We love eating dinner(not open for lunch) here whenever we get a chance and especially when company comes to visit us in Sarasota Florida. The restaurant offers early bird specials 4:00 — 5:15PM. Advised to make reservations. Great choices on the menu, from chicken, beef, great barbecued ribs and of coarse a good variety of fresh seafood! The side dishes change often, are interestingly different, but always wonderful! This is a restaurant you and your guest will enjoy. Casual attire. Alcohol(full bar). Don’t forget to get those reservations!
J M.
Place rating: 5 Lakewood Ranch, FL
The best. Food and service is excellent. Seafood is exceptional and wine list is long and includes good wines at fair prices. Lobster thermidor and mer soleil wine was wonderful. Wait staff is friendly and very helpful. They also have Née England Clam Chowder which is wonderful. Just wish the restaurant was larger.
Amy D.
Place rating: 3 Bradenton, FL
Ok. So attempted to try out this place. 2 months ago. We made reservations for 2 adult and 1 child. The lady on the phone was kind of rude. I called at 5:30 she said we don’t have anything till 7 which was fine. I live 25 minutes away. I told her I’ll take that time. She started saying«its season if you want earlier time you need to call ahead. «I never said I wanted an early time. Rude ! I still went my family wanted to try out the restaurant because it had such good reviews. And yes. The age group there is 70 – 80. The food was ok. Nothing special.
Kristin P.
Place rating: 2 Flower Mound, TX
I made a reservation for our party of seven(four adults, three children) earlier in the day for a Thursday evening dinner. The person I spoke to said that we could eat outside on the patio, which was fine. Because we have young children I wanted to make sure it was a child friendly place. According to Unilocal,it was. When we arrived I was instantly turned off by the exterior. The interior didn’t impress me either: dark and dingy, screams 80s(and not the part of the 80s we welcome back to 2015), full of people over the age of 60… maybe 70. We were seated quickly on their«patio» which come to find out had a lot of mosquitos buzzing about. Server came and took our drink orders in a timely manner then shortly thereafter we ordered our appetizer and meals. After twenty minutes the wrong appetizer came out so we waited another 15 minutes for the correct appetizer to come out. The ahi tuna was decent but the rice that it was on top of was undercooked. It took 60 minutes for our lobster bisque to arrive and although the flavor was good, there were no chunks of lobster in it. After 60 minutes of waiting for our food the kids were losing it. Understandably. My husband ended up leaving with our son before his food came out– 90 minutes later! I took a couple of bites of my meal(the scallops on creamed corn) and the scallops were cooked well but the creamed corn was way too salty and the corn did not taste cooked enough. Overall, if you have kids, DONOTTAKETHEMHERE. If you expect a meal in a timely manner, it’s best to take your money elsewhere. The food wasn’t terrible but lacked in creativity.
Gail L.
Place rating: 4 Wesley Chapel, FL
Good experience overall. Make reservations! I can’t stress that enough. We had theater tickets so we made reservations for 5:30 which is way earlier than we normally dine. They were already on a wait but had our table and seated us promptly. We met some regulars who advised on what they usually order and what they liked which was pretty much everything. Nice ambiance, but not too noisy despite being a full dining room. Nice décor, excellent wait staff. My husband had the whole lobster which he said was prepared perfectly and being a New Englander, he is way particular. I had the lobster bisque cup which was perfect and more of a bowl sized serving. Husband also had the Caesar salad with Parmesan croûton which was so good I only got a tiny taste. My choice was the fried green tomatoes and shrimp. Tomatoes were perfectly breaded, seasoned and crispy and the generous portion of shrimp was also cooked exactly right. Only negative was my dish had way too much sauce which appeared to be a balsamic reduction. While tasty it was just too much and overpowered what otherwise would have been an excellent dish. I will just ask them to go easy on the sauce next time. We ordered coffee after dinner which came out more like coffee flavored water. When asked the waiter just took the coffee off our bill. While the restaurant was very busy it did not seem like any table lacked for attention between the wait staff, bus help and runners. We now see why this place is always packed, so go and make a reservation even if it is way early.
Patty L.
Place rating: 4 Sarasota, FL
OMG the Lobster Escargot is amazing! I felt like a lush on lobster butter and yum yum rolls. Jeff ordered Fried Green Tomatoes and Shrimp and his Greek salad looks delicious, really potato salad on your Greek Salad, where have I been it taste wonderful. I rarely order lobster but they are famous for this dish so here I go again! Lovely place, Shelly great server! Jeff enjoyed the owners conversation.
Amanda P.
Place rating: 4 Ocala, FL
Don’t let the exterior deter you. The food is perfect. The staff wasn’t displeasing but they lacked … energy. The décor is a little cheesy for the setting they are aim for. HOWEVER, that being said, our food was flawless. As soon as we sat down we were brought rolls with butter and pepper jelly. While they were yummy, be careful not to eat to many you’ll want plenty of room for dinner. The big bang shrimp was absolutely delicious. My fiancé tried the sauces provided with it, I thought it was wonderful exactly how it was prepared. My fiancé ordered the Lazy man’s lobster and I ordered the lobster tail. Both dishes were served with a tasty potato gratin, spaghetti squash and green beans. The lazy man’s lobster was prepared in butter served de shelled with a side of butter, while the lobster tail was prepared with a succulent citrus seasoning. We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner. I only gave it four stars bc we both felt the staff could have been a little more friendly and welcoming.
Autumn S.
Place rating: 4 Seminole County, FL
What a treat! I was really surprised how delightful this little joint was in Sarasota. :) I went here with some friends for dinner after having a pregnancy craving for crab legs. LOL. No crab legs here… but PLENTY of lobster and other fish. We started out our meal with lobster«scargot» which is small chunks of lobster meat served in melted butter and cheese just like escargot would be served. It was ABSOLUTELY delicious and rich but the price for the amount of meat you get… isn’t desirable. I think you are partly paying for the experience of that appetizer. Bummer. Picking a meal was a challenge. Everything sounded so good. However, my husband and I decided on splitting the Bar Harbor Combo. I was unaware that splitting this would cause us to be charged an extra $ 3 on the meal. That disappoints me. Right now I am pregnant and having a hard time eating full meals so I basically have no other but to split with my husband. I hate being charged for that. :( However, it was delicious. It came with a good amount of sides and even though it was split it was a BIG amount of food. And of course I didn’t finish it. ha My friend got the SHrimp and fried green tomatoes! Mmmm… those fried green tomatoes were so yummy and the sauce it was in MADE the meal. We are sad we didn’t get to try desserts but we were all pretty full at the end. A charming little spot with yummy seafood.
Dana J.
Place rating: 5 Pompano Beach, FL
All of our dinners here were very good!!! Good meal for a good price and they were very hekpful in getting my phone charged. We would certainly go back if we are in the area
Heather J.
Place rating: 4 Bradenton, FL
Located in a strip mall-it makes the strip mall look good! Inside is decent ambiance. There was a mix-up in who our waitress was, but once that was cleared up everything was delicious! We split a plate & there is a $ 3 charge to do that-fyi. Tried the orange crème brûlée-delicious!!! We’ll be back!!!
Cristina T.
Place rating: 4 Sarasota, FL
Very delicious food. It’s tucked away in a shopping center but don’t let the outside fool you! I had the fried green tomatoes and shrimp and it was really great and the presentation was nice. The staff was nice and I will be coming back for sure.
Lauren D.
Place rating: 2 Folsom, CA
This place did not live up to the hype, I was significantly disappointed. I ordered one of the combo plates so I could try various items. The one I ordered came with stuffed flounder, stuffed shrimp and coconut shrimp. The side items were squash(I think?) green beans and rice with dried cranberries. The rice and squash were very bland. I didn’t eat more than a couple bites of either. The green beans were good. The biggest disappointment came from the main portions. The stuffed shrimp were wrapped in phillo dough, which I cannot eat, and it was not listed in the description. The shrimp were ok once I got the dough off but all stuffing came off with the dough. The coconut shrimp were terrible! I love coconut shrimp and looked forward to this the most. However it was almost bitter, not sweet, and did not taste like coconut. Though, to their credit, the shrimp were good quality. The sauce was also bitter. The flounder was the best part of the meal and the only reason I am giving two stars. The flounder was delicious. However I would not have spent what I did to only enjoy one small piece of fish. We also had empty water glasses for 15+ minutes while we were eating, which was very disappointing. Will not be returning.
Carol B.
Place rating: 4 Gastonia, NC
Not open for lunch. Gets very busy for dinner. A few nice tables on the outdoor sidewalk. Nice in nice weather. Small place so it fills quickly I had the Norma Very tasty and not overcooked. This place looks a little sketchy but is nice and cozy.
Janine E.
Place rating: 4 Orlando, FL
The outward appearance isn’t much… But there is so much to love about the Lazy Lobster! For starters we called ahead and Bob held a table for us so we were able to beat the Friday night wait! We were seated right away and greeted warmly by our waitress Saida. She recommended the Big Bang Shrimp for an appetizer — they were HUGE and delicious! We then ordered our dinner — I had the 6 oz lobster tail & my husband had the Ahi Tuna. Both meals were amazing! Our server also brought me a sample of the Lobster bisque because I had asked how it was. The food and the service were outstanding! We will definitely be back… even if it is located in a shady strip mall!
Allie M.
Place rating: 3 Bradenton, FL
Good food but for the prices not worth it in my opinion. I would still prefer lucky pelican any day over here.
Jill L.
Place rating: 4 Jupiter, FL
Being that this is one of my Grandparent’s favorite restaurants, a group of 8 of us headed here for their 56th wedding anniversary. We had made reservations for 6:30pm and were seated about 6:35pm. Love their dinners rolls, and many enjoyed the jam. Several of us had the escargot, which is actually lobster, not snails, but it was really good, especially if you dip the rolls in the cheese/butter/garlic. I had the shrimp scampi, which was delicious and several others had the fish and chips. My dad had the beef tenderloin and said it was really good! My husband had the island mahi, which he said was the perfect combo of sweet and spicy. We will return!
Bryan M.
Place rating: 5 Canton, OH
Good atmosphere. good food, cold beer, nice waitstaff… ordered the lobatwr cargot =awesome… and the bar platter(lobster meat, shrimp, scallops in a butter garlic sauce) excellent… definitely will be back here
Chelsey S.
Place rating: 5 Oak Park, MI
We didn’t have any expectations when we went here for dinner, and man were we surprised. The place was packed on a weeknight. The hostess was most gracious and efficient. We waited at the bar(as we didn’t have reservations), and when our table was ready I didn’t want to leave. I could sit at that aquarium bar all night. Clearly the place was full of regulars and felt homey. The service was great as was our dinner. What a wonderfull little seafood restaurant. Try it if you get the chance. I can’t wait to go back!
Stacy C.
Place rating: 5 Bradenton, FL
I honestly cannot think of one negative thing about my first dining experience at the Lazy Lobster. It is located in a small strip mall so the outside appearance is slightly deceiving however we were pleasantly surprised by the warm and inviting feel upon entering. There are both tables and booths available. We were immediately impressed by the numerous entre selections on the early bird menu and by the prices. We were started off with warm rolls and pepper jelly which is made in-house. It was so delicious we bought a jar of it to take home! My husband and myself both ordered the wild cod piccata over mushroom ravioli. It was cooked to perfection! The fish was mild, tender, and flaky and very tasty. The sauce was absolute heaven. It was just buttery and rich enough without being too heavy and we couldn’t leave a single drop behind! Paired with the mushroom ravioli it was an absolute perfect dish. We will more than likely make The Lazy Lobster a weekly tradition!
Courtney W.
Place rating: 4 Washington, DC
Good food! The restaurant is small, but I was there on off-season(9⁄2014) so didn’t need a reservation. I would otherwise say one is certainly needed. Appetizer: started with the cup of lobster bisque soup. It was ok… A little too heavy on the cream for me. And I was a little more than hoping they’d have a distinct chunk of lobster in there. Entrée: I had a combo platter which included the vegetable of the season(happened to be squash), with green beans. The entrée I ordered was a combo of shrimp, lobster, and scallop… It cAme in a BOWL of butter. Not saying it wasn’t good… But literally a bowl of butter these delights were drowned in. Eh… My mom ordered the lobster Mac n cheese– amazing! But you only need the ½ u less you’re splitting it between several people! All in all it was good. The food is butter heavy and if I stop through again I’ll have to remember to ask them to ease up on this.