Besides sunbathing and sightseeing, eating is a major part of vacationing in Siesta Key. From dining at the area’s finest restaurants to preparing meals in fully stocked kitchens and eating on the balconies and patios at Siesta Key condo rentals and Siesta Key beachfront rentals, so much time is spent around food while we are on vacation.
But it’s not all sit-down dinners and big breakfasts. Sometimes, all we’re looking for is a little coffee and dessert. So, where are the best coffee shops in Sarasota?
There’s no simple answer to who has the best sweets or serves the best coffee in Sarasota, as there are countless popular spots to sample. Here are some of the top places you might consider when you’re on the prowl for coffee and dessert within a reasonable distance from many Siesta Key rentals.
Fat Donkey Ice Cream & Fine Desserts
Fat Donkey Ice Cream & Fine Desserts is a storefront location on Main Street, Sarasota, serving scoop and soft-serve ice cream along with cookies, milkshakes, and ice cream sandwiches.
There are two dozen scoop choices ranging from chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla bean to cappuccino chip, coconut pineapple, raspberry truffle, and birthday cake. Toppings include butterscotch, Fruity Pebbles, gummy bears, Heath bar, hot fudge, and Reese’s Pieces or Peanut Butter Cup. Cone varieties include waffle, sugar, cake, or chocolate-dipped waffle.
Banyan Tree Chocolate & Cafe
Award-winning gourmet chocolates are on the menu at Banyan Tree Chocolate & Café.
A member of the Fine Chocolate Industry Association (FCIA), Banyan Tree serves nearly 30 flavors of truffles, chocolate-covered popcorn, peanut butter cups, pecan and cashew caramels, and chocolate-covered strawberries. Totally unique are the Bean to Bar chocolate bars, made from scratch from cacao beans. Organic, fermented beans are roasted and ground into bars through a lengthy process; both dark and milk chocolate bars are produced.
Coffee, chocolates, and desserts are available from 10 a.m. – to 4 p.m. on weekdays and from 11 a.m. – to 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays.
C’est La Vie
Sarasota-based, French bistro-style C’est La Vie prides itself on an assortment of authentic, homemade French pastries available daily from 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. (or until 5 p.m. on Sundays).
Take an indoor or outdoor seat, a cup of coffee, your choice of dessert, and an hour or two to enjoy the taste of freshly made French tarts, bread-like viennoiseries, and pastries.
You can choose from flan, Napoleon, and various tarts such as almond, lemon, pistachio, and almond filling with cherries, or caramelized apple. There are more than 20 choices on the viennoiseries menu, including croissant, meringue, chocolate chip roll, apple turnover, bread pudding, pistachio cake, coconut rocher, and jam beignet.
Rendez Vous
Another fine French bakery in Sarasota is Rendez Vous, located on Siesta Drive.
On the pastry menu, you’ll find house-made cakes, tarts,mini-pastries, and French specialties such as Napoleon, Saint-Honore, and Paris Brest. The breakfast menu features some puff pastries (with bacon, Swiss cheese, and nutmeg; leeks, Swiss cheese, and nutmeg; sundried tomatoes, goat cheese, and nutmeg; or Bechamel sauce, chicken, mushrooms, cheddar, and Monterey Jack cheese).
All pastries and tarts are great with your choice of coffee/tea or espresso, double espresso, Americano, cappuccino, latte, or Cafe au Lait.
Rendez Vous is open 7 am – 3 pm on Tuesday through Saturday and 8 am – 3 pm on Sundays.
Morton’s Bakery
Morton’s Gourmet Market & Catering on Osprey Avenue in Sarasota has a bakery section with dozens of offerings prepared in-house daily and offered fresh.
Fresh croissants. Scones. Seasonal fruit tarts. Eclairs. Tiramisu. Coffee cakes. Danishes. These are just some of the mouth-watering selections you’ll find on Morton’s bakery menu. There are also pies, such as Key Lime and Strawberry Margarita, and cakes like Chocolate Truffle Cake and New York Style Cheesecake. Choose any with a cup of cappuccino!
Morton’s bakery section opens at 7 a.m. Monday – Saturday and 8 a.m. on Sundays.
Paisano’s Italian Bakery
If you have that favorite Italian bakery back home and are feeling a bit homesick, head on over to Paisano’s on Stickney Point Road in Sarasota.
You just know you’re in an Italian bakery when you see eight varieties of biscotti, from almond and anise to cherry chunk and amaretto white chocolate. There’s also a list of pastries as long as your arm: cannoli tarts, zeppoli, cream horns, jumbo eclairs, crème brulee, cake pops, and small and large cannolis, to name just a few.
Cupcakes and cake slices are also on the menu, as is a list of cookies such as black & white cookies, linzer, rugala, pignolis, almond crescents, and Florentines.
Stop in at Paisano’s between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
The Oasis Café & Bakery
In addition to breakfast and lunch menus serving everything from eggs and pancakes to soups, burgers, and sandwiches, The Oasis Café & Bakery on South Osprey Avenue in Sarasota serves freshly-baked muffins, biscuits, scones, cinnamon rolls, croissants, sour cream coffee cake, and Jersey crumb cake. You’ll also find cupcakes, cookies, and even bread pudding. All desserts are homemade.
This restaurant is known for its casual atmosphere with outdoor seating! Open 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. Tuesday – Friday and 8 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. weekends.
Mojo Risin’ Coffee Company
Siesta Key’s Mojo Risin’ Coffee Company on Ocean Boulevard might be one of the best coffee shops in Sarasota even if it isn’t located directly in the city.
The company’s coffee menu is truly unique, with items such as Siesta coconut mocha and monkey mocha (caramel and banana). There are also Mojo Risin’-specific roasts like Playa Grande (light/medium roast, Costa Rican tarrazu), Moonlight Drive (100% Colombian bean with coconut, caramel, and pecan), and North Shore (Hawaiian roast with macadamia and coconut). There are also brewed and flavored coffees, cold brew, and Siesta Sleep Slayer—brewed coffee + two shots.
Stay or take your coffee to go with a slice of banana bread, pumpkin bread, cinnamon roll, muffin, or made-from-scratch carrot or chocolate cake.
Mojo Risin’ is open every day from 7 a.m. – to 5 p.m.
Simon’s Coffee House
At Simon’s Coffee House on S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota, you’ll find lots of vegan/vegetarian choices, with an array of delicious coffees served with vegan milk substitutions if desired. Coffees are made with locally roasted beans, and for those seeking to avoid the caffeine, you can try Simon’s Swiss Water Method, Organic Decaf Coffee—chemical-free and with much less caffeine.
You could also select from a list of totally healthy fruit smoothies and specialty shakes that could, depending on the selection, include pea protein, greens powder, wheatgrass, and whey protein.
Simon’s welcomes guests every day 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. (9 a.m. on Sundays).
The Clever Cup
Sarasota’s The Clever Cup serves locally roasted organic coffees (and teas), iced coffees and espressos, pastries, and vegan choices such as Blueberry Lavender Muffins, Pecan Squares, and Cinnamon Buns. The menu also features a ginger cookie, caramel oat bar, apple galette, and gluten-free French brownie.
The hot coffees and espressos menu lists, in addition to light, medium, and dark roast drips, flat white, macchiato, cortado, and café con Leche.
The artist/owner’s espresso paintings decorate this small, inviting shop. Stop in any day of the week, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Plan Your Visit!
When you stay with Crystal Sands, you’re always near endless options for a great cup of coffee or a delicious sweet to snack on! Select your ideal vacation dates, book your favorite rental, and prepare for your best vacation yet!
The Lily Café at The Landings
“Elegant,” “stylish,” and “cheerful” are some of the words used to describe The Lily Café at The Landing in Sarasota.
Dine in or take out a piece of melting hot chocolate lava cake, Floridian key lime pie, or warm pecan pie. The Lily also serves various gourmet coffees, such as the French toast latte, vanilla, hazelnut, or caramel latte/macchiato, white chocolate mocha with whipped cream, and Irish coffee, along with organic regular or decaf, espresso, cappuccino, or latte.
To experience all of these coffee and dessert stops, book your stay in one of our Siesta Key beachfront rentals today!
