Chutney’s Etc

I absolutely love the food and how vegan friendly they are. Our waitress was very helpful and not annoyed at all by me asking what they have that i can eat, which was very nice. I will be comming back for another combo platter asap! P. s. I love that it’s mom and pop! Like most places here in Sarasota, there are pleanty of gems that are small buisness restaurants and cafes and this is for sure one of them it’s warm, friendly, and inviting.

I try not right bad reviews of local restaurants, but I could not help it with this one. It was that bad. I am a long time resident of Sarasota and live less than a mile from Chutney’s. I dine out most meals and the taste of choice for my family is always Indian cuisine. To start things off, there were 3 tables sat, yet no one greeted us. That is fine considering they may have had a busy night so far (it was Thunder by the Bay weekend)? Once someone did come to the table, there still was no greeting just «what do you want?» Fair enough. My husband ordered a bud light because we did not see any beverage menus on the table and were unaware that this place «specialized» in craft beers. The owner said (no exaggeration) «if you want a Bud-​Light, go order on from a vendor outside» to which my husband responded, «I came to a sit down restaurant, I don’t want to go outside to order a beer.» I get that the staff/​owners have bad nights so this would still not merit a poor rating… until the food came. Wow. My husband ordered a gyro. Less than average. Mine, and I am the positive one, I went with Indian and am less critical of Indian than my British husband (curry is their national dish). I ordered the lamb vindaloo and a chicken masala. This was hands down the worst Indian food I have ever had… and I have traveled to some pretty dodgy curry houses in this country and in others. The lamb tasted more like a pot roast and although it was tender enough to eat, the sauce was killed with what tasted like cinnamon or garam masala… not the normal spicy tomato/​vinegar based sauce. Second dish was the Chicken masala which is what I consider a safe dish. This was inedible. Normally when the waiter (in our case owner) picks up your plate and one dish is all still on the plate, they may ask if everything was ok? Not here. And the icing on the cake for me? Never at any point did anyone offer me naan bread, which is a must considering it’s what you used to eat the dish! I assumed since it was not offered that it would come with my $ 18 dish, but no, it did not. I would have ordered it after the food arrived should someone, anyone, approach the table to check on us. If you want Greek? Go to El Greco Café. If you want curry, there is a good place next door Chutney’s with a great menu and always welcoming staff.

Excellent option for casual dining with a choice of Indian/​Middle Eastern cuisine.
We have been to Chutneys on a regular basis for more than a decade. I could recommend most everything on the menu. This evening we enjoyed a baba ghanoush appetizer, salmon with peanut & cilantro special, and Moroccan lamb shank with cinnamon and tomato sauce. Everything was excellent.
Ash and his staff provided wonderful hospitality and excellent service. They have many «regular» guests on a consistent basis, which speaks to their hospitality and delicious dishes that are worth coming back for again and again. This evening, Ash brought Linse a glass of Chardonnay before she even ordered it, a pleasant treat. (He has a good memory!)
I highly recommend Chutney’s as one of the best Indian/​Middle Eastern restaurants in the area.

One of our all-​time favorites when we come to Sarasota, which is not frequent enough. Ash and Denise (owners) never disappoint.
Great place for Indian and/​or Mediterranean food. Menu lets you pick a couple items to experiment if you like until you find your faves. And finish the meal off with the bread pudding. Wow. Share it with a friend.

We were here last weekend, due to a last minute decision to get a quick dinner. My guy said the reviews were good and Unilocal reviews also, so we went for it. Right now I’m not sure where the good reviews came from? The place is like a small living room made into a restaurant. It’s very small, the waitress was constantly bumping into me, I overheard 4 conversations before we got our dinner and it was so dark that the lights were also flickering,… Like a ghost movie or something. The waitress (tall, bigger blonde lady with glasses) had an attitude and was very unfriendly. Her tone of voice was so off, she made us feel uncomfortable and like we were not the customer. I was really disappointed with the place. The food was decent– I cannot complain. But then again– it was so dark in the living room I’m not sure if there was any dust or dirty dishes– I wouldn’t have seen it. We only both receives 1 water– no refills, nobody asked for it either. Very unfriendly and dark spot. Not sure how it got all the good ratings on here.

Chutney’s is one of my favorite restaurants not just in Sarasota, but all of Florida. It’s casual and comfortable, but their food is unique and dependably delicious. Nothing fancy, no remarkable presentations, but delicious all the same. Ash and his wife have always been incredibly friendly and welcoming. Their beer selection is fantastic, even though there is no draught. Salmon is always fresh, pakoras are delicious, you really can’t go wrong. It is a Sarasota establishment, a small gem that should not be missed.

More like 3.5 stars

Great to have this restaurant in walking distance to our Sarasota home. We have walked by many times and did not go in but tonight with friends (one vegan one vegetarian), we decided to try this restaurant. It is a lovely place, nice décor, great menu. At first we were surprised to see Indian and Middle Eastern together but it works. We stayed with the Indian entrée’s and everyone could order based on their dietary needs. Our entrée’s did come with a greek salad and pita bread (which was warm and delicious). The food was excellent with wonderful spices. I’m looking forward to going back with friends and family again and again!

Amazing food, no amount of superlatives can express how good the food is. Plenty of Kosher, vegan, and gluten free options. I have been going here for 10 years and it has been my favorite restaurant to go to in Sarasota. The special board items always are very fresh and tasty and the curries are absolutely great. Ash and Denise (the owners) are awesome and make it feel like a second home. Things not to say/​do: (1) be rude to Ash, Denise, or Alex, they are not afraid to talk back. (2) if you are an anti-​Semite, this so not the place for you. If you want to go rabbi sight seeing, this is your spot. All in all this is one of my very favorite places in Sarasota and possibly anywhere I have eaten in the world.

So I’ve just finished reading 2 reviews by a couple who went here on Friday. All I can say is wow. What extreme ignorance and baffling stupidity. This restaurant is easily the most personable and accommodating eatery in ALL of Sarasota. The owner and his wife are two pillars of this community and should be applauded for their position in the community. The food here is phenomenal and the service top notch. I couldn’t begin to praise this place enough. Maybe Maggie and Alex should think twice before using Unilocal to try to damage local business. They’re probably the type that think McDonald’s is a «good» eatery!!!

I had the great pleasure of eating at Chutneys last night. Although I have lived in the area for several years, it has been a while since I have been to the intimate and cozy Café. This restaurant is small and the tables are snug but the food is plentiful and absolutely loaded with flavor. I find it difficult in Sarasota to find other place that pay so much attention to bold taste and inventive dishes. There is a great selection of Greek, Middle Easten and Indian cuisine on the menu as well as extensive global offerings on a daily specials board. My dinner guest and I started with Pakoras (a lightly fried spinach fritter) it was served with an addictive mint chutney. We also tried the middle eastern sampler (hummus, babaghanoosh, falafel) it was served with creamy tahini and all 3 delightful. I had the Persian Beef Stew with greens, dried lime and red beans. It was an exotic dish with a lovely, fragrant herbal overtone. My
companion tried a combination dinner from the menu Chicken Makhani (creamy chicken in a cilantro tomato cream sauce) and peanut spring rolls (paneer stuffed pastry on a bed of peanut sauce) both were excellent and spicy without being too hot. Both of our meals came with a hearty Greek salad, basmati rice and pita. For the quality and portion both meals were extremely affordable.
The owners do most of the service and they are fast and efficient. I had not realized that they have been doing this in the same location for 28 years (also commendable).
I will not wait long to return, in fact I have reservations with other friends this weekend so I can turn them on to a true Sarasota gem.
Clare Homan

Wow! Another amazing meal. Whether it is a felafel and salad or South African bobotie I am always surprised by the originally and never surprised by the personal service by the staff. I just can’t stop! What a delight if you are a foodie.

4.50 sharing plate fee. No soda refill. $ 15 credit card minimum. Food cost to quality/​flavor ratio was too far off for me to come here again.
Too expensive for under seasoned food. We’ll make our Indian fusion at home before coming here again.
Only positive is the crayons on the table.

I just tried this place for the first time and wow, this was just an awful experience over all. The place is tacky, small, overcrowded and has an awful atmosphere. Of course this would all be looked past if il the food was good. But there is just nothing good to say about this place. The food was some of the worst I have ever eaten. I had high expectations with the 4 star reviews and LOVE Mediterranean and Indian food. However this was just awful. My boyfriend ordered the gyro and it was sub par-​average. I ordered the korma and saag aloo. The korma was extremely underseasoned, very small portion and the chicken was dry. The saag aloo was awful, chopped into tiny pieces and I couldn’t even bring myself to eat more than a few bites. My salad was okay, all iceberg and nothing special, but was the only part I somewhat enjoyed.
On top of everything, the owner was the only server and was extremely impersonal and didn’t once even ask how our meal was or speak more than a few words.
At the end, I said I wasn’t happy with the food and he just told me he has been cooking for 28 years and my food was bad because what I ordered was mild. Right, because guilting the customer for an awful experience is acceptable… He also said «I know I can’t please everyone» and told us we didn’t have to pay the bill after he had just processed our credit card; passive aggressive and didn’t try to make the situation right at all.
I’ve had the same dishes at other restaurants and they have been amazing. Do not eat here, the service, atmosphere, and food are all just dreadful. Never coming back.

Very disappointing. The hummus was awful, the salad was all iceberg lettuce and it was all very expense.

What a nice evening we just had here at Chutneys. My wife had a middle eastern platter: Koo Koo and Mousakka and I had an Indian platter: Saag Aloo and Chana Masala. Both entrees came with a salad with a fantastic hand made herb vinaigrette. The food was excellent and the service was prompt and professional. As a bonus, Chutneys is located two doors down from a club that was playing live jazz. So, since we sat outside, we had free entertainment! What a great night!

Visited this restaurant on Saturday evening without reservations. No problem, we were seated immediately. A small restaurant, very pleasant décor, and attentive wait staff.
My husband and I both chose from the pick 2 menu of dinner entrees. A lovely salad came with the meal, along with pitas, and the waiter also brought a warm nan after I mentioned that I preferred nan over pita.
I had chicken korma, delicious, and fried green beans, my husband had the chicken masala, along with a warm, spicy eggplant. Highly recommended.
No room for dessert, but was just a little tempted with the baklava.
Only small complaint would be the small wine selection.
Parking, surprisingly, was not a problem on Hillview…

Still one of my favorite places to in Sarasota. I’ve been dining here for over 15 years and always find something interesting on the menu. Your review helps others learn about great local businesses.

Chutneys has a family feel and is a unique concept of an Indian fusion restaurant. The two owners are the servers and they have one bus boy so if it’s busy the service is lacking. They nickle and dime their guests so it makes sense they lack an adequate serving staff.
The décor is ok, kind of an inexpensive home goods feel to it. The tables are a bit cramped and worn, covered by paper and tattered crayons with which you can draw with while you wait. That’s actually pretty fun.
Something that I cannot tolerate is a casual place charging you for a refill on a fountain soda! Especially since chutneys fills their sodas up with so much ice, it’s easy to go through the actual liquid frequently. It is a cheap practice and it is insulting as a patron when you order a lot of food and alchol, thus spending a lot of money. Because of this nickel and diming, I do not like going here.
The food itself is pretty good though the portions are small. We have the samosas to start usually which taste like fried versions of the Amy ’ s samosas you get in whole foods. We also get the hummus and babaganosh platter which is tasty. They charge you for extra bread even though there is not enough for dipping. Another example of their cheap business model. The spanakopita, chicken mikhani, lamb vindaloo, and the rice is all very good, though you do not get much protein at all with the dish so they can inevitably save some money. The greek salad that starts your meal is also always yummy. The menu never changes which is ok since you know what to expect, and they supplement with specials.
So overall, I like this place, but I could REALLY like it if they would just change some business practices.

This place was recommended by my mom who comes here every time she comes to Siesta Key. I loved it! It’s small but really nice ambience, perfect for my husband and I. We came for dinner and it was packed! They have plenty of meat free choices, which I loved. I ordered the Channa Masala and the Aloo Tikki… both so good with Indian spiced tea and hubby got a gyro. We shared the Creole bread pudding which was very good as well! The staff was very friendly and helpful. I would come back for sure!