Tarpon Bay Grill & Tiki Bar
I love how there’s all these hidden gems in Sarasota that we’ve been finding out about. One of my friends asked if I wanted to grab lunch. Of course. She gave me some suggestions and I thought this place looked interesting. It’s called Tarpon Bay Grill & Tiki https://www.tarponbaygrillfl.com/ It’s part of the Ramada Inn on N. Tamiami Trail, right by the airport. I was a little sketched out walking from the parking lot to the outside tiki bar. You have to walk through a dark sort of tunnel. But, what you come out to is pretty cool. They have a bar and then hightop tables on the deck overlooking a small marina. The hotel pool is off to the side. The bartender told me to grab a table wherever. Luckily all the tables have umbrellas. It was still pretty warm even with the fans on, but it was a cute view. I asked the waitress what she recommended. She said she was picky so she wasn’t the best one to suggest stuff but said the burger with mac and cheese. Yeah, not something I’d order but thanks. I decided on the cuban sandwich. My friend got the mushroom burger. As the waitress was putting in the order she came back and said she was thinking about my order. She wanted me to know that the Cuban they do isn’t typical as it has pulled pork in it. I was taking that as a sign of her saying it wasn’t the best thing to order so I got the grouper sandwich blackened instead. It was delicious. The fish was fresh and very tasty. My friend said her burger was good too. There was no price listed for the grouper, just market price so I knew it’d be expensive. Ended up being $23. Wow. The bill ended up being $50 as we also go t a beer and a mixed drink. I would definitely go back.