jR's Old Packinghouse is a decades old mainstay with a "old Florida" feel in Sarasota, Florida. I…read moredropped in after trying to find a local sit-down restaurant for lunch for a party of four on an early Saturday afternoon. The down home digs were homey and inviting and we chose to eat outside in the covered patio out front. The menu is interesting and varied; I'd state some of the food is county-style and some has a Cuban flair. My shrimp entree, which I chose to have, accompanied by rice and beans was very good. My daughter selected the chicken fingers and the portion was hearty and she devoured it. JR's has a special brunch menu and live music regularly so check out their website for information. Check this place out if you like charming-go frills places with great food.

I love dive bars and Packinghouse is the epitome with excellent food, drink and entertainment. It…read moreis old Florida out by I75 and near UTC mall. Great burgers and Cuban sandwiches but this time, I opted for the Basa Reuben. Initially disappointed when it arrived on a bun and not rye but it worked. The cup of seafood chowder preceding my basa Reuben was large, thick and with very good corn bread. Staff is friendly and seasoned. This was our first visit this season and will not be the last.

Fun for Everyone! Looking for a place where everyone can have a blast? Livingston's Amusements has…read moreit all arcade games, billiards, bumper cars, and even indoor go-kart racing. On our last visit, we kicked things off with a go-kart race (I'll admit, I'm a "safety-first" driver... came in last place ). Afterward, we grabbed some food and drinks, then hit the arcade where I redeemed myself by taking first place in Mario Kart. The atmosphere is lively, with families, kids, and couples all enjoying themselves. The food service can be a little slow due to the open seating setup, but our server was warm, attentive, and apologetic for the delay. Other perks? Plenty of parking and a wide range of activities to keep you entertained for hours. Whether it's a date night, family outing, or a casual hangout with friends.

We are mildly infuriated after our visit. 1st- our group all…read morecame with the same coupon for buy $10 of game tickets get $10 free but many of us received different amount of tickets for paying the same price. This is inconsistent training in employees and was hopefully not sexiest. 2nd-at the go carts, the attendent was very aggressive and clearly not joyful and hot and sweaty in the Florida heat. It would be nice for faster carts and larger/wider track to pass slow ahh children who can't drive. A friend got whiplash after a kid who couldn't drive crashed into her. 3rd- when we went to redeem our points from our game cards in the gift shop after the employee scanned the game card multiple times he admitted that he lost the points and that he accidentally transferred them to someone else's card and so I could not receive any prices for the many 91 points that I won. Which was disappointing considering the price I paid and the employee did not seem that bothered about it 4th- after ordering a pizza it did not come out for 20 minutes and the bartender said that the waitress forgot to put in the order, poor waitress service but the food was good. 5th- after going to the go carts for the second time the employees attitudes did not improve and the safety googles did not fit all the faces. And we were screamed at for having boxed up food. The employees seem passionate about their job but also bored with the time. 6th- the Ambiance was nice but it would be more enjoyable to have a separate dining area away from the screaming loud children along with the loud noises and bright lights that come from the game area. We thank you for your time for reading this and we look forward to hearing back.

Awesome experience again at Coopers Hawk! Friendly…read morefaces...good wine and sometimes an education...fine food and top notch service. Thanks Gloria for such excellent service

We love that Cooper's Hawk is right down the road from our place in Sarasota. A great happy hour…read moreand a wonderful selection of wines. They have a lot of really great small plates to share as well as solid entree options. We enjoy it so much that we joined their wine club that includes monthly tastings and monthly bottles of wine. If you're a frequent visitor the club pays for itself. Great lively atmosphere and service.

We love visiting ARCADEbar when we are in the area. The food is great! Remember to bring cash for…read morethe change/coin machines.

Food was amazing and they even have an amazing selection of non-alcoholic beers. Our server, Jenna,…read morewas fantastic! And Mark, the bartender, was able to make some great drink recommendations. We got the fried goat cheese appetizer which was so melty and creamy and SO good with the fig jam. I got the Kona burger and my friend got the lobster grilled cheese special. The grilled cheese was amazing! We would absolutely come back for another good time and amazing service.

Starts early in the evening, and you're out before dark (written in May). You must make…read morereservations for this dinner and a show, but it wasn't sold out on a Saturday night with just a few days' prior calling in for tickets. The food was SO GOOD! Salad bar and rolls started us off; when the warm buffet was served, a row of tables was asked to come forward. The dinner course was amazing! Tonight we had green beans, mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, meatballs, salmon (with a delicious sauce on top), fresh carved ham and/or roast beef. I think there was chicken too, but it was temporarily not available when we went through the line. I'm sure it was great, but we were too full to return for more. Dinner is also served with a dessert. Now the play... it was adorable! We saw Becky's New Car, which was a delightful comedy. All the actors did a superb job, even Steve's understudy. Lots of laughs. It was fun how they involved the audience! I'm sure whatever play they choose to put on at this theater would be fun to see. Thanks for a wonderful evening!

Excellent acting, superb food, and such a gracious host! What a true "find", one that I will bring…read morefriends to regularly! Such a nice treat to not have to drive at night, nor miss my early bedtime...chortle, chortle. I hope to bring a group of widows from our church in Lecanto, FL. What a great idea, and a truly memorable experience! Thank you for making Christmas so much more special...and too, the continued celebration of a dear friend's 70th!

Food was excellent, ambiance was great, service was a bit slow. We would definitely wait for a…read moretable again- lots of games to keep you busy while you wait.

We stopped in for lunch on a hot Florida afternoon and were pleasantly surprised! The fried shrimp…read morewas some of the best I've had - perfectly crispy, flavorful and cooked just right. The grilled grouper tacos were unique and delicious, served in a crispy cheesy shell that really set them apart from your typical fish tacos. The kids enjoyed their meals too, especially the corn dog and burger with fries. To top it all off, the Ami Sunset drink was refreshing and hit the spot in the heat. Great food, generous portions and a relaxing atmosphere. We'd definitely stop back the next time we're in the area!

It is so fun that there is a murder mystery train here in Fort Myers! It seems a bit expensive…read morethough you are getting a train ride, dinner, and show. I felt the train ride itself was a bit unnecessary. There was one nice section of the train ride over water, otherwise there wasn't much to look at. Also the train was swaying back and forth causing me to get a bit nauseous. The food itself was all pretty good! The cheese and fruit plate, potato and leek soup, pretzel roll, and salad were all great starters. I was satisfied with the meal before my entree even arrived! My family and I tried all of the different options (prime rib, salmon, and chicken) and thought they all tasted good. Though I could have done without cranberries in my rice... The dessert was small and light for a cheesecake. Food was surprisingly better than we thought. As for the show, I definitely didn't get how we were supposed to deduce the killer. But the actors did a great job and it was overall a fun night.

My friends and I wanted to try the murder mystery train after seeing some of their billboard…read moreadvertisements along 75. We were able to get individual tickets online but still make note that we wanted to sit together, and that all worked out really well. The tickets are expensive (makes sense...you're getting a show, a 5-course meal, and riding a train) and being able to buy separately was really helpful for us. Everything the night of the event ran like clockwork. Boarding the train was easy and fun. We had a table in the Gasparilla train car with lovely servers who took care of us all night. Drinks are pretty reasonable (ice tea and water are included, but you can purchase soda, beer, wine, cocktails) and you can even get a full bottle of wine for your table which you can take home if you don't finish onboard. The meal was better than I expected. It started with a fruit and cheese plate, then we had hot pretzel rolls an butter, a delicious potato leek soup, a salad, and then the appetizer. Our choices were prime rib (friends said it was delicious), chicken francese (I loved it) and salmon. Dessert was a cheesecake. The performers were very animated and enthusiastic. These murder mystery shows are always hard for me to actually follow and figure out. I appreciate all that goes into it, but I wish I was a better sleuth. My only issue is that the train ride itself is VERY long at 3 - 3.5 hours. I love a nice train ride, but I wonder if they could shave a little time off the ride.

Another staple of our time in siesta key is hitting up the siesta key oyster bar. Ironic cuz I…read moredon't eat oysters I'm simply there for the smash burgers. Skob is always packed. Always. But there's a reason behind this. The owner is on site quite a bit it's nice to see him. While the place certainly has quite a few miles on it mostly because it keeps getting beat up during hurricanes it bounces back. Feel free to bring a dollar and staple a dollar to the ceiling or if you're a copper firefighter bring your patch and they will hang it proudly. When I'm on vacation I like my food very simple. A simple double smashburger and fries 100% does me in. For servers are definitely all smiling another staple and not really an expectation but I'm so glad to see it. My wife got a chicken quesadilla not really adventurous again for the same reason. The beers are cold the servers are beautiful and everything is right with the world when I can sit down at siesta key oyster bar.

If you could only hit one restaurant in all of Florida, you would HAVE TO go to this one. The hype…read moreover this place is real. Plus who doesn't like cheaper raw oysters from 3-6PM EVERYDAY??! Servers were friendly and efficient. I like how you can nail a written on dollar bill on the wall. It's a cute, interactive idea. Raw oysters 10/10: Juicy, flavorful. Fresh. Everything oysters should be. I could've easily slammed 2 dozen by myself. Po Boy Oyster 10/10: This was fried the best considering we went to other restaurants and ordered the same dish. We'd be happy to have this meal again. Seafood quesadilla 8/10: Can't go wrong with this! I have a small appetite but still almost ate the whole thing.