On Siesta Key, palm trees sway in the warm breezes, and the buildings are painted with bright colors. This is a wonderful place to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine, so here are our top choice for restaurants with outdoor seating. Decide between the five absolute best outdoor dining restaurants on Siesta Key.
Bonjour French Café
Bonjour seems to have been teleported right from the streets of Paris and onto the Gulf Coast of Florida. Order sandwiches, crepes, and macaroons for a very French and very tasty experience. Bonjour has about six different dessert crepes at any given time, including banana and chocolate, as well as an extensive make-your-own omelet list.
Top it all off with a real French espresso. Bonjour is a lovely little Siesta Key haven.
Gilligan’s Island Bar and Grill
Gilligan’s is far from trades subtlety for spirit, quiet lunches with family for exciting and energetic afternoons out. The restaurant is surrounded by big tiki torches and a covered by a thatched roof, allowing you to enjoy an afternoon of tropical cocktails, music, and laughter at a real beach bar. Live music is offered every day from 6 to 10 p.m. and weekends from 2 to 10 p.m. Typically, it is a nice mix of reggae, rock, and top 40 pop.
Old Salty Dog
The Old Salty Dog does one particular thing extremely well. If you want an incredible beer-battered hot dog on the balcony over the water, with the opportunity to wash it down with real Irish beer, this is your chance.
Don’t forget to bring your pooch. She is more than welcomed at this laid-back outdoor restaurant – a treat may even be in store for your furry family member.
Sun Garden Cafe
Sun Garden Café is dazzling and adorable. You can’t escape its lovely Old Florida charm (nor would you want to). Sun Garden Café specializes in garden-to-table dining. Everything is as fresh as possible.
The breakfast menu is the real treat. Start the morning off with a sticky bun or a Sol muffin, and end it with one of their incredible breakfast sandwiches, such as Max’s Blisscuit or the Bronx Bagel.
The menu also includes garden omelets, eggs benedict, pancakes, and local lunch favorites, like the Mississippi Queen chicken and waffles or Ashley’s avocado toast.
Sarasota County is a key player in the farm-to-table dining and locally-sourced ingredients if you’re looking for more restaurants like Sun Garden Café, head to the city of Sarasota to try some top restaurants with a sustainable ethos, like the Social Eatery & Bar and The Rosemary.
LeLu Coffee Lounge
LeLu Coffee Lounge is an ideal casual hangout spot. For a quick stop for espresso in a warm and laid-back eatery, few places are better. LeLu really nails that relaxing coffeehouse aesthetic. You can also enjoy numerous snacks and sandwiches, including the Surf’s Up Sandwich, the Southwest, and the Salsalito. LeLu has a handful of vegan-specific dishes with the ability to “veganify” most options. You can complement your meal with grilled Cuban bread, pan-friend home fries, plantains, and more.
Unlike many coffee shops, you can also order from a menu of specialty cocktails.
The Cottage
The Cottage is cute and quaint. But it is when you dip below the aesthetic surface where you find one of the finest menus in all of Siesta Key.
The restaurant focuses on seasonal specialties, using local farms and sustainable meats and seafood. The crew manages to create an authentic tropical island ambiance at The Cottage, without losing sight of what makes people keep coming back: the high-end food.
Some highlights include Crab Cake, Calamari, Korean Short Rib, Wonton Tuna Tacos, and the Superfood Salad.
The Cottage is simply divine. With its colorful décor and influential Japanese aesthetic, the Cottage manages to make the most of its small space.
Where To Stay on Siesta Key
We can’t recommend Siesta Key enough. Contact us for more information about the resort that stands above all other Siesta Key hotels. There might be other beachfront hotels on Siesta Key but ours is the only hotel that you can walk to the Village and the Beach. We also have Siesta Key
Many of the nearby restaurants have stellar local live music, amazing food, inventive coffee menus, baked good, smoothies and more! The above restaurants focus on taking advantage of the sunshine and fantastic weather, giving the best welcome to Siesta Key you could ask for.
