Best Neighborhood Gem Restaurants in Englewood

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!

Brittney was an amazing server. She did everything she could to best assist us. She joked with us, chatted with us and made our Christmas Eve lunch extra tasty!

Excellent location and view, we really enjoyed the food and the service. Was great see that operation is as excellent as ever even after two hurricanes. We have been enjoying this restaurant for more than 15 years and will be back.

Been a few years since we have had the pleasure of eating here since we live up north. It was the best all-round meal we have had at a restaurant in the last year. The escargot wellington and the lobster bisque to start the meal were packed with flavor and richness. My mother's tiger shrimp and chicken meatballs were delicious. So much good stuff packed in the meatballs with pasta made to perfection. My wife's crusted yellowtail snapper had a good crunch to the outside with flavorful savory fish inside, especially when combined with the tropical fruit jam and the crispy plantains. The paella had so many parts that worked but my favorites were the scallops and the pork belly. To finish the meal, our server recommended a delicious apple galette with a gelato scoop on top and raspberry sauce around thr edge of the plate for extra flavor. It was delightful. The phyllo pastry in both the wellington and galette were well prepared. What a great way to start our Christmas vacation in Sarasota.

I have lunch at Connor’s at least once a month. I view it as a combination of excellent food and reasonable prices. I’m particularly fond of their half price happy hour. It’s pretty easy to have a delicious meal and a beer for $20. That’s hard to find these days. Today our server was Frank and he couldn’t have been more attentive. He let us take our time before before ordering, checked if we needed anything during the meal and then wrapped up leftovers for us. If you haven’t gone already, treat yourself to lunch at Connor’s and I think you’ll be happy.