1592 | Wood Fired Kitchen & Cocktails — Restaurant in Sarasota

If you’re considering this restaurant for a large party, do yourself a favor and go elsewhere. Unfortunately, our experience left us feeling unwelcome and harassed before even stepping foot inside, and I ultimately chose to take our business elsewhere.

We had heard great things about this restaurant from many of our clients, so I decided to celebrate my husband’s birthday here. A week in advance, I called to make a reservation for a party of 12, including two young children (ages 4 and 6). I specifically asked if there were any policies we should be aware of and was told there were none, aside from providing notice if our plans changed.

They requested a credit card to hold the reservation—something I found unusual but agreed. Later, I received another call with completely different terms.

Suddenly, we were required to spend a minimum of $50 per person or $600 total, and if we didn’t meet that amount, they would charge our bill the difference ( This policy is not disclosed on the website.) Additionally, because it was a Friday, split checks were not allowed — although not a issue on my end could be an inconvenience for my guests who may prefer to pay separately.

I was taken aback—not because of the spending requirement itself (we had planned to order bottles of wine, drinks, appetizers, and entrées, likely spending over $1,000)— but because of the audacity of demanding a minimum spend or penalizing guests for “not being worth” holding a table on a weekend.

What ultimately led me to cancel was the condescending way these policies were introduced. The tone made it seem completely normal to threaten to charge a guest’s card if they didn’t spend enough.

While I can’t speak to the food, I can say that first impressions matter. If this all happened over the phone, imagine what our experience would have been like in person.

We took our business elsewhere, and I’m glad we did. Instead of a warm, celebratory experience, it felt transactional and unwelcoming—the opposite of what a special occasion should be. A birthday dinner should feel enjoyable, not like a hostage situation where guests are threatened and burdened before even arriving.

Frankly, if a restaurant needs to enforce questionable policies just to stay afloat—and can’t even accommodate basic service requests like splitting a check— Perhaps it’s time to reassess where your restaurant actually stands in comparison to higher-end establishments nearby—ones that don’t impose such absurd and entitled policies.

this is not the employees fault, they were clearly just passing down “new policies” established...

One of the best restaurants in Sarasota. We eat at many places but this one is truly at the top of our list. The food is excellent, the service is superb & the atmosphere is exceptional. We were there to celebrate my friend’s anniversary & the restaurant truly helped us make it a surprise. Edwardo was the most attentive server. He was excellent & we observed all servers doing such a great job. FOOD: Try the Brussels sprouts for appetizers. It fed 5-6 of us & had a great flavor. Dinner: I highly recommend the yellow fin tuna steak. Oh my gosh, the flavors that are married into this main course dish were delicious. They blended so well into the tuna steak (which was cooked perfectly & not overdone) melted in my mouth. Others at our table ordered the filet mignon which they said was excellent. My husband had the open-faced shrimp on pita bread which gave plenty of shrimp, perfectly cooked & the dressings were a delight. Even the coffee after dinner was great. SERVICE: These servers were so attentive, & as noted, Edwardo was excellent. He is bilingual, speaking Spanish & English. He anticipated all our needs, from drinks to food, to checking that we were happy with the way our food was right after it was served. He handled many tables without leaving us to ask for anything. How do they do all of that? A perfectly organized kitchen, chef, management & all that put this restaurant at the top. ATMOSPHERE: Seating includes inside & outside, both of which packed quickly but no one was left standing to wait. It is decorated perfectly, making great use of space, was clean as a whistle (even the bathrooms), & outside area. Overall, we love coming g here & will continue to do so. A great place to eat, shower your guests with the great flavors of Sarasota & terrific...

I have been coming here for over a year now. Here is my opinion of this place. Decor is good and comfortable. The food is generally good but the quality has gone down in recent months. I like the open face chicken pita. It is getting smaller and smaller while costing more. It have gone up by two dollars but is shrinking in size. The taste and flavor have also diminished over the months. Used to have a wonderful assortment of flavors and now seems like it is thrown together by people that dont care anymore. That being all what it is here is my biggest problem with this place. YOUR SERVICE SUCKS! Every time I go here, which I only do these days because my wife likes this place, the service is awful. The waiters here really dont watch their tables. You have to hunt them down for everything. I am tired of begging for an iced tea refill. They always seem clueless and unsure of what they are doing. And these guys have been there for a while or more. They are totally inattentive to their tables. Chatting with other servers, on the phone or they disappear in the back somewhere. If it was up to me between the prices, loss of quality of their food and downsizing of the meals I wound never bother to go here. You guys only get my business because my wife still likes going here. Guys get some servers/waiters that know what they doing and actually care about serving the customers!!!!

Update July 29, 2024 Since my above review I have visited this restaurant a bunch of times and have to say that the management took my review seriously and I must say to their credit I have seen a definite and marked improvement in service here. I thank their management for responding to their customer! I do recommend this restaurant now.. And the food is...