Adeline, Swordfish Grill, Toasted Mango Cafe: Restaurant News

SARASOTA-BRADENTON, FL — Check out the latest bar and restaurants news from the Sarasota and Bradenton area:

Champagne Bar With $150 Minimum Tab Sets Opening Date In Sarasota

A new champagne bar with a $150 minimum tab for those who make reservations for indoor seating has set its opening date.

Sugar Champagne Bar, at the corner of South Pineapple and Lemon avenues in downtown Sarasota, will open its doors on Friday.

The upscale lounge, housed in a pink building with a design inspired by Old Regency Florida, offers a curated selection of champagnes, wines, spirits and canapés.

Former Jo-To Site Could Become Food Truck Court

Property near the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, the former site of Jo-To Japanese Steak House, could become a food truck court, the Bradenton Herald reported.

Paperwork filed with the county shows that plans call for the former restaurant building to be turned into a food service kitchen and the 1-acre property would house five food trucks with space for a plane-spotting observation deck and 60 parking spots.

Cortez Eatery Among Best 44 Restaurants In U.S., List Says

Swordfish Grill at 4628 119th Street W. in Cortez was among the 44 restaurants across the country to land on USA Today’s Restaurants of the Year list.

It was one of three Florida restaurants — the others are Bicyclette Cookshop in Naples and Pearl & Horn in Pensacola — to land on the list.

“Nestled in the historic commercial fishing village of Cortez, Swordfish Grill is surrounded by working docks and pristine mangroves, gray pelicans and blue herons, leaping mullet, and frolicking dolphins. The experience is a delightful slice of Old Florida paradise,” according to the listing for Swordfish. “Owned by local fisherman John Banyas, Swordfish Grill offers a waterfront patio and tiki bar with live music, as well as an indoor bar and dining room adjacent to the open kitchen, where locally sourced seafood such as black grouper, American red snapper, or pompano are deftly blackened, grilled or fried. Craving a Southern classic? Order the delectable shrimp and grits.”

Toasted Mango Cafe Opens on Anna Maria Island

The Toasted Mango Cafe, which originally opened its first restaurant in downtown Sarasota in 2011, has opened its first location — and third total — in Manatee County, the Bradenton Herald reported.

The new restaurant is on Anna Maria Island at 3240 E. Bay Drive in Holmes Beach.

According to the Food Network, the Toasted Mango Cafe has the best waffles in Florida.

National Health-Focused Chain Expanding into Sarasota Area

Flower Child, a health-focused national chain, is opening its first Florida restaurant in Lakewood Ranch by late spring, according to Sarasota Magazine.

The concept from 11-time James Beard-nominated chef Sam Fox focuses on healthy food made-from scratch.

Menu items, including many vegan and vegetarian options, include salads, wraps and vegetable-based bowls with various proteins to choose from.

Gourmet Sandwich Shop Closes

Southside Village’s Adeline has closed its lunch concept, a gourmet sandwich shop called Little A, that operated out of its same location at 1920 Hillview Street during the day, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune said.

Adeline, formerly Meliora, which was rebranded by the co-founding chef and co-owner Drew Adams in 2022, will continue to open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday at 5 p.m.