cafe Pastry Art breaks out their finest wine glasses for a tasting on April 10th. They’re not one of the places around town that has tastings on a regular rotation. So this one might just be your only shot. You’ll be sampling “Crisp Chardonnays, refreshing rosés, and elegant light reds.” – Call the restaurant for more details: (941) 955-7545.

🦆 Duck, Duck, Goose! For sixteen years now, the Anna Maria Oyster Bar has held their Annual Lucky Ducky Race. On Saturday, April 11th, they will make it lucky number 17! This is a fundraiser for the Pace Center for Girls. Buy a duck for five bucks and keep your fingers crossed that he/she is the winner! Prizes include a two-year lease on a Jeep Wrangler or $5000 in cash. You can also win a weekly dinner for two at Anna Maria Oyster Bar for a year. – HERE’S HOW YOU CAN ENTER!

🚴 Wheels for a Cause. Do you like to ride? Would you like to pedal with a purpose? If you’re a YES to one or both, then we can spin you in the right direction. Sunday, April 26th, it’s Sharky’s Ride the Beaches. It’s a fun fundraiser benefiting three great local charities. Participation is limited to the first 1000 riders (seems like a lot of riders!) There are 70, 35, and 15-mile rides. Pick the distance that suits your style and comfort level best. – HERE’S HOW TO SIGN UP!

🍸 The Bar is Open. Still a little bit of time to get your Set the Bar tickets. This is always a fun cocktail-centric event. It all happens on April 19th at Ed Smith Stadium. We’ll have a list of all of the winners right after it happens! – SET THE BAR TICKETS!

📝 END NOTES –

(a) We LOVE hearing from our readers! If you’ve been to any (or all) of the places that we’ve written about in any of our newsletters, send us a short review of your experience. If we print it, we’ll also send you a 2026 Little Sarasota DINING Book for your efforts! – 📫SEND YOUR REVIEW!

(b) We are looking for restaurants to feature for our Make it at Home series. If you’re a local restaurant owner or Chef, we would like to highlight one of your signature dishes. Just drop us a note. It’s really that easy. There is no cost, and it’s a great way to spread the word about what you’ve got cookin’ – 📫 EMAIL US HERE!

~ LH

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🗓️ 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 📖 

📋 MENU OF THE MONTH!! – Stella’s Greek Cuisine – MENU HERE! 

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🧑‍🌾 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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