Downtown Sarasota's best wood-fired Mediterranean, ranked top-15% citywide — book the lamb chops for a relaxed team dinner.
Everything at 1592 goes over a live wood fire, and you smell it before you sit down. The room runs the length of a Main Street storefront in downtown Sarasota, all open kitchen, marble bar and a cocktail list built for sharing. The cooking is Mediterranean rather than tied to one country: charred octopus, lamb chops off the grill, moussaka layered and blistered, mezze meant for the middle of the table. Plates land between $19 and $45, and the energy stays high.
1592 is the work of executive chef Alexandre Gosselin and chef de cuisine Johnny Zaki, who build a Mediterranean menu around the wood-fired grill that gives the place its name. The cooking leans Levantine and Greek: open-faced pulled-lamb pita at $19, a properly layered moussaka at $23, grilled lamb chops, charred octopus, and a rotating spread of mezze and market-vegetable plates. Portions run large, and the kitchen is at its best when smoke is doing the work.
Most plates fall between $19 and $45, which makes it easy to graze across the table or anchor a meal around the lamb. The cocktail program matches the kitchen's theatrics, with the tableside "1592 Smoking for 2" the one people order to watch. Diners rate it 4.7 across more than 1,600 reviews on OpenTable, and Tripadvisor ranks it #104 of 837 Sarasota restaurants in 2026, putting it inside the city's top 15 percent. For wood-fired Mediterranean downtown, it is the most consistent room on Main Street.
1592 is a loud, lively downtown room: an open wood-fire kitchen along one side, a long marble cocktail bar, and tables close enough that the energy carries. Lighting is moody and low, the soundtrack and the crowd keep the volume up, and the seating mixes two-tops, banquettes and bar stools. Dress is smart-casual, with no jacket needed. Come for buzz and sharing, not for a hushed, candle-quiet dinner; the wood fire and the bar set the tempo all evening.
Book 1592 for a team dinner because the format does the work for you: wood-fired mezze and grilled lamb are built for the middle of the table, the price range keeps a group bill sane, and the lively room means nobody feels they have to whisper. Order family-style, put the "1592 Smoking for 2" cocktails out for the table, and let people graze. See more restaurants for a team dinner and our Sarasota first-date tables, or browse the best seafood restaurants worldwide.
Not for a quiet, romantic dinner — the downtown room runs loud and high-energy, the open grill keeps the volume up, and conversation across a two-top can be a stretch.
Yes, if you want lively Mediterranean cooking off a live wood fire rather than a formal sit-down. 1592 rates 4.7 across more than 1,600 OpenTable reviews and ranks #104 of 837 Sarasota restaurants on Tripadvisor in 2026. With most plates between $19 and $45 and portions built for sharing, it is good value for a group on Main Street, especially if you lean into the grilled lamb and mezze.
Moderately. 1592 takes reservations through OpenTable, and weeknights are usually bookable a day or two out, but weekend prime times and larger tables fill early, helped by its downtown Main Street location. Book ahead for Friday and Saturday or for any party above four. Walk-ins can often find space at the marble cocktail bar, which is a fine place to eat the full menu.
Smart-casual, with no jacket required. 1592 is a downtown bar-and-grill room where neat jeans, a shirt or a dress all read as appropriate, and the lively atmosphere keeps things relaxed rather than formal. Most diners dress up a little for weekend evenings, but the mood is buzzy and unstuffy throughout. Come comfortable; the focus is the wood-fired food and the cocktails, not a strict code.
Plan on roughly $35 to $55 per person before drinks if you order a couple of plates, with individual dishes running $19 to $45. Sharing mezze and a grilled main across the table is the most economical way to eat well here. Cocktails such as the tableside "1592 Smoking for 2" add up quickly, so factor those in for a full night out downtown.
Order the grilled lamb chops and the moussaka, the two dishes the kitchen is best known for, and start with the charred octopus and a spread of mezze for the table. The open-faced pulled-lamb pita at $19 is the value pick. Put a "1592 Smoking for 2" cocktail out to share. For more downtown options, see our Sarasota top 10.
Via OpenTable · weekends book out early
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1592 is downtown Sarasota's wood-fired Mediterranean anchor, the lively counterpoint to the city's steakhouses and waterfront rooms. See where it lands among the rest.
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