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2 days ago | 
sarasotamagazine.com | Megan McDonald |Megan Mcdonald |Lauren Jackson
We dare you not to polish off a whole bag of Meaney’s Mini Donuts in one sitting—these light, almost beignet-like little treats are totally addictive. Best bet: the strawberry cheesecake, featuring cream cheese frosting topped with strawberry jam. 201 Canal Drive, Siesta Key; 382 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota
If you’ve never experienced Gold Star Donuts before, you can expect a broad selection of classic flavors done just right.
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1 week ago | 
sarasotamagazine.com | Lauren Jackson
In the 1980s, astronaut Mary Cleave flew into outer space twice aboard NASA’s space shuttle Atlantis, spending a total of 10 days and 22 hours in space and traveling a total of 3.9 million miles above Earth. Today, she rests at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, in an artificial reef cast using a mix of concrete and her cremated remains.
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1 week ago | 
sarasotamagazine.com | Lauren Jackson
A new high-end Japanese restaurant is headed for University Town Center and the space formerly occupied by Bento Asian Kitchen. Owned by Jimmy and Johnny Tung, the brothers who started Bento Asian Kitchen and Tampa’s Michelin-starred Kōsen, Zōtō will feature upscale Japanese izakaya (small plates) with a comprehensive cocktail program that leans heavily into Japanese whisky.
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2 weeks ago | 
sarasotamagazine.com | Lauren Jackson
Now in its 20th year, Savor Sarasota returns from June 1 through June 20.
The annual restaurant “week”—which now spans 20 days and is often extended into the summer—launched as a way to boost restaurants during Sarasota’s slower season. Area restaurants offer two-course, prix fixe lunch menus for $25 and three-course prix fixe dinner menus for $45. Many restaurants offer upgrades like cocktails and wine pairings.
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2 weeks ago | 
sarasotamagazine.com | Lauren Jackson
In 2011, best friends Kim Duffy and Sandi Wagner opened Toasted Mango, a breakfast joint, on North Tamiami Trail. It swiftly became a downtown favorite, with crowds lining up to wait for a table. Duffy and Wagner went on to open up two more locations on Siesta Key and Anna Maria Island, too.
Back in November, Duffy and Wagner closed the original downtown location—but late last week, they opened the new and improved Toasted Mango in the Rosemary District.
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3 weeks ago | 
sarasotamagazine.com | Lauren Jackson
On Monday, May 12, Lakewood Ranch welcomed Flower Child to its Center Point at Waterside shopping district, near Owen’s Fish Camp and Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar.
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3 weeks ago | 
sarasotamagazine.com | Lauren Jackson
Last Saturday, May 10, starting at 7 a.m. and lasting until 1 p.m., a line wrapped around the north end of The Landings shopping plaza, extending all the way to the Publix entrance around the corner. Grocery shoppers gawked at the bystanders. What was it all for?
Peachey’s Baking Co was celebrating the grand opening of its brick-and-mortar storefront and handing out free doughnuts to its customers.
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3 weeks ago | 
sarasotamagazine.com | Lauren Jackson
Mirna Gonzalez opened Mirna’s Cuban Cuisine in 2016 in a tiny strip mall space on North Tamiami Trail near the airport. It quickly took off, thanks both to Gonzalez’s killer food and a dearth of quality Cuban restaurants in the area—surprising, considering Florida’s long history of immigration from the Caribbean nation.
Now, nine years after the original Mirna’s debuted, Gonzalez has moved her operation a few miles south, taking over a space near Ringling College of Art and Design.
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3 weeks ago | 
sarasotamagazine.com | Lauren Jackson
When a sign reading “HL Asian Market: Coming Soon” appeared at 7113 South Tamiami Trail early last year, Sarasota food enthusiasts went wild with speculation. Although our area already boasted a handful of small, well-stocked Asian specialty stores, food lovers often found themselves driving to Tampa to track down rarer global ingredients. No longer. At the end of 2024, the giant HL market opened to enormous fanfare. Cars lined the trail, waiting for a parking spot to open up. It was worth it.
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1 month ago | 
sarasotamagazine.com | Lauren Jackson
O'Leary's, which overlooks the Sarasota Bay mooring field at Bayfront Park, closed after Hurricane Helene brought devastating storm surge that flooded the park and lodged a large boat on the sandy beach in front of the restaurant. That boat was removed in late April of this year.
O’Leary’s finally received its permitting approval from the city in March, and swiftly repaired its iconic thatched huts with new palm fronds and exchanged its old wooden deck for new paver bricks.
