Sarasota boasts many restaurants where you can get a good meal. However, how many restaurants can you say actually participate in the guests' experiences?

Enter Savory at Night.


While Savory Street initially had a difficult time finding its voice, after several changes in concept and design, it has now certainly found more than its voice--the owners have created a soulful experience at night. And by soulful, I don’t mean grits and collard greens, I mean the entire experience. There is an appreciation for guests, and the words “I” and “we” have been replaced with “you--the guest in our home.” It's humbling and inviting.

Savory at Night offers a unique combination of Latin American cuisine with a modernist approach. Mayan Lentil Soup with chorizo has a subtle sweetness in the finish, and it's a recipe that owner Claudia’s mother used to make.


Seven Wonders salad takes a standard beet salad to a new level, both in presentation and texture. Using a freshly baked parmesan crust, roasted beets are gingerly placed among citrus segments, toasted peanuts, goat cheese and red oak lettuce. Gentle and uncomplicated, this salad is a brilliant course that segues into the appetizer section, which includes blue crab fritters with citrus avocado remoulade, large empanadas served with house-made chimichuri sauce for dipping, and a Latin ceviche.


The entrees are fairly priced, with ancho-seared salmon, served with a refreshing radish salad, coming in at $18. The lobster ravioli was a generous portion size, but could use a little more flavor. However, our entire table raved about the tamarind-glazed pork chop with a sweet glaze and spicy corn tamalito.

Savory is a welcome addition to Citrus Square.  While service may be a little bumpy, it is kind and thoughtful--and so what if the servers forget a fork or call the cheese by the wrong name? I would take that over perfect-but-snotty service any day.

And best of all, the place is packed after being open at night for only two weeks on Tuesday through Saturday nights. Savory Street doesn’t have their its license yet, so enjoy bringing your own bottle--you can save some money and have a fabulous, inspired meal.