Dry Dock Waterfront Grill

Great food! Great service. When my husband said he was taking me to lunch, I was thinking we were going to another restaurant. I was quite glad when he pulled up to Dry Dock Waterfront Grill as I knew I didn't have to worry about what I would order. Of course, I ordered the best thing on the menu: the seafood pasta with garlic and wine sauce (I forgot to order it with extra garlic though!! 🤦🏿‍♀️). My husband ordered the Tuscan cream sauce pasta with blackened grouper. He said it was delicious. I wouldn't know since I was gobbling down my own deliciousness so quickly! 🤷🏿 We gave the virgin strawberry daiquiris. They were ok, a little icy and lacked the sweetness of some others. The outdoor patio was breezy and nice. They really try to make it comfortable for the guests and it shows. DDWG is a bit pricey, and it doesn't look like they have a lunch menu (unless I missed it??), so if you are budget conscious, you'll have to choose your menu items carefully. Whatever you choose, especially if it's one of their pastas, you'll be glad you did! Happy eating! 😊

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill offers one of the most enjoyable and memorable dining experiences on the water. From the moment you arrive, the beautiful waterfront setting, gentle sea breeze, and relaxed coastal vibe make it clear this is a special place. It’s the perfect blend of casual Florida charm and high-quality dining. The menu is exceptional, especially for seafood lovers. Every dish is prepared with fresh ingredients and cooked to perfection. The fish is flaky and flavorful, the shrimp are tender and well-seasoned, and the crab cakes are rich, satisfying, and generously portioned. Each plate is thoughtfully presented, and the flavors consistently exceed expectations. There are also excellent non-seafood options, making it easy for everyone to find something they love. One of the biggest highlights of Dry Dock Waterfront Grill is the view. Dining directly on the water creates an unbeatable atmosphere, whether you’re enjoying lunch under the sun or dinner during a stunning sunset. Watching boats glide by while enjoying a great meal adds a uniquely relaxing and authentic waterfront experience that few restaurants can match. The service is top-notch. The staff is friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable, always willing to offer menu suggestions and ensure every guest feels well taken care of. Service is efficient without feeling rushed, allowing you to truly enjoy your time and surroundings.

Our experience at Dry Dock was so wonderful, we can’t stop talking about it. We went to celebrate our anniversary, and loved our experience. The service was great, the food was delicious, and the atmosphere upstairs after sunset was so cozy. I ordered the bacon wrapped scallop & coconut shrimp entree and my husband got the pasta with wine & garlic sauce with blackened snapper. We both loved our meals, and plan to go back next time we’re on longboat key!

Spectacular view from inside restaurant. We sat out on lower patio w/our 2 pups. Lobster bites tasty. Ambiance, coctails, apps.. perfect

On vacation we rarely eat at the same place twice but we did here! Went early for dinner around 4 to 5pm. Did have to wait a few minutes but we'll worth it. They have deck seating and 2 and 3 floor seating, all with great views of the bay. Our first visit, our waitress was exceptional! Our meal superb! Had grouper, veggies and real mashed potatoes. This was the best meal of the week!!! My second was sea bass, red potatoes and asparagus. Other plates were delighful chicken. Veggies so tender. Highly recommend 👌 FYI watch out for Barney Fife with the Longboat Police dept. They work Gulf Blvd with their radar guns!

This place knocks it out of the park with food, service and atmosphere. Dan was a wonderful (and funny) waiter who we thoroughly enjoyed. The food is consistently fantastic - no matter what you get- and we had an incredible table by the water this time. I love this place!

All around, great experience! A meal with a view. What more could you want?! My pasta with the Tuscan Cream Sauce was by far my favorite meal I had during the week I was visiting!

Super good food! Friendly staff, my girls loved the experience. Amazing view, you can eat outside or inside, 2nd floor. They have adorable nautical decor, wood boats and fish on the walls, with couches and its very clean. Highly recommend

Had a fantastic experience at Dry Dock Grill! The customer service was excellent, and the food and beer were great. We were able to make a reservation for lunch, which allowed us to sit outside by the port and and enjoy a beautiful view of the boats and surroundings. The ambiance was perfect, making the whole experience even better. Highly recommend having the catch of the day—I had the grouper, and it was amazing. Everything, from the atmosphere to the service, was top-notch. Would definitely come back!

Great atmosphere and food! Busy evening and was seated on the patio immediately, Latisia (I hope thats how you spell it) was super attentive and great, all in all a great dining experience!

Ordered whisky sours, coconut shrimp and muscles. Entree was the blackened refer snapper with red papaw and salad with vinaigrette. Absolute perfection. 100% will be returning to try more. Well done DD! 👍

Went for my bday dinner with my bf and we really enjoyed it. Lobster bisque wasn’t my fave I’ve ever had had a really fishy aftertaste but everything else was really good. We got the bacon wrapped scallops, soup, and we each got a pasta - one snapper & one seafood and they were great. Worth waiting to sit by the waterfront if you can get a reservation, gorgeous view of the water. They also had bug spray which came in so handy and was very thoughtful. Recommend the salted caramel cheesecake to finish it off. Some cons were we mentioned it was my bday when making the reservation and nothing special was done or mentioned about it so kind of wish we picked somewhere else for the special occasion in that regard. We had a late reservation (8:45) and it seemed like the workers really wanted to go home because they were packing up fans etc early which takes away from the experience overall. We deserve the same experience diners got at 5/6 and staff should close up once patrons leave it’s just kind of rude overall and makes customers feel rushed to leave and we shouldn’t feel that way or they should not be taking late reservations if they want people to hurry up and go. Overall still enjoyed it but could’ve been better based on the cons of the overall dining experience

We are visiting from out of state and we decided to stop by dry dock water front grill for dinner! We are so glad we stopped by because the food and staff were just absolutely amazing 👏 😍 🙌 The bread was baked to perfection and it paired so well with the whipped butter. We ordered the citrus grouper and sunset snapper. We also ordered the coconut shrimp which was addicting! Everything was cooked perfectly, and the sides were delicious! The staff were so kind and friendly, and our toddler enjoyed the food as well!! Highly recommended this restaurant! We look forward to coming by again when we come back to siesta key 💕💕💕

DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS CHOWDER! Everything was divine. Fried grouper sandwich, slaw, Caesar salad, and seafood chowder!

Lovely! We wanted a special place for our anniversary. My husband found Dry Dock Waterfront Grill. We were offered the option to sit inside or out (we had a reservation and went at lunchtime) and chose to sit inside which was on the second floor overlooking the water. We had a hard time picking what we wanted to eat since everything sounded so good. My husband ordered the Lobster rolls with fries while I ordered the Grouper tacos (fried) with coleslaw. SO GOOD! One of those meals you don’t want to stop eating even when you are full. Everything was prepared perfectly. The coleslaw was some of the best I’ve ever had! We were very happy. Can’t wait to go back! (Already decided what I want).

Well of all the places I’ve eaten in Sarasota area this place exceeded all my expectations ! The wait staff Audie was stellar in service and personable . The food exquisite see the photos . It was delicious . Fresh, it was cooked plated all proper served timely , the atmosphere is fine dining , the views amazing as we had a window seat . It was everything you could hope for . See the photos I’m posting here we both ordered the crab cake and lobster tail combo I added scallops to my dinner the seafood chowder was quality lots of delicious fish in it . The Ceasar is authentic dressing made on site. I was totally satisfied as was my wife . This is a must destination for any one in the Sarasota area to have a true rewarding dining experience . Make a reservation ! They are often on a wait during the heavy traffic dinner hours , or go early before 5 pm. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND DRY DOCK ! Ten stars !

My husband and I went here for dinner on our fifth wedding anniversary. He ordered the sunset snapper and I tried the citrus grouper. Both were excellent and very yummy as were the sides of mashed potatoes, fries, broccoli, Caesar salad, and spinach salad (which was extra tasty with the strawberries, dried cranberries, and pecans). For the upper price range it is nice that the entrees come with a side salad, a starch and the vegetable of the day. Reservations were already booked when we called that morning, so we had an hour and a half wait. It was fun taking a stroll along the water there, seeing the dry dock and watching the birds. We sat outside on the lower patio. It was late March and windy that evening, and we got pretty chilly. They do have big blinds they usually pull down but the one by our table was broken at the time. One thing of note is that their bathroom has only one stall and it was rather dirty. The atmosphere was fun and casual, service was good, and overall we enjoyed ourselves.

This place was amazing from start to finish. I would highly recommend a reservation if you can plan ahead. We had a 3 pm reservation on Saturday and they were already on a 45 minute wait. We arrived and were sat within 5 minutes. Service was very friendly and not pushy. We enjoyed our time outside on the patio watching boats go by or come in and out to dock. Food is spectacular!! We started off with the stone crab claws, yum. Very sweet tasting and a fair price in my opinion. 2 of us had the Florida snapper. 1 blackened and 1 just simply grilled. Lastly the other person had coconut shrimp snd bacon wrapped scallops. The pina colada sauce for the coco shrimp and maple sauce for the scallops..brilliant. Also for the snappers they paired it with a citrus sauce, which was also fantastic. This place knows what they’re doing in all aspects. What a fantastic restaurant, you won’t leave disappointed or hungry. Hats off to dry docks, you guys deserve 5* all around.

Great food! Great service. When my husband said he was taking me to lunch, I was thinking we were going to another restaurant. I was quite glad when he pulled up to Dry Dock Waterfront Grill as I knew I didn't have to worry about what I would order. Of course, I ordered the best thing on the menu: the seafood pasta with garlic and wine sauce (I forgot to order it with extra garlic though!! 🤦🏿‍♀️). My husband ordered the Tuscan cream sauce pasta with blackened grouper. He said it was delicious. I wouldn't know since I was gobbling down my own deliciousness so quickly! 🤷🏿 The outdoor patio was breezy and nice. They really try to make it comfortable for the guests and it shows. DDWG is a bit pricey, and it doesn't look like they have a lunch menu (unless I missed it??), so if you are budget conscious, you'll have to choose your menu items carefully. Whatever you choose, especially if it's one of their pastas, you'll be glad you did! Happy eating! 😊

We loved Dry Dock! Great food and the service was fantastic! Large menu for food and specialty cocktails. The Miami Vice was awesome! Prices were reasonable too. We enjoyed our dining experience and we got to see a lot of pelicans, dolphins and a couple manitee during our visit. Loved the location and the views were spectacular. The overall atmosphere was on point. Looking forward to coming back soon!

My husband and I celebrated our 18th anniversary here on the 1st night of our vacation. It was as wonderful an experience as we were hoping for! The hostess seated us on the deck. I purposely chose a later reservation closer to sunset as I had heard how beautiful the view was at that hour. I cannot begin to describe how perfect it truly was. Atmosphere was spot on. Our waitress (and other staff) checked on us often, ensuring drinks were refilled, and any needs we had were taken care of. And the food was absolutely worth it! Steak cooked perfectly medium. Lobster and fried shrimp as well. Well worth the money. They offered non alcoholic beverages also. Highly recommend - our favorite place in the area for a special occasion.

This place is incredible! The atmosphere and view is gorgeous! We saw a dolphin, a manatee and a baby manatee during lunch! The service and food were outstanding! Highly recommend!

Dry Dock was recommend on every Facebook page for Longboat Key and I am so glad we tried it. The food was delicious. Their shrimp appetizer was my kids favorite. Being from Maryland I was nervous to order their crab cakes but so glad I did. There was large chunks of crab and not a lot of filler. Their scallops blackened was the perfect pairing. The view was great too, so glad we sat on the patio. The fans were a big bonus. We enjoyed watching the birds.

An impeccable dining experience; this establishment is how restaurants used to be. Professionally managed, staffed and operated, from the minute we checked in with the greeter, we knew we were in for a special dining experience, and nothing disappointed! We were promptly seated outside and handed off professionally. Our waitress was on top of her game and diligently managed our table. The food was superb! The blackened shrimp were spectacular as was the Tuscan cream sauce. We will be sure to return the next time we are in the area - thanks for a wonderful evening!

We had a very nice dinner last night at Dry Dock. Sylvia was our server. She was great and definitely enhanced our experience. Thanks for a great evening.

The red snapper sandwich was excellent. I paired it with the very thick fisherman's chowder. The chowder was full of seafood and vegetables. My husband had the jambalaya and it looked beautiful and he said it was delicious. The view is spectacular! Parking can be a little tight. The servers are knowledgeable and well trained. It's a delightful experience all around!

Great atmosphere, right on the water. Our server was fantastic! My husband had sea bass and I had fish camp chowder which was excellent... somewhat of creole style chowder. I also had the mussels. I was not a fan, as the sauce was sweet.

I had the pleasure of having Shawn as my server last night. He truly made the experience so much better. You can tell he has the knowledge and is passionate about his job. He had us laughing from the beginning to the end!!! Then, the food came out.And we were pleasantly surprised on how delicious the meals were.. We will definitely be back and will request him as our server every time! We are first timers, never even knew this place was here just happened upon it the other night and very glad we did!!!! Thanks Shawn for a great dining experience!!!!!

Consistently great food with seasoned wait staff and a beautiful view of the bay. During the busy season, make reservations ahead of time online (otherwise the wait time can be long). Especially nice to eat outside - even if it's cold since there are good heaters and screens that help keep out the chill.

Top notch service from Tanner on Monday February 17th. We were a party of 4 and sat at a table in the bar area. Tanner was a breath of fresh air, service with a smile and plenty of recommendations on wha to order. We have honestly never been disappointed with the service, food and drinks at dry dock. Our friends ordered the pork shank upon Tanners recommendation and it was just as he described it.. Darn Good!!! Grouper bites were excellent as were the grilled shrimp and stone crab claws. Tanner and his partner Dani ran the bar and serviced the bar tables with a smile and great personality, always a good time at dry dock ❤️

If you want the quintessential Florida dining experience, this is it. Sitting by the water watching the dolphins while eating great seafood is hard to top. The Category 5 Shrimp lived up to the hype, and while the blackened grouper sandwich was great, the lobster rolls are some of the best I’ve ever had. Everything was fresh and the service was prompt. Definitely a highlight of the trip!

Stopped on a Monday. Food and service were good. Atmosphere was not as nice as expected. Seafood chowder was large bowl and reasonable, and Coconut Shrimp salad and seafood linguine were tasty. Our waiter, a slim man w glasses, was super. Asked his advice on choices and he was spot on. Our bill came to $100 w tip. Would we eat here again? Surely. 👍🏻

Grouper bites were good. Tasted fresh. Wasn’t a fan of the Asian chili sauce though. Places I have gotten it from before didn’t taste like a creamy dressing. Comes with 5 pieces ( at least what I ordered did not sure if it’s based on weight or it’s just a set amount ) not impressed with their drink menu options.

We dined at Dry Dock Waterfront Grill on Longboat Key and had an overall very positive experience. The view of Sarasota Bay is absolutely stunning , whether seated on the upstairs windows or on the dock-side patio, you feel like you have front-row waterfront seats.

No reservations on a Tuesday in June. 25 minute wait. Parking lot was jammed. But I was very happy to not have to wait because I was starving. The bread tasted amazing I wish I ordered the calamari. I don’t recommend seafood unless your eating inside because of The flys. (Understandable) the pasta was omg worth it! My husband enjoyed the waiters reccomdation grouper. The spinach salad was refreshing.

I gave 4 stars review because I didn't had a great experience with the hostess rude and unprofessional never smile or welcome guest. And I asked why so many people's was been sitting after my arrival she replied on a sarcastic tone that I have been waiting only 17 minutes out of 30 minutes.

Dry Dock is an cool place it's literally right off the water our table was so close that I can touch it. The one complaint is the portions are to small for the cost and Okay service too. My wife is a vegetarian so she got a portobello mushroom dish and I got the lobster roll with fries. The lobster roll was amazing lobster was super fresh and tasted on point! 100% recommend

A little pricey but the food was delicious. The chowders were the best.

We went for our 3 year anniversary, but weren’t impressed. The restaurant itself was cute, had a great location, and patio. Our server was not nearly as attentive as the server tending the table next to us. We heard the server next to us give a full speech about the menu to her table that our server didn’t provide and could have been helpful prior to ordering. The lobster bisque was extremely thick and only had one noticeable piece of lobster. The coconut shrimp was good, but I didn’t care for the piña colada sauce it came with and when I asked for a sweet chili sauce I never got it. The crab cake seemed to be a bit dry. We received a free piece of key lime pie for our anniversary. We did have a reservation, but it just felt like we were the “end of the night” and they were trying to get out. Maybe don’t offer those reservations then? Maybe we would go back during the day for a cocktail, but not impressed for the prices.

My wife called to ask about the wait and about making a reservation. She was told "I can't predict the future" regarding the waitress times and that they don't take reservations. Then I went online and made a reservation. The service was not great- server forgot to put our appetizer in. The view was amazing. We left hungry. I can think of a few better ways to burn a $100