A Foodie's Guide to the Flavors of Florida

Florida is famous for lots of things—including some incredible food. Whether you want key lime pie, citrus fruits, a Cuban sandwich, stone crabs or another Sunshine State specialty, find it all right here in Sarasota.

Here's a rundown of some of Florida's most famous dishes and where you can savor them in the Sarasota area.

Seafoods & Coastal Flavors

Photo courtesy of Crab & Fin

As a state surrounded by water, it's no surprise that Florida's cuisine features a lot of fish and seafood. Much of Sarasota County is located on our 35 miles of coastline, so fish and seafood are naturally a big part of our local food heritage. 

Our local and regional coastal faves include grouper sandwich, fried snapper, mullet, stone crabs, spiny lobster, oysters, clams, Gulf shrimp, hogfish, and much more.

If all of those are making you hungry, don't worry–we've got lots of places in Sarasota where you can enjoy these items. Here are some highlights:

• Crab & Fin features fresh catch varieties prepared in a fine dining manner, plus seasonal raw oysters to enjoy with wine in a chic sidewalk setting.
• Spearfish Grille dishes up hogfish specialties to enjoy on a lovely patio area with nightly live music adjacent to a boat yard.
• Captain Curt's Crab & Oyster Bar features a Sniki Tiki outdoor bar to enjoy island-inspired drinks and its award-winning Florida clam chowder.
• Siesta Key Oyster Bar has one of the best daily happy hours in town, including a dozen house oysters (raw or steamed) for $1. 
• Captain Brian's Seafood Market & Restaurant has some of the best fried seafood basket deals around, as well as fried Florida lobster tails. 
• Walt's Fish Market, Restaurant & Tiki Bar features freshly caught items in the seafood market to take home and grill up, including stone crabs when in season, plus complimentary smoked fish mullet with crackers to start your meal in the restaurant/bar.
• Owen's Fish Camp mixes Southern classics like grits and pimento-chive biscuits with fresh seafood in a down-home fish camp setting.

Citrus & Sweet Treats

Photo by Vanessa Caceres

Florida has a long agricultural history tied to growing citrus fruits, including oranges. Most of the oranges grown in Florida are used for orange juice. That makes our state the perfect place to enjoy a glass of fresh-squeezed OJ. Yet your citrus obsession doesn't have to stop there. Florida's weather also produces some great grapefruit, lemons, and even massive-sized pomelos.

Florida is also known for growing berries and, in fact, nearby Plant City is often called the "Winter Strawberry Capital of the World." Some Sarasota area farmers also grow strawberries. In the spring, we welcome blueberries to the table (and our taste buds) from local U-pick farms.

Then there's key lime pie. This tart-sweet pie is perhaps one of Florida's best-known desserts, said to originate in the Florida Keys and made using the region's inimitable Florida Key limes. 

Photo by Vanessa Caceres

Here are a few places where you can enjoy Sarasota's citrus and sweet treats:

• Find delectable key lime pie at many local restaurants and supermarkets, including Detwiler's Farm Market, The Caribbean Pie Co., and Flo's Bakery and Gifts.
• Sarasota Honey Company produces raw, local honey with flavors like Coffee Honey, Wildflower, and more. Yet they also sell personal care products and offer tours. Find Sarasota Honey Company at their physical location, but also area farmers' markets.
• Yes, Honey ice cream from Great Heights Creamery. This flavor features honeycomb toffee mixed with honey ice cream, featuring honey from Sarasota Honey. Wow.
• Brown's Grove offers U-pick citrus in season (the next season will be December 2025 through February 2026). Fruitville Grove offers non-certified organic citrus, as well as Amish products and other produce. 
• Our many farmers' markets offer a variety of vendors who produce local honey and fruits. Check out the Sarasota Farmers Market, Venice Farmers Market, The Market at Lakewood Ranch, or the Englewood Farmers Market.
   

More Notable Florida Dishes, Right Here in Sarasota

Florida has more than produce, sweet treats, and fresh fish to offer. In fact, some of our state's most famous local residents are alligators. So, it just makes sense that gator tails are occasionally on the menu at Sarasota restaurants. We hear they taste like chicken!

The Cuban sandwich is another Floridian specialty, although it originally hails from Cuba. The Cuban sandwich was enjoyed in Cuba with roasted pork, ham, cheese, mustard, and pickles on Cuban bread. As Cubans came to the Tampa area in the late 1800s and began to work at Ybor City cigar factories, the sandwich's popularity grew. La Segunda Bakery of Tampa began to add Genoa salami to the sandwich, after which a Miami version of the Cuban sandwich was made without the salami and a slightly different condiment version. No matter which type of Cuban sandwich you enjoy, we think you'll find it's muy bueno.

Here are some local places where you can enjoy gator tail or a fresh Cuban sandwich:

• Columbia Restaurant has several locations throughout Florida and is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the Sunshine State. Its Cuban/Spanish offerings include a Tampa-style "Original Cuban Sandwich," hailed by several food/travel magazines as the best Cuban sandwich in Florida.
• Daiquiri Deck's handbreaded gator bites, served with an orange habanero remoulade, pairs decadently with a frozen fruit daiquiri. 
• Captain Eddie's Seafood Restaurant has deep-fried wild gator bites on its appetizer menu along with many enticing fish and seafood offerings.
• Publix Supermarket has its famous "Pub Subs," which include a Cuban sandwich.
• Mirna's Cuban Cuisine consistently wins raves from customers and includes a Cuban sandwich on its menu.
   

Enjoy Sarasota Cuisine During Savor Sarasota

Photo courtesy of Pop's Sunset Grill

By the way, if you're looking to enjoy more local and regional food, don't miss Savor Sarasota, coming up in June. During this special event, more than 50 area restaurants will offer multi-course menus for just $25 per person for lunch and $45 per person for dinner. 

Savor Sarasota celebrates Sarasota's diverse culinary landscape and the talented local chefs who bring it to life. Plus, this year marks the 20th anniversary of Savor Sarasota. 

Mark your calendars help us celebrate 20 years of Savor Sarasota!