Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub

Great food in a great atmosphere

A bunch of work friends and I were down in Sarasota to visit some Target stores and for dinner we had a dude that was down here a couple of times a year and recommended this for one of the guys that really wanted crab.

We had about a 20 minute wait, which was okay, since they have a long deck you can  hang out on and laugh with buddies looking out over the bay. We even saw some dolphins.

We sat down, and I ordered a beer and perused the menu. Lots of mojitos were ordered by others while they made their choices. The menu was pretty extensive, crab cakes, steamers, salads, pretty much anything you could wish for.

I ordered their grilled chicken sandwich and I would say about 80% of the group ordered their crab steamer pots. Which were like pressure cooker pots filled with crab and a melange of other seafood. Some got shrimp substituted for mussels and they were cool with that.

I bit into my wonderful chicken sandwich and the pineapple marinade was just amazing, super juicy and perfect. I told my buddy it was the best restaurant chicken burger I have had in a long time!  I think the bun could have been made like their wonderful Hawaii bread, which they give you a few loaves of it. I tried it at their other restaurant a few days earlier, and it was light and sweet and fluffy there. (Way good!)

Another friend couldn't finish her steamer pot, so she gave me a couple shrimp and about three crab legs. AMAZING! I would highly recommend the pots. Lots of food, but  everyone loved them!

The view is amazing, our service was fantastic, good beer and wonderful food makes it for a 5 star!

Awful service and food. We were in a large group during the spring break rush but it was late 8pmish.

First our waitress couldn't remember any of the prices.

Second she was very slow and forgetful.

Third the food was mediocre. My medium burger was dry and tasteless. My friend's medium was first a black brick. When they tried again it was a bloody mess. They did apologize and then get him some tenders, but it was a small consolation.

Finally, a tiny but weird point, the soap in the restroom was beyond watered down.

For these prices this place was a huge disappointment