This is a list of Anna Maria Island waterfront restaurants.
These are best places to eat on the water and watch the sunset.
Let’s dive right in.
Here are restaurants we’ll talk about:
- The Sandbar Restaurant
- Beach House Restaurant
- Beach Bistro
- Wicked Cantina Bradenton Beach
- Bridge Street Bistro
- Anna Maria Island Beach Cafe
- Anna Maria Oyster Bar on the Pier
- Gulf Drive Cafe
- The Kokonut Hut
- Rod & Reel Pier
- The Bridge Tender Inn & Dockside Bar
- Coquina Beach Cafe
The Sandbar Restaurant
100 Spring Ave, Anna Maria, FL 34216
The Sandbar restaurant offers dining right on the beach. It’s one of the most famous Anna Maria Island waterfront restaurants. So expect a decent wait. Unfortunately, they don’t take restaurant reservations. Tables on the beach may have a 1-2 hour wait. While tables on the deck tend to have a 30-60 minute wait.
If you have kids, bring an umbrella and request a table on the sand. The wait may be longer, but your kids can play in the sand while you get drinks at the bar. While the bar has indoor seating, it also has a an outside window to order from. Bring those drinks to the beach, anchor a few chairs and enjoy the great water views while your kids play.
Once your table is ready, you can order food and they can continue playing in the sand. We highly recommend you try the stuffed shrimp, hush puppies, stone crab, calamari, Grouper tacos or shrimp gnocchi.
We consider them the best beach restaurant on Anna Maria Island. That’s why they’re our list of beachfront dining options near Sarasota, FL.
Beach House Restaurant
200 Gulf Dr N, Bradenton Beach, FL 34217
Beach House is considered the best waterfront seafood restaurant in Anna Maria Island. Expect excellent service, great seafood and beautiful views of the Gulf of Mexico. Their most popular menu items are the crab cakes, stuffed grouper and seafood platters. Stay for the sunset and order the key lime pie to end a good meal.
Request a table on the beach if you want to be closer to the water. While those tables have their own umbrellas, you can request to sit on the wooden deck if you need additional shade. There is also indoor seating with air conditioning if you want to avoid the sun. There’s no dress code.
Beach Bistro
6600 Gulf Dr, Holmes Beach, FL 34217
Beach Bistro is considered a fine dining restaurant on the water. It’s one of the only waterfront dining restaurants on Holmes Beach. We would highly recommend it for a romantic dinner or a special occasion like an engagement.
Make sure to try their lamb, foie gras, bouillabaisse, grouper and the Caesar salad. You also can’t go wrong with the chocolate truffle terrine and key lime pie for dessert.
While you can dine on the beach, most of their tables are inside. The closer you are to the windows, the better view of the water you’ll have. After dinner, head to The Doctor’s Office AMI, a craft cocktail bar 2 minutes away.
Wicked Cantina Bradenton Beach
101 7th St N, Bradenton Beach, FL 34217
Wicked Cantina is one of the most lively Anna Maria Island waterfront restaurants. It’s across the street from the beach and has great views of the water. Many people come here to watch the sunset, try their famous house margaritas and listen to the live music.
Happy hour is every day 12-5pm. Since they specialize in Mexican food, you have try their delicious chips and salsa. Their most popular menu items are burritos, fish tacos, shrimp tacos and power bowls with pulled chicken or pork.
Where do locals eat on Anna Maria Island? They definitely eat at the Wicked Cantina. Where else can you order an avocado cheese omelet and have a great view of the Gulf of Mexico?
Bridge Street Bistro
111 Gulf Dr S, Bradenton Beach, FL 34217
Bridge Street Bistro offers an upscale yet casual dining experience. It’s one of the few waterfront restaurants near Bradenton Beach, Florida. Though it is across the street from the beach, it offers great views of the Gulf of Mexico.
The best views of the sunset are on the 3rd floor outdoor patio. The 2nd floor has great views as long as sit next to a window. Don’t worry, they have an elevator.
You have try the grassy key grouper, surf and turf, seafood risotto and scallops with mashed potatoes. They also have an excellent caesar salad. Their happy hour menu is available 1-4pm.
Anna Maria Island Beach Cafe
4000 Gulf Dr, Holmes Beach, FL 34217
Anna Maria Island Beach Cafe is a casual waterfront cafe. You order food at the window, find an empty table and they bring the food to your table. It’s fairly easy to find parking, but it may take 15-20 minutes on the weekend.
They’re known as a great breakfast cafe on the beach. Popular breakfast menu items are all-you-can-eat pancakes, french toast and eggs benedict. Their breakfast menu hours are 8am-11am on the weekdays and 8am-12pm on the weekends.
If you order of their lunch menu, try the sweet potato fries. Almost every table has an umbrella or a tree for shade. There’s also a bar with draft beers if you want to kick back and relax.
Anna Maria Oyster Bar on the Pier
200 Bridge St, Bradenton Beach, FL 34217
Anna Maria Oyster Bar offers a more relaxed outdoor dining experience. You order at the counter, find an empty table and the server brings your food over. They have outdoor seating with a great view of Sarasota Bay. It’s a no-frills place to eat on the water on Anna Maria Island.
Popular lunch menu items are raw oysters, hush puppies, cheese grits, cole slaw and blackened salmon. They also offer all-you-can-eat fish & chips on Monday’s or everyday at 2-5pm. Try their daily specials on the early bird menu from 3-6pm.
For drinks, you have to try the Bloody Mary (even if you don’t normally drink them). For key lime pie lovers. They have key lime pie, key lime margaritas, key lime tarts and key lime daiquiri.
Gulf Drive Cafe
900 Gulf Dr N, Bradenton Beach, FL 34217
Gulf Drive Cafe is a no-frills cafe on the beach. Since it is located on Bradenton Beach, there’s an easily accessible parking lot across the street. If you need to cool off from the beach, they offer indoor seating.
If you’re looking for a breakfast restaurant on the water, try their eggs benedict and french toast. From their lunch menu, we would recommend grouper bites or calamari. Order a frozen margarita or mojito and watch the sunset right from your chair.
The Kokonut Hut
900 Gulf Dr N, Bradenton Beach, FL 34217
The Kokonut Hut is next to the Gulf Drive Cafe. If you can’t tell the difference when you arrive, look for the open air tiki hut. It is a little further from the water, but still has great water views. Their popular menu items are the crab cakes and blackened grouper sandwich. Make sure to try their frozen pina colada.
Rod & Reel Pier
875 N Shore Dr, Anna Maria, FL 34216
Rod & Reel Pier is a small restaurant on an old pier. It’s very unpretentious and will remind you of “old Florida”. It’s one of Anna Maria Island waterfront restaurants you have to experience. If you’re coming for dinner, expect a long wait (around 60 minutes).
While it is a family-friendly restaurant, it’s not always kid-friendly. The restaurant is upstairs and the bar is downstairs. Expect a “lively” experience. If you’re coming with younger kids, we recommend coming before 4pm.
The most popular menu items are blackened grouper, amberjack, blackened mahi mahi sandwich, grilled wahoo and grilled swordfish with garlic. While many recommend their crab cakes, others feel they’re heavily breaded. End the night with a perfect key lime pie from heaven.
The Bridge Tender Inn & Dockside Bar
135 Bridge St, Bradenton Beach, FL 34217
The Bridge Tender Inn offers open air inside seating and waterfront dining at the dockside tiki bar across the street. It’s considered one of the most lively Anna Maria Island restaurants on the water.
If you prefer entertainment, check their live music schedule. If you want a view of the water, you have to request seating at the tiki dockside bar. If you’re a Green Bay Packer fan, you have to visit this Packer bar.
The most popular menu items are black bean soup, clam chowders, chicken livers appetizer, grouper sandwich and mahi mahi fish tacos. Their dockside bar is dog-friendly and even offers “doggie burgers”. It’s located in Bradenton Beach on Anna Maria Island.
Coquina Beach Cafe
2650 Gulf Dr S, Bradenton Beach, FL 34217
This cafe sits right on Coquina Beach and has an amazing view of the Gulf of Mexico. The waterfront location is great, but it lacks food quality and service. Considering it’s the only cafe on the beach, it tends to get busy and disorganized. There’s no table service, so you have to order at the window. There aren’t many coquina beach restaurants, so grab a draft beer and sit on one of the tables right on the beach. Finish the day with some ice cream and a beautiful view of the water.
The Waterfront Restaurant
111 S Bay Blvd, Anna Maria, FL 34216
The Waterfront Restaurant is a great seafood restaurants in Anna Maria Island. It’s an excellent place to have a nice dinner near the water. You can sit outside, inside or at the bar.
Their most popular menu items are lobster bisque, baked brie, fried green tomatoes, fish tacos and grouper sandwiches. While you’re there, you have to try their jalapeño margarita and smoked ginger margarita.
While this is one of Anna Maria Island waterfront restaurants, it’s not directly on the water. Since the restaurant is across the street, there are parked cars that may block your view. If you prefer a quiet setting, they offer outdoor seating in the back porch area.
Waterfront Restaurants near Anna Maria Island, FL
Related: List of the best Bradenton restaurants on the water
Related: List of waterfront restaurants in Sarasota