The island's restaurants lean toward seafood and casual Florida cooking, with a few more ambitious kitchens in Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach. Fresh grouper, snapper, and stone crab are the things to order when in season. Many restaurants have outdoor seating facing the water, and the pace is relaxed — nobody is rushing you to turn the table.
The Bridge Street strip in Bradenton Beach has the highest concentration of places to eat and drink in one place. In Holmes Beach, the stretch of Gulf Drive has several well-regarded spots. Reservations are advisable at the more popular places, especially on weekends and during winter season (December through April), when snowbirds fill the island.