The BigTree Blog On the water
Dock and Dine: Boat-Up Bars and Restaurants Along the Gulf Coast
From Longboat Key to Venice, the waterfront spots where you can tie up, grab lunch and get back on the water.
One of the best ways to spend a day here is hopping down the Intracoastal Waterway by boat, with stops for lunch, a cold drink and live music. These are some local favorites, north to south.
On Longboat Key, Dry Dock Waterfront Grill at the south end of the island is a casual seafood spot with a dockside patio, known for grouper and snapper. In downtown Sarasota, Marina Jack sits right on the bayfront marina, with a casual patio downstairs, a dining room upstairs and the Marina Jack II dining yacht.
Heading south, Evie's Spanish Point in Osprey has docks with room for friends to meet on the water. Casey Key Fish House, beside the Blackburn Point swing bridge, is famous for its tiki bar and live music. Near Nokomis Beach and the Venice Inlet, Pop's Sunset Grill is a tiki-style spot with a dock along the bar, and in Venice, Dockside Waterfront Grill is a longtime local favorite for seafood.
No boat? Every one of these is reachable by car too, and many marinas rent boats by the half day.