Ticket Editor: One of the best restaurants in Sarasota, Bradenton opening new location

Wade Tatangelo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·5 min read
Left to right: Kona Blue, Double Cheeseburger and the Down the Hatch burgers at Food + Beer, which has two locations in Sarasota, one in Bradenton, and now a new one in Venice.
Left to right: Kona Blue, Double Cheeseburger and the Down the Hatch burgers at Food + Beer, which has two locations in Sarasota, one in Bradenton, and now a new one in Venice.

UPDATED 10/20: Food + Beer co-owner Mike Whalen said on Thursday morning via email that they plan to open their new Venice location at 4 p.m. today following a delay due to the approval of their liquor .

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UPDATED 10/18: On Tuesday afternoon, Food + Beer posted to social media that the opening of their new Venice location has been postponed.

"Unfortunately our liquor license is still pending so we will open as soon as that is approved," reads the announcement posted at 1:16 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18. "It’s taking much longer that it has any other time for us so we’re kind of at a loss. Sorry for any inconvenience for anyone who planned dining with us. Really ready to get our new Venice team to work and serve our guests here!"

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There are few restaurants in Sarasota and Manatee counties that I've visited more frequently during the past year than a certain favorite about to open its fourth location.

Food + Beer owners Mike Whalen and Casey Daniels debuted their smart, crowd-pleasing concept in Gulf Gate in 2018 and soon followed with a location on Fruitville Road. They opened Food + Beer's Bradenton restaurant in August 2021.

I'm there pretty often.

Perhaps you read my glowing review of their enviable comfort foods? I've also included Food + Beer in my lists of best restaurants for burgers, wings, and chicken sandwiches. In late August, I featured Food + Beer among my favorite sports bars for food, drinks and fun football watching.

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Food + Beer to open its new Venice location Tuesday, Oct. 18

Food + Beer's Fruitville Road location is pictured here in 2019.
Food + Beer's Fruitville Road location is pictured here in 2019.

Yeah, I'm a big fan of Food + Beer's clever comfort foods — and happy to report that the restaurant is set to throw a grand opening for its Venice location on South Tamiami Trail at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, with regular hours starting Wednesday, Oct. 19.

In addition to craft brews and cocktails, the newly updated food menu opens with fun, tasty starters such as the PBR fried pickles ($7.99), Mexican street corn ($9.89) and Tin Can Nachos ($13.59). Next, you'll want to order their wings (five for $9.50, 10 for $16.50, 20 for $31.50) covered in a delightfully buttery house Buffalo sauce with just the right amount of kick, or perhaps try one of their various other sauces. Another commendable shareable is the hand-breaded chicken nuggets served with honey sriracha (six for $8.50, 12 for $12.99).

But then don't forget to save room for a burger, featuring a hand-formed patty. Their basic cheeseburger ($8.25) always hits the spot, but I also enjoy stuffing my face with more extravagant burgers such as the You Jel? topped with chipotle cream cheese and hickory bacon, and accompanied with a big ol’ roasted jalapeno on the side alongside the lettuce, tomato, onion and really good, thick-cut pickles.

The "Obligatory Buffalo Chicken" ($10.99) is another favorite of mine. It's a thin slice of chicken breast with basically an equal ratio of poultry-to-fried goodness and that alone would be worthy of high praise. But then there’s also a most welcome slice of Monterey jack cheese and their jalapeno ranch, which is another one of the many things, large and small, that Food + Beer gets right.

Such as their fresh-cut fries, which are most definitely fresh-cut, then showered with Old Bay and blackening seasoning, dumped in a paper sack to stay warm and then piled on a plate for your consumption (regular for $4.49, large for $6.49). They also serve sweet potato tots, made even more habit-forming by the accompanying cinnamon honey butter ($5.49). Still craving a sweet? Consider trying their Red Velvet Oreos ($7.29) or Chocolate Bread Pudding ($9.49).

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House Buffalo chicken wings, with sides of blue cheese and ranch, at Food + Beer’s Bradenton location.
House Buffalo chicken wings, with sides of blue cheese and ranch, at Food + Beer’s Bradenton location.

Food + Beer also recently added a chili dog to their menu, as well as augmented its selection of bowls with a chicken cutlet marinara ($15.99) and a "meat and potatoes" offering ($16.99). They serve several salads, too, including a tempting Buffalo chicken wedge ($14.99), which could possibly even satisfy the cravings I get way too often for Food + Beer's wings.

Writing this column less than 24 hours after visiting the Food + Beer near my home in downtown Bradenton, I'm sincerely happy for you folks living in the Venice area. In fact, if you live within walking distance of a Food + Beer — in Venice, Bradenton or the two in Sarasota — I'm a bit jealous.

“We're excited to be in South County; my business partner and longtime friend Casey Daniels is from North Port so his friends and family will be able to visit more frequently," said co-owner Mike Whalen, who is also from Sarasota County. "We're excited to be a cool, late-night neighborhood spot and bring in our good specials: cheeseburger Mondays, taco Tuesdays, trivia Wednesdays and weekend brunch."

Weekend brunch? How have I missed out on their weekend brunch? Yeah, one more reason to visit Food + Beer in the very near future.

Food + Beer's new Venice location is at 301 S. Tamiami Trail and regular hours are 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m.-1 a.m. Sunday. For more information, call  941-867-3780 or visit eatfooddrinkbeer.com.

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Wade Tatangelo is Ticket Editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and Florida-Georgia Regional Dining and Entertainment Editor for the USA TODAY Network.
Wade Tatangelo is Ticket Editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and Florida-Georgia Regional Dining and Entertainment Editor for the USA TODAY Network.

Wade Tatangelo is Ticket Editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and Florida-Georgia Regional Dining and Entertainment Editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. He can be reached by email at wade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.​​​​​​

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: One of Sarasota's best restaurants, Food + Beer opening in Venice