Friday, January 16, 2026 - Two for a burger bite. Not before the FST show…read more (GOSUB to the **** for the meat/burger of the review ((smile)) ) I have reviewed about 30 restaurants in and around Sarasota since 2021 when we moved down permanently and are members of the FST. On this Friday night, nothing was going right. My wife was delayed at school etc. So then a delayed departure from Venice, a false stop at Mad Moe's for a burger in Osprey (PACKED) and then a direct shot and parking across from FST we hope for a quick burger or something at the bar or restaurant at FST? But it was PACKED and they weren't serving any more???? We threw our tickets in the trash because now we could not make it back in time, (( frown :-( )) So a walk to Main Street to see if Patrick's or anybody might have room for two? NOPE. and we were walking along and THERE WAS BREWSTER's GASTROPUB!!!!!!!!!! For some reason I have 128 restaurants on my Sarasota Favorites list and Brewster's was not on it? I checked them on as I entered??? Looked VERY full at the bar, and most tables were full but it looked like we had a shot...... and there was a four top high-top!!!!!!! WIDE OPEN!! I think the no table service might be the delineator. We weren't looking for a sit down "dining" and full service gig. Nor did we need the overhead and pomp and circumstance of a host/hostess, army of bus staff, a waitstaff and being waited on with drinks and water and etc? ******** We came to EAT GOOD SIMPLE FOOD and have FUN. **** And that's what we did!!! "Todd" at the bar was friendly and fantastic. All the bartenders and staff were helpful and friendly. The "security guy" when he saw me at the bar for about 20 seconds helped me get some ketchup. Zone defense and team effort!!!! I got the signature Brew Burger and a side of Street Corn and had an endless glass of water w/ lemon I think I had Todd fill about 5 times. My wife and I bantered about what the Street Corn would be and we were happily surprised with the authentic Mexican Street Corn (elotes?) on the cob with a stick and a delightful creamy Chile, garlic, and Cotija cheese sauce I think. (problem is we gobble them up before we could figure out the exact sauce composition here. BUT it was very tasty. 10/10 The burger (for this adult usually nutritarian plant-based eater) was EXACTLY what I had hoped for. A wonderfully fresh an warm brioche bun, fantastic angus burger, cheddar and a "secret sauce" . I got lettuce onion and pickles which are standard...... this was VERY VERY VERY tasty. only quip is I will opt for sauce on the side and its was a little too much sauce. This was mega and uber better than some greasy Five Guys or Smashburger or any of that stuff. 10/10 My wife got the Shroom & Swiss Burger that had a wonderful portobello mushroom on it nicely cooked, terrific angus burger properly cooked exactly as we ordered it, she loved the blue cheese perfect amount, She also felt a bit TOO much of the secret sauce, but its pretty tasty so not a catastrophe. This was also an AWESOME burger!! 10/10 The sweet potato fries were not crazy greasy and perfectly crisp but not crunchy for fries - good, cross-cut and obviously bulk bag. Cut or sliced would be nicer but of course not expected, its a side. 7/10 The place is clean and glassware and silverware perfectly clean. The counter/bar service is fantastic. I had to make a few trips for ketchup and place ware and etc but hey when your wife gets one of the better vodka cranberry w/lemon and club in a large tumble for $9 instead of $15 or $16 for a 6 oz martini glass with 4 oz of watery drink........ its a home run!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With all the TVs and sports that is probably the summary of my review. Brewster's Gastropub is a Grand Slam for food and service......and especially burgers!!! Bravo Zulu.

Every thing about Brewsters is phenomenal. Food, outstanding, great beer and awesome servers…read more Plenty of TVs for sports watching, just an all around fun place

It would be hard to not rate this place as a five star pub. We arrived a bit after noon on St…read more Patrick's Day to find the place nearly full, with few places to sit. We opted for the bar. The place was decorated for the holiday and had a great vibe. Irish music was playing, of course. There's a large variety of beers on tap. A screen shows the current offerings. I had a Vagabond IPA, while my husband had a Kilkenny. Both were 20 oz pours, and very good. We decided to get a couple of appetizers because we had a dinner commitment. We had the English sausage rolls, wrapped in puff pastry, and the spicy English beer cheese dip, which came with pita chips. Everything was plentiful and quite tasty. There are lots of other great looking things on the menu. We enjoyed the congenial atmosphere, and the service by owner Rich. We never felt rushed. If we lived in the area, we would become regulars.

Shakespeare's is clean, service is friendly and fast, food is good enough (but the fries are frozen…read moreand the "homemade" beer cheese tastes like Nacho Cheese from the ballpark). The main concern is the customers. I was one of three women (including the bartender) out of eleven people. The men were all older and every single one of them was bitching about women. They were calling the bartender from across the dining room, running her back and forth for every one of their demands. It was so frustrating and distracting. I was uncomfortable for myself and genuinely felt bad leaving the female bartender alone. Absolutely do not recommend for solo female diners.

Gianna is the best ever, thanks for being awesome Gianna. Great attention to details and not bad on…read morethe eyes.

The service was fast and laid-back. My boyfriend and I split the Velvet Punch party bowl, and it…read morewas delicious. It was much bigger than we expected, but it ended up being the perfect amount for us to share. We also had a great time in the arcade. We'll definitely be going again!

Decided to try their Tuesday night Burger special before our grandson's first varsity basketball…read moregame. We started with their French Onion Soup.. The needed more body, maybe needed some wine in the recipe. The burgers had great flavor and the fries were good. My wife's was under cooked and had to be sent back. If it wasn't for a $6,99 price for the burger and fries I would have given a lower ratting. They were slammed and short of help. . We never got our complimentary potato chips. The soup and the burger came out at the same time. The place is really loud inside so I suggest sitting outside. Our server was rushing around like a person with his head cut off!

NEAT's ceviche is perfect for a lunch. Tuesday Burger & Brew for $10 is money!!! They also have a…read morestellar Tequila & Bourbon as well. Perfect Dirty Martinis too.

So good! Tried wings with all 3 sauces, peanut sauce was delicious. Had the crab croquettes which…read moreare also great. Just stopped for a lite beer and snacks. Great place, just wish they were selling cans to go again!!

The good. I loved…read morethe chicken wings here. Absolutely delicious. The salad was phenomenal! So flavorful, and honestly, very beautiful to look at! Great plating overall at this spot. Plenty of "spaces" to sit, depending on your mood. Indoor, outdoor, high and low seating, family-friendly. Staff was very nice and helpful. Just the right amount of chatty. My wife loved her lager. The not so good. My only complaint here is a significant one considering we came to a brewing spot. I ordered the stout. I order them at any brewing place we visit. This was by far the most bland, watery stout I've tasted. I let the server know when she asked us how it was. She didn't have much to say about it. Seemed surprised to hear it. Other than that, the experience at Big Top was nice. We'd return on our way back from doing something in Sarasota.

We had a great time here! There was live music inside and very friendly staff and patrons at the…read morebar. The food was tasty as well.

The service was phenomenal, my beer was never empty. We sat outside and the staff came around…read moreplenty. Judge the dog was outside, so it is pet friendly in that aspect. Will visit again.

3 Keys Brewing is conveniently located on Manatee Ave close to 41. The building has an old time…read moreFlorida feel with porch seating. Upon entering the restaurant, you will see a bar directly in front of you, and plenty of table seating off to the right in the main dining area. When 3 Keys first opened, they did not have the best food. Now, their food is high quality. I ordered the "we be jammin" burger and it was excellent. The beer did not impress me on my most recent visit. I tried two IPAs and found them to be below average. I would return, but I would hope to try better beers. They certainly have a local following as the brewery has plenty of customers on a Sunday night.

We had a nice time here. We sat outside in the back and enjoyed a little show. It was great! The…read morefood was good and being outside created a great ambiance! The servers did a great job as we had a large party. Great experience and enjoyed the craft flight!

Really good food!!! Super fresh. Had carnitas tacos and a hangover burger : both amazing flavors!…read more Don't let the strip mall fool you. Small hole in the wall. Friendly service and personal.

We came in for a 1 pm lunch on a Friday. The place itself has limited seating inside with some…read moreadditional tables outside. Everything was clean and decorated cute. We ordered the ahi poke app, which was a 5/5. We also ordered salads and added the fresh catch fish of the day. The salads were OK- kind of plain but I wouldn't call them bad either. Service was quick and our waiter was helpful.

So after visiting Mote Aquarium we went over for lunch on a weekday. There were 6 of us with one…read moretoddler. We were seated without a wait. We were acknowledged quickly and then she came over and took our drink orders. We ordered trash can nachos that were really good. 3 of us had the bbq chicken salad, one had the fish fry, one got wings and the other had a Cobb salad. The fools had a beautiful presentation and everything was really tasty. We didn't have any trouble talking and hearing even with all of the tvs on. It filled up without being too loud with conversations which was nice.

Not a lot to say other then due to their inefficiencies, we were never even had a server come to…read moreour table. We went on Saturday 1/17 at about 1:30pm. It was beautiful outside and luckily were offered an outdoor table (which was perfect as in inside seating area was very cold). We were sat (2ppl) and were about the 5th or 6th table outside. There was a table sitting next to us that had clearly finished their food and we're waiting to pay their check after about 15 minutes. The mother took the two other children and left the father there to pay the bill. About 10 minutes later, he ended up getting up and going inside to find a server. His new sword ever came outside. We sat at our table for probably 30 minutes and watched the host. Continue to see people outside filling it up. After about 35 minutes of nobody ever even approaching our table, we got up and left. I don't understand if you are short staffed why you would open an extra receiving area if you cannot service it? I have been there in the past and it has not ever been this bad. But after almost 45 minutes, I'm not even being acknowledged, we had to leave and find lunch somewhere else. To me, this was 100% on greedy management. You are not gonna increase your sales by filling up the restaurant and then not having enough service staff on duty to take care of it. I noticed another table also get up and walk towards their car after they saw us get up and leave. Not a manager in sight, not a server insight, just the continuing seating by a young man who was only doing what he was told to do, obviously without direction.

Teri is the best employee you guys have! She was amazing and so on top of it! She immediately took…read moreour order and made sure our drinks were ready so fast.

This is such a fun spot with amazing frozen drinks and food. We had the Elvis (peanut butter and…read morebanana) and mud slides and wow so delicious. The outdoor spot is cute and they had great music playing. We ate around the bar which had more shade, great staff too. We loved the buffalo cauliflower and sloppy Joe was perfect texture and flavor. Rueben was solid with plenty of meat and sauce. The area around this spot is so fun with lots of art to look at. The cute little green space out front had corn hole and seats. Would definitely recommend checking this spot out in Sarasota!