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! Â 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
The only reason this place is getting 2 stars and not 1 is because of the atmosphere. Â The Chiles group own Sandbar and the Beach House as well. All three restaurants have amazing locations and sub par food. :( Â If you take a look at the photos here you will notice that they are mostly of the location and not the food. Do yourself a favor and if you go, just go for lunch and get the peel and eat shrimp and a beer and get the hell out!. Â The burger is even bland! The "fishdip" is really just tuna fish. Â Just terrible. Good luck everyone. This place is a tourist trap like the rest of the restaurants because they have the best Real Estate on the Island. Plus the prices are CRAZY!!!
Review Source:In a different league than its neighbor-Moores. Â Great setting, atmosphere and view. The food preparations nicely complement the fresh seafood bias and the bar is a classic.
Popular so be prepared to wait during busy season. Â Hard to feel bad waiting with a beer in hand in a tropical island setting.
Classic beach dive vibe - about half the diners came by boat (the pier is by Inter-coastal mile marker 39). Seafood was fresh, beer and wine ice cold, mostly locals, tater tots a specialty (no kidding, I know this sounds crazy but they are like no other you have ever had and you must try them). There is a pub inside but 90% of the tables are outside. This is right beside Moore's restaurant but better, cheaper, and more local.
Review Source:This is for my family members. Â Please dont purchase us gift cards for this place anymore. Skinny's was closed so...... (so please open Skinnys ASAP). Â I just wanted a burger. Not brown tuna a stale buger roll and a burnt grilled cheese with griddle crap stuck to it nd three day old fruit salad for my boy. Â "Now come on son...eat your burnt grilled cheese & rotten fruit and then you can have some Sysco truck ice cream."
Review Source:A Longboat Key favorite. Great bayfront location (you can paddle up in a Kayak and take three steps to a table). Food is consistently good, service is efficient and friendly, and the open-air "back deck" atmosphere is fantastic. Great place for a relaxing lunch or a leisurely dinner. Two thumbs up!
Review Source:Again, I don't hand out too many  stars but this place is one that you should rate high if you like seafood.
If you looking for a cheap place to eat (look elsewhere) this is not the right place for you since its over $30 per person.
My recommendations would be to start with the calamari. Â The sauce is really good that comes with it.
I typically don't eat bread but i had a few bites of the coconut bread... yum!
For dinner I recommend the sea bass with the red curry sauce. Â It was really good!
If your looking for some variety then try the baked medley. Â You have 3 large scallops, 3 shrimp, one crab cake and 1/2 a lobster tale. Â
Last but not least, the outside seating is awesome at night. Â There is a tree that hangs over the place and has lights all along it backed up to the bay. Â They also have a lot of fans hanging up just in case your worried you'll be hot.
My husband and I went here with my grandparents on 7/16/12 for dinner. Â I picked this place because of the pictures I saw of a tree covered patio overlooking the water. I wasn't disappointed! All of the trees are beautiful and have lights strung throughout for when the sun goes down. Although it was humid, they have large fans that can be turned on upon request and our waiter was very attentive to removing anything that could attract flies as soon as we were finished with it. I ordered a mojito and it was so refreshing and delicious that I had a second. While I can't remember specifically what we had, I do remember having a hard time deciding as everything looked so good! We all absolutely loved our meals and our friendly waiter. We will definitely be back next year!
Review Source:Just visited Mar Vista this past week. Â My entire party enjoyed quite literally everything we ordered. Â Excellent cocktails. Mussels, scallops, tuna, crab all cooked perfectly and great specials. Â We were so impressed, we came back the next night to introduce some others of our group to the place. Â Prices - roughly $25 an entree... the most expensive thing I noticed was about $35. Â That's about average fare for good, fresh seafood if you ask me. Â Great ambiance and super friendly and attentive staff.
Review Source:yea I'm happy to report a good experience....nice ambience  a little noisy if your on the deck.. will request to be under the trees next time.. great staff...food  ????sorry can't go more than but 3.5 for my experience ...however to be fair some others at our table enjoyed ....the problem in the area is learning how to cook some of this great fish we have without hitting the deep fryer. blackened or grilled ... more dishes like the coconut grouper..now that's what I'm talking about  !!
Review Source:Have lived in tampa since 1985 and cannot believe we did not discover this wonderful "OLD Fla." place sooner. The location and atmosphere are worth the drive alone. Ordered fish spread for an appitezer and the shrimp boil with beer for an entree. Perfect shrimp, tasty and large. The coconut and pineapple bread served along with it was an old fla treat. Server was friendly and just right. The coconut cake for desert was perfect. The frosting was the old time 7 minute one that nobody seems to make anymore. You cannot beat the view, beats a plane ticket to the Caribbean and just as nice. Â Why in the world does Tampa not have a place like this?????/
Review Source:GREAT location! Â Offered a gluten free menu & kids menu. Good food & drinks. Service was off. Forgot items several times. Very kid friendly. Grouper was fresh & delish! Â Scallops Mar Vista flavorful & filling. Baked medley perfect! Â Changed crab cake recipe with less filler. Oysters were fine.
Review Source:Beautiful location, relaxing setting but the food is awful. It took for ever to arrive, the server was intent on refilling our drinks while we waited. The "grouper" sandwich listed on the menu was not available so we were offered mahi-mahi, the fish itself was overcooked, a tiny portion on a huge bun, the french fries were cold, the coleslaw tasted like dishwater. The fried calamari that were served with melted parmesan cheese on top, totally revolting. It is very sad that at such a lovely location they manage to serve terrible food. If you have to go, don't waste your money on the food have a drink, enjoy the outdoor location, after this find another restaurant where the food is good!
Review Source:This is one of our all time favorite hang out places. If you expect fine dining forget it. This is a beach bar that serves food. That said, the food is really good for a beach bar. The drinks are great, atmosphere great, food is ok (but again were not talking fine dining here). Bring the fishing rods for the kids and try can fish I. The dock while you eat and drink and enjoy the  tables under the banion trees.
Review Source:Great service and atmosphere. Â This place would be amazing if the entrees were about $10 less. Â Don't get me wrong, I know that they're serving really fresh fish, but it just made it seem like a tourist trap (which it probably was).
We ate a LOT of tuna, which clearly isn't local seafood. Â I started with oysters, which were big and plump with great flavor, but poorly shucked. Â I was having to pick shell pieces out of mouth with each oyster. Â We had the seared tuna appetizer. Â The sear wasn't that great - as if the pan wasn't hot enough to really sear, so that the tuna cooked a little further through than I would have liked. Â What did look amazing were the soups - white clam chowder and bean & corn chowder. Â I should've gotten that with the oysters and called it a night.
Instead I also got the grilled yellowtail with side salad and baked sweet potato. Â I requested the fish rare, but it had the same problem as the appetizer - it was as if the pan wasn't hot enough, so it cooked through more than it seared. Â The portion was HUGE, appropriate for the $23 price tag. Â Still, I would've taken a half portion for it to cost less, particularly when the cooking was what I was expecting.
We sat close to the water, under the oak trees that were all lit up with twinkle lights. Â My 14-month-old loved sitting and playing in the shells that lined the path and walking out on the dock (where you could drive your boat up for dinner instead of your car). Â
I would go back, but I would stick with a cocktail and oysters.
I have gone to Mar Vista for over 15+ years so this is hard to write. We went to dinner last Sunday night. I ordered the seafood platter. Bad choice...when it came, there were two small fried shrimp, two teenie scallops, a soggy fish filet, and a crab cake. the only good thing was the crab cake. To think I spent $23.99 and that is still killing me! to recover and get my seafood the next time, we went to the Cortez Kitchen. Much better choice. If you go to Mar Vista just get a sandwich it's cheaper.
Review Source:It's funny how things can change. Â In 2010, we would've given this 5 stars. Â We had a perfect outdoor experience with wonderful food and an engaging waitress. Â We couldn't wait to go back again. Â So in 2011, we returned in anticipation on my wife's birthday. Â This experience was nothing like the first. Â First off, the waiter we had was not very good - acted like he could care less if we were there or not. Â The food was average this visit. Â Then when our food came out, the flies showed up. Â Not a lot of them but they were determined. Â I realize this is a chance you take when dining outside but I don't recall them bothering us the previous year. Â Had the service and food been better, we could've tolerated the flies easier as opposed to the flies just adding to our subpar experience.
With our excellent experiences at Mattison's Riverside in Bradenton, it may be unlikely we will return to Mar Vista. Â Especially since we are limited in our number of dining experiences while on vacation, we will be hesitant to use one here in fear of wasting a meal. Â It would be different if we lived in the area and could give the place more chances since we might have just had a fluke experience.
1 of the stars for this visit is for the peacocks in the surrounding neighborhood as they are entertaining.
~$14 for a grouper sandwich and fries (or cole slaw)?
Seems overpriced in my book, although perhaps no one blinks an eye on Millionaire's Island (a.k.a. Longboat Key).
The grouper tasted fresh, but doesn't come close to the Super Grouper Sandwich at Frenchy's in Clearwater that swims through my nostalgic daydreams (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/frenchys-saltwater-cafe-clearwater">http://www.yelp.com/biz/…</a>).
Sitting outdoors right by the water under the trees was nice (although chilly), but we felt like extras in a Hitchcock movie when the gulls started swooping in and snatching fries and other bits of food right off the table.
I'd give this 3 stars at half the price, but $52 for lunch for three sandwiches (including tax and tip) seems awfully steep.
If you go in the wintertime, bring a sweater and a long stick to defend your meal from divebombing seabirds.
I have eaten at mar vista numerous times in past years but this time was one of the worst meals I have ever eaten in my life. Six of us on a Sunday night, seated right away but it took over an hour to get served dinner. While the stone crab claws some ordered were ok, the fish dishes were so dry and stale we had to send them back. And my niece's mac and cheese tasted like it was cooked in vinegar, so it went back too. The manager came out and apologized and comped us some of the cost. But I would never risk coming here again. Maybe the cook was off that night? What a shame because it's such a lovely location.
Review Source:After a long day of playing on the beach myself and my party needed some good seafood. We didn't feel like driving anywhere and since Mar Vista was two blocks from the house, we walked. We started off with the smoked fish dip, which came with capers and purple onions on the side and that was superb. Then I had the baked shrimp, scallops, and lobster tail while my mom had the Mar Vista scallops. Both were amazing. One thing to mention-their fresh bread is sweet. We asked the waitress and it is made with pineapple and coconut for the flavor. Yum. The restaurant was kinda pricy-prolly equitable to a Papadeaux (if you have one of those). But it was definitely worth it.
Review Source:Although we spent the day on Anna Maria Island and Holmes Beach, we ended up at Mar Vista for dinner and were so glad we did!
While Mar Vista offers delicious seafood, what makes the experience memorable is their outdoor seating. Â The seating overlooks Sarasota Bay and the tables are under the shade of beautiful mangrove trees.
Great food, service, and ambiance - we'll definitely be back!
Right on the water, large florida trees covering the patio area. Â Seafood, hush puppies, all the lovely good southern cooking we all come to love and know. Â
It was a little cold to sit outside for us but the bar was a lovely experience as well. Â The inside portion of the restaurant is unique and full of character. Â The prices are reasonable. Â
I am sure you will not be dissapointed if your looking for some fresh seafood in a relaxed casual and beautiful atmosphere.
We had a family outing here after a quick search on the Internet for waterside restaurants. Â We were hoping the you could see the sunset from the restaurant, but you cannot. Â But, when you turn off the main road to go to Mar Vista, you can go the opposite direction and quickly walk to the beach to check out the sunset. Â So after getting our sunset fix, we drove the 2-3 minute ride back to Mar Vista.
The restaurant is right on a dock, so sitting outside we could watch the ocean get darker and darker until the only light came from the moon, the dock lanterns, and the rope lighting strewn about the outdoor porch. Â We started off with the Bud and Old Bay Shrimp Bowl. Â Was big enough to feed 4 people, and was about a 3.5/5. Â A little lemon sprayed on each shrimp helped out a lot. Â The shrimp were very large!
 I ordered the Crab Stuffed Flounder (I think flounder, may have been another type of fish).  It was VERY good.  My dad also got the same, and he liked it a lot too.  This was a special, so it might not always be on the menu.  They also had a decent selection of beers, but nothing crazy.  We didn't go into the bar and check it out, so they could have more on tap. Â
The inside of the restaurant was interesting...people would leave dollar bills and then restaurant would staple them to the wall. Â There was probably more than $100 taped to the wall...interesting, but asking to get robbed?
My brother got the Parmesan Crusted Flounder, my mom got Twin Lobster tail (~$35) and my sister got the Mar Vista Seafood Platter. Â All dishes were liked!
Highly recommended. Â Very laid back and beachy feeling.
One of my favorite places to grab a bite on Longboat Key. Â This is a former fish camp in the historic Villages area of LBK. Â Great traditional seafood from the grouper fish fry to the spread. Â My girlfriend loves the grouper reuben. Â This is a great place to come relax on a slow Sunday. Â You can walk off your meal in the surrounding neighborhood that features wandering Peacocks.
Review Source:I can't think of a better way to spend a gorgeous Florida saturday than cruising on my friend's hot ass boat and lunching at Mar Vista.
We pulled up to the jam packed dock with our mouths watering. Â The large outdoor eating area is perfect for 4 legged friends and the shade trees make it cozy and cool all at once. Â We were a group of 6 plus puppy and waited only moments before a table was set for us. Â Our server, Steve, was a dream. He brought endless rounds of drinks almost before we had a chance to ask for them and the food was outta this world. Â The ahai tuna was to die for, fresh and perfectly seared. Â Others tried burgers and various sandwiches, which all looked equally delish. Â Â
I'll happily make this trip any day of the week, boat or not! Â I'm told they do one hell of a breakfast and hopefully, I find out myself soon! Â Great food, excellent service and, of course, the best part is it's on the water. Â :)
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