16 Incredible Restaurants in Venice, FL You Need to Try
Venice is a Gulf Coast city in Sarasota County that was laid out in the 1920s and turned 100 in 2026, with a centennial celebration running through May 2027. Most of the restaurants cluster downtown on Venice Avenue and Miami Avenue, with waterfront places at the Venice Inlet, on the bay along North Tamiami Trail and at the Gulf beach, where Sharky’s on the Pier sits at the foot of the Venice Fishing Pier. The town calls itself the Shark Tooth Capital of the World. Menus lean toward grouper sandwiches and other Gulf seafood, with a wide range of Italian, Turkish, French, Cuban and Caribbean cooking beside it. Hurricanes Helene and Milton damaged the waterfront in 2024, and both Sharky’s and the fishing pier have since been rebuilt and reopened.
This guide covers 16 places, from waterfront seafood at Sharky’s on the Pier and northern Italian cooking on Venice Avenue to Turkish grills, Cuban sandwiches from a gas station deli and Caribbean breakfasts at the airport. Ratings and review counts come from each restaurant’s Google listing in October 2026.
Sharky’s on the Pier
Sharky’s on the Pier sits at 1600 Harbor Drive South, at the base of the Venice Fishing Pier, with the Gulf of Mexico beyond the deck. The Pachota family opened it on February 12, 1987, in a former beach concession with 78 seats. It has since grown into an indoor dining room, an enclosed patio and a wraparound deck with a tiki bar. After Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, a $2.5 million renovation was finished in May 2025.
Rated 4.4 stars from more than 15,000 Google reviews, Sharky’s draws a steady crowd. The New England-style clam chowder is a house original, and the hand-breaded Cabo calamari is another starter people order. Mains to look for are Sharky’s famous grouper wrap, the fish ’n’ chips, the spiced seafood nachos and the lobster-stuffed flounder. Key lime pie and the frozen drinks from the tiki bar finish things off.
Reservations are available through the website or by phone, and it is worth booking for a weekend sunset. Live music plays most evenings. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner every day and is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, but check hours before you go. Dogs are not allowed except service dogs. Fins at Sharky’s, the family’s sit-down restaurant next door, has its own menu of seafood, chops and sushi.
Address: 1600 Harbor Dr S, Venice, FL 34285
Website: sharkysonthepier.com
Crow’s Nest Restaurant, Tavern & Marina
The Crow’s Nest has stood at 1968 Tarpon Center Drive, beside the Venice Inlet, since 1976. In the 1970s the site was the Tarpon Center Marina, and founder Steve Harner opened a sandwich shop upstairs known for its fish sandwich and 50-cent beers. Today the upstairs dining room, porch and bar look over the water, a dark wood-paneled tavern fills the ground floor, and the marina still sells fuel and rents kayaks and bicycles.
Its 4.6-star rating across more than 3,800 Google reviews makes it one of the most popular waterfront restaurants in town. Seafood leads the menu, and diners single out the Grouper Key Largo and the grouper cheeks diablo (the small, tender pieces of meat from the fish’s cheek). Raw oysters, oysters Rockefeller, the mahi tacos and the walnut-crusted salmon are also popular. Save room for Key lime pie.
The dining room takes reservations up to 12 weeks ahead, online or by phone, and parties of five or more should call. The tavern downstairs is first come, first served, has its own menu with raw bar specials and is the easier choice at busy times. A private dining room holds up to 16. The restaurant is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, so check hours before you go.
Address: Tavern & Marina, 1968 Tarpon Center Dr, Venice, FL 34285
Website: crowsnest-venice.com
Dockside Waterfront Grill
Dockside Waterfront Grill sits at 509 North Tamiami Trail on the site of Fisherman’s Wharf Marina, which Captain Ben and Isa Mae Dunn started in 1950. Most seating is outdoors under a large tiki hut with harbor and sunset views, and boaters can pull up at Marker 4. Gecko’s Hospitality Group took over the former Marker 4 restaurant in 2016, added the tiki hut and rebuilt the menu around Florida seafood.
With 4.5 stars from more than 4,500 Google reviews, Dockside is built around fish. Locally caught Gulf grouper comes as a dinner entrée, a sandwich that can be grilled, blackened or fried, tacos and the Boom Boom wrap. Other favorites are yellowfin tuna nachos, bacon-wrapped scallops, shrimp tacos, haddock fish and chips, a tomato-based fishcamp chowder and the lobster rolls. The Shark Lady cocktail supports Mote Marine Laboratory.
Dockside uses a waitlist rather than reservations, so expect to put your name down around sunset and on weekends. Its website says a party is seated once most of its members have arrived. Happy hour runs every afternoon, and live music plays on the tiki deck on many Friday and Saturday evenings. Leashed dogs are allowed on the patio. It is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, so check hours before you go.
Address: 509 N Tamiami Trail, Venice, FL 34285
Website: docksidewaterfrontgrill.com
Cassariano Italian Eatery
Cassariano Italian Eatery is at 313 West Venice Avenue, in the middle of the downtown strip. The name combines the surnames of its owners, Luca Cassani and Antonio Pariano, who both grew up in northern Italy and worked together in restaurants for years before opening their own. They describe the style as a blend of bistro flavors and fine cuisine. Sarasota Magazine was writing about the Venice restaurant by 2011, and a second Cassariano has since opened in Lakewood Ranch.
Rated 4.5 stars from more than 1,300 Google reviews, Cassariano is known for its pasta. Regulars order the spaghetti with lamb meatballs and goat cheese, the veal ravioli in Marsala sauce and the walnut and ricotta ravioli with pears in gorgonzola sauce. Among the main courses, look for the scallops wrapped in prosciutto over asparagus risotto, the breaded veal chop alla Caprese and the zuppa di pesce, a seafood stew. Burrata with prosciutto is a good starter.
Reservations are available through OpenTable, and the restaurant serves both lunch and dinner. Reviewers say the indoor room can be loud, so ask for an outdoor table if you want a quieter meal. Prices are moderate for a downtown sit-down dinner. Sunday is dinner only, so check hours before you go.
Address: 313 W Venice Ave, Venice, FL 34285
Website: cassariano.com
Longet
Longet is at 133 West Venice Avenue and calls its cooking “fusion with a French accent,” mixing French technique with Mediterranean flavors. Chef Steve Longet leads the kitchen with his wife, Jessica. Their partners are friends Kimon and Judy Dafoulas, who have owned restaurants in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Florida. Steve Longet earlier ran Café Longet on Miami Avenue West, a French fusion café that a 2019 Fox 13 story profiled.
Longet has 4.8 stars from more than 130 Google reviews, and the menu changes with the season, and favorites include escargot in garlic and parsley butter, beef carpaccio, asparagus risotto topped with seared scallops and the beef rib Bourguignon, braised in the classic French style. Steak frites and herb-crusted half rack of lamb are also on the list, and the desserts, such as crème brûlée and an almond blueberry tarte, are made in house.
Reservations are booked through Toast, and walk-ins are welcome. Dinner is served on most evenings and lunch on several days a week, but listings disagree on which days, so check hours before you go. The restaurant is closed on Sundays. Prices are on the high side for Venice, and popular desserts can sell out.
Address: 133 W Venice Ave, Venice, FL 34285
Website: longetvenice.com
Bodrum
Bodrum is at 225 Miami Avenue West, in a breezeway off the street in historic downtown Venice. Chef Ersen Irsel cooks Turkish, Greek and Mediterranean dishes, and the name comes from a Turkish resort city on the Aegean coast. The room seats about 58 indoors and out, and the restaurant’s website says it has been operating since 2017.
With 4.7 stars from more than 1,100 Google reviews, Bodrum is one of the best-reviewed dinner spots downtown. The chef’s own favorite is the grilled lamb chops, and reviewers also point to the mixed grill, the Bodrum köfte kebab (grilled beef patties with Turkish spices) and the Adana kebab, made with spiced ground lamb on a skewer. Start with the sample mezze platter or sigara böreği, crisp filo rolls filled with feta, and finish with baklava.
The restaurant recommends reservations by phone. The website lists it as open seven days a week, but check hours before you go. Lamb chops and filet mignon kebabs are at the top of the price range, with gyro platters and other kebabs a step down. Outdoor seating is available, and the menu includes gluten-free and vegan options. Daily specials are announced by phone.
Address: 225 Miami Ave W, Venice, FL 34285
Website: bodrumfl.com
Café Venice Restaurant & Bar
Café Venice is at 101 West Venice Avenue, in an upscale-casual room with stone walls, arches and pillars, plus sidewalk tables on the avenue. It describes its style as casual to elegant, with fresh seasonal food, handcrafted cocktails, fine wines and live music in the evenings. For private events, the Wine Room seats up to 24 and the dining room up to 50.
Café Venice has 4.4 stars from more than 500 Google reviews and a long menu with shareable plates. Dinner favorites include the salmon Wellington with artichokes and spinach, seared scallops with pepper-bacon jam, crab cakes with mango papaya salsa, slow-roasted pork osso buco and beef short ribs in a guajillo chili ragù. The menu calls the crispy spinach famous, and it comes as a side. Key lime pie and crème brûlée have been on the dessert list.
Reservations are taken by phone only. Lunch reservations are needed only for parties of five or more, while dinner reservations are open to any size. Live music plays several nights a week, with the month’s schedule posted on the website. The restaurant opens at 11:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and Sunday hours are limited, so check before you go.
Address: 101 W Venice Ave, Venice, FL 34285
Website: cafevenicerestaurantandbar.com
Trattoria Da Mino
Trattoria Da Mino is a small, casual Italian tavern at 335 West Venice Avenue, a few blocks from the beach. Chef and owner Mino comes from a family with four generations in the Italian restaurant business, and the cooking is rustic and Southern Italian. Pizza dough and bread are made in house every day, and the pastas are made on site and cooked to order. There are tables inside and out along Venice Avenue.
Its 4.6-star rating across more than 1,300 Google reviews comes from both pizza regulars and pasta fans. Pizza is sold by the slice or the pie, in 12-inch and 20-inch sizes, and the margherita is a favorite. Other crowd pleasers include spaghetti alla carbonara, burrata with prosciutto, eggplant parmigiana, linguine with clams, penne alla vodka and the large meatballs. Save room for tiramisu or a Sicilian cannoli.
You can call to reserve or simply walk in, and a slice makes an easy lunch stop. Daily specials change often and have included bucatini all’amatriciana, pasta in a spicy tomato sauce with cured pork, and linguine with clams. The restaurant also does catering and delivery. Allow some extra time at peak dinner hours, and check hours before you go.
Address: 335 W Venice Ave, Venice, FL 34285
Website: trattoriadamino.com
Darrell’s Restaurant
Darrell’s Restaurant is at 215 South Tamiami Trail, serving Southern comfort food and barbecue. The Google listing describes it as a modern, down-to-earth place cooking classic Southern fare and wood-smoked barbecue. Diners call the atmosphere down-home and welcoming, and there is a private dining room for groups. Online listings show it open for lunch and dinner every day.
With 4.6 stars from more than 2,500 Google reviews, Darrell’s is a regular choice for a casual dinner. Order the brisket or pulled pork, the fried chicken, or the Down the Keys mac and cheese topped with pulled pork. Chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits (shrimp over creamy ground-corn grits), fried green tomatoes and pulled pork nachos also come up often. Banana pudding and the baked sweet potato are the sides and sweets people mention most.
Darrell’s offers takeout, delivery and online ordering. Reservations are not mentioned on its listings, so plan on walking in, and call ahead if you are bringing a group to the private room. Some reviewers say the collard greens and cornbread are less impressive than the meats, so spend your appetite on the barbecue. Check hours before you go.
Address: 215 S Tamiami Trl, Venice, FL 34285
Website: darrellsrestaurant.net
ABBY’S on Miami
ABBY’S on Miami is at 220 Miami Avenue West, in a pink-and-white Art Deco building that is hard to miss. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with a full bar, and the patio looks out on the downtown block. Inside, the lounge dining area has a white piano. The team says it has more than 25 years of combined restaurant experience.
It has 4.4 stars from more than 1,000 Google reviews and an all-American menu with a seafood lean. Reviewers recommend the shrimp and grits, the chicken piccata (chicken in a lemon and caper sauce), seafood scampi, shrimp tacos, clam chowder and the pot roast grilled cheese. The kale salad with mango dressing is a lighter choice, and breakfast brings eggs Benedict, omelets and pancakes. Daily seafood specials often feature locally caught fish.
The website says reservations are accepted and walk-ins are welcome, which makes it easy for a mixed group. It opens early in the morning and closes by about 8:30 p.m., but check hours before you go. Prices are moderate and portions are generous. Catering is available for special occasions.
Address: 220 Miami Ave W, Venice, FL 34285
Website: abbysonmiami.com
Burgundy Square Cafe
Burgundy Square Cafe is at 227 Miami Avenue West, next door to Bodrum. It is a casual American cafe open seven days a week, with a New England streak that shows up at lunch and dinner in lobster rolls and whole-belly clams. The breakfast list is just as long, with ten omelet styles plus waffles, grits, French toast, pancakes and quiche. Portions are generous and the room is family-friendly.
Burgundy Square has 4.5 stars from more than 1,300 Google reviews, and lobster is the headliner. Order the Maine lobster roll, served hot with butter or cold, or the lobster mac and cheese. Haddock fish and chips, fried whole-belly clams (clams fried with the soft belly intact, a New England favorite), meatloaf and a prime rib melt round out the menu. For breakfast, the omelets and eggs Benedict are the usual orders.
Listings say Wednesday is Lobster Day with special deals, so go midweek if lobster is the goal. Service is quick and the approach is walk-in. Hours vary by day and Sunday service ends early in the afternoon, so check hours before you go. Prices are reasonable. Delivery, takeout and outdoor seating are available.
Address: 227 Miami Ave W, Venice, FL 34285
Website: burgundysquarecafe.website
Belki’s Cuban Deli
Belki’s Cuban Deli is at 610 South Tamiami Trail, inside a Citgo gas station. It looks like a quick stop, but the counter turns out home-style Cuban cooking, and reviewers describe the owner, Belki, as welcoming. This is a take-out counter with a few outdoor seats rather than a full dining room, and it is a daytime place that is closed on Sundays.
With 4.8 stars from more than 300 Google reviews, Belki’s is among the highest-rated spots in Venice. The Cuban sandwich (roast pork, ham, Swiss and pickles pressed on Cuban bread) is the headline order. Also popular are the beef empanadas, croquetas (small fried croquettes), yuca rellena (mashed cassava stuffed with seasoned meat), and roast pork with yellow rice and black beans. Chicken and ground beef sandwiches are on the menu too.
Belki’s does not take reservations. Order at the counter, then eat at the outdoor seats or take it with you. Listings show hours from about 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, so go for breakfast or lunch and check hours before you go. Look for the gas station right on South Tamiami Trail.
Address: 610 S Tamiami Trl, Venice, FL 34285
Original Word of Mouth
Original Word of Mouth is at 1740 East Venice Avenue and serves breakfast and lunch only. It is one of three locations, along with Gulf Gate in Sarasota and Englewood. The Venice dining room is bright and fresh, with counter seating and a shady, quiet covered patio. The restaurant describes itself as more than just breakfast and puts its focus on guests and staff.
Its 4.7-star rating across more than 1,200 Google reviews rests on big breakfast plates. Reviewers praise the strawberry stuffed French toast and the cinnamon roll French toast. The menu also lists six eggs Benedicts, including the Venice Ave Benedict, eight named omelets, Tennessee mountain biscuits with sausage gravy and buckwheat pancakes. Muffins and scones are baked fresh, and lunch brings soups, salads, burgers and sandwiches.
The Venice restaurant opens at 7:30 a.m. and closes at 2 p.m., seven days a week. Reservations and waits are not mentioned, so arrive soon after opening, especially on weekends. Online ordering is available if you would rather pick up, and reviewers say the portions are large.
Address: 1740 E Venice Ave, Venice, FL 34292
Website: originalwordofmouth.com
Suncoast Cafe
Suncoast Cafe sits at 400 Airport Avenue East, in the general aviation area at Venice Airport, and its windows face the runway. There are no security checkpoints, so anyone can walk in. Chef Tony, who is from St. Lucia, and his wife, Debbie, took over the cafe in October 2010. The food mixes American breakfast and lunch with Caribbean cooking.
Rated 4.7 stars from more than 900 Google reviews, Suncoast Cafe is best known for its St. Lucian breakfast quesadilla, stuffed French toast, biscuits and gravy with fried eggs and corned beef hash. At lunch, reviewers praise the curry goat, oxtails, conch chowder (made with conch, a large sea snail) and Creole chicken. The menu also lists a Cuban sandwich and shrimp fried rice.
Suncoast Cafe serves breakfast and lunch only. It is open Wednesday through Sunday and closed Monday and Tuesday, and it does not take reservations. Breakfast is served until late morning, except on Sundays, when it runs all day. Take-out is available. Come early, watch the planes and check hours before you go.
Address: 400 Airport Ave E, Venice, FL 34285
Website: suncoastcafe.com
Croissant & Co
Croissant & Co is a French bakery and cafe at 501 South Tamiami Trail, in a shopping plaza with a Publix. Its site says it has operated since 2014 and focuses on traditional French breads and pastries, with sections for croissants, pastries, breads and special orders. The interior is cozy, clean and European in feel, and the plaza has easy parking.
With 4.8 stars from more than 1,200 Google reviews, it is one of the best-reviewed bakeries in Venice. Start with the croissant filled with ham, Swiss cheese and béchamel (a white sauce), or choose a plain chocolate, cranberry, goat cheese or brie croissant. Fruit croissants come in pear, apricot and apple. The goat cheese quiche and the bacon and onion fougasse, a French flatbread, are good savory picks, and the fruit tart and mousse desserts are popular sweets.
The bakery is open for breakfast and lunch, with listings showing hours from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, so check before you go. Come earlier in the day for the best selection. It also takes special orders, including custom cakes. The coffee gets good reviews, so plan a pastry and a drink.
Address: 501 S Tamiami Trl, Venice, FL 34285
Website: croissantandcovenice.weebly.com
Upper Crust Cafe & Bakery
Upper Crust Cafe & Bakery is at 213 West Venice Avenue, in the heart of downtown. The setting is shabby-chic and a little French, with a rustic look and a spacious main dining room behind a narrow front area. It serves breakfast and lunch alongside a case of baked goods, and the pastries are prepared fresh each day. The scones are the headline item on its website.
Upper Crust has 4.5 stars from more than 800 Google reviews, and its scones are the thing to order. The raspberry scone with cream and the chocolate chip scone are favorites, and the house scone comes with Devonshire cream, a thick spreadable cream from England. Banana bread French toast, ham and cheese quiche, avocado toast and a breakfast bowl cover the morning side. For lunch, try the seared ahi tuna salad or the loaded turkey sandwich with homemade potato chips.
Upper Crust is open for breakfast and lunch only, with listings showing early-afternoon closing every day, so check hours before you go. There is limited parking at peak times but plenty of street parking nearby. The front door is not automatic and the entry area is narrow, though the dining room beyond it is spacious. Magic bar brownies make a good takeaway.
Address: 213 W Venice Ave, Venice, FL 34285
Website: uppercrustvenice.com/menu
Final Thoughts
Book ahead for dinner at the places that take reservations. The Crow’s Nest dining room opens bookings 12 weeks out, Sharky’s and Cassariano take reservations online, and Café Venice and Bodrum take them by phone. Dockside works from a waitlist, and the casual cafés and delis are walk-in. Downtown Venice Avenue and Miami Avenue are a short walk from one another, so you can park once and compare a few menus. The breakfast and bakery places close by mid-afternoon, and some are closed one or two days a week, so check each restaurant’s hours before you go. Sharky’s, the Crow’s Nest and Dockside are closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Planning the rest of your trip? See our guide to the best things to do in Venice, FL.
Main photo, from left: Caroline Attwood, American Heritage Chocolate and Sunira Moses / Unsplash
