Sarasota Florida Hotel and Vacation Guide - Attractions, Beaches, Entertainment, Shopping, Dining

FL Airports
SRQ Airport
Accommodations
Attractions
Baseball
Beaches
Community
Calendar
Dining
Disney Hotels
Entertainment
Events
Ft. Lauderdale
Ft. Myers
Golf
Hotels
Lido Key
Longboat Key
Mainland Hotels
Miami
Movies
News
Nightclubs
Orlando
Postcards
Punta Gorda
Real Estate
Recreation
Relocation
Rentals
Restaurants
Reviews
Search
Shop
Siesta Key
Tampa
Travel
Venice, FL
Weather
Wedding

Turtles on Little Sarasota Bay
Restaurant Review

Review - 1=Excellent - 2=Very Good - 3=Good 4=Fair 5=Poor

For details on Turtles, click here.

Wade party of 2 had dinner at Turtle's on Siesta Key and rated the food excellent and writes on June 15, 2010, "We decided to take a little vacation locally and headed down to Siesta Key (home away from home) to look at some places to stay. Of course we also had to find a place to eat that was on the water. I've been to the Daiquiri Deck (you want how much for that?), it's not on the water. So while exploring we ran across the Turtle Restaurant on Little Sarasota Bay near Turtle Beach at the south end of the key. What an amazing find that turned out to be! They had just started their summer menu. Most everything was $10 or less and their Happy Hour appetizers for $2 overfilled our bellies with cheerful goodness for less than $12! The food was great and real, not institutional, well presented and served. The staff was very attentive and friendly. The crab nachos and the ribs appetizers will put anything out there to shame for only $4! We'll make the drive there again and plan on eating their every day of our vacation. It's a bargain, it's delicious and it's on the water!!! Highly recommend it! But please save us a seat at the bar, we'll be there at 4. First appetizer's on us! The Patterson Family"
Service Rating: 1
Ambience Rating: 1
Wine List Rating: 4
Cleanliness Rating: 1
Kid Friendly Rating: 2
Value Rating: 1
Overall Experience: 1

Jenine rated the food very good because: "I enjoyed the array of seafood appetizers we'd ordered, sitting waterfront!" Jenine ordered: conch fritters, seafood gumbo, other general seafood apps. and wrote on 2/27/2004:
"I was at Turtles when visiting FL. It's SO relaxing sitting outside, right on the bay. We had appetizers, all of which were great. Shrimp cocktail, conch fritters, seafood gumbo - simple, but enough! I know we arrived later than the dinner rush, but they still accommodated our request by letting us sit outside & did not rush us whatsoever! I have a trip back to FL soon and cannot wait to go back to Turtles! Thanks!"

Laurie Cohoon rated the food fair because, "Average presentation. Small portions. Unimaginative." Laurie ordered Shrimp Scampi and writes on 4/2/2004: "The setting was absolutely lovely. We sat on the outdoor deck at a corner table and loved the atmosphere. Unfortunately, the service was simply terrible. The hostess was very young and extremely rude. It seemed like an inconvenience for her seat us - and we had made reservations! Our waitress took our orders promptly and then disappeared for most of the evening. We waited (and waited and waited) for water to be refilled, coffee to be served, plates to be cleared, etc. Clearly, they were short handed that evening and it made our dining experience a true disappointment. We skipped a second glass of wine and dessert because we thought they might never arrive! Our waitress offered no explanation or apology for her lack of service and was, at times, rude and abrupt."

Arthur rated the food very good because: "It presented nicely, was the correct temperature and was very tasty." The writer enjoyed the Blacken Grouper W/Fruit and writes on 2/9/04: "We were tourists looking for a small restaurant overlooking the water that looked busy. Our criteria on an unknown restaurant is 'the more people dining the better the restaurant must be'. We were shown to a table on the lower deck with a wonderful view of the water. The restaurant was about 70 percent full. The service was very good and timely. We had a glass of wine while we read the menu. We both ordered the blacken grouper. I had it with fruit and my wife had it with fries and vegetables. The meals were presented nicely and were very tasty. We finished off our lunch with coffee. We'll certainly dine here again when we're in the area."

David & Susan Stuto write on 5/12/2003 and say they rate the food excellent because, "It was great tasting" and they write, "I really like Turtles for it's food, service, and atmosphere. My husband asked me where I wanted to go for Mother's Day and I immediately said "Turtles!" We live quite a few miles away, but the drive was worth it. My husband ordered the Salmon dinner & I ordered the Mahi Mahi with a mango & kiwi sauce over it and they were both delicious. The portions were just right and the service was very good and we both loved the view of the bay. This is a place where you'd want to bring guests who come for a visit and we do."

An anonymous writer sent this review 7/2000: "Our party of four dined at Turtles on a Monday evening. Although we had reservations, the wait for a table was still nearly 45 minutes. Once seated service was fairly prompt. The food was disappointing. I ordered broiled grouper with garlic potatoes, vegetables, and a salad (at extra cost). The salad was rather pedestrian and the watery dressing (it appeared to be a bottled blue cheese) came in a tiny plastic cup. The grouper filet was tiny, probably only 3-4 ounces and was broiled without seasonings. It was overcooked and therefore dry, tough, and tasteless. The garlic potatoes and vegetables were very nice but the serving sizes were rather small. I also sampled a steak that another diner in our party ordered. It was cooked to order but lacked any type of seasoning or marinate. It was bland in the extreme. The chicken and Mahi Mahi ordered by the others in our party appeared to be nice dishes and drew compliments for taste but the serving sizes were small. Overall I was disappointed. The quantity and quality of food was quite inadequate for the price we paid. Honestly we can't recommend this restaurant to anyone."

Joy K. from Indiana writes: "The food was so good on our first night in Sarasota, that we went back on our last night.
Their happy hour extended to the dining room, which meant two-for-one drinks were available for table service. (Check with the restaurant to be sure this special is available. -Ed.) The crab-stuffed mushrooms were out of this world. The seafood gumbo was filled with choice morsels of seafood and appropriately spicy. We enjoyed broiled grouper, blackened grouper, fried grouper, and the veal meatloaf, (which proved to be a great choice).
The restaurant overlooks the bay. It does set back from the road, so you have to "look" for it.
Great place!"

Jeff & Joanne Demby write, "We have eaten at this delightful restaurant on Siesta Key two different years. Both times, we chose to eat outside on the deck overlooking the bay. Service was very good and the food excellently prepared. As nature lovers, we were not disappointed either visit. This last visit brought a Great White Heron and a Great Blue Heron to the deck rail right before our eyes, along with the sight of Dolphin cruising the bay out in front of us. Truly a good place to eat along with all the amenities a waterfront restaurant could offer. We'll be back again next year!" 

 

 

   
 
Copyright © 4sarasota.Com All Rights Reserved.
Legal Notice    Privacy Statement
Contact 4Sarasota Search