Dunby’s

Great food and great service. Authentic European cuisine. Nice comfortable ambiance. Our group enjoyed the pork stew, the chicken, the salmon and the meatballs. They served a few fun additions to our selections. The desert assortment (photo below) was outstanding and the caramel sauce is to die for! The service was great.

Belgian food is good! Try it at this warm and welcoming restaurant
If you’re on Anna Maria Island, looking for a change from beach food, give this restaurant a try. Our family went for dinner and we especially liked: Belgian beer, mussels (of course) and the fish of the day (sea bass). Plus, the service was terrific.
Only things we didn’t love: the salad (not special) and that there was no brewed ice tea (we’re still in Florida).
And I have to mention dessert. We got the sampler: chocolate, chocolate, chocolate and wonderful sauces. Great to share.

Dunby’s is the authentic Belgian cuisine experience!
The menu includes all Belgian staples, from appetizers like cheese croquettes and asparagus with salmon, to a variety of entrees, including Belgian national dishes as mussels and steak frites (French, or better, Belgian fries) — each one of those comes with the traditional choices of sauces.
It helps to know that steak and mussels are originally served with Belgian fries, and mayonnaise, yes. And here’s where the party really started, for me.
Jean, the owner, cuts the fries by hand, and then fries them twice, again in the original Belgian way. It doesn’t get any better than this, guys, for those who know, Belgian fries are the best. Add some homemade mayonnaise to that, and you have a Belgian feast.
Oh, I should add the fine selection of Belgian beers, another essential element of a successful Belgian meal. This really completes this fine Belgian experience. I understand that some want baked potato with their meal, but try the Belgian elegance of potatoes croquettes instead.
Make sure to try the dessert, as the in-​house chocolatier creates gourmandises, small chocolate pralines and chocolate mousse, all with the best Belgian chocolate.
Add to that a fine and friendly dining service, and you will come back for this great Belgian experience.
I tried the cheese croquettes, the mussels with garlic, french fries and mayonnaise, and the chocolate mousse, and they were all just like home!
Let’s hope Dunby’s is here to stay!

I stumbled upon this place when going to the Publix next to it. Thought I would give it a try.
The staff was A+, super nice. Service was slow, but that’s probably because they are on island time, so no big deal.
The food– I ordered 3 entrees and a desert for take-​out. My take:
Pasta with Shrimp– Pass on this one. The tomato basil sauce was nice, but the shrimp was not good– not fresh, overcooked, too firm.
Meatballs with hunter sauce– Two very generous meatballs, served with fries. I don’t get the fries as a side, it seems pasta or vegetables would make more sense. But maybe its a Belgian thing. The meatballs are roasted in an interesting sauce… kind of sweet, kind of bitter, brown in color. The meatball was cooked perfectly, I am kind of neutral on the sauce.
Pork stew– again another entrée served with fries. Not a fan of this pairing, but OK. Roasted potatoes would make a better pairing. However, this was the most popular dish out of everything we tried. Pork was real tender, the tomato sauce nice and zingy. A winner of a dish.
The waitress recommended I try the Salmon, said the creamy sauce was great, but I declined. Next time I will order this dish, since the entrees were generally underwhelming.
For dessert I tried to order the gourmet plate of the day, which had an AMAZING sample of their desserts. Sadly, I was told it would not travel well (since I was getting take out) so I settled on Three Chocolate Cake. This was good, its not a cake but three layers of mousse.
Cost was similar to any other sit down restaurant on the island– $ 20 an entrée, $ 10 for apps.
This place is a nice change from the pizza and fried seafood joints that dot the island. Worth a visit.