SANDBAR Restaurant

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SANDBAR Seafood & Spirits Restaurant on Beautiful Anna Maria Island, Florida

Have you ever been to Anna Maria Island in Florida?  If not, make a plan to visit this quaint little beach town.  The beaches have soft white sand and the Gulf of Mexico with its turquoise water… it’s a beautiful place. While you are enjoying the sand and sun, check out a local favorite, Sandbar Seafood & Spirits.  While exploring the island, we stopped at Sandbar for lunch based on a recommendation from a close friend.  We loved it and I’ll tell you why you might just love it too!

Location, Location, Location of SANDBAR

Located at the north end of Anna Maria Island and right on the beach!  You can dine inside or out on the sand.  Any restaurant that I can sit and stare at the Gulf of Mexico is already earning points with me.  We happen to be visiting during a very uncommon cold snap in Florida so the beach was pretty quiet.  But, I could imagine, beach bums, like myself out for a day of sun and surf and wandering up to Sandbar for lunch and a cocktail.  Ahhh, my dream life. They also host special events.  Can you imagine that amazing sunset as the background to wedding vows? It must be close to Valentine’s Day, I’m getting all mushy.

Ok, one final note on location – There is a family of three waterfront restaurants in the Chiles Restaurant Group. Two are located right on Anna Maria Island, SandBar and Beach House, and Mar Vista which located just right down the road in north Longboat Key. You can find out more here.  And, before you ask, no this is- not a sponsored post.  I just love waterfront dining and had such a positive experience that I wanted to share it with all of you.

Sustainability at SANDBAR

If you have a few of my previous posts you’ll already know that I am a huge beach lover and care about our oceans.  I am happy to say that I am not alone.  Sandbar serves vegetables from their own farm, Gulf-to-table seafood and pasture-to-plate dishes to promote sustainability.  Of course, restaurants need to make a profit, but I love to see how much people in this area love and appreciate the life they have and the beautiful ocean that they get to be near every day.  This was all briefly and thoughtfully explained to us by our server, Kitty, as she handed us our amazing Bloody Mary’s without straws.  Did you know that straws are plastic but cannot be recycled?  They are also a threat to marine life when people liter or they inadvertently blow away in the ocean breeze.  I will happily drink my Bloody Mary without a straw Kitty!

Food at SANDBAR

Alright, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.  The food.  A picture is worth a thousand words, right?  Well, let this do the talking. My husband and I love food, especially seafood.  But, we aren’t “fancy” food people.  We like good, quality food made with love…and served with a Gulf view 😉

I had the Shrimp Po Boy and I referenced this meal during every other meal we had during our Sarasota area visit.  Every meal we had was good, but none quite as good as this Sandbar Shrimp Po Boy and that amazing Bloody Mary.

My husband had the recommended fish tacos and really enjoyed his as well.

The Friendly Vibe at SANDBAR

The entire vibe of Sandbar was just great.  There is a bar area full of smiling servers.  An adorable store filled with fun beach items at reasonable prices.  Our chosen family souvenir is a beach towel and I picked up a very high-quality Sandbar Anna Maria Island beach towel for around $15.  They even put it in a reusable shopping bag, which I’ve already used at the grocery store twice!

While purchasing my towel I chatted with the employees for several minutes about Anna Maria Island… the weather, traffic, and fun at the beach.  Everyone was SO friendly. One of my favorite things to do is chat with locals and workers wherever I visit and try to get a true sense of what it means to them to be a part of the community.

I really enjoyed Sandbar and Anna Maria Island.  It’s such a treasure.  I might even say it’s tied with my current favorite Florida Island.  Do you remember my favorite? You can read about it in my top travel moments of 2017.

Have you ever been to Sandbar Seafood & Spirits or Anna Maria Island, Florida?  If so, I’d love to hear about it. Just comment below.

Please note that this is not a sponsored post for this location or the Town of Anna Maria Island, Florida.  All opinions and reviews are my own.

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Happy Travels!

Jillian