Reviews written by Don Blackowiak

We've been a few times and always had good food. Last time way a little rough as they had just updated the menu so everything seemed to have cheese. Fortunately they have since fixed the menu so there are some vegan options and I can say they are quite good. If they're not too busy, this is certainly a place to try something new.

It's also a good option for taking non-vegan guests as they have something for everyone in a nice environment. Beware, it can get loud inside when the bar is hopping. Outside is a great option during good weather.

A good bowl with plenty of veggie options. Love that most things are vegan and gluten free, and we enjoyed our tofu bowls. Juices were good too and seem to be made onsite. Nothing is labeled organic, so that's unclear.

Sweet, cool, vegan and yummy. I'm ready for another sorbet already.

Glad to say we finally made it to the new Green Zebra and were quite happy with the food and the people were super nice as I'd expect. The location is right off St. Armands across the street from Shore Diner. They have quite a lot of vegan options for breakfast, lunch and an early dinner. Strangely the vegan options all appear under the raw menu, so it seems more a breakfast and lunch spot to me. We tried the spicy thai wraps that were excellent and the raw burritos that were pretty good. Serving sizes not the biggest, but prices typical for St. Armands I'd say. They have cooked food on the non-vegan side.

After a total lack of options at the nearby Perfect Caper, we were thrilled to find this friendly restaurant in Punta Gorda with vegan Cauliflower steak. The food was really good and I'd go back. I'd be happier if they had more options of course. They talk about organic and local ingredients, but it's rather unclear what on the menu is actually local or organic.

We've been several times now, and I continue to be thrilled to have a good pizzeria with vegan and gluten free options on University. Other pizza's may be better, but they can easily run $30 instead of $10.

Hint: hit them during off hours and you can really pile on the ingredients.

Where to eat in Venice late at night? Sharky's has several vegetarian or vegan options on the menu. The location at the beach is unbeatable. The food was good... but the server who was very helpful but clueless gave us a salad with feta cheese.

I've only been once and I'm not too familiar with Vietnamese food, so I've no idea if our selections were the best options, but the food was ok. Next time I will try my favorite Thai dishes, but in the meantime they definitely offer new options if you want a different kind of dinner. The TOFO package was clearly non-GMO when we asked, and the owner was very nice and helpful. The owner at least is very vegan friendly, though the with the language barrier it's a good idea to clearly specify that you want the vegan version with no fish sauce.

Prices are good and it's nice to have a vegan option right by the Parkway cinema.

The Beauty of Sprouts is your best option for raw, vegan food in the Sarasota area, especially if you want to go for dinner. We've been there many times and hosted several VegSarasota events there as well. Rano is amazing and warm and full of love for everyone. Go prepared for wonderful food served by the chef herself. Don't miss the lavender creme brûlée for desert. We really love that she changes the menu regularly, so there is always something new to try. Best of all nearly everything is organic and made from whole foods. Treat yourself and your body to dinner at The Beauty of Sprouts today,

The Beauty of Sprouts had been open for less than a week when we visited, and we were really happy with everything we tasted, saw and heard from owner Rano Halikova. The chilly evening we visited had one cooked dish available, her homemade vegan borscht soup, and it was excellent! At the owner's suggestion we tried the sampler platter of appetizers and really liked all with the stuffed bell pepper and eggplant ravioli being standouts. We then skipped to dessert and tried all 4 (yes, 4) vegan desserts!!!! The raw tiramisu, lemon pie and macadamia brûlée were awesome. We suggested changing the oatmeal carrot cookie for something else. The ginger ice tea was excellent, and vegans will be happy to know that she uses only coconut palm sugar as sweetener.

She is working daily to improve her menu and so is very open to suggestions regarding oil free cooking, gluten free options and offering some cooked dishes at least at night. If you are following a plant based diet for health reasons, beware the coconut oil in many raw desserts.

We will go back and happily try the rest of Rona's menu. We're very happy in Sarasota to have this new option!

If you want a bar scene with a few vegan dinner options, then Clasico is worth a try. We had nice seats outside away from the crowded bar. Was not the best vegan food, but it was a great price and it's on Main St. Hopefully they will improve. Vegetarians have several more options available.

Veg has been around for several years now and we were very happy to see that their vegan menu has evolved and now includes their "Awesome Rawsome" menu, many hot and cold appetizers and entrees, and organic wines as well. They were helpful with all our questions about the vegan and gluten free options. The food was good and we left way overfed. So if you want dinner in South Sarasota and want many options on the menu, Veg is a great option. Sadly no vegan desserts, and they state "No substitutions" which is a bit odd for a place that claims everything is made from scratch. Note that they are small, so calling ahead is a good idea. They do close earlier than most restaurants.

Very nice place and I'm glad it's open late. The servers have always been very nice. But they cook everything on the same grill, and they have no corporate policy regarding organics, GMOs or any other standard. At least they are local compared to huge chains.

THeir magazine is great and they have frequently donated copies to VegSarasota for our outreach events.

For anybody interested in their health and particularly anyone who has had a health scare, this is the first movie to watch.