Fandango Cafe

Leave it to the maverick and visionary Fred Salih, who has long been credited for bringing fusion cuisine in combination with world class jazz to Sarasota — 28 years ago — to put together another eclectic and interactive experience for the city.
I was thrilled to hear that the legendary Fandango Café was back.
The menu still offers its trademark world cuisine this time including more Persian dishes, a tribute to his mother Ruhi. As always, consideration for vegetarian & vegan customers and sustainability is de rigueur.
The décor is warm and personal and the food infused with love.
There’s outdoor café seating and on select nights, live jazz.
I had an amazing meal there recently when I was in town: salmon. perfectly cooked, with asparagus and sundried tomatoes in a creamy pesto sauce. It was beyond delicious and very generous in the ingredients and the portion. The greek salad, warm pita and hummous was comforting and familiar.
I now live in a foodie city known for it’s cuisine and Fandango not only rivals but has surpassed some of the top restaurants here.
Fandango is a nice addition and force to the hip scene going on in the Southside Village district. I would recommend it for anyone with a cool vibe who wants to support and be a part of the growth of a very cool and upcoming place.

Went for dinner and jazz with friends on Friday night. Took 75 minutes to get served after order was taken. Restaurant was just half full. Half the food was good, half was just ok. Indifferent service. Much better choices on the block.
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Now you’re replying and calling your customers liars??? I suggest you check with Gorgio. And he just shrugged his shoulders and said The chef cooks in the order he wants. It’s no wonder your place is empty every night, and Knicks is overflowing. And quite interesting that you say the food is so great, since three of our six didn’t bother eating more than half of the mediocre food. Maybe it’s time for you to close up. Again.

We came here for music on Wednesday night, the menu looked interesting so we decided to try it out.
So pleased we did! We love ethnic food, and especially middle eastern, and this was as good as it gets. Every piece of lamb in the lamb and spinach stew was tender and flavorful. The seasoning was perfect, fresh Greek salad and pita bread was a great start. Our waiter was very attentive and he gave us terrific suggestions.
We met Fred the owner and chef who was extremely gracious and warm. We definitely will be back to taste some of the other dishes.
I really don’t believe any of the bad reviews, they are probably the work of the mediocre restaurants in the neighborhood.

Not very good. Lamb was way overdone. Other dishes seem reheated and did not taste fresh. Will not be going back.

Not a good restaurant — lamb kebab had a very odd taste. Persian beef stew a very intense taste of lemon and tomato paste — little discernible saffron. Will not be returning. 4* review on Unilocal not reliable, zomato seems more accurate (2.6).

It is great to have Fandango open again! Our family enjoyed many celebrations at Fandango over the years including a wedding reception and Christmas Eve dinner. Yesterday we went to have some of our favorite foods. We started with the Mediterranean salad that has falafel, hummus, black bean hummus, baba ganoush, mama ganoush and warm pita bread. Yummy! We also had Greek salad, dolmas, gyro, dirty rice and red beans. It was as good as we remembered and look forward to going again for dinner. Can’t wait to have the curry lamb stew!

we have always enjoyed FANDANGOS. we were thrilled when Fred came back to Sarasota. when ever we have guests from the north they always ask to go back to FANDANGOS. it is one of our favorite date night spots. we have many favorite dishes but absolutely love the Indonesian pasta salad with chicken, tofu kabob, spanakopita, and they have the freshest tasty Greek salad ever. casual or dressy… all good here. please say hello to Sweet Fred; he and his restaurant r truly awesome.

So glad to see Fandango back. I have always enjoyed the food here. Especially the hummus!
The new location is small but does have a couple outdoor tables and I do recommend having lunch or dinner here. We were in on a Friday night. They had a really good vocalist and piano player. The only problem was that it was so loud that we did not enjoy the music. I will go back on a night where they do not have music.

This restaurant is fabulous! There were four of us for dinner on Tuesday night. We started with Fred’s homemade hummus served with delicious pita. I had the spanakopita and gyro with tzatziki sauce. The others had jerk chicken, jerk grouper and chicken kabob with dirty rice. Everyone loved their dishes. Fred Salih, the owner came out to talk to us. He is one of the best chef’s in town! Can’t wait to go back!

I absolutely love to dine here! It is authentic Mediterranean cuisine at it’s finest. The amazing hummus with hot pita bread is mouth watering! The kabobs are out of this world, and the lamb dishes are divine!!! The atmosphere is very soothing to the soul, and the staff is always on point. Fandango is simply my favorite!

Very slow service. Average food. And they fired the best Flamenco musicians on the West Coast of Florida to replace them with some average musicians. If you love average, this is the place for you !!!

I walk in and no one says Hi. I ask if I can sit where I would like as most tables are empty. The woman behind the bar says sure. Then another man says no sit here. He wanted me to sit next to the only table in the restaurant. When I said I would like to sit at the next one over he said he was saving it for a four top. As I was a 2 top. Mind you the only difference in the table I was given was a chair missing, which easily could of been switched around. Whatever I sit down. 15 mins later another 2 top walks in and gets seated at the table I requested. wth? If you want your restaurant to be successful accommodating customers may be need to move up higher on the list. Especially considering that was the only other table that walked in for the 1 ½ I was there. Food is ok there. Won’t be running back there anytime soon if at all.

I asked for two different wines and they were out. I ordered the Kofta Kabob which is supposed to be Kabob Koobideh and it was a gigantic slab of ground beef not well grilled at all. The basmati rice was lacking saffron and the pita bread wasn’t even homemade. Go to Tampa or Miami for the real stuff. It’s cheaper too.

Fandango’s is amazing. We came here on a Monday night. They had live music. It’s a small quaint place that serves really complex flavors. We started with the roasted eggplant appetizer. It was creamy almost like a hummus but with much more depth. The Greek salad was the best. Perfect size and again the salad dressing had a very complex yet delicious taste. It was a perfect size as a side salad. Then one of us had the lamb stew. I don’t usually eat lamb but this stew was incredible. Full bodied and rich flavors. Really a must. I had their sesame chicken and dirty rice. A simple dish yet perfectly cooked and the chicken was very tender. They have a beer and wine bar. Absolutely worth a visit and a return visit.

Great food, service and atmosphere!
Love the jerk chicken red beans and rice.
Tried the spanakopita also and it was excellent!

Very disappointing! had the falafel with salad and Koo Koo. The falafel was poorly spiced and the Koo Koo was burnt and not in the same league as another restaurant nearby. Two stars since the salad portion was good. Still looking for good Middle Eastern food in SRQ.

Best Hummus in Sarasota! Fresh pita bread! Great vegetarian & vegan selections too!!! Don’t miss the Jerk Grouper either! Delicious!!!

1812 S. Osprey Ave. Sarasota 941−954−5400

So bland and gross! What a let down :(the babagonush was flavorless, the lamb stew tasted like ragu! Would have rather eaten Mac and cheese

Just finished a meal at Fandango and I’m happy to say this is a great new addition to the Osprey/​Sarasota restaurant scene. We like to eat out but don’t want fussy… just good. This fits the bill perfectly. The flavors are yummy and we enjoyed every bite we had! We tried the babganoush and I had the Korean Lucia (chicken stew with green beans)…beautiful blend of flavors. My husband had the the kafta kebab with hummus and was very happy. The pita bread and salad served before the meal was so fresh and delicious. I had to try a baklava the chef had made with figs and pecans drizzled with chocolate and apricot… couldn’t finish a lot of what I had but took it home to enjoy another day.
We’re so happy to have this great new mediterrean cuisine in our city… this is a place to come back to again and again… lots to try and daily specials too. Good for vegetarians as well. Believe me… I’m not related but I wish I was!