Reviewing the Newest Additions to the Sarasota Restaurant Scene - Summer 2025 Edition

Here we go again! Since my last restaurant review update in April, Laurie and I have visited seven new restaurants that have opened since then! Like I said before, it’s hard to keep up, but we are bound and determined to try! Here are my reviews of the newest restaurants in the Sarasota area – you won’t be disappointed (for the most part, that is)!

Waterside Place at Lakewood Ranch

A French café. An Italian market and deli. A classic modern American restaurant. A donut shop. A lobster shack. A casual Mediterranean restaurant. And a fast-casual health-forward restaurant. Those are the newest restaurants that have opened here, all in the Lakewood Ranch area, over the past few months! It really is amazing how robust and lively the food scene is down here in Sarasota, and Laurie and I absolutely love the variety of offerings as new restaurants open on a weekly basis!

So, are they all worth a visit, or do some deserve a pass? Let’s take a culinary tour of these new restaurants together!

C’est La Vie

C’est La Vie interior, salmon mousse, and triple chocolate delight pastry

C’est La Vie is a small French bakery and café located in a tucked away strip mall in west Lakewood Ranch. The owner and staff treat you like family, and love to talk about their food, wine, and wonderful homemade pastries. They have an extensive selection of breakfast crepes, along with other French breakfast classics such as quiche and Croq’ Madame. The lunch menu showcases a large number of baguette sandwiches, soups and salads. And of course, they always have a selection of fresh pastries, made daily. Dinner is available seasonally, from November through May. They also host wine tasting dinners which are intimate and educational as well and include hard-to-find French wines which are unique and tasty. The prices are reasonable and the service superb. This place is definitely worth a visit – you won’t be disappointed!

Overall Rating: Very Good; Food: Very Good; Ambiance: Good; Service: Excellent; Cost: Moderate; Value: Very Good

Flower Child

Flower Child restaurant, chicken with corn and quinoa, and the flying avocado wrap

Flower Child is a new addition to Center Point in Lakewood Ranch off University. They serve healthy, fast casual cuisine. Similar to Pure Vida and the Naked Farmer, you order your meal at the counter and then they bring it to your table for you. The dining room is in an open light-filled space, and they have a large outdoor dining area for when the weather is cooler. The menu provides a nice selection of salads, bowls, and wraps. The focus is definitely on healthy fare, but they don’t overdo it – they offer chicken, shrimp, salmon, and steak to add to bowls and other entrees. The sides are perhaps the most interesting – we ordered the Kung pow cauliflower, sweet corn and quinoa, and roasted broccoli and they were all excellent. The food is fresh and tasty, and the service friendly and accommodating. Of the three fast casual restaurants mentioned above, I place Flower Child in the middle, with Pure Vida on top and Naked Farmer a close third – they are all very good! This is a great choice for a fast lunch/dinner or takeout if you don’t feel like cooking. 

Overall Rating: Very Good: Food: Very Good; Ambiance: Good; Service: Very Good; Cost: Moderate; Value: Good

Florence and the Spice Boys

Florence and the Spice Boys, falafel pita, and fried chicken sandwich

Florence and the Spice Boys started out as a food truck business, with a large and loyal following. They now have two brick and mortar stores, with their newest at University Town Center across from the mall. They specialize in creative Mediterranean cuisine. The dining room is fun and funky, with an odd mix of vintage and modern touches – throw pillows everywhere, fancy old-fashioned china plates for serving, and tons of nick knacks scattered throughout. They have a nice modern bar as well that serves tasty and unique cocktails. If you like updated modern Mediterranean cuisine that pays homage to the originals, this is your place. The menu includes pitas, salads, handhelds, and kabobs with a nice selection of proteins (chicken, skirt steak, shrimp, pork, lamb, and octopus). The spice on everything was authentic and VERY strong, with complex flavors that come together nicely but that are also front and center in every dish. A bit less seasoning would be better here, but that’s a minor issue. Service can be a bit spotty, but many of the servers were in training when we went so, I assume they have worked out those kinks. If you don’t like strongly flavored spicy food, this is probably not the place for you. But Mediterranean food lovers will find plenty to like here.  

Overall Rating: Very Good: Food: Very Good; Ambiance: Very Good; Service: Good; Cost: Moderate; Value: Good

131 Main

131 Main Restaurant, cedar plank salmon, and the prime rib special

131 Main is the newest higher-end restaurant in Lakewood Ranch. Located at Center Point off of University, this modern American steak and seafood restaurant hails from North Carolina. The interior is beautiful, with dark wood, unique lighting, and plush seating. The open kitchen is nice as well – you can smell the wood-smoked dishes coming from the kitchen throughout the dining room and even outside the restaurant. The menu is a bit eclectic – smaller than most, with only six appetizers to choose from, three sandwiches, and 10 entrees. Speaking of entrees, they span the range from Danish baby back ribs to smoked cedar plank salmon, to blacked chicken pasta, to a fillet and ribeye. They also usually have a nightly special to add to the list. Limited choices aside, this place is, in a word, awesome! The food is fantastic, with dishes cooked to perfection and always served at the perfect temperature. Small touches like chilled plates for the salad abound. And the service is amazing as well – attentive without being overbearing. If you want a high-level dining experience in a warm and comfortable setting while being pampered with great service, this is the place for you!

Overall Rating: Excellent; Food: Excellent; Ambiance: Excellent; Service: Superb; Cost: Expensive; Value: Excellent

Duck Donuts

Duck donuts – chocolate glazed, cinnamon and sugar, and vanilla iced

This is a national chain that specializes in made-to-order donuts. The place, located in Waterside at Lakewood Ranch, is tiny, but the options abundant! They have over 50 different donuts on the menu, including seasonal selections. They vary from the traditional options to specialty donuts like maple bacon, blueberry pancake, S’mores, chocolate caramel crunch, and PB&J to name just a few. All the donuts are made to order, so they come out piping hot. The style is similar to cake donuts – denser but still fluffy and moist. The staff is friendly and accommodating as well. I’ve had better donuts to be sure, but these are really quite good, especially eaten hot fresh out of the fryer. They have a small patio with a few tables outside for enjoying your donuts. Definitely worth a visit.

Overall rating: Good; Food: Good; Ambiance: Average; Service: Very Good; Cost: Cheap; Value: Good

Quincy’s Original Lobster Rolls

Quincy’s Lobster Rolls, Quincy's menu, the jumbo classic lobster roll

Quincy’s is located at Waterside Place in Lakewood Ranch. It’s a small, counter service restaurant with limited seating outside on the patio. The menu selections are small but include all the usual suspects like the classic mayo-based lobster roll, the Connecticut style lobster roll with butter, crab rolls, shrimp rolls, and lobster mac and cheese. The rolls are pretty small – more appetizer than main course portions. You can select a jumbo roll option that adds 50% more lobster for $7 more, and I would definitely suggest that. Even then, it’s an average sized sandwich. For the price ($23 for the basic, $30 for the jumbo version), this place is friggin’ expensive for what you get. And yes, I know lobster is expensive, but the prices here are a bit ridiculous. That said, the lobster was fresh as were the rolls. They throw in a small bag of potato chips as well. The service is a bit surly and mildly passive aggressive which was a bit weird – perhaps the employee (or owner?) was just having a bad day. If I’m in the mood for a great lobster roll, I’d definitely choose the Lobster Pound over this place.

Overall Rating: Average: Food: Good; Ambiance: Average; Service: Below Average; Cost: Expensive; Value: Poor

Eatalia Market

Eatalia Market, produce/market selections, the meatball sub sandwich

Eatalia Market is a new artisanal Italian market that serves freshly made Italian dishes and sandwiches/grinders. It’s located in Waterside Place at Lakewood Ranch. The market items are interesting and unique – the brands of the items are generally not available in local stores and sourced directly from Italy. They include pastas (both dried and fresh), olive oils, wines, and items for charcuterie platters like marinated vegetables, dried fruits, jams, meats, and cheeses. They also serve classic Italian dishes like lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, and a large selection of sandwiches/grinders both hot and cold. We tried the meatball sub sandwich and while the meatballs were large and moist, everything lacked flavor, from the sauce to the meatballs – “Bland” is the word I would use to describe everything. I’ve read similar comments from others online, so I don’t think our experience was a one off. This place has a lot of potential, and I will definitely visit to pick up unique Italian market items but will probably go elsewhere for my subs and sandwiches (like Marrone’s of Arthur Avenue in Bradenton – they have fantastic subs there!).

Overall Rating: Average: Food: Average; Ambiance: Good; Service: Good; Cost: Moderate; Value: Average

That covers the latest restaurant openings in the area for now! I’ll be back in a few months to review the next round of new restaurant openings. Until then, happy eating!!!