Best Restaurants for Special Occasions in Bradenton

If you want authentic Spanish/Cuban food, Columbia is the place to go in Sarasota. We tried a number of things from the menu, chopped tomatoes, Cuban black bean soup (vegan), stuffed shrimp, key lime pie, and white chocolate bread pudding. These items, along with the crispy bread and an Andulusian Gimlet with fresh strawberries were fantastic. Our waitress has quite friendly and extremely prompt, which added to the overall experience. We will definitely be visiting again and hoping to have a cozy table inside. We were seated on the sidewalk (which was the only availability when we made our reservation), and the constant parade of cars, people, and dogs often distracted us from the wonderful meal before us. Note to self: reserve early, this restaurant is extremely popular!

My husband and I I had a delightful experience at Christmas dinner at Pier 22. We found the atmosphere delightful the cheerfulness and the staff was amazing. The food was delicious and again we were quite pleased with everything. We have been coming to Pier 22 for several Christmases and will continue to do so thank you for making our holiday so pleasant and special.

Beautiful Christmas Eve lunch with my children. Sylvia took great care of us. The food, the view and ambiance are fantastic!

This restaurant is pretty amazing. When you walk in and are seated, you feel like you’re in Europe or somewhere. The wait staff is top notch, even better than on a cruise ship. The food is excellent. My favorites are the 1905 salad and the scallop appetizer.

Restaurant is beautiful. Oysters Rockefeller were the best I’ve ever tasted. Carpaccio was also outstanding. Fillet steak and scallops were also extremely delicious. Deserts did not let us down. It was a beautiful evening and we were happy we went.