Stottlemyer's Smokehouse open-air BBQ is a must if you're in Sarasota and in the mood for BBQ and…read moremusic. Our waitress took the time to make sure every guest was well taken care of. We always had plenty of attention when needing to order and drinks always filled. The Jalapeño Poppers were jaw-dropping amazing and the Brisket Nachos plate was delicious and large enough for two. Well Recommended! I'm hoping to get a chance to try more BBQ.

Very interesting place with a spacious rustic appearance, good bands, & decent food. We sat at the…read morebar as we wanted to see the music. We had a few drinks (they give a GREAT pour of wine) & ordered food. We started with the stuffed jalapeños which were very tasty. We then both got the fried chicken - I got white meat & my husband got dark. I chose collard greens & a side salad for my sides. Everything was excellent - the chicken was so moist & came off the bone clean. You can tell this place knows what they are doing in terms of food. Collard greens were not salty like they normally are at other places. Would definitely come back again & perhaps try their BBQ next time! Get there early for bands, the place really fills up fast!

0/10 My friend was…read moreasked to leave and told she could not bring her service animal back into the establishment. Let me be clear -- her service dog is exceptionally well-trained and has never caused an issue. He is there to assist her with her disability, which may not be visible to everyone, but is very real. She is a wounded veteran who deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. For Darcy, the owner -- this was not only disappointing but shameful. This bar should remember that much of its support likely comes from veterans and their loved ones. Turning away a veteran because of her service animal is unacceptable

The Hive Bar is a nice enough representation of the American classic of the neighborhood dive bar…read more The bartenders were friendly enough and the drinks were cold The Hive Bar is a good place to meet up with friends and to share a drink and some conversation and while away some time.

My wife and I went here Thursday the 7th of May for dinner. I had my favorite dinner…read more Reconsted Pot Roast Mikey says try it you'll like it . The entertainment was provided by Fawny Frost. She sings like an angel and it is a pleasure listening to and dancing to her music we love dancing together to the songs she sings. We really enjoyed our time together last night. Our server did a great job and is very happy to serve our meals. Mikey says try it you'll like it!!!

My salad barely had any dressing, I had to ask more since it was dry. The appetizer was ok no big…read moredeal , had better other places. My chicken was salty not good. The service was slow that I had to keep finding my server for stuff and my bill. The place was not even busy at all. I like the singer she was good. The place was big . I don't think I would ever come back here.

Great food! Christian is fantastic server, music and fun atmosphere! Fresh BBQ daily, kid friendly!read more

It's pretty crowded and I was bummed because the kitchen was closed when I got there, but at least…read morethe bartender Molly was freaking awesome. Attentive knowledgeable and friendly.

I 100% recommend! Great food, service, music! Best hole in…read morethe wall ever! Friendly, fast and fun!

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.

This place has a cool atmosphere, and the big band playing on Monday nights is a lot of fun.read more

Date of Visit: 11/08/2025 5:30pm…read more After some shopping at the mall the wife and I were wanting to grab a beer somewhere. As we were heading out the parking I mentioned CJ's across the street. We have never been there before but friends of ours do play there once in while. So that's where we headed. As others have stated there is plenty of parking, in the main lot and in back. We parked in the main lot. Walked inside an immediately notice this was a place for music. No bands were playing since it was early. Found a spot at the bar, may have been ten others sitting at the bar. There was only one bar tender working the bar and she was working it. She came and saw us right after sitting and got our drink orders. Not sure if we wanted to eat but we still looked over the menu. We decided to get some food. I noticed they do a smashburger and I am always up for a that. The wife has been watching what she eats and decided on the chicken strips. The food didn't take long to arrive and both looked very good. My burger was done right, double cheesesmash with LTO just the way I like it. I got fries with it as well and I must say these were some mighty good fries. My wife really liked her chicken strips too. They were not battered and not overly fried, still very moist on the inside. She has been trying to stay away from overly fried foods and these were not overly done. I believe she ate them all as well. Since it was early there were no seating issues like I have read from others. And if your a car person they do a last Sunday of the month breakfast buffet and car show in the morning. Looking forward to that. All I can say is give this place a try. May have to go in the evening and listen to some live music. Peace.

A seat yourself type of establishment, this laid back river view restaurant gives all of the…read moreFlorida vibes! With live music, seating might be hard to find, but there is lots of it if you keep walking through to the back, closer to the river. We found a table toward the river as a family was getting up. The busser cleaned off the table quickly and we had some menus in no time. Our waitress was great- super efficient. I had the grouper bites with coleslaw and fries. The grouper bites were so tender and cooked perfectly, with the batter having the perfect fry/ crisp! The fries seemed battered too and they were delicious as well! We ended with a sliced of peanut butter pie and it was to die for! Soon after we arrived, a live cover band started playing and it made our Friday night!

Fun Place to take people that are new or visiting, very cute vibes. Go when it's nice outside so…read moreyou can enjoy the river and the views! I ordered a weekly special - it was a bbq brisket cheddar melt, it was ok, nothing I would say is different from anywhere else, I also got an order of calamari, basic frozen stuff. Good music! Seems to get busy for their live music nights! Service, Food were basic

very tasty, the atmosphere is very good and the service is super, just well done, I recommend it to…read moreeveryone Super cool. !!!!!!!!!!!!

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.