The LIST – September 2025
We’re cruising into fall. Let’s see what’s hopping around town!
🍂 Happy September! I miss fall. It’s the one and only season that I miss after almost twenty-five years here in the Sunshine State. Nothing comes close to replacing the unique smells and colors of the third quarter.
In Florida, fall comes down to praying for a mid-October cold front to take the steam out of the air. Up north, it’s apple picking time, cider sipping time, and leaf raking time. All in all, a pretty good time! 🍎
📆 Something to Celebrate!
🥃 September is National Bourbon Heritage Month (Hive Bar & Pangea)
🍕 September 5th (TODAY!) – National Cheese Pizza Day (Shaner’s & Capo Pazzo)
🍪 September 14th – National Black & White Cookie Day (Palm Ave Deli & Wolfie’s)
🥑 September 16th – National Guacamole Day (Mi Pueblo & The Grasshopper)
🍤 September 20th – World Paella Day (The Columbia & Alma de España)
🦞 September 25th – National Lobster Day (Lazy Lobster & The Lobster Pot)
There you go. That’ll give you a few things to put on the calendar. Get out there and start celebrating!
One of these is new to the area. The other is new to our database.
Fresta’s Italian American Cuisine (6392 Lockwood Ridge Rd. | 941- 203-8467). This is the “new-new” one. It’s located at University and Lockwood Ridge (Parkway Collection Plaza). It’s “Modern Italian-American” cuisine. They also have a pretty good-looking lineup of sandwiches.
📝 If you’ve noticed, we’ve featured a lot of sandwiches lately. Just a warning, more are on the way! 🥪
Suncoast Café (400 Airport Ave. E. | 941- 484-0100). This one is “old-new.” It’s not new around town, but it IS new to our dineSarasota.com database. It’s located at the Venice Municipal Airport. A pretty unique spot for a restaurant serving American & Caribbean cuisine. But that’s exactly what Chef Tony has been doing there since 2010! ✈️
👋 And Now for the Main Event… It’s that time. Let’s take a look at which places rose to the top of this month’s list!
Samba hangs on to the top spot. 📝 I know this place is new, but if you’ve been, drop us an email and tell us what you thought of your experience. – 📩 EMAIL HERE!
Mouthole Smashburgers climbs up a couple of spots to number two. (Ray and Nikki have found their way back to Sarasota from a month-long vacay and again slinging smashburgers in Gulf Gate! Stop in and say HI! 👋)
Athens Family Restaurant creeps up into the top five along with Tony’s and Ringside.
🍔 All the way back in March of 2023, we featured Tony’s as part of our A Burger A Week series. If you missed that piece or would just like a refresher, this is for you! – READ OUR TONY’S BURGER ARTICLE
📃 HERE’S THE COMPLETE LIST OF THE TOP 25 FOR SEPTEMBER 2025!
OK then, seems like a good place to finish. Let’s get out there and show some love for our local Sarasota restaurants. I’m sure that they would be delighted to see our smiling faces right about now. September can be painfully slow. They could probably use a hug. 😊
~ LH
📌 ODDS & ENDS
🚶 Walk the Walk. Looking for just the perfect casual beach snack? Well, if you’re up in the Anna Maria Island area, we’ve got you covered. Swing by for a quick Beachside Bite. This cute little walk-up window is located at The Sandbar (100 Spring Ave. | 941- 778-0444) and has just expanded its “bites” to include a Lobster Roll, Shrimp Roll, Quinoa Bowl, Peel and Eat Shrimp. Also, a BLT, Crabby Pretzel, Waffle Stacker, and an Egg Breakfast. WOW, those are some choices right there! The window is open from 8-8 daily.
🎊 Cue the Confetti. It’s anniversary time! Anytime a restaurant can celebrate this annual milestone, it’s BIG. It’s what we all want to see, right? A happy and healthy Sarasota restaurant community. Here’s who’s popping the champagne…
The Duo – Döner & Deli (5049 Ocean Blvd. | 941- 929-3025) is turning the page on their first year in the biz! I remember them swinging the “Open” sign on their door last year. Unfortunately, it was just in time to have Helene and Milton rain on their opening parade. We’ve covered them a bit in the past year.
When they first opened, we did a little FIRST LOOK – You can READ THAT HERE!
And then a little bit later in the year, we had our first Zap Zap experience. What’s a Zap Zap?? It is an unexpectedly satisfying Polish “pizza”. European street food comes to Ocean Boulevard, gotta love that! – READ ABOUT THE ZAP ZAP!
Next, it’s Kolucan (6644 Gateway Ave. | 941- 921-3133) blowing out the candles on their second birthday cake. Chefs Gino Calleja and Jose Rojas have taken the upscale route to Mexican cuisine here at their Gulf Gate restaurant.
They have really carved out a niche for their style and interpretation of some classic dishes of the region. They’re also creating some new favorites along the way. You’re asking, “Didn’t you feature them at some point?” Ah, yes, we did! Here’s a look at the Kolucan take on a Mexican fav. If you missed it, here’s a link to our piece on ENCHILADAS DIVORCIADAS!
We’re hoping that both of them will be celebrating for many years to come!
🏈 First and Ten. The 2025 edition of football season has arrived! And not a minute too soon for pigskin (and wing) lovers. Football usually comes with a hefty dose of food and drinks. Trying to navigate the full eighteen-week regular NFL season and still be able to see your feet when it’s over presents its own unique challenges. You can worry about it, OR just go with it. I highly recommend option two!
Bricks Smoked Meats (1528 State St. | 941- 993-1435) is adding to the football fun with their Bucs BBQ Blitz. They’ll be rolling through the season with “themed food specials and crafty drinks”. Want to feel like a VIP? Wear your Bucs jersey and you’ll be in line for some special promos! It might not be as high rolling as a skybox at Ray Jay, but I guarantee you’ll get out of the parking lot a whole lot quicker! 😉
💵 Deal Day! Well, it’s not exactly today. But it will be on THUR SEPT 11TH. That’s when a freshly baked batch of Sarasota-Manatee Originals discount certificates will hit the street. It’s super hard to say no to 30% dining discounts at 70 local restaurants. If history is any indication, these will go very fast. – HERE’S A LINK TO PURCHASE YOURS!
😎 Bahama Mama. Just a quick heads up (you may have already seen this reporting from our friend Lauren Jackson at Sarasota Magazine), Tommy Bahama’s will be making its return to “The Circle” in late September. Hopefully, this also means Tommy’s great Happy Hour will be back too?? More details and a FIRST LOOK when the new location opens…
🗓️ 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 2025 SARASOTA DINING BOOK! – ORDER HERE 📖
😋 MICHAEL’S ON EAST – MONTHLY EPICUREAN MENU – New Orleans🌍
🧑🌾 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 Farmer’s Market – DETAILS
THIRD THURSDAY EVERY MONTH – UTC Night Market – DETAILS
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