Sarasota’s rich restaurant scene is stacked with superb sandwiches.
From handhelds featuring freshly caught Gulf fish to a Reuben brimming with house-made corned beef, these are my favorite Sarasota restaurants for a sandwich.
You’ll find a Tampa-style Cuban sandwich on my list, too, along with a muffuletta I’d rank right up there with any I’ve enjoyed during my many visits to New Orleans.
Of course, I had to include a classic deli-style sandwich, too — one with something special.
Keep in mind that these are my current favorites, based on what I’ve eaten recently.
Is there an essential Sarasota restaurant I missed? I’m sure there is.
Shoot me an email at wade.tatangelo@herald-tribune.com.
Here are my five picks for the best sandwich spots in Sarasota,
presented in no particular order.
Spearfish Grille
Details: 1265 Old Stickney Point Road, Siesta Key; 941-349-1971; spearfishgrille.com
One of my favorite restaurants on Siesta Key and perhaps the island’s last hidden gem, Spearfish Grille is located in the Crescent Beach district on the bayside at the Safe Harbor marina. Its flip-flop-friendly setting includes indoor seating and a covered patio, with live music daily from 6 to 9 p.m.
Yes, it’s the ideal setting to devour a fresh fish sandwich, particularly one of Spearfish Grille’s signature “Big Boss” creations. The formula is delightfully simple: your choice of fresh-caught fish, grilled, blackened or fried, served on a toasted brioche bun with lettuce and tomato, plus house-made key lime-shallot tartar sauce on the side.
Spearfish regularly procures some of the best hogfish in town, and the grilled version, finished with a smear of the restaurant’s boss tartar sauce, starred in my most recent sandwich ($28). Spearfish also seems to have a lock on tripletail. Served with a deftly applied blend of blackening spices, it was every bit as delicious on that toasted brioche bun with tartar sauce ($23).
Pro tip: The fried grouper cheeks ($20) are my go-to appetizer. Spend the extra $3 for a side of mashed potatoes or, if you’re feeling adventurous, the root vegetables featuring ridiculously good beets.
Lucky 8
Details: 1812 S. Osprey Ave., Sarasota; 941-444-0155; lucky8srq.com
Located in Sarasota’s Southside Village, Lucky 8 recently earned a prestigious Michelin Bib Gourmand designation for its New Orleans-inspired comfort food. The recognition honors restaurants that offer high-quality food at a good value.
For decades, I’ve dreamed about the muffuletta served at Central Grocery on Decatur Street, but the version from Lucky 8 chef and co-owner Mark Majorie might be even better.
Credit the judicious medley of ham, Genoa salami, mortadella and provolone, capped by a generous layer of olive spread. But the main reason Lucky 8’s muffuletta rivals Central Grocery’s is the Sicilian sesame bread, baked from Majorie’s recipe at Mama G’s German Bakery right here in Sarasota.
Pro tip: Unless you’re feeding a family of four, there’s no need to order the whole muffuletta ($36). It’s just as satisfying by the half ($20) or slice ($11). Then be sure to splurge on a side of Majorie’s hand-cut fries.
Alpine Steakhouse
Details: 4520 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; 941-921-3798; alpinesteak.com
A family-run restaurant and meat market serving Sarasota since 1975, Alpine Steakhouse easily ranks among my favorite local dining destinations for everything from steaks and burgers to house-smoked bacon and sausage-stuffed mushrooms.
My new favorites? The sandwiches.
Like pretty much everything else at Alpine, the corned beef is made in-house. Its deeply flavorful slices of salt-cured beef result in what just might be Sarasota’s best Reuben ($22), which pairs perfectly with a twice-baked potato for another $4.
During the same visit earlier this month, I also tried Alpine’s French dip ($22) for the first time. It features some of the tenderest sliced prime rib I’ve ever encountered, topped with melted provolone and served with a rosemary au jus I could consume by the spoonful.
Speaking of firsts, who knew Alpine makes its own chips ($4)? If, like me, you prefer your chips on the chewy side, these are salty perfection.
Stay tuned: Guy Fieri featured Alpine and its famed turducken on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” in 2007, and a Food Network film crew returned in April to film “Triple D Nation,” the series that revisits restaurants previously featured on the show. No air date has been announced, but one is expected soon.
Columbia Restaurant
Details: 411 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota; 941-388-3987; columbiarestaurant.com
Recognized as Florida’s oldest restaurant, the original Columbia opened in Tampa’s Ybor City in 1905. Its charming St. Armands Circle location, offering indoor seating and a covered sidewalk patio, has welcomed guests for more than six decades. In 2021, Food & Wine magazine named Columbia’s Cubano the best sandwich in Florida.
Biting into a warm, freshly pressed Cuban sandwich at Columbia is like traveling back a century, to an era when immigrants were leaving indelible imprints on Florida communities such as Tampa’s Ybor City.
"Tampa was like the sandwich, a mixture of cultures and food," Columbia Restaurant once noted on its website. "The Spanish brought the fine ham, the Sicilians the Genoa salami, the Cubans the mojo-marinated roast pork, the Germans and Jews the Swiss cheese, pickle and mustard."
The brilliance of the sandwich ($15), like all superior sandwiches, begins with the bread. At Columbia, that means freshly baked Cuban bread from Tampa’s La Segunda Central Bakery, established in 1915.
Main Bar Sandwich Shop
Details: 1944 Main St., Sarasota; 941-955-8733; themainbar.com
Established in 1958 by a pair of former circus stars, Main Bar Sandwich Shop brings a touch of the big top to downtown Sarasota, complete with plenty of photo-worthy nostalgia. The real show, though, is its menu of more than 50 sandwiches, which I’ve spent the better part of two decades exploring.
Kick things off with Our Famous Italian ($13.25), a star performer packed with salami, ham, provolone, tomatoes, peppers and onions, all enlivened by an oil-and-spice blend. Then explore. From the New Yorker to the Black Russian, you can’t go wrong at Main Bar pairing a handheld with a cold one.
My current favorite? The Mayan ($14.50). It features thinly sliced smoked turkey breast and provolone served on a warm kaiser roll with tomatoes, shredded lettuce and onions. What makes it so addictive, though, is the jalapeño dressing. I adore it so much that I order an extra side for dipping!
Pro tip: Don’t leave without a homemade chocolate chip cookie.Wade Tatangelo is the executive editor of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Florida dining and entertainment editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and X. He can be reached by email at wade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: My 5 favorite Sarasota restaurants for a sandwich
