The Recipe Box Eatery

Cute little breakfast/​lunch place. Would not go out of my way to come here, but good little meal while in the area. Had half a ham sandwich and frech onion soup. Only $ 5.50. Only complaint is that the soup was boiling. Had to add ice cubes to make it a little more tolerable.

Under new management now. We miss Rich and the gang but the food is still good. A few menu changes but no complaints here. Thursday and Friday night they have live entertainment — a local keyboard player. She plays old school tunes while you dine. The restaurant is a little hidden in a quiet shopping center off highway 70. One of our go to places for breakfast and dinner. Breakfast Acapulco omelettes are really good too. And Thursday night corned beef and cabbage! Yum!

Went here for breakfast on my last morning of a trip to the Sarasota area. Sure wish I’d tried it sooner. While it’s not much to look at from the outside, it’s clean and spacious inside.
A quick look at the menu was reassuring — they had all the usual breakfast items you would expect and the meal combinations were right up my alley. I personally like a combo of eggs, pancakes, and a side of meat — no potatoes. My DH prefers a combo of eggs, toast, potatoes, and a side of meat. It’s not every place that has both combos and The Recipe Box fit the bill. They also had many other interesting meal combos I would have tried on future visits, including at least one I saw called Early Riser that included free coffee if you were there before 9:30.
As for the quality of food — top notch. I’ve had my fair share of pancakes across Sarasota and these were among the best! The rest of the food was also very good, the service was just right, including quick refills and the offer of to-​go cups as we were heading out, and all this at prices that could not be beat.
Bottom line, next time we are in the area this will be a regular breakfast stop for us!

Been here once… terrible, bland food… felt like a retirement home atmosphere… smelled the same.

Ok, you Midwestern snowbirds. Should you be missing a pork tenderloin sandwich this place is for you.

I was brought here by a friend for a Sunday lunch. It seemed very much on par with a Peach’s or any other breakfast/​lunch greasy spoons. I got a patty melt, which was soggy from sitting too long before getting served. My companion had the special of the day (pork tenderloin) and asked them to make it a sandwich plate instead of what was described on the menu. They were happy to oblige and he was happy with the results. I think this place is completely fine and average for a breakfast or lunch meal. It’s not great, not horrible, just pretty average with average prices (patty melt and fries were $ 7.95). I was turned off by the server who kind of bellowed in a fake friendly sort of way, perhaps he is too used to dealing with hard of hearing seniors.

My aunt took me here while I was visiting her in Bradenton, Fl. She has been here a number of times. The waiter was friendly but a little to chatty as we were leaving (it was a slow night). I had chicken breast with goat cheese and spinach on top and seasoned rice and broccoli with some kind of sauce. It was nice, but the goat cheese was salty. My aunt had the salmon and it looked great. She liked it.
The food wasn’t bad.
This is a neighborhood place with friendly service and good value.

Ive dined here maybe 4 times? The food is consistently okay. Its never horrible but never great. But i keep coming back. The service has been pretty good. On two of my four visits they have «run out» of food that i wanted to order. And, there is this lady with blond hair that is always at the front desk. Its been my mission to make her smile all 4 visits, to no avail. I get the impression that she doesnt really want to be there. But every one else is pretty okay.

I’m posting a pic because I have to say that I walked into this place a little wary after reading a previous review.
I really don’t hand out four stars casually, but the reality is that the food — breakfast items, eggs, bacon, pancakes — was just about perfectly prepared. Eggs light and cooked as ordered, bacon crispy and plentiful, pancakes extra-​fluffy yet with that little bit of wholegrain texture that makes them extra-​delicious. I didn’t have coffee, but my tablemates said it was very good and drank several cups.
We were seated promptly and the service was friendly and prompt. I always pay particular attention to cleanliness, and the place was truly clean. Also very nicely decorated, quite modern, actually. All in all, this is a good place to bring the family. Nice little brunch/​lunch place with great prices.

I always endeavor to find and support small, local businesses over large national chains of homogenized blandness. Today, entirely at random, I found this place and decided to give it a chance.
It was packed at lunchtime but as I put my name on the waiting list spotted a bunch of ladies in the waiting area. It was convenient and not creepy to observe to one sitting close that the place must be good for having a crowd waiting. She agreed and told me everything was good, especially the salads. Friendly customers = good thing.
After a short wait, I was given a table and a friendly waitress appeared immediately with my drink order.
The menu was abundant, offered a wide array of breakfast and lunch options, and I opted for a cheeseburger as a benchmark test.
While I waited, I read the reviews posted here and wondered what a couple of them were thinking in making claims like it was dark and dirty. Neither could be farther from the truth.
My food arrived quickly, the burger was appealing and delicious with a generous amount of fresh onions, tomatoes and Romaine lettuce. The fries were exceptional.
After, I asked my waitress if she knew of Unilocal and she not only did but was also mystified about the review from the dark and dirty lady who she said knew the lady who gave that review, adding she had been in multiple times and on one occasion had complained that the Chorizo in her omelette was not in fact Chorizo which it really was.
My waitress was especially in touch with Unilocal and could not have been nicer.
Make this a spot to become a regular, and you may spot me here, as that is what I am going to do.

This place knows how to make breakfast. The servers are always friendly and I’ve never had a bad meal here. I highly recommend this place.

This place has an unclean, dark and creepy feeling to it, because it is unclean dark and well, creepy. My burger was way way underdone, and the pickle on my plate had a long strip of sliced deli turkey on the underside. They had obviously ‘lifted’ it off someone else’s used sandwich plate and recycled it onto mine. Yuck. I thought that was illegal. If not, it should be. No thanks. Don’t go there.

Cute Place. There are a lot of regulars here, so you know the food is good and cheap!

I really do not understand what the big deal is. This is yet another super busy, tiny family owned restaurant in Bradenton, FL that is crowded with angry elderly eating breakfast from open to close. Everyone from my office goes here a least once a week. I have been three times so far and still do not get it. The atmosphere is ok, if you like getting stared at. If you go during busy hours, there is going to be a 30 minute wait.
The wait staff is very nice, and the service is fast, but there are plenty of places in the area to eat at that are just as nice and the food is better. So my main problem is with the food; it is bland.
The first time I went, I ordered the Pot Roast $ 7.29, which was not better than Cracker Barrel and the sides were not good at all. The mashed potatoes tasted instant, the gravy tasted like it was from a can, and the peas and carrots were definitely canned and mushy.
Second time was the Tierra Verde Salad $ 6.95, which said that it came with baby spinach, but it was wilted and brown remain and iceberg lettuce. It was terrible! Canned pinapple, canned mandarin oranges, old sprouts, and super sweet dressing. No thanks!
Third was Chicken Salad on Croissant $ 6.85, which was decent.
I should just stick with mayo covered items, fried items, or breakfast items in the future.