Savor Sarasota: 20 Years of Tasty Tradition

2025 marks the 20^th year of Savor Sarasota Restaurant Week—an annual summer celebration of our award-winning culinary community beloved by locals and visitors alike. From June 1-20 (extended this year to reach 20 days to mark 20 years), dozens of restaurants will offer special multi-course, prix-fixe menus for $25 (lunch) and $45 (dinner) per person.

A little history lesson

Visit Sarasota County’s commitment to helping create a vibrant, evolving destination often had to go beyond the beaches. In 2006, it meant listening to the needs of the community, and searching for a way to help locally owned and operated restaurants thrive in the summer, formerly an “offseason” for local dining.

Those who visited Sarasota County for the turquoise water, warm weather, and even the quartz-crystal sand of Siesta Key rarely ventured beyond their beach oasis. Little did they know that away from the shoreline, an impressive palate of culinary experiences awaited.

In 2006, Savor Sarasota was born with about 25 restaurants participating in first year. A positive sign was Michaels on East, Sarasota’s only AAA Four Diamond Award restaurant, being among the first to sign up, and a consistent participant in the program ever since.

Michael's on East fine dining room

Other restaurants from the first-ever Savor that are still participating today include: Crow's Nest Marina Restaurant, Dry Dock Waterfront Grill, Mattison's, and Selva Grill. 

But Savor has not been impervious to experiments along the way, including the name. In the first year, the promotion was called "Spirit of Sarasota"—an attempt at a clever play on words to promote liquor sponsors. Restaurants were invited to create a tasty cocktail using those liquors, but few obliged, feeling more strongly that the food flavors showcasing the restaurants and their chefs outweighed the creation of fancy libations. Rest assured the following year, the name was changed to Savor Sarasota.

From humble beginnings, Savor has grown from a couple of dozen participating restaurants to over 50 – each dedicated to delight even the pickiest of palates. This is a welcome sight to those who worked hard to turn an annual restaurant week from dream to reality, but even better news for customers with more menu options than ever to enjoy and experience.

A Few Tips

Savor Sarasota is available through special pre fixe, multi-course menus curated by each restaurant. If you are like me, however, you may want to know before you go. Simply browse the Savor Sarasota page (which will continue to be updated from now until the event) to find participating restaurants and their online menus.

Chef preparing homemade pasta at Cafe Gabbiano

As a daughter of a chef, I love learning about the people who grilled my salmon, placed it over the colorful bed of lettuce and arranged the small wedges of juicy tomatoes that is about to meet my lips. After perusing the menus take a minute Meet the Chefs. These online bios help give us a glimpse into their culinary extraordinaire. I remember my own father sharing stories from his work at the old Colony Restaurant on Longboat Key in the late 1950s and early 1960s. To dad, food was art, an extension of himself that he gave to others and felt most connected to his community.

Hopefully, you too can find a small connection back to those chefs.

Why I love Savor Sarasota

I love communities supporting one another and being part of a bigger picture. I am also fond of food; connections grow while sharing a meal. At times I feel nostalgic during restaurant week because I wonder where my parents would go if they were still around. One of their favorite places to eat was the Golden Buddha. It was located on North Tamiami Trail and shaped an early love of Chinese food and peppermint ice cream with a fortune cookie. My sister’s order—fried chicken—is something we still bug her about to this day. Savor Sarasota Restaurant Week wraps up those ideals of community, connection and cuisine and has become one of my favorite times of the year.

Lunch on Main Street at Duval's

Just writing about restaurant week and remembering how each year our staff at Visit Sarasota County divides and conquers several participating Savor Sarasota restaurants for lunch is enough to make my mouth water. Excitement permeates the office in anticipation of where we will go for lunch and it spills over into the restaurant even before we are seated.  And that's what is so great about Savor Sarasota – the special menus and pricing allows you to become an adventurous eater, and share the experience with friends, co-workers, and loved ones.

Savor Sarasota Restaurant Week – a tasty tradition that brings a community of family, friends and good food together – it does not get better than this.

So, get adventurous, grab someone to share the experience with and eat well.

Your meal is waiting.