25 essential Bradenton restaurants worth a road trip from Tampa Bay

Blue Marlin Seafood

121 Historic Bridge Street, Bradenton Beach
Blue Marlin opened in a blue 1920’s cottage back in Nov. 2011. The restaurant’s menu is primarily centered around grouper, snapper, cobia and hogfish dishes that are brought in by the local A. P. Bell Fish Company. Blue Marlin is open Monday through Saturday from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. and on Sunday from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. The restaurant usually hosts live music on Fridays and Saturdays.

Photo via Blue Marlin/Facebook

The Bridge Tender Inn & Dockside Bar

135 Bridge St., Bradenton Beach
Since they’re a waterfront restaurant on Anna Maria Island, The Bridge Tender’s menu focuses on seafood and comfort food. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and offers inside and outside seating. They also serve beer and cocktails.

Photo via The Bridge Tender Inn & Dockside Bar/Facebook

Beach House Waterfront Restaurant

200 Gulf Drive N, Bradenton Beach
Featuring 650 feet of Gulf-front beach, the Beach House serves a tropical, seafood-based menu for both indoor and outdoor seating. Throughout their renovations, which were completed in 2017, the restaurant focused on conservational and environmentally conscious construction. They’re also a United Nations global observatory site.

Photo via The Beach House Restaurant/Facebook

Caddy's Bradenton

801 Riverside Dr. E, Bradenton
Accessible from the Manatee River, visitors are able to sit by the water and munch on American food at Caddy’s Bradenton. The restaurant is pet friendly and has a sand volleyball court. They also serve local craft beer and have a liquor bar. Caddy’s Bradenton is opens daily at 11 a.m. The restaurant closes at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and at 10 p.m. all other nights.

Photo via Caddy’s at the Pointe/Facebook

3 Keys Brewing and Eatery

2505 Manatee Ave. E, Bradenton,
3 Keys Brewing is a small batch brewery and eatery with a “weekly evolving” selection of beer and pub style food. The restaurant has bingo on Thursdays, live music on Saturdays and trivia on Sundays. Visitors are able to bring beers and ciders home with them in growlers. Seating is “community style,” meaning you might have to sit with strangers at a large table, and visitors order food at the bar. Burgers range from $11 to $14 and the beef is sourced locally from Lakewood Ranch, 10 miles away. 3 Keys Brewing is open Monday through Thursday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Photo via 3 Keys Brewing & Eatery/Facebook

Pier 22

1200 1st Ave. W, Bradenton
Just down the street from Bradenton’s city hall, Pier 22 serves lunch and dinner from the city’s historic pier that was built in 1928. If you’re in the mood for fish, Pier 22 has grouper, cod, halibut, tuna, salmon and American red snapper dishes. There is also an array of land-based meals, including market priced fresh game “delicately sourced protein from around the world.” Sandwiches at the waterside restaurant range from $13 for a barbecue chicken sandwich to $18 for soft shell crab or grouper sandwiches. A sushi bar is open at the restaurant all day on Wednesdays and Fridays. The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, 11:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. on Fridays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Sundays. Free docking is available if you arrive by boat.

Photo via Pier 22/Facebook

Anna Maria Oyster Bar on the Pier

2200 Bridge St., Bradenton Beach
This oyster bar offers lunch, dinner and a full bar right on the water. Oysters can be served nine different ways, but the restaurant also offers a variety of seafood and American cuisine.

Photo via Anna Maria Oyster Bar on the Pier/Facebook

O’Bricks Irish Pub & Martini Bar

427 12th St. W, Bradenton
According to their website, O’bricks is “housed in two of downtown Bradenton’s oldest structures,” with the grill and banquet room located in the Anderson-Finkham Building, which was built in 1901. Open daily from 11 a.m. until 2 a.m., the restaurant offers flatbreads, sandwiches and a variety of entrées. The lunch menu is served daily from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. and the dinner menu goes from 4 p.m. until 10. The restaurant also has a brunch menu which is served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Visitors can also bring in your own bottle of wine for a $15 “corkage fee” per 750 ml bottle.

Photo via O’Bricks Irish Pub & Martini Bar/Facebook

Chang Kao Thai Cuisine

6233 14th St. W, Bradenton
Formerly Thai Spice, Chang Kao Thai Cuisine serves a range of Thai food like Tom Kha Chicken, Seaweed Salad and Green Curry Duck. Dishes on the lunch menu, which is served until 3 p.m., range from $8.95 to $12.95. Chang Kao is open from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. then 4:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. On Fridays, the restaurant is open from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. then 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. On Saturdays, Chang Kao is open from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. then 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. It is closed on Sundays.

Photo via Chang Kao Thai Cuisine/Facebook

Central Cafe

906 Manatee Ave. E, Bradenton
According to Central Cafe’s website, their owner, Marsha Forrest,enjoys sipping LOLA Rosé and listening to Corinne Bailey Rae, while Mic Cripe prefers Bud Light while listening to Nomadzz. The restaurant’s American-based menu is inspired by California’s seasonal harvest.

Photo via Central Cafe/Facebook

Council's Burgers, Beer, Billiards

536 12th St. W, Bradenton
2020 will be this popular burger joint’s 94th year of operation. Council's is open from 10:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. almost every day of the week. The restaurant stays open until 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and is closed on Sundays. The bar and restaurant’s Facebook also advertises free pool every Tuesday.

Photo via Councils’ Burgers, Beer, & Billiards/Facebook

Fav's Italian Cucina

419 12th St. W, Bradenton
Fav's is co-owned by brother and sister Michael and Maria Favasuli. They’re open from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Saturday. Their pizza lunch special, which includes two slices and a soft drink for $5.50, is available from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Fav’s also serves salads, pasta, stromboli, garlic herb wraps and subs.

Photo via Fav’s Italian Cucina/Facebook

Château 13

535 13th Street West, Bradenton
Château 13, which offers European-based bites and a large selection of wine and beer, is celebrating their 1-year anniversary in February. Their “bites” range from $2.50 to $4, appetizers range from $6 to $18 and entrées cost anywhere from $19 to $35. There are also five variations of mussels that cost $15 for a half pound and $27 for a full pound. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. Other than Valentine’s day, seating is arranged by walk-ins only.

Photo via Chateau 13 Restaurant & Wine Bar/Facebook

IL Conte Ristorante & Pizzeria

8209 Natures Way, Suite 103, San Marco Plaza, Lakewood Ranch
Executive chef and owner Alfredo Dapi blends local ingredients with imports from Puglia, Italy, where he once lived. There are several different pizzas on the lunch and dinner menus, but the restaurant also offers a selection of soups, salads, pastas and appetizers. The happy hour menu is served at the bar Tuesday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. then 4 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. then 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. IL Conte is closed on Mondays.

Photo via Il Conte Ristorante & Pizzeria/Facebook

Michael John’s Restaurant

1040 Carlton Arms Blvd., Bradenton
The beef at this French-American brasserie-style steakhouse is aged 12-14 days in house and comes from family owned Iowa ranches. Alternatively, they also offer seafood and vegetarian dishes, as well as soups, salads and appetizers. If you’re interested, the restaurant is open from 5 to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 5 to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. It is closed on Sunday.

Photo via Michael John’s Restaurant/Facebook

Ortygia

1418 13th St. W, Bradenton
Chef Gaetano Cannata grew up surrounded by Sicilian cuisine in a Sicilian neighborhood in New Jersey. In 2007, he opened Ortygia in a cottage in Bradenton’s Village of the Arts and began serving Sicilian-French style food called “Monzu.” Ortygia serves hot and cold appetizers, tarts for $9.50, soups for $8.50 and pasta or entrées from $15.50 to $18.50. If you plan on going, Ortygia is open Thursday through Saturday from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. for lunch, then 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. for dinner

Photo via Ortygia/Google Maps

Restaurant Edelweiss

611 Manatee Ave. E, Bradenton
This German restaurant has Bavarian nights, with live music and Bavarian dinner specials, on the second and fourth fridays of every month. Restaurant Edelweiss offers a variety of schnitzels, sausages and other popular German classics like Schweinshaxe. The restaurant is open daily from 12 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. and has live music on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Photo via The Edelweiss/Facebook

Riverhouse Waterfront Restaurant

995 Riverside Drive, Palmetto
Right on the Manatee River in Palmetto’s historic district, Riverhouse has three dining options between the Reef & Grill, which includes a full bar with indoor and outdoor seating, the Snook Deck, which has waterfront seating, or the Second Floor, which offers a fine dining and piano lounge setting. Their menu is American-based and includes lunch specials offered until 4 p.m.

Photo via Riverhouse Waterfront Restaurant/Facebook

Robin's Downtown Cafe

428 12th St. W, Bradenton
Robin's Downtown Cafe serves classic diner food. Whether you’re in the mood for an omelette, a sandwich or a salad, everything on the menu is under $10. Robin’s is open from 7 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Photo via Robin’s Downtown Cafe/Facebook

Sage Biscuit

1401 Manatee Ave. W, Bradenton
This family owned business focuses on healthy, and mostly vegetarian, options. Sage biscuits, which the restaurant is named after, are offered with most of the breakfast meals. Sandwiches, soups, salads and “Fresh and Tasty” meals are offered in the restaurants lunch menu. Sage Biscuit is open daily from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. and has an additional Cortez location at 6656 Cortez Road W.

Photo via Sage Biscuit/Facebook