Bradenton’s Best Local Eats: Food in Florida

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Restaurant, Italian, $

Ortygia is located in a charming converted house in Bradenton’s Village of the Arts. Ortygia’s standout dishes include a fava bean soup appetizer with pasta, fennel and parmesan and farsumagru, a slow-braised sirloin stuffed with prosciutto, sweet sausage, provolone, pancetta, egg and asparagus. Guests attending Ortygia over the summer season will be treated to the restaurant’s special summer menus that visit a different culinary region of Italy each week.

Art Gallery

Arts & Eats is set in a charming 1925 bungalow and is renowned for serving deliciously diverse food alongside a hearty dose of art and music. Choose from eclectic, inspired eats while taking in Arts & Eats cultural side – the walls of the eatery are decorated with local art and live music is featured four nights a week.

Restaurant, Seafood, Sushi, $

For upscale-casual dining with stunning waterfront views, look no further than Pier 22. Residing in a beautiful Spanish-style building on Bradenton’s historic Memorial Pier, the restaurant first opened its doors in 1976 and since then its unique location and eclectic New American cuisine have become a local dining legend.

Cocktail Bar, Cocktails, $

Part traditional Irish pub and part Manhattan-style martini bar, O’Bricks is a casual downtown Bradenton dining destination. One half of the popular bar is a smart dining room known as ‘The Grill’ which dishes up classic American plates of food, while its lively pub bar occupies the other half serving a range of martinis and classic Irish and British beers.

Derek’s specializes in rustic coastal cuisine served in a fun, casual environment. Located in a former Arby’s, Derek has taken a tired fast food chain and transformed it into one of the town’s most raved about restaurants. Its a stylish space in which to enjoy dishes like mahi-mahi tacos with toasted peanut slaw or blackened salmon with sweet potato-pecan hash.

Doors first opened at Lucky Frog a year ago and the eatery’s unique, eclectic food; a healthy, modern take on German and Mediterranean cuisine mixed with American breakfast classics; is already proving a hit with local diners. Get a kick start to your day with a healthy breakfast omelet or nutritious bowl of homemade granola or go for dinner when guests can choose from delicious dishes like lightly spiced sautéed shrimp with tabbouleh salad or sauerbraten.

Cafe, Restaurant, Vegan, Vegetarian, $
Sage Biscuit Café specializes in healthy vegetarian and vegan dishes served up alongside more traditional meat options. Veggies and vegans can choose from dishes like the hearty breakfast tofu scramble or the homemade veggie burger, while meat lovers aren’t left out with dishes like biscuits with sausage gravy and Sage Biscuit’s meatloaf sandwich. Don’t leave without trying one its delicious homemade desserts the coconut cream pie and strawberry cheesecake come highly recommended.