Restaurants Pulling Out the Stops for Valentine's Day Dinner

Romance & Ambiance

Named Sarasota's "Most Romantic Restaurant" in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune Readers Choice Awards, Euphemia Haye & The Haye Loft is a foolproof choice for an evening of date-wooing fine dining. Chef Ray's Valentine's Day dinner includes a full a la carte menu, along with nightly specials created for an extra special evening at the table for you and your beau. Follow up your meal with a trip upstairs to the mood-setting Haye Loft for luscious homemade desserts. A $125.00 minimum per person reservation fee includes food, beverages, tax and gratuity. Call (941) 383-3633 to make reservations.

Down in Southside VIllage, saunter to Libby's Neighborhood Brasserie, where there is beautiful sidewalk lounges to have a pre-dinner cocktail before your reservation. A longtime local staple, Libby's is the ultimate out-to-dinner destination for a romantic yet casual evening with chef-inspired dishes and craft drinks. This year's Valentines Day Prix Fixe menu is available for parties of two—including a three-course meal (appetizer, entree and dessert) alongwith a bottle of Pol Remy Brut champagne for $130!

Galentine's Day With the Girls

There's no shame in flying solo for V-day. Celebrate your singlehood and grab your closest girlfriends for Galentine's Day at 99 Bottles Taproom & Bottle Shop. Taking place on Sunday, February 13th, from 6pm - 9pm. Check out permanent jewelry from LINK x LUXE, Henna Tattoos by Haley's Sacred Tattoos and champagne sampling by Champagne Palmer & Co. A photographer will be on-site to capture all your bestie moments! This is a limited ticket event and ladies only.

This is a ticketed event for $75 per person and includes everything you need for a Galentine's Day night out—including bottomless select wines and bubbles, cheese and charcuterie and accouterments. Grab your tickets here.

Wonderful Waterfront Dining

Valentine's Day comes with a breathtaking Sarasota Bay vista at Marina Jack's Blue Sunshine Patio, where a special holiday menu will be featured in its romantic dining room starting at 4pm with a three-course menu. In addition to dining specials and live music in the Dining Room and Deep Six Lounge & Piano Bar, Marina Jack offers a sightseeing lunchtime cruise in Sarasota Bay, as well as two romantic evening cruises on the Marina Jack I—featuring live music and a special Valentine's menu buffet. Learn more about Valentine's Day at Marina Jack or call for reservations at (941)365-4232.

Consistently voted "Most Romantic Restaurant" by SRQ Magazine for multiple years running, Ophelia's on the Bay has remained an intimate and coastal-chic place to hideaway for couples looking to dine on the water. Expect elevated seafood dishes freshly caught from the Gulf, a fine wine selection and stellar sunset from the open-air patio, which gives you an unfettered view of Little Sarasota Bay. Book your reservation online or call (941) 349-2212. 

Celebrate your sweetie further south of Sarasota in Venice. Fins at Sharky's for a romantic dinner, fine wine and easily one of the best Gulf views in town. The restaurant will be releasing its Valentine'day Day special soon and is currently accepting reservations for February 14th, but be sure to reserve your waterfront table, because spaces fill quickly at this local hot stop! Call 941-999-3467 or visit the website for reservations.  

If You're Looking to Propose

One of Sarasota's most historic restaurants, Café L'Europe is located in an iconic building built by John Ringling to house his real estate office, back in the earliest days of the St. Armands Key development of 1924-1926. John and Mable Ringling are arguably one of Sarasota's most famous powerhouse couples to be inspired by their romance and creativity as you imagine your future together! Over the 50-year history of the restaurant, countless engagements and proposals have taken place at Café L'Europe—many of whom included the restaurant in their wedding celebrations, and who return to Café year after year for special occasion date nights or anniversaries.

Valentine's Day offerings for 2023 include a limited a la carte menu available for dinner on both Monday, February 13 and Tuesday, February 14, 2023. Reservations are available online at or by calling the restaurant at (941) 388-4415.

Never Leave the Hotel

Whether a staycation or vacation, book a room for two at Art Ovation Hotel and know you won't have to go far to eat, drink and dance. Simply head up the elevators to the top floor for breathtaking views from Perspective Rooftop Pool Bar. Dining Under the Stars will take place on the weekend leading up to Valentine's Day with a poolside three-course menu, live piano and DJ at 9 pm. Tickets run $75 per guest and include a glass of sparkling rosé. Book your reservations here. And don't turn in for the night until you've made your way downstairs to the Gallery Lounge for some salsa dancing with Cuban guitarist, Renesito Avich. 

Sunset Food Tours For Two

Love is touring around savoring Sarasota's best dining and cuisine. Sunset Food Tours offers an intimate touring experience of non-touristy, food-centered samplings. The tours focus on bringing out a global culinary experience by uncovering hidden gems and local hot spots.

A Taste of Downtown Sarasota tour is a perfectly planned-already-for-you romantic night out. Just show up and have fun socializing with others in your group. This three-hour walking tour will immerse you and your S.O. in a culinary experience of hand-selected top chefs in the area. Or, if you both are less foodies, and prefer liquid libations instead, book a four-hour walking Twilight Drinking Tour—sampling hand-crafted cocktails, craft beers, wines and light hors d'oeuvres in Downtown Sarasota. This tour begins with a personalized experience with a local mixologist creating a unique mixed drink, voted Sarasota's #1 cocktail for the past 9 years.