O'Leary's Tiki Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Sarasota

Lovely location and a superb view of the bay, and I especially enjoy feeling the sand under my feet, as it makes it feel like a beach bar. Unfortunately, the service at the outside bar can be pretty bad.

The line for service can get VERY long when it's busy and the staff tend to be VERY slow -- I'm talking a 20-minute wait or more sometimes.

Or when it has not been busy, they have simply ignored me, even when there was no one else waiting for a drink.

And when they have eventually got around to serving me, they are not especially friendly.

I know the last couple of years have been tough in the service industry, so I hope everyone here can find a way to enjoy their work, as I would not wish for anyone to hate what they do every day, and I know it would make for a better experience for the customers.

Astonishingly, there is no table service, so you have no choice but to go to the bar for drinks. This seems very odd as they would triple their take with even mediocre table service.

I would love to come here more often because of the view, sand and great location, but it is hard to keep giving money to people who do not seem to appreciate your business or care how customers are treated.

Also, my wife drinks wine, and their selection is pretty poor. But the $3.50 domestic drafts is a pretty good deal for the area, though, so if you don't mind Bud Light, you're...

First time visiting Sarasota & we were recommended to visit O’Leary’s. We ordered the fried grouper sandwich, basket of loaded fries, and the peel and eat shrimp. Starting with the grouper sandwich, for $20 I expected a piece of fish to be at least as big as the bun. The grouper was a thin, small portion. The loaded curly fries were good, probably the highlight of our meal. But just a warning the peel and eat shrimp are served cold. I’m used to them being served fresh and hot with a side of butter but I guess I should have asked since it doesn’t state how they are served on the menu, lesson learned. Once I realized they were cold, I immediately asked if that how they were normally served and if it was possible to exchange it for another item to which they said once the food is out they won’t change anything but we could buy something else if we wanted to. We even bought merchandise before eating to help support a local business. Sadly won’t be returning to this restaurant as we had really high hopes with it being one of the recommended...

Considering this place is basically a tiki bar that serves food, you will be amazed at how clean they maintain the property. There is never trash lying around. The owners clearly work hard to make this place very inviting and friendly so you can relax. The food is good. I would even argue that their lunch is comparable if not better than Marina jacks. I have had their breakfast and their BLTE is actually pretty damn good. I had a BLT at station 400 and it was awful. If you want something simple just make it simple and do it well. The bar is fully stocked and the staff is friendly. This is one of the best places to go in Sarasota. This isn't about going somewhere to be seen.... It's about going somewhere to relax. Enjoy the view and have a good time! The only thing that could make this place perfect is if they installed cooling mist systems like they have down at the boat house in Fort Myers. That's being picky, there just really isn't anything to complain about...