Ticket Editor: Sarasota area restaurants ranked among '12 most iconic' in Florida

Wade Tatangelo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·3 min read
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Bakery manager Steve Hochstetler is seen moving pies to the cooling area ahead of the annual pre-Thanksgiving Day rush at Yoder's Restaurant & Amish Village in Sarasota.
Bakery manager Steve Hochstetler is seen moving pies to the cooling area ahead of the annual pre-Thanksgiving Day rush at Yoder's Restaurant & Amish Village in Sarasota.

While I've stayed busy in recent months writing about the best restaurants in the Sarasota and Bradenton area for things like burgers, barbecue and wings, another place adored by Sarasotans has been ranked among the most famous in the state by a national travel website.

Trips to Discover recently published an article titled "12 Most Iconic Restaurants in Florida." The list of landmark dining destinations from across the Sunshine State includes Yoder's Restaurant & Amish Village, which opened in 1975 and is located at 3434 Bahia Vista St., in Sarasota's renowned Amish community Pinecraft.

"An unassuming dining establishment and a local favorite for many years, hungry patrons come to Yoder’s for their hearty portions of comfort food dishes and made-from-scratch pies," reads the Trips to Discover article published Aug. 19. "Made from scratch every day, dig into a bite of one of the oversized pie slices of peanut butter, coconut cream and classic Florida Key lime.

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Columbia also ranked among '12 most iconic' in Florida

Columbia Restaurant, opened in 1959, is at 411 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota.
Columbia Restaurant, opened in 1959, is at 411 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota.

Trips to Discover also includes the Tampa restaurants Bern's Steak House and Columbia, with the latter operating other Florida locations such as the one in Sarasota. In fact, the Columbia on St. Armands Circle opened in 1959 and ranks among the oldest restaurants in Sarasota or Manatee counties. It's also one of my favorite establishments, especially for Cuban sandwiches, with their always-fun sister restaurant Cha Cha Coconuts found next door on St. Armands Circle's namesake roadway.

Sarasota, Bradenton businesses ranked among '15 Best Seafood Restaurants in Florida'

Star Fish Company Market & Restaurant in the historic fishing village of Cortez on north Sarasota Bay" was included on Trips to Discover's list of "15 Best Seafood Restaurants in Florida."
Star Fish Company Market & Restaurant in the historic fishing village of Cortez on north Sarasota Bay" was included on Trips to Discover's list of "15 Best Seafood Restaurants in Florida."

In July, I wrote about Trips to Discover including four Sarasota and Bradenton

businesses on their list of "15 Best Seafood Restaurants in Florida." Turned out, three of them are featured in my annual story on the best places to eat Florida stone crab. (Mark your calendar, the popular crustacean returns to menus on Oct. 15.)

Sarasota restaurants named among best for outdoor dining

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill is on Longboat Key and made OpenTable’s annual list of the "100 Best Outdoor Dining Restaurants in America for 2022."
Dry Dock Waterfront Grill is on Longboat Key and made OpenTable’s annual list of the "100 Best Outdoor Dining Restaurants in America for 2022."

Earlier this summer, 11 Florida businesses made OpenTable’s annual list of the "100 Best Outdoor Dining Restaurants in America for 2022." It came as no shock that two of those places happen to be right here in our backyard, and appear on my annual list of the best waterfront restaurants in Sarasota – with another among my top spots to visit in Tampa along the Riverwalk. Regardless of how much we praise our local restaurant greats, though, it's also nice to see them earn some more national attention.

Don't forget about the best sports bars in Sarasota, Bradenton and Venice

Finally, don't forget that the N.F.L.'s opening game is Sept. 8, which means many of us will be spending many hours during the upcoming months cheering on our favorite teams at local sports bars. Here's my list of the best sports bars in Sarasota, Bradenton and Venice for food, drinks and fun football watching. 

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Read more recent Ticket Editor columns by Wade Tatangelo

Wade Tatangelo is the Herald-Tribune’s entertainment and dining editor.
Wade Tatangelo is the Herald-Tribune’s entertainment and dining editor.

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Wade Tatangelo is the Herald-Tribune’s dining and entertainment editor overseeing the weekly Ticket publication. He's also author of the Best Things to Eat and Top Things to Do columns and co-leader of USA Today Network's Uniquely Florida team creating statewide content. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. He may be reached by email at wade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.​​​​​​

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota area restaurants named among '12 Most Iconic' in Florida