Shore Diner

Don’t let the name fool you, this is anything but a diner. The food here is excellent. We really enjoy the calamari and cioppino. Great place to go after a day on the beach.

I’m giving this place two stars because the actual establishment is beautiful. After much consideration, I brought a friend to this restaurant because of the awesome reviews. This restaurant is very comfortable and modern. The décor is interesting and fun. The service was below par and the food was bland.
When the server came to greet us, she literally said, «Hi…» And then proceeded to stand there staring blankly at us. She didn’t ask if it was our first time and she didn’t welcome us. We had hoped that she was the blandest part of our dining experience. Needless to say, it got worse. She visited the table, once again, to tell us that she put our order in wrong and it would be another ten minutes.
We ordered the Mediterranean chicken sandwich with truffle fries. The sandwich came out cold and the only flavor was the rosemary seasoned toast that it came on. The fries are terrible.
We also ordered the salmon and beet salad which had absolutely no flavor aside from the buttery arugula and the amazing ball of goat cheese. The salmon was not seasoned the the «lemon vinaigrette» didn’t taste like anything at all.
The Shore Diner is definitely sub par. If it’s your first time in St. Armand’s, go elsewhere. I suggest Tommy Bahama of The Columbia.

This place was fine. It wasn’t bad but there wasn’t anything spectacular about it either. It’s located in a great area — Armand circle in Sarasota. There is so much do there so this place is a nice break from it all. We went there during their brunch time and I had the poached salmon «Benny». The English muffin was slightly overdone and the salmon could have used a little more flavor. The egg and the salmon were cooked perfectly. It also came with a side of little fried potatoes with a hot sauce drizzled over them. The service was fine. Our girl was attentive but very quiet. I might come back but I think I would try the other restaurants around the area first.

Wife and I came to shore diner for lunch. We ordered the tomato bisque with shrimp, Grouper sandwich, and fried oyster sliders. The soup was okay and tasted likely pizza sauce. The grouper sandwich came with truffled fires. This sandwich was well put together and was good. The oyster sliders were okay, nothing special.

Place is fantastic. After shopping the hip close downstairs (even if you don’t buy anything/​see what the kids are wearing this year) come upstairs for an incredibly delicious healthy meal. Seriously, this is one of Sarasota’s best and the locals, like me, know it. Come.

Great atmosphere. Great food. The salmon was amazing. The fact that the food is whole and have organic options is very attractive. I enjoyed the server. She was polite, friendly but not fake. Thanks for a good experience!!!

In my opinion, Shore Diner is one of the best restaurants in Sarasota. The design of the space is fantastic, the food and cocktails are on point, and you can’t beat the location. As soon as you enter St. Armands circle it is right there on the right. They have a nice clothing shop below, on the first floor, which comes in super handy when your significant other wants to do some pre-​meal shopping and/​or post-​meal shopping. OR even some «sneak away during the meal shopping» :) My favorite drink is the Shore Cocktail, which is a Gin based martini and their Sunday brunches are always very nice!

This place has a good vibe, and good food! I love the layout of the place and the indoor outdoorsy feel! The food wasn’t too shabby either, great presentation for a moderately priced lunch or dinner spot! I’d go back for 2nds!

This is a great place to eat. We had both dinner and lunch here during our stay in Longboat Key. The scallops were great, as was the black bean burger. The grilled fish tacos were outstanding. And although they don’t have much truffle flavor, the truffle fries are good. The service was also very good.
The restaurant itself is trendy and cool. Good design. Best to go in the off hours. Seems to get fairly busy.

Very nicely done décor and menus options are all delicious, trust me we tried many things here. Recommend the kilt salad, skirt steak (albeit small), burger is excellent, Thai chicken soup is very good. Service attentive, prices higher in general but it’s St. Armand’s, to be expected. Would definitely return! Also try the Sangria, a nice surprise!

I heard someone else say it and I really have to echo it — don’t let the word «diner» fool you. Not like most diners… very nice and upscale yet relaxed and casual like you would expect in a beach community like this. Kate (from Columbus, OH) was our waitress and she was fantastic! There were 4 in our party and we all loved every single thing we had. We enjoyed the calamari, crab cake w/​jicama slaw, ceviche and guacamole for appetizers and they were all incredible! The ceviche was the best I have ever had. For dinner we had fried chicken (great), red snapper over wilted greens w/​risotto (incredible!), meatloaf and spaghetti with mussels, clams and shrimp. The margarita was super good too. Great view of St. Armand’s Circle from patio area too. Can’t recommend enough!

My friend and I both had the shrimp and scallop risotto. Simply put one of the nicest meals I’ve ever had anywhere…
The service was attentive but not intrusive and the (shared) gluten free chocolate dessert was the perfect way to wrap up the evening.
Busy on a Saturday night, booking ahead prudent :)

We were impressed with the food, atmosphere, and service. Our reservation for Saturday night at 7:30 was a good idea, because the place was packed. Calamari appetizer was good sized, refreshing, and not too spicey for Wifey. We split the lobster Cobb and Key West shrimp and scallops, both of which were tasty. Only downside was that the scallop had some bitterness to it. Key lime parfait very good, but maybe a touch too sweet (but definitely tart). 4.5 stars, really.

Really nice atmosphere… great service. Ryan was amazing! Nice place to bring the whole family

Great atmosphere and food. The mussels are extraordinary as is the fish spread for an appetizer. All entrées were phenomenal and at a reasonable price considering the area and environment.
First time there, service was great and will definitely go back.

Come here on Valentine’s day, very crowded and not as good. I realized the menu is limited, and basically just burger and salad to choose from. I am ready for something different. Nice outdoor seating though.

Wow! By far the best place on St armands…
Great vibe! 7 of us sat outside on the deck with our dog, very happy with service, atmosphere and food. Calamari and mussels had great flavor. Very cool spot.

LOVED LOVED LOVED everything about this joint. While I’m not sure calling themselves a «diner» is accurate, per say, the joint is very welcoming and fun. A bunch of bros and I had the final dinner of my amigo’s bachelor party here. It could not have gone any better. We were given prime real estate for people watching to begin our meal. Our server, whose name I wish I could remember, was one of the best I’ve ever had anywhere. She was a super senior at the local USF campus in Sarasota and basically became one of the bros by the end of our meal. Besides being at our beckon call, she was witty, funny, kind, and made great recommendations throughout the meal. And yes, she was also a radiant young lady.
The drink list is stellar! I had a few mai tais and eventually an old fashioned to end the meal. The other dudes in the party had some stiff martinis and quality beers. Food was incredible. I had the tomato risotto special, which was served with lobster, shrimp, and spinach mixed in. Amazeballs. The crab cake on Hawaiian bun I had for an appetizer was also great. My friends tried the steaks, which they said were on fleek.
If the bachelor’s parents ever invite us back to their baller condo on Longboat, I’ll be sure to return to Shore for drinks, food, and debauchery. Hopefully we have the same delightful server! (Sorry again for forgetting your name…)

4 stars for a trendy upbeat restaurant with original yummy food
We stumbled upon this restaurant after viewing some great reviews from Unilocal.And after everyone raved about the truffle fries, it was a no brainer!
We came here for lunch on a Saturday, and it wasn’t too crowded and got seated right away. They are on the 2^nd floor, and it was a beautiful and fun entrance up the stairs with the metal fork/​spoon and surfboard signage upon entering the dining area. The dining area was an open breezeway that had seating looking out to the street and also in the AC. They also had a large bar.
I ordered the fish tacos and they came with truffle fries. My husband ordered a burger, also with truffle fries. My tacos were fresh with a mango salsa, slaw and lime wedge, I was impressed. The burger was also delish and presented nicely with all the veggies on the side.
All in all, it was a great atmosphere, clean restaurant with excellent service. I did think the prices were a little steep, each of our meals was $ 14 each and that’s a lunch price, but again you are paying for the atmosphere I think at this point. I was also a little disappointed in the lack of variety on the menu, there wasn’t much to select from for lunch.
If you want to try something new and unique, I would get it a try and I would like to go back if I had the chance.

out of all the restaurant options in St. Armand’s this one looked the most appealing so decided to give it a try.
The modern look & vibe looked straight out of an LA eatery with the flame pillars and dim lighting in an outdoor setting. Very trendy looking interior full of very trendy looking people makes me feel like im dining in LA! There were even open views of St. Armand’s circle from every seat and the interior was lighted by a cool looking bar that looks like it could serve up some awesome drinks.
The misses ordered a Shore Cocktail that tasted like a cucumber gimlet that was very cool and refreshing. As a big IPA fan, I was happy to find Lagunitas on the menu which made my drink selection all the more easy.
With so many cool and interesting things to try on the menu, what stuck out immediately was the Bahn Mi Oysters ($ 8). Easily we could have ordered 2 portions of this appetizer as the 4 pieces our plate came with were scarfed down with the quickness. Think of a fried oyster with the Bahn Mi Garnishments of daikon radish, carrot strands & sliced cucumbers on top. The oyster was actually already separated from the shell and «plated» on top of the oyster shell that revealed a mayo like sauce on the bottom of the fried oyster when lifted. My only complaint is that we didn’t order more!
We also ordered a side of the Mac & Cheese ($ 8) which was very cheesy, had alot of flavor and had tender macaroni. Didn’t really taste like anything really out of the ordinary from other mac & cheeses i’ve had but it did have a nice crunch to it after every bite from the bread crumbs that were sprinkled over the top.
For dinner, we decided to split the Shore burger ($ 15) & ordered it Medium Rare. The burger was good and had alot of juices dripping after each bite and contained a bacon like jam inside but dripped on to my plate after every bite. The real star of the plate was the side of truffle fries it came with. I don’t think i’ve ever had an order of truffle fries that tasted bad unless it was soggy. Happy to report that their truffle fries were amazing and really hit the spot ! I was actually going to order a plate of this on its own but when i found out that that truffle fries came with the burger on the side that made my selection all the more easier.
I really wanted to try the cauliflower steak as i’ve heard great reviews and will opt for that one the next come around.
If your looking for a cool and hip dining experience in St. Armand’s circle check out the Shore Diner !