Stonewood Grill & Tavern

Food was great! Love this restaurant. It will be a new favorite for us. We had filet and lobster tails.

This place was decent. We came on a Sunday at 5. The host said we needed a reservation (place was completely empty) lol. They did end up seating us right away but made it seem like it was an inconvenience. Our server was very nice though. We did happy hour drinks (2 bucks off wine) and I ordered the Tuscan chicken and clam chowder… both were very good and flavorful. We had my one year old Niece with us and they were great with her as well. Besides the host this place was good. Try it out!

Menu ok, good variety with the seafood. Wine pours are small and expensive! Don’t get a glass of wine. Food was enjoyable and portion size was good. Atmosphere is also enjoyable. This was my first time, I might try it again only because its very convenient.

We ate here two nights in a row! Because the meal was good, the staff was happy (hard to find in Sarasota), and just all around a great vibe. Prime Rib — great! Salmon — great. Cocktails made by knowledgeable bartenders, cheers!

This is a chain restaurant but seems a little fancier than other seafood chains such as Red Lobster. Although it is still casual, the menu is elevated to a higher standard. The staff was very friendly and manager checked on us often to make sure we’re satisfied. There is both dining and bar seating available.
We were staying in the Best Western across the street and lucky enough to score a few coupons for free appetizers from the girl at the pool bar. My fave apps were the wings and buffalo shrimp which were both deliciously full of flavor and highly recommended. Be careful of these 2 apps though if you don’t like spicy food. If you do, you must try them! The grouper sandwich came highly recommended and my husband enjoyed it. I had the caprese salad as my meal which was good but needed salt as the balsamic glaze on it was lackluster for me. The crème brûlée was amazing as crème brûlée should be.
Although that it’s a chain I would definitely come back when I am in the area again. If I lived in Sarasota I could see myself being a regular!

My husband and I went here while on vacation just to try out. We both loved it. It’s one of those restaurants you can go to anywhere but always have a good experience.
We went on a Friday night around 6:30 without reservations and had only a 15 minute wait. Very impressive. The service was great and extremely friendly, we talked to several of the staff by the time we left and they were all very helpful.
They have happy hour every day until 7, which is nice as well. If I remember correctly, it is half priced mixed drinks, $ 2 off wine and $ 2 off draft beers.
I ordered the chicken florentine and my husband ordered the blacked chicken pasta. My chicken florentine was the best chicken I’ve ever had. It had a sweet lemon tang and wasn’t dry at all. I definitely recommend and I would get it again. The waiter (Robert) gave us bread and butter. There was a pretzel bread stick, a cranberry biscuit & a plain biscuit in the basket. They were all incredible.
We wore nice denim and dress shirts, but next time I will opt for more business casual attire. I felt out of place and underdressed in denim.
I would not feel comfortable bringing children under 14 to this restaurant. The flavors of the entrees are more complex and unless your child likes warm spinach and asparagus in their meals, they’re better off staying at home.

Love the food and first come first serve seating in the bar area! House salad is delicious along with the yummy entrees!

Ate dinner here while on vacation and really enjoyed our meal and the environment. My bf & I sat at the bar so we didn’t have to wait for a table and it was a good decision. Our bartender — Bill — gave us good suggestions and was very attentive. I had trout, my boyfriend had steak. We had a coupon for a free bruschetta so that was a good start. My red wine was delicious. The entrees are a bit expensive, but the portions were a good size and we were treating ourselves. All in all, a nice meal, attentive staff and friendly customers to chat with on either side of us.

We sat both times in the bar. Excellent bartenders, especially the male bartender who had the most experience. Loved the onion soup. Had it both times. The pretzel bread is awesome. My husband had sandwiches which he said was very good. The place is very trendy and clean. Just happened to be staying in a hotel in the area and it was raining quite a bit, so we decided to stay close by. What a find!

Sorry but this restaurant was a huge disappointment.
Dined there this evening, wine and salad and bread stick were ok. But the blackened grouper
Was dry and tasteless. it was served with
soggy sweet potatoe fries and broccoli.
Just across the street is Carrabbas. Sorry we didn’t dine there instead.

Ate here in Dec. 2014. Everything nice. Bianca, our waitress, suggested two meals and both were wonderful. I had short ribs with butternut squash ravioli. The meat melted in my mouth and the ravioli was delicious. I don’t give fives but if I did, this place would get a five, I highly recommend!

All around great food, service and a very nice meal! Prime rib was amazing! Will be back!

Every year when my family comes to Siesta Key for vacation, we make a point to come to Stonewood for our Sunday dinner. Obviously this means we generally really enjoy ourselves. Last night, however, was just ok.
Starting with the positive, the appetizers were delicious. We got the bruschetta and the bleu cheese chips. Both arrived warm and nicely presented… The chips really stole the show for me. How could you go wrong with homemade kettle chips topped with crumbles of creamy bleu cheese and a balsamic reduction? Yummmmmm
For my entrée, I ordered the blackened chicken pasta which was fine. The chicken had really good flavor with a slight char to it and the pasta was cooked well, but the «creamy Chardonnay sauce» was kind of watery and didn’t really even coat the bow ties.
I think maybe the part that disappointed me the most was our waiter. He was friendly enough but did not really go out of his way to make sure we had refills. Everyone else in the restaurant got fresh bread, but we did not… Perhaps because we ordered appetizers? I’ve always had good service here before so it was probably just an off night.
Happy Hour is until 7, so there are half priced well drinks and specials on bottles of wine, so definitely be sure to take advantage of that!

A great experience that I will again enjoy at a future date. Where else do you get 50% off good bottles of wine (be there by 7), great food (we had scallops, and crab crusted mahi mahi) great service at a very reasonable price ((and they have a mean key lime pie that should be tasted by all). Thank you Richard for great service ! This place is a hidden gem that should not be missed if you are near Siesta Key

What an enjoyable evening. First of all, our server Ryan was fantastic! I managed restaurants in another lifetime so can see when someone is doing a great job or when there are challenges, and we now eat out quite a bit — I mention these to qualify my statement that Ryan was one of the very best waiters I’ve ever had the pleasure of dealing with. Polite, knowledgeable on the menu, very personable without trying to take over the table, solicitous in exactly the right measure. An absolute delight.
The food was very good. My mother-​in-​law thought her steak was more tender than the one she had at Flemings a couple of nights before. My short ribs were so yummy, the chopped sirloin got a high rating from a Midwest meat eater, and my husband loved the lobster tail.
The ambiance at Stonewood is always very nice indeed. Its always clean, as are the bathrooms (I’ve found you can tell a fair bit about restaurants from the condition they allow their bathrooms to be in), drinks are well mixed, nice wine selection, someone opens the front door as you arrive, and does so again as you leave, thanking you for coming.
We always go back and have almost never had a disappointing meal. I definitely recommend it and if you can get Ryan as your server then you’ll have an extra special experience.

Love Stonewood for a nice dinner whenever I’m in Sarasota. It is a step up from Outback/​Longhorn but not as fancy as Ruths Chris.
Been a number of times and always had a good meal and friendly service.
On my most recent visit there were 6 of us and we had a nice big booth.
There was a special for $ 39 you got a salad, choice of 3 diff big cuts of meat, and a side. Considering the steaks are almost that much by themselves it is a pretty good deal.
3 of us got that and we all ordered the 12 oz bone in filet mignon. My weakness. All were cooked exactly how we wanted them.
The other 3 of us got the salamon, chicken pasta, and herb grouper.
Everyone was happy with their choices and we had leftovers.

We usually avoid chain restaurants but had received a gift certificate for Stonewood from our insurance company which had an expiration date, so we used it on the next to last day. We have eaten at the Stonewood in Tampa Palms which was good but typical chain fare. At the Stickney point location we expected the same but were shocked to find 5 Star restaurant service at a chain. Daniel, our server, was both engaging yet not intrusive. He made wine suggestions for my husband and even brought a taste for some options. My husband agreed on the recommendation. I chose the house chardonnay which was buttery and perfect for me. I ordered the sirloin and crab stuffed shrimp special which we found had sold out so I was offered two options, both with larger steaks at same price. How often does that happen? Steak was prepared perfectly med rare as requested. Husband ordered the 12oz ribeye which he too found to be prepared as requested. My husband usually finds something wrong with steaks we get at restaurants, preferring his own cooking– but tonight was an exception and he was satisfied.
We had expected to just use up a gift certificate but ended up having most excellent dining experience.

A broad dinner menu with lots of choices. Enthusiastic service.
Delicious pot roast and mashed potatoes was a treat.

Update: Went back one more time, and they’ve brought back the wings! Upgrading from 3 stars to 4. I still can’t forgive the overcooked burgers, though.
Original review:
This used to be one of my favorite places, but the past two visits have both been disappointing.
First, they took the chicken wings off the appetizer menu. Stonewood used to have some of the best wings in town, but my guess is that the ample portion of wings was cutting into entrée revenue. Also, we noticed that the trout is no longer offered.
Tonight, 3 of the 4 people in my group ordered burgers (one because he couldn’t get trout, and the other because of the lack of wings.) Although we all ordered medium-​rare, all three came out of the kitchen medium-​well. It had taken so long for the food to arrive that we didn’t send them back — but we should have, since they were dry and tasteless.
Next time we want burgers and wings, I’m heading to the Sarasota Brewing Co. The food is better for about ½ the price.

a solid three — about what I expected.
This feels like a chain restaurant. The space is dark and faux-​rustic; clearly corporate design. The menu has many choices, but none too adventurous. This is a good place to go with a group, even fussy diners will find something they like. Prices are reasonable, most expensive entrée is $ 24 and they offer entrée salads and burgers too.
Our waiter Beau was accommodating and friendly. He even scored the winning point vs my Uncle Fred, the wisea$$. My Uncle grilled him about the size of the so called ‘giant’ scoop of ice cream. When the chocolate bread pudding arrived it was indeed topped with the aforementioned giant scoop. Of course my Uncle commented on its ‘giantness’ at which point Beau produced a giant scoop of ice cream just for Fred! Game, set, match for Beau!
The food is fine but not outstanding. Three of us had lamb chops, reasonably priced at $ 24. I prefer the rack to be cooked whole and cut for service. These chops were grilled as individual ribs, making it difficult to cook to temperature, but my Dad loved them! My Aunt had the steak salad. The greens were nice but the steak looked liked curled up pieces of beef jerky. My Mom had a special: sushi quality tuna with asian vegetables and a spring roll. She liked the vegetables with ginger and soy, but the tuna was a bit too raw for medium rare.
The best bets here are the steaks and chops. They really do not have the skills or ingredients for subtle and developed flavor profiles, with the exception of the salmon with lime and ginger.
By far the best dish of the night was the chocolate bread pudding. Moist, not too rich, and large enough for five of us to split — really!
Sadly the evening ended on a sour note. Before we had even ordered desert, staff were vacuuming nearby tables. Though many tables had cleared it was still before 9:00! Management should stop this practice immediately.