Every year, Sarasota's culinary scene grows with new and exciting offerings—but over the past 365 days, it's soared to new heights with fancy food, epic sandwiches and overall good vibes. Check out our list of the best new restaurants in the region.

Funky Fusion

1940 12th St., Unit C, Sarasota, funkyfusionsrq.com

At Funky Fusion, Sarasota’s only Filipino brick-and-mortar,  just four tables overlook a large catering kitchen where chef Jenna Foster toils away on her heritage Filipino recipes. The Philippines’ national dish, adobo, is always on the menu; it’s made with chunks of sweet, savory and vinegary pork or chicken over white rice. You’ll also always find chicken pancit (savory stir-fried noodles) and lumpia (small spring rolls stuffed with ground pork), but we mark our calendars for Foster’s lechon (whole roasted suckling pig), in which bite-sized pieces of pork are encased in fatty skin that crackles with each chomp. It’s a labor of love—and Funky Fusion only serves it on the first Saturday of the month, so mark your calendars.

Thai-Licious

5755 S. Beneva Road, Sarasota, (941) 487-8551, thai-licious.com

Sarasota’s lucky to have a ton of great Thai restaurants, but the new Thai-Licious, on Clark Road, is a contender for Sarasota’s best Thai restaurant. On one recent visit, a green papaya shrimp salad was spicy and acidic, duck curry struck the impossible balance of rich yet delicate, if there was any doubt that we wouldn't be coming back again and again, crab fried rice sealed the deal. Pro tip: Thai-Licious’ lunch prices are tough to beat, ranging from $13-$16 for an entrée, salad and soup.

Sugar Champagne Bar

127 S. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota, (941) 233-9133, sugarbarsrq.com

When Sugar Champagne Bar announced its $150 per person minimum for patrons dining indoors after 6 p.m., we scoffed. After eating there, however, we realized it’s impossible not to hit that minimum thanks to the restaurant's pricey drinks and canapés. But despite the steep price tag, Sugar is quite good. We particularly like the “Pornstar Martini”—a drink popularized in the early aughts and made with tart passionfruit purée that's tempered by Madagascar vanilla and vodka and topped with Champagne. Pair that with the bar’s truffle and black garlic deviled eggs and you’ll see what we mean. And good news: you don’t have to hit that $150 minimum if you're dining on the patio or indoors between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Dog Bar Sarasota

1314 10th St., Sarasota, dbsrq.com

At Dog Bar Sarasota, we’re in it less for the food and more for the company—dogs, dogs and more dogs. That said, this indoor-outdoor dog bar offers solid human food, like burgers, shrimp tacos and a caprese panini for you to snack on while Rover romps around with his new pals. The dining zone is separate from play area, so you don’t have to worry about any sad-eyed begging.

Tikka Indian Cuisine Fruitville

5445 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, (941) 413-5691, tikkasarasota.com

For the last several years, Tikka Indian Cuisine has held the No. 2 spot in Yelp’s list of Florida’s highest-rated restaurants. Its original location in Venice has kept South County locals steeped in fragrant, spiced curries. Now, northern county folks can get in on the action, too. Tikka’s second location, on Fruitville Road, offers samosas stuffed with potatoes and peas, biryani rice flavored with saffron and, of course, its namesake tikka masala.

Toasted Mango Café

1371 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota, (941) 388-7728, toastedmangocafe.com

While Toasted Mango Café isn’t technically new, its Rosemary District location is. This longtime Sarasota favorite closed its first downtown location (originally on North Tamiami Trail) in November 2024 in anticipation of the Rosemary location opening shortly after. In true new-restaurant fashion, the opening was delayed until late May of this year. The new space was worth the wait. It's shiny and bright, but you’ll still find all your favorite brunch items, like our favorite toasted mango Belgian waffle topped with toasted coconut, mango and whipped cream.

Ringside at Cirque St. Armands

233 Benjamin Franklin Drive, Sarasota, (941) 388-5555, opalcollection.com

We’re always delighted when we step into a hotel restaurant and are wowed from beginning to end. At Ringside, inside the Cirque St. Armands Beachside hotel, circus memorabilia and other flamboyant décor surround you while you savor dishes like smoked shrimp cocktail with a bloody Mary cocktail sauce, onion skillet bread and oven-roasted lamb with potato gratin and pickled red cabbage. Pair your meal with a “Hot and Dirty” martini made with pepperoncini brine and you’ll find yourself in the center of your very own greatest show on earth.

Peachey’s Baking Co.

4800 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, peacheysbakingco.com

Sarasota's most popular (and famous) seasonal food truck has finally made the leap from four wheels to four walls. Historically, Peachey's homemade, sourdough-leavened Amish doughnuts were only available at a rotating list of Sarasota businesses and farmers markets from November through April. Those days are gone now that the bakery's permanent new brick-and-mortar has opened in The Landings shopping plaza. 

Flower Child

6532 University Parkway, Suite 160, Sarasota, (941) 373-0199, iamflowerchild.com

We rarely go all-in on national chains, but Flower Child has made us think again. The Arizona-based restaurant is led by multiple James Beard Award-nominee Sam Fox and focuses on healthy-ish menu options that are meant to fill you up without weighing you down. It's got a fast-casual service style in which guests order and pay for their meals at the counter and then receive table service once they select a seat. It's that table service that won our heart—well, that, and the Peruvian beef bowl.

Lefty’s Oyster & Seafood Bar

428 N. Lemon Ave., Sarasota, (941) 954-8688, leftysoysterseafood.com

Is Lefty's a kitschy seafood spot that leans into cliché fisherman décor? Yes. Do we love that about it? Also yes. Lefty's Rosemary District location replaces Mandeville Beer Garden and capitalizes on the building's breezy indoor and outdoor floor plan. Lean in to the coastal vibe and order oysters, lobster rolls and conch fritters; otherwise, you're leaving a void in your dining game.

Fork & Hen

1990 Main St., Suite 112, Sarasota, (941) 444-7094, forkandhen.net

We've been super-fans of chefs Mark Traugutt and Alfonso Duron's Fork & Hen since the old days, when it was teeny tiny and located on North Tamiami Trail. Imagine our elation when we found out Fork & Hen (and its fried chicken) hit the big time and moved to Main Street in downtown Sarasota. The new Fork & Hen occupies the former Made Restaurant space, so it's a huge expansion for this restaurant—but we're confident Traugutt and Duron's food will keep us coming back, especially if they keep dishing out that killer mac 'n' cheese. 

Mirna’s Cuban Cuisine

2901 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, (941) 316-9793, mirnascubancuisine.com

Yes, Mirna's is an old Sarasota favorite, but its shiny new location is reason to sing its praises all over again. The menu is the same, with affordable, traditional Cuban food, but the restaurant is now way bigger, so you don't have to wait and hope the already seated diners will swiftly finish their dinners. Don't forget to save room for Mirna's guava pastelitos. 

Ocean Prime

501 Quay Commons, Sarasota, (941) 404-1024, ocean-prime.com

Although the original Sarasota Quay was demolished in 2006, a resurgence is underway. Rebuilt in the same locations as the previous iteration, The Quay Sarasota has added a premier restaurant partner in Ocean Prime. Gone are the days of driving to the Tampa location for an indulgent date night—now we've got one in our own backyard, the chain's 19th location. Expect prime steaks, seafood and Ocean Prime's incredible warm butter cake. Heck, just go for the cake and a cocktail. We're serious.

Casa Masa at the Landings

4862 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, (941) 0578, casamasa-srq.com

When Casa Masa owner Rob DiSilvio bought the old Island House Taqueria, on Bee Ridge Road, he learned how to nixtamalize so he could make his corn tortillas from scratch. (Nixtamalization is a process that involves soaking ground corn in an alkaline solution.) DiSilvio is a madman, and we love that for him. At Casa Masa's new location in The Landings, you’ll find the standards you love at the Bee Ridge outpost, as well as dishes that further showcase DiSilvio’s strange but brilliant take on Mexican cuisine. While you're there, grab a “Corn Hub” cocktail made with a crazy-drinkable Tito’s vodka base, lemon and soda water and a surprise twist: popcorn syrup.  It's burst of popcorn at the front of the palate might sound weird but is unexpectedly awesome.

Lucky 8 Luncheonette

1812 S. Osprey Ave., Sarasota, (941) 444-0155, lucky9srq.com

Lucky 8 Luncheonette co-owner Edward Zaki is slowly building a Sarasota restaurant empire. Well, maybe not that slowly, considering he opened the freshly revamped Adeline (see below) just weeks before Lucky 8 Luncheonette. Lucky 8's success, however, won't be because Zaki is a shrewd businessman. It'll take off because chef-owner Mark Majorie makes the best fried chicken we've ever tasted—and we've tasted a lot.

Café on St. Armands

431 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota (941) 388-4415, cafeonstarmands.com

One of Sarasota's oldest restaurants, Café L'Europe, has been reimagined in the wake of this year's devastating storm season. After some serious recovery efforts due to damage from the hurricanes, Oysters Rock Hospitality group introduced Café on St. Armands in the same beloved location as Café L'Europe, but with a full menu revamp. Café L'Europe's 1970s continental-style menu was in desperate need of an overhaul, and Café on St. Armands' new offerings lean heavily into Mediterranean flavors. That said: We're so glad Café L'Europe's French onion soup is still around.

Taverna Toscana

1301 6th Ave. W., Bradenton, (941) 357-7772, tavernatoscana.com

This new addition in Bradenton—courtesy of former Top Chef contestant Fabio Viviani—offers a rustic Tuscan Italian dining experience. There's no shortage of pasta and pizzas, but proteins dominate the menu. An enormous double-cut pork chop is brined for days, then grilled and plated with a bright romesco (red pepper pesto) and toasted chickpeas. It's big and meaty but also simple and glorious.