Michael's On East

After making my reservation on Open Table, we still had to wait 55 minutes for our table. After ordering our food it took 45 minutes to get to our table

Reliable excellent in a refined atmosphere. Michael's Special Reserve Chardonnay is from a renown South African vineyard in Stellenbosch. The food is prepared with the highest quality fresh ingrediants, served by exceptionally well trained wait staff. The atmosphere is refined elegance, with table cloths and a charming setting. Valet parking. Classic Sarasota at its best.

it's always a lovely meal- at Michael's on East-
we do birthday, anniversary, and a couple of other occasions.

Other than our daughter made the reservation and she made a note that it was our 49th wedding anniversary she was upset that we were greeted with the fact she made that note.

Our first time being there as someone who lives in new England, we know what "fresh" seafood is. That being said the food overall was very good, I was impressed with the guy playing the piano 5 stars for him

The Niman Ranch Pork Chop was cooked perfectly medium rare and was to die for. Janet says it was the Best Pork Chop Ever. I had the Chilean Sea Bass and it stood up to all the rave reviews. Joe our water and his assistant were fabulous as was the entire staff. Can't wait til next time.

Michael’s never disappoints!

Always a pleasure. Consistent high quality service and food.

We are frequent diners at Michael's On East and I usually rank everything 5 starts; however, tonight I did not due to: slow service: it took a half hour to get bread delivered to the table and 45 minutes for my salad. The salad was drenched in dressing; way too abundant. The lemon roasted chicken I ordered for my entree was not as good as before because the cheese in the stuffing overpowered the chicken. Most of the diners were crammed into the front area of the dining room near the bar creating a very noisy experience. We certainly will go back and are hoping for our usual optimum dining experience.

Michaels on East never disappoints. They always have an interesting and complete menu. Our waitress was very helpful and knowledgeable. I wish they were open on Sunday but I guess they need a day of rest!

This place was Awesome. Very professional staff, beautiful interior and excellent food. It could not have been nicer.

Wonderful!

Very enjoyable, met all our expectations! Looking forward to a return engagement.

Our server was excellent- another great meal at MOE!

Our first visit and we were impressed with the service and the ambiance. Our server was extremely knowledgeable, friends and efficient. My husband was not overly thrilled with his sea bass but my rack of lamb was tasteful and tender. Very expensive.

Excellent food and waiter. We had been in Sarasota for our son's wedding and just needed a relaxing dinner.

It was my anniversary and they treated us very special. The food was wonderful and the service excellent. I went for lunch, now I mu try the dinner. A must go in Sarasota!!

We found Michaels On East on trip advisor. Was pleasantly happy with our choice. Food was great and the wine very good. David our waiter took great care of us. Its definitely a sit down and relax, don't be in a hurry atmosphere with a wonderful pianist and some great locals. Well established in the neighborhood.
Thank you all for making it a great night after a crazy start!

Atmosphere comfortable and elegant. Service attentive and above average. The swordfish was excellent. Skip the caesar salad as it was average at best without anchovies and no offer of ground pepper. Overall a bit pricey and cocktails a bit skimpy for the venue.

A beautifully elegant dining room with matching service and food. Outstanding wine list. A place for any special occasion. Prices were not cheap, but certainly in line considering the outstanding innovative preparations. We had muscles to start, followed by swordfish and seabass. All items were truly fantastic and interesting dishes unlike we had experienced elsewhere.

The reality just doesn’t live up to the legend for us in terms of food at Michaels. Specifically we experienced everything as over salted, sugared and very very over sauced. While the swordfish and snapper were cooked to perfection they were drowned in heavy creamy not terribly flavorful sauces which created a plate of ‘soup’. Where we had looked forward to vegetables and mushrooms along with our fish- it rendered them inedible. The ingredients simply could not be tasted. This is true for the cocktails too - when I order a premium vodka martini it’s becaise I want to taste the exceptional vodka, all I tasted was sugar and cilantro which overpowered the entire drink. The mojito was good after we asked for a reduction in sugar. For desert we tried the key lime pie which the server warned me was not tart- now anyone from the south knows that there is no point to key lime pie without tartness, but we tried it. It was not only not tart but had no taste whatso ever. It was not too sweet, it was just entirely bland. The appetizers- duck spring rolls: crispy and good looking! However we could not taste any duck or Asian flavor, they were just very bland, large and saucy. Kale salad was very good just a little over dressed. Popadoms were great but regular bread was over heated and dry. So overall there seems to be more show than substance to this highly touted restaurant. If you want an upscale family night out and are NOT a foodie then this place works, (the atmosphere is fun and the service was very good and fast). otherwise I would not recommend.

Our first time. The food and service was great but very pricey. Differently a special occasion place.

Tobias was our main server and he was excellent. He had great knowledge about the ingredients, preparation and offered suggestions for different tastes. The assistant servers were just as kind and attentive as he was. We had our wedding rehearsal dinner at Michael’s on East and were blown away in 2018. We returned a year later to celebrate our First Wedding Anniversary in the restaurant and we were equally as pleased. Michael’s on East will easily be a frequent stop for us as the food and service are exceptional!

Outstanding food and service was impeccable. Andrew was constantly checking to be sure all was going well and we had everything we needed for a great evening. Food was perfectly cooked and hot when it arrived. Outstanding wine list, wonderful angel hair onion rings, and fabulous fish. Will go back there every time I’m back near Sarasota.

First visit and all was very good except no one on receiption on arrival

Incredible food, great service, an overall fabulous dinner experience.

I've been dining at this place since it first opened years ago. It was once a great restaurant. No so much anymore. I chose a salad and two apps as a light meal. Coconut shrimp were a greasy disappointment. A smoked salmon plate was downright awful. We had a great young waiter. The service was perfect. The food wasn't. Won't go back again.

Our first time at Michael’s on East and it was a great experience. Michael came over to our table and told us a bit of his, and the restaurant’s history, their wine tasting events and other information.
The noise level depends on where you are seated. We were in the room away from the piano entertainment (who was excellent), so we were able to hear the entertainment as well as have a normal conversation level.
We chose to order from their 3 course selections and the short ribs were superb, as well as the paired wines. The ambiance is upscale and adult.
They have a banquet hall and a wine bar, both in back of the main restaurant.
We look forward to, once again, experiencing this restaurant.

For the first time in a long time, all 4 of us loved everything we eat from start to finish. The bone in rib eye and NY strip steaks were done to perfection and absolutely delicious. The sword fish and lobster bisque were exquisite. The salads and roasted asparagus were simply excellent. The service was very attentive with expert knowledge and spot on recommendation. This restaurant is very romantic and upper class in every way and I highly recommend for all occasions.

Michael's is always a reliable place to have lunch. The food is good as is the service. The lunch menu is diverse; something for everyone. It has gotten a bit pricey over the last year or so. Your check is unlikely to be less than $20 a person plus gratuity and tax.

We are two friends with birthdays 3 weeks apart so we try to get together to celebrate.
I noted this on the reservation and all staff members greeted us with good wishes.
We had our favorite Michael's salad with grilled chicken.
Staff checked in without being too obtrusive.
We dawdled over conversation and catching up.
We were delivered our checks without being asked if we wanted desserts.
Left disappointed. We will recover I am sure.

Birthday celebration was superb! There were some phenomenal aspects of the evening and some not quite as good. The service was excellent; attentive, without hovering. The starters (Lobster & escargo crostini) salads (Chop Salad, seasonal and Kale & Brussels sprout), desserts (Brownie Ice Cream Stack and homemade ice cream) and side dishes (Mushrooms, Sauteed Cauliflower) were standouts. The filet mignon and swordfish were excellent along with their accompaniments, but there were some issues with the Ribeye and the trout dish. The ribeye was flavored and cooked beautifully, but had more gristle than i would expect from a piece of high quality beef. The trout had some pan seared pepperoni on the plate that left a slightly bitter taste in your mouth and had the texture of cardboard. None of the dinner guests could figure out what it was, but all agreed it could have been left off. The other (small) issue was the lobster bisque. The bisque itself was rich and flavorful and I could have eaten a pot of it. However, the lobster and a tempura'd lump of crab meat were placed in the bowl and the bisque poured over. The lobster meat was rubbery and tasteless and the broth turned the tempura batter to sludge, completely eradicating the delicate flavor of the crab. These were minor issues compared to the complete meal. Overall, the celebration was fun and delicious and we would definitely go back again.

You always know when you go to Michael's On East, that you're going to be welcomed warmly, enjoy incredible food, and want to stay late just to enjoy the ambiance.

Just excellent. Service very good, except for not filling up water frequently enough. Not cheap, but reasonable given the quality and ambiance.

Excellent dining experience with friends from high school. Only disappointment was that some of the calamari appetizer was tough. The swordfish and salmon entrees were excellent. Service was also excellent.

Noise level next to the bar was VERY loud. I used a gift certificate and wasn't able to eat all of the value. I would have preferred to have a future credit for the balance.

This was our second visit to Micheal’s but will not be our last. Everything was exceptional! Service is impeccable, constant attention but not overbearing. We have had steak, pasta and seafood all were amazing. You must try the ice cream brownie dessert if you have someone to share with.

Good food, well executed and excellent flavor and presentation. Service was very kind, however, it did seem that the floor was understaffed and food took a while to come out. All in all, very good restaurant for a special meal where time and price aren’t a factor.

Food was outstanding as was the service. Truly a great restaurant. I wasn’t thrilled with the dining room decor as it felt dated but the food and service were both amazing!

Been here 2 times now and it has not disappointed us....nice meal and drinks