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Sarasota · Open Sunday · 2026 Edition

Best Restaurants Open on Sunday in Sarasota 2026

Sarasota is a resort town with a snowbird season, and that changes the usual Sunday maths. In most cities the best rooms close at the start of the week; here the upscale dining rooms treat Sunday brunch as one of the busiest services of the year. The steakhouses, the St. Armands Circle institutions and the bayfront rooms all run a full Sunday, and the only places that go dark are a couple of the chef-driven independents. Sarasota sits outside the Michelin guide, so the markers here are reputation and longevity. Six confirmed Sunday rooms follow, ranked by what each is for, with exact hours in dollars.

The dining room at Ocean Prime, The Quay Sarasota
Photo: Google Places. The bar and dining room at Ocean Prime, The Quay, Sarasota.

Why a Sunday list matters in Sarasota

Sarasota does not follow the rules of a big-city dining scene. It is a Gulf-coast resort with a winter population that doubles, and Sunday is a marquee day rather than a quiet one. The waterfront rooms, the St. Armands Circle classics and the national steakhouse names all build a Sunday brunch and a full dinner service into the week, because the visitors who fill the town expect it. The few rooms that close Sunday are the small chef-led independents, Michael's On East and Indigenous among them, which rest the kitchen at the start of the week.

The order below leads with the polished steak-and-seafood rooms, moves through the St. Armands Circle institutions, and closes with the Burns Court fish camp for a relaxed Sunday. Sarasota is outside the Michelin guide, so the credentials here are local standing and staying power; the Columbia traces its family line to 1905 and Owen's Fish Camp has anchored Burns Court for years. A seasonal note: winter Sundays in season fill fast and need a booking, while summer is far calmer. Hours were checked against each restaurant's published schedule in June 2026. For the rest of the week, start with the Sarasota dining guide.

The Sunday list

1

Ocean Prime

Seafood & steakhouse · The Quay, Downtown Sarasota · $80–130 per head

Sunday hours: Brunch 12:00–15:00, dinner 15:00–21:00

Ocean Prime is the Cameron Mitchell group's polished surf-and-turf room at The Quay, the new waterfront development on the edge of downtown. The Chilean sea bass and a dry-aged steak are the order, and the room is built for an occasion, with a long bar and a theatrical "berries and bubbles" cocktail. A meal runs $80 to $130 a head. Sunday opens with a brunch from noon, then rolls into dinner from three, so it covers a midday celebration and an evening table equally. Reserve a window seat for the water view, particularly on a winter Sunday.

2

The Capital Grille

Dry-aged steakhouse · University Town Center, Sarasota · $75–120 per head

Sunday hours: Sunday, 11:30–21:00

The Capital Grille sits at University Town Center, the mall-anchored dining cluster north of downtown, and it delivers exactly what the name promises: dry-aged steak in a clubby, dark-wood room. The bone-in dry-aged ribeye and the lobster mac and cheese are the dishes to order, with a meal around $75 to $120 a head. It opens Sunday from half-eleven straight through to nine, so it works for a late Sunday lunch as well as dinner. The wine list is deep, and the bar is the easy seat for a solo Sunday steak.

3

Cafe on St. Armands

Modern European / Mediterranean · St. Armands Circle, Sarasota · $60–100 per head

Sunday hours: Sunday, 09:00–21:00

The address at 431 St. Armands Circle has been a fine-dining room for decades, long known as Cafe L'Europe and now reopened as Cafe on St. Armands. The kitchen keeps the Continental register the Circle expects: Dover sole, rack of lamb, a serious wine cellar. A meal lands around $60 to $100 a head. It runs a long Sunday, nine in the morning to nine at night, which makes it the Circle's most flexible Sunday table, good for a late breakfast, a long lunch after a walk around the shops, or a dressed-up dinner.

4

Columbia Restaurant

Spanish / Cuban · St. Armands Circle, Sarasota · $40–70 per head

Sunday hours: Sunday, 11:00–21:00

The Columbia is the Sarasota outpost of a family restaurant that began in Tampa's Ybor City in 1905, which makes it the oldest name on St. Armands Circle. The tableside 1905 Salad, tossed at the table, and the paella a la Valenciana are the classics, with a meal around $40 to $70 a head. It opens Sunday from eleven to nine, a tiled, fountain-courtyard room that fills with families. It is the easiest grand-feeling Sunday booking on the Circle and the most reliable for a large table.

5

Marina Jack

Waterfront seafood / American · Bayfront, Downtown Sarasota · $45–80 per head

Sunday hours: Dining room brunch 11:15–14:00, patio bar & grill to late

Marina Jack sits right on Sarasota Bay at 2 Marina Plaza, the bayfront room with the best water view in the city and a Sunday brunch that locals have kept going for years. The grouper and the Sunday brunch spread are the draws, with a meal around $45 to $80 a head. The upstairs dining room runs its brunch from 11:15, while the downstairs Patio Bar and Grill stays open long into the evening. It is the pick for a Sunday that wants boats, water and a relaxed pace rather than white tablecloths.

6

Owen's Fish Camp

Southern seafood · Burns Court, Downtown Sarasota · $30–55 per head

Sunday hours: Sunday, 16:00–21:30

Owen's Fish Camp is the most-loved casual room in Sarasota, a Southern fish-camp shack tucked into the leafy Burns Court block downtown. The shrimp and grits and the whole fried snapper are the order, with most meals between $30 and $55 a head. It opens Sunday from four, takes no reservations, and runs live music in the garden out back. The wait can be long on a winter Sunday, so arrive at opening or put your name in and drink in the yard. It is the relaxed close to a Sarasota Sunday.

How to book a Sunday table in Sarasota

Sarasota is a reserve-ahead city in season and a walk-in city in summer. On a winter Sunday, book Ocean Prime, The Capital Grille and Cafe on St. Armands a few days out, and reserve a bayfront window at Marina Jack early, because the brunch room is small. The Columbia takes large tables well and is the call for a Sunday family group on the Circle. Owen's Fish Camp takes no bookings at all, so a Sunday opening-time seat is the simplest way in and a fine solo-dining move at the bar. For a relaxed Sunday date, the patio at Marina Jack or a courtyard table at Cafe on St. Armands does the job; pair either with a walk around St. Armands Circle first.

Frequently asked questions

Which upscale restaurants are open on Sunday in Sarasota?

Most of them. Sarasota is a resort and snowbird town, so its upscale rooms treat Sunday brunch as prime trade. Ocean Prime at The Quay, The Capital Grille at University Town Center, Cafe on St. Armands and the Columbia Restaurant on St. Armands Circle, Marina Jack on the bayfront and Owen's Fish Camp in Burns Court all open Sunday. The chef-driven independents like Michael's On East and Indigenous are the exceptions that close Sunday. Sarasota sits outside the Michelin guide.

Where is the best Sunday brunch in Sarasota?

For a waterfront brunch, Marina Jack runs a dining-room brunch on Sarasota Bay from 11:15am, and Ocean Prime serves a polished brunch at The Quay from noon. For a long St. Armands Circle lunch, the Columbia Restaurant and Cafe on St. Armands both open late morning and run all day. Winter Sundays in season book up, so reserve the bayfront rooms a few days ahead.

Is the Columbia Restaurant in Sarasota open on Sunday?

Yes. The Columbia Restaurant on St. Armands Circle opens Sunday from 11am to 9pm, the Sarasota outpost of a Tampa institution that dates to 1905. The tableside 1905 Salad and the paella a la Valenciana are the dishes to order, with a meal landing around $40 to $70 a head. It is the easiest grand-feeling Sunday booking on the Circle, and the courtyard tables are the ones to ask for.

Are restaurants in Sarasota open on Sunday in the summer?

Yes, though the rhythm changes. Sarasota's season runs November to April, when winter Sundays are busy and reservations are essential. In the summer off-season the same rooms stay open but the crowds thin, so a Sunday table is far easier to get. The waterfront and St. Armands Circle rooms keep their Sunday hours year-round; the smaller independents are the ones most likely to trim summer days.

What is the best Sunday seafood in Sarasota?

Owen's Fish Camp in Burns Court is the Sunday seafood pick, a Southern fish-camp room with shrimp and grits and whole fried snapper, open Sunday from 4pm with live music. It takes no reservations, so a Sunday early seat is the move. For a dressier waterfront option, Marina Jack and Ocean Prime both lead with Gulf fish and run full Sunday service, the first on the bay and the second at The Quay.

Keep reading

Plan the rest of the week with the full Sarasota dining guide, or by occasion with solo dining at the counter. By cuisine, see the best seafood restaurants worldwide, the best steakhouses worldwide and the best Spanish restaurants worldwide. Travelling the Gulf coast? Compare with the Tampa dining guide and the Orlando dining guide. For the global view on closing nights, read where to eat well on a Sunday or Monday.

Hours verified against each restaurant's published schedule in June 2026; confirm directly before travelling. Restaurants for Kings is editorial, not sponsored. Some reservation links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a ranking or a score.