Sarasota, Florida
Casual “Grecian Style” Waterfront Steakhouse
Dined in April 2015
I was going to dinner in Sarasota with my girlfriend and her folks, and besides a visit to the airport several years prior, I had never even been to Sarasota, so my girlfriends folks pick the location for dinner. They chose a family owned restaurant located on the waterfront of Little Sarasota Bay with the same name, The Waterfront Restaurant, not to be mistaken for the restaurant with the same name on the Embarcadero, in San Francisco. Through this casual evening while enjoying conversation, it was also a chance for us to share in the cuisine that was their favorite in the Sarasota area, and it was indeed a nice casual location to have some dinner.
Scroll down to read the main review
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From the restaurants home page:
The Waterfront Restaurant was established in 1986 by the Lagopoulos family, in Sarasota, Florida, bringing a one-of-a-kind Grecian style flavor to their exceptional dishes. The family opened their second location called the Waterfront Grill and Steakhouse, located in Nokomis Florida, in 2001. The Waterfront Restaurant is recognized for their appetizing Greek salads, Saganaki - a delicious Greek cheese and their chargrilled steaks that are prepared to your request. The atmosphere is a traditional, style with family friendly feel. You will find one of the Lagopoules family members there every day workin hard to assure that you will have the best possible service and food that is cooked to your perfection. There is also a beautiful dinning room to cater your next special event, however big or small it may be.
Main review:
The front side of the restaurant as you enter has a little waiting area and storefront before being escorted into one of two dining rooms. The main room as you are escorted in, passing a small bar, with the kitchen directly behind it, then the narrow main hall with tables on each side, with window views facing The Little Sarasota Bay. We began are meal with their famed appetizer of
Saganaki flaming cheese. In Greece it will simply be a pan-seared cheese that is brought to your table. In Australia and North America you will also get some showmanship with the waiter lighting up the cheese with either Metaxa (Greek brandy) or Ouzo (anise aperatif). This “flaming cheese” theatric got its beginnings in Chicago’s Greek-town. The Liakouras brothers, founding owners of The Parthenon, claim to be the first to light the fried cheese with brandy (Metaxa). It was a very tasty starter dish.
Other items on the appetizer menu included the Greek Meze platter, Sesame tuna and Escargot. For entree’s my girlfriend had the Shrimp Cocktail with a French Onion Soup, which rounded up the remaining appetizer menu.
My Girlfriends Father had the Fried Shrimp platter and his wife had the fresh seafood catch of the day. To finish off, I had the 12 ounce New York Strip Steak smothered with a peppercorn sauce. Each of the entrees came with a selection choice of side.
5 stars
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is Extraordinary
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4 Stars
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is Outstanding
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3 Stars
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Exceeded Expectations
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2 Stars
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is Above the Average
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1 Star
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is an Average Dining Experience
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No Star Rating
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The Restaurant is Basic, Poor, or Appalling
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Overall Star rating by Wine, Dine, & Play:
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3 of 5
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Ambiance:
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6 of 10
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Quality of the Food:
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7 of 10
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Plate Presentation:
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6 of 10
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Customer Service:
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6 1/2 of 10
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Wow Factor:
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5 of 10
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This Restaurant reminds me of:
The Waterfront Restaurant gives you a sense of coziness and relaxation as you enjoy down to earth American and Greek Cuisine. For a small family run operation in business for over 30 years their quality of food exceeded expectations, however the plate presentation was similar to that of any steakhouse without imagination or a wow factor. The customer service and the quality of the food will have you come back again. This experience reminds me of Fiddlesticks in Christchurch, New Zealand, and The Five Flies in Cape Town, South Africa.
Other Sarasota favorites on Wine, Dine, and Play:
Brio Tuscan Grill
Other trending story’s on Wine, Dine, and Play:
Tapas 218 in Canton, Ohio
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Bistrot La Minette in Philadelphia
Eagles Nest in Constantia, South Africa
Food Prices
(excluding taxes & gratuity)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00
My food bill:
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Currency:
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Price chart:
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$76.00
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$$
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£49.00
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Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
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£
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€70.00
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European Union (EUR)
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€€
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$99.00
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
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$$
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$106.00
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Australian Dollar (AUS)
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$$$
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¥482.00
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Chinese Yuan (CNY)
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¥¥¥¥¥
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Review basics:
Wine selections by region:
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0 of 10
Wine list was not disclosed when requested, so no rating can be given, but they do have a bar
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Corkage fee’s:
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American Restaurant standard is $25.00 per bottle
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Restaurant style:
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Casual
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Reservations:
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Not Required
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Walk-ins:
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Accepted, but not guaranteed
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Dress code:
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Casual, or Conservative attire
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Child policy:
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The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a child’s menu or cater to them; however for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended for children not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
Hire a Babysitter.
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Cuisine style:
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Lounge, Steakhouse, Seafood, American, Greek, & Vegetarian
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Music styles:
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Background instrumental
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Experiences:
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Lounge, Business parties, Good for special occasions, Scenic views, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood gem.
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Gratuities:
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Industry standard is 18-20% added to parties of 6 or more
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Payments:
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Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Public lot, or Street Parking
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Transport options:
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Bus, taxi, limousine, personal vehicle, and walking
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Wifi
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The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Medium
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Smoking:
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Nonsmoking restaurant, and nonsmoking patio
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Patio:
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Yes
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Restaurant address:
On the Waterfront
7660 S. Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, Florida
34231
Neighborhood:
Gulf Gate Estate Area
Cross streets:
Kai Drive & Southpointe Drive
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: 27.242435
Longetude: -82.508836
Contact Information:
Maître d, Reservations:
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941-921-1916
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Restaurant Website:
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Email:
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Reserve Online:
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Social Media & Accolades:
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Hours:
Standard Time (GMT - 5:00)
Dinner:
Monday
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4:00–10:00 pm
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Tuesday
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4:00–10:00 pm
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Wednesday
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4:00–10:00 pm
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Thursday
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4:00–10:00 pm
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Friday
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4:00–10:00 pm
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Saturday
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4:00–10:00 pm
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Sunday
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4:00–10:00 pm
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Proprietor / Manager:
Lagopoulos family
Reviewed by:
Sean Overpeck (CFE)
Executive Chef
Chef Sean cooks for soldiers in Afghanistan, 2012:
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
TTFN
