Best Restaurants for Special Occasions in Englewood

Really a great experience. This was our first visit since recently moving to the area. Food was excellent and the service was great from being seated to the end. Our server, Kate E was absolutely wonderful. She was caring, attentive, and had a fabulous customer-centric focus. Nice views on top of great food and service. 10 out of 10 for us.

If you want authentic Spanish/Cuban food, Columbia is the place to go in Sarasota. We tried a number of things from the menu, chopped tomatoes, Cuban black bean soup (vegan), stuffed shrimp, key lime pie, and white chocolate bread pudding. These items, along with the crispy bread and an Andulusian Gimlet with fresh strawberries were fantastic. Our waitress has quite friendly and extremely prompt, which added to the overall experience. We will definitely be visiting again and hoping to have a cozy table inside. We were seated on the sidewalk (which was the only availability when we made our reservation), and the constant parade of cars, people, and dogs often distracted us from the wonderful meal before us. Note to self: reserve early, this restaurant is extremely popular!

On Dec. 2nd, 13 of my friends met me at Connors in Sarasota to celebrate my birthday at 3 p.m. It was a total surprise to me. Our waiter was Isaah Mills...He handled all these women with ease and with a smile. He even cut my birthday cake and handed it to my friends. All of us commented about his personality and nice smile and his friendly manner. I just had to mention that about Isaah as frequently a diner does not experience such royal treatment. On December 24th, my husband and I went to Connors for an early dinner and again we were treated like royalty. Our waiter's name was Jake. He also was very friendly and made sure we did not need anything . I live in Venice and I have recommended Connors to everyone. I have lived here for 7 years and I have been to Connors 51 times and never once was disappointed with any meal or service. Happy New Year to all the nice people who work for Connors. Nan Miller

Been a few years since we have had the pleasure of eating here since we live up north. It was the best all-round meal we have had at a restaurant in the last year. The escargot wellington and the lobster bisque to start the meal were packed with flavor and richness. My mother's tiger shrimp and chicken meatballs were delicious. So much good stuff packed in the meatballs with pasta made to perfection. My wife's crusted yellowtail snapper had a good crunch to the outside with flavorful savory fish inside, especially when combined with the tropical fruit jam and the crispy plantains. The paella had so many parts that worked but my favorites were the scallops and the pork belly. To finish the meal, our server recommended a delicious apple galette with a gelato scoop on top and raspberry sauce around thr edge of the plate for extra flavor. It was delightful. The phyllo pastry in both the wellington and galette were well prepared. What a great way to start our Christmas vacation in Sarasota.

Everything was amazing.. and if you are a steak person get the ribeye in medium. It will melt in your mouth. Omg!!! And the seafood appetizer with little octopus was next level.