Arts & Eats Restaurant and Gallery

I’m new to the area and searched out the village of the arts to look for some unique pieces for our new home and happened upon Arts & Eats. I LOVE Bradenton and this village and restaurant just add to an already incredible place to live.
When you come to Arts & Eats you don’t come to eat, you come for a paramount cuisine indulgence. They have a main menu but also specials of the day; I enjoyed the sea bass with crab, bokchoy and a wild rice blend. I wish I had more «room» to eat a full dessert but instead had just 1 truffle… Oh my! It was so worth it. I heard chef Jim speaking with the rest of the staff and asking them to try another dish he had just created to get their opinion, what a great perk!
If I have time tomorrow, they will see me for lunch!
Enjoy and leave your old tastebuds at home.

We love that we stumbled upon this place. So unique and fun. Located in an old neighborhood of Old Tiny Florida homes. The old wood is brought to life with bright Island colors. The food was AMAZInG! I see this little place coming up in future conversations.

We came here because of all the positive reviews. Sadly, our dinner was terrible. I ordered beef short ribs that had maybe a generous tablespoon of beef on the bone. The rest was inedible fat. I sent one glass of wine back as the bottle had been opened a long time and it had turned to vinegar. The second was no better but I didn’t have the heart to send it back too. My friend’s sea bass was clearly not sea bass… maybe snapper… and okay if you like the flavor of sesame oil. My husband’s seafood tagine was the only good meal of the evening. These are really, really nice folks so I feel badly that the food wasn’t better. Will not be returning. Too bad… it’s a neat area.

Won’t be going back and can’t recommend anyone else go here. The food was fine although I believe $ 30 for 5 small scallops is obscene. The service was terrible. I came to this restaurant during a VOA Art Walk and they did not appear busy but our waitress was nearly impossible to come across so we spent the majority of the art walk waiting… After requesting a glass of water I was interrogated as to why I couldn’t drink one of the waters already on the table (there were two glasses of water that belonged to other people in my party). I received this same line of questioning when I requested flatware. We had to bus our own table after our waitress left every empty cup and plate on our already crowded space. Then we had to tell her everything we’d ordered so she could bill us properly.

Fabulous lunch! Wonderful fresh ingredients in all dishes. My crab salad was filled with lump crab meat, fresh avocado, and heirloom tomatoes. Another lunch was chefs choice Asian appetizer platter. The fresh sunchoke soup was tasty as well as the mozzarella & heirloom tomato salad. Service friendly & prompt. Atmosphere funky & fun. We look forward to a return visit!

We stopped in for lunch on the recommendation of a nearby shop owner and very glad we did! We had a lovely lunch for an affordable price. The house-​made chicken salad was my favorite… a large serving of chunks of tender chicken mixed with a light amount of mayo & fresh herbs, topped with crunchy cashews, and served over a bed of mixed lettuces with chunks of yellow tomato. I opted to have avocado chunks added. A glass of pinot grigio was the perfect pairing. My friend’s salad was lovely as well with a yummy house-​made dressing. The highlight of the meal however was their carrot cake! Simply the best I have ever had. Instead of the usual overly sweet cream cheese icing, it is baked with a glaze made of buttermilk & sugar, and served simply with a scoop of marscapone cheese. I wanted to lick the plate! Service was prompt and friendly. It is a small place, so there may be a wait, but it will be worth it. Reservations for dinner recommended. Wonderful setting in the heart of the Village of the Arts.

We are in town to see the Pirates during Spring Training. After a long travel day all we wanted was a good meal and some wine and this place delivered! The service was great, the live music added a great touch and the food was excellent. I add the Scallops and my other half had the Lamb. Both were great. We ended the night with the Apple Fritter dessert that was sweet and savory. We will be back the next time we are in the area.

I have driven past this restaurant several times and became curious so I looked it up on Unilocal.The reviews were great and the food pictures made me hungry, so I decided that my son needed a break from working on a midterm paper and I had a block of selenite in my trunk just begging to be carved so… a nice meal was what we both needed. I should have chosen somewhere else.
Initially, everything was pleasant, the atmosphere was welcoming and the musician was good. The hostess was very nice, our table was small and wobbly but that seemed to be part of the motif. The bread was tasty, the coffee fresh, we both ordered the special lamb shank. Then we waited, and waited, and waited… after 55 minutes I asked the waitress if it was customary for a lamb shank to take so long. She told me that we had ordered two, so it took longer… I was a bit perplexed on why that would matter (she had told us that it had already been cooking for 48 hours) and wondered why we were not told about how long it would take. Then she told me not to be alarmed if a lamb shank arrived for the table next to us before ours. The table had been there for not even 10 minutes, and had already had their appetizer personally delivered by the chef/​owner (who by the way did not even glance in our direction or offer any reason for why we were waiting so long). I told her if that happened I would most definitely walk out. She then left the table and came back with our food minutes later. I was shocked. My lamb was fine, my son’s was very fatty… we brought the fat home for the dogs so at least they were happy. I am not sure why we were treated the way we were. An explanation and perhaps an apology from someone other the waitress would be nice. My son is majoring in Food and Cultural Anthropology so he was looking forward to tasting what they had available. Neither of us were impressed.
³⁄₂₇
After reading the owner’s response I am now actually upset for the following reasons:
1. A small slice of cake does not in any way justify what occurred
2. What the waitress told the owner was untrue. The other table came in over 30 minutes after we ordered (it took us 2 minutes to decide after the waitress left our table)
3. We did mention the wobbly table but it was laughed off
4. We are basically pleasant people and were not going to cause a scene so we ate our meal, told the waitress to please box up all the fat and bones for our dogs separately
5. We tipped because we did not see any of what occurred as a reflection on the waitresses service, but she knew that the other table that had ordered the lamb shank had come in much later than us and tried to tell us his may come out first because we had ordered two. I am in no way mistaken in what I was told or what occurred. We will now definitely not return.
6. I dropped my review from 2 stars to 1 because in reading the owner’s response it had undertones that what happened was our fault, that we took our time ordering, and that we were unreasonable in our expectations. I am now very offended in addition to being disappointed with our experience at Arts&Eats.

This place is in the coolest location. It looks like someone’s house in the middle of the village of the arts in Bradenton. The menu here changes every week and it’s always delicious fresh and creative food. It’s so cozy inside and when I was there they had a live preformed that really set the mood even more.

A Friend came in for the night and we made a reservation for Arts and Eats Restaurant in the Village of the Arts. We have dined there many times before and this time did not disappoint!
Chef Jim is using a Prime Pork (we had the Pork Loin with Aioli) and both of us told the Chef personally it was INCREDIBLE! Many people have not tasted Prime Pork marbled with fat, which Chef Coppening gets special, vs. the American lean. They will find the difference is astounding plus the fact how it is prepared with Coppening’s «special twist»! The other diner had the Swordfish dish and she couldn’t say enough about how much she enjoyed her choice!
We had an appetizer of Dates with Goat Cheese and Pistachios which are a favorite of mine and salad with a great bottle of wine.
Come to the Village of the Arts … it has GREAT RESTAURANTS … GREAT CHEFS … and is a Special Place to eat and wander the areas Art Galleries!
We highly recommend Arts and Eats!

The Restaurant was eclectic and charming. We were visiting friends who just moved to Florida and our friend suggested Arts & Eats! I was intrigued by the name. I was able to get a reservation from Open Table, ALWAYS a huge bonus in a Restaurant’s favor in MY humble opinion! It’s in an adorable and colorful little repurposed house. The Owner seated us immediately. I could tell she was the Owner because my Husband grew up in a Restaurant. The Waitress was very nice and helpful. We all enjoyed our meals very much! I had pan roasted chicken breast with mushroom cream sauce, asparagus and mashed potatoes.
My Husband had the Asian Sampler, and our friends had the Seafood Tangine and scallops with truffle butter. Very, very good. We hope to return next time we visit our friends! I also want to thank the aforementioned wonderful Owner, who, when we realized two days later that we were missing our credit card, had kept it safe and actually mailed it back to us asap! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

We found this restaurant recently and had a fabulous dining experience. Our waiter, Nick, was incredibly helpful and made several recommendations that were appreciated. The menu is varied and excellent. Don’t miss an opportunity to try it for yourself.

Wonderful restaurant with a varied menu and friendly service located in the arts district in Bradenton, Florida. check it out you won’t be disappointed. I understand they have a jazz monday and I will return to check it out.

Neat, unique and clearly a place full of heart!
I was excited to learn about this place through Unilocal while visiting the nearby downtown Bradenton farmer’s market. A cool little area of cottages turned into art galleries, shops and restaurants– this one has plenty of parking in the empty lot next door and neat things to walk to nearby.
The old house converted into a restaurant is quirky and fun and nostalgic. It was a nice perk to checkin with Unilocal anad et a complimentary wine. Their wine and beer list was just the right size and they had a great red blend that I enjoyed!
Their stuffed dates were a nice little sampling size and drizzled with a delicious sauce. The mushroom potato soup of the day was nice and earthy. The naan sandwich was fantastic — just the right amount of the sweet peppers and pesto with ham and cheese. Their sweet potato fries were served with a zesty mustard too. Chef Jim even gave us a truffle at the end of the meal to finish off our wine and then he joined in on bass while the pianist played some soulful tunes.
Service was an A+ — you’ll be glad you tried this place out!

Arts & Eats is absolutely charming. The Arts District of Bradenton seems to come out of nowhere. It is located just out of the downtown area in a neighborhood that you wouldn’t expect to host such a wonderful place. My boyfriend and I had made a reservation based on other’s recommendations and when we walked up, we immediately saw the charm. The restaurant is actually a small, old house painted bright lime green and purple and it looked very quaint. When we came inside, there was live music being set up and interesting artwork on the walls. Our server was incredibly friendly and helpful and made the experience great!
As far as appetizers, we ordered their bread with olive oil and a hazelnut mixture, as well as the «Asian Sampler.» The bread seemed to be missing a little something as far as taste, however the sampler was excellent! It consisted of bok choy, shrimp, an egg roll, Asian dumplings, and asian noodles. Each piece was unique and wonderful and I will be sure to order this again when we dine next. We also started off with their Malbec red wine which was low in price and wonderful in taste — highly recommend.
From there, we split two entrees for dinner: the grilled chicken breast with mushroom sauce, mashed potatoes, and asparagus AND the homemade goat cheese and pesto ravioli. The chicken breast was not bad, but not very interesting. The raviolis were absolutely delicious. They were one of a kind and very rich — we were fortunate to have ordered them.
Last but definitely not least, we ordered cappuccinos and their carrot cake to end the night. If I could suggest one menu item to try, it would be the carrot cake! It had hints of lavender and was sitting in honey. I have never had a better carrot cake — let alone dessert in the Bradenton area!
Overall, I highly recommend this restaurant. Only negative thing I can say is the portions are not very large, so keep that in mind when ordering. However the prices are not too high, the food is unique, and the atmosphere is delightful. Definitely worth the trip!

Came for a mid-​week lunch with the girls and to belatedly commemorate a friends birthday. One of the three of us had eaten here before and raved about the crab salad so we all anticipated a good meal.
Sadly, that did not happen. The menu is quite different, a strange mix of Asian, Italian, and Indian plates with pretentious descriptions. Pricey, too, for lunch; crab salad is $ 21 and ravioli is $ 14.
One had the Fine Herb Chicken Salad, which was quite tasty, though the chicken leaned on the dry/​overcooked side. The herbs were unidentifiable and excessive but was overall edible and tasty.
Two of us had the Onion Soup Gratinee and side salad. The menu indicates the croûton is their house-​made bread. It likely was an old loaf of some type of wheat bread that, in the strangely sour-​tasting broth, became a mealy-​textured lump under the cheese. We never could discern what, exactly, caused the broth to exude such an aroma and flavor but it was unpleasant on both counts.
The side salad was a plate of sliced romaine lettuce with a healthy portion of goat cheese crumbled on top, a slice of pickled beet and roasted red pepper served with their version of Green Goddess dressing (the only salad dressing available in the restaurant). The romaine was nose-​crinkling bitter-​tasting with every bite. The pickled beet was painfully tart, and the roasted red pepper had an odd texture and even odder taste. The dressing was like a thinned pesto with the most unnatural, unappealing taste. It was so horrible that eating the bitter-​tasting lettuce dry was a better alternative.
Dessert, only because we were still hungry having been unable to eat more than a few bites of the soup and salad, was mixed. The chocolate almond truffle was really quite good; creamy in the center in a sultry bitter-​sweet chocolate shell.
The horn of plenty (or whatever it was called) was a puff pastry cradling a mountain of strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries that cascaded over a scoop of ice cream covered in pistachio sauce. Sounds really wonderful but the reality was incredibly horrible. The fruit was glazed in some strangely unsweet coating that overpowered the natural flavor of the fruit. The sauce was an odd yellowish color with an odd, most unpleasant flavor to match. We couldn’t figure out the ice cream at all, a strange texture almost like melting tofu.
We asked about the sauce and were told it was a mix of pistachios, saffron, rosewater, and some other ingredients we could not recall. It was the strangest combination of flavors and was inedible after two bites.
The service was exceptional. The young man who waited on us was attentive to the nth degree; we were initially the only people in the restaurant so that could be expected. Upon learning we were celebrating a birthday, the dessert arrived with a lit candle, which was a nice touch and heartwarming surprise. We were never rushed through our meal and he continued to refill our water glasses long the plates were cleared away. Three other tables were occupied by the time we left.
Overall, the food was not worth returning for. Rather than try (and fail) to impress with some international culinary specialties that may or may not have been executed well — it was difficult to tell when it was inedible — this interesting little restaurant in the heart of the Village of the Arts should revamp their menu to something more local. It was a wasted $ 15 on a meal that was left nearly untouched.

What a great find! Nestled off US301, you’ll find this quaint, eclectic restaurant at the epicenter of Village of the Arts. My friend and I were looking for a unique experience, and Arts & Eats did not disappoint!
We were warmly greeted by all the staff, who took no offense to us sharing our meal. We started with their version of a Greek salad (golden beets, feta, Kalamata olives, etc.) with a very bright herb goddess dressing of parsley, tarragon, and a few other herbs. We found out the herbs are procured from a local church’s mission with people with special needs.
Next came the Herbes de Provence garlic rustic bread with olive oil and Egyptian hazelnut dip. Steam was coming from the bread when brought to the table, and while dense and delicious dipped in the oil, the hazelnut dip was difficult to maneuver onto the bread and a bit heavy in the cumin department for our taste.
Our main course, garlic goat cheese ravioli with pesto sauce had the perfect balance of salty, savory and creaminess. 7 handmade ravioli graced our bowl that was topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and adorned with a few basil leaves. Make sure to save some of the bread for sopping up any leftover sauce as you will not want any of it to go to waste.
It’s a good thing we decided to split everything, because the dessert was divine. Homemade peach cobbler made with fresh peaches, topped with homemade cinnamon ice cream sent us home planning our next trip to Arts & Eats to try many other items our stomachs were to fill to try this go around.

Such an adorable little place with a lot of colors and live piano playing! :) The food is divine and beautiful! Very cozy and unique!

A lovely eclectic restaurant located in what was once a residence. Colorful with art all over the walls. The staff was fabulous, full of personality. Everyone interacted and was über friendly. The food was very good. I had the Asian sampler which had lots of good flavors. Someone in our party had the pesto ravioli and raved about it. The scallops, although enjoyed, were not exciting and came with dry rice and broccoli… Boring.
Desserts were the highlight with their pastry chef on staff. Jim the owner chef came out and made the rounds from table to table. What a great guy, changed his entire life, transplanting he and his wife from NYC after a fishing trip to FL. He never looked back and Sarasota is lucky to have the Arts & Eats café!
Even a trip just for coffee and dessert is a good idea !
Enjoy

As good as it gets. Bright little spot with talented chef and fresh, fresh, fresh ingredients. Live entertainment, lovely waitress. Crestive, delicious tea. Just an all round happy dinner.