Darwin’s on 4th

Loved this restaurant!!! Delicious ceviche and I’m a tough sell on not fully cooked fish… It was so good! Amazing fries and meat was so tender! Delicious food!!!

What a spot! Started out our night there, but only for a round of drinks (or two) and appetizers.
Pork tacos and ceviche were outstanding! Great kitchen-​concocted hot sauces to choose from. The charapa spiced porter is one of a kind — amazing!
Great building. Good music. Fun waitress. Good place to go with good friends — or to make new ones!

Had a great experience here the other night. I went for my wife’s birthday. The atmosphere was nice. Out server whose name I can’t remember was excellent. She was very pleasant and knowledgeable of the menu and made good recommendations. The drinks (an old-​fashioned) was good. They weren’t watered down like most places in the downtown area. The good was also good. An overall good experience. Just a little pricey

This place was wonderful. The food was cooked to perfection. Unique, flavorful, yet comforting. We ordered Malbec shortrib, salmon, and steak maduro and we all loved our meals. The drinks were tasty as well. We ordered the sangria, mojito, and the jalapeño cilantro drink. All amazing. Great atmosphere and lovely music. Ambiance was relaxing and enjoyable.

Unbelievable restaurant & atmosphere. Old citrus exchange building, 20’s décor & great music. I especially liked their draft beers & guest beer selection. Highly recommend.

We continue to enjoy Darwin’s as a happening place that happens to have delicious food. This week we took my parents, who had not yet been there. They also enjoyed it and we had a great time.
Try the pisco sour, which makes a great cocktail before dinner. The wine list is good and even though they removed the vats, they still brew their own beer in Bradenton.
Skirt steak remains an excellent choice. Linse misses the asparagus, which they removed from the menu.

Good meal, but not fabulous. The short rib and truffle risotto was delicious but I would suggest splitting it since it is so rich. The ceviches and the shrimp tempura appetizer were fine but nothing to rave about.
The ambience upstairs left something to be desired. The décor seemed like a cross between a hunting lodge (wood panels) and hotel ballroom (bad carpeting).

The lobster taco was really tasty. They use big pieces of lobster. The ceviche trio was good too and the plating was beautiful. The staff is attentive too.

Went here w/​my hubs and his friends for dinner. I really enjoyed the ceviche and my hubs loved their burger.
The atmosphere, drinks, and live music were all as good as it gets

This is what a gastro pub should be. Brew beer onsite, amazing food to go with that beer. They also have «fried» corn kernels as a bar snack, just awesome. Servers are friendly, engaging and helpful. Really nice space as well.

Ok… Where to start…
We ordered duck, chicken and ribs…
I cannot describe the delicious flavors that graced my palette this lovely evening in Sarasota at Darwin’s.
All I can say is 5 stars. Don’t be a complete fool and miss this place. If you are in Sarasota, this is a must do restaurant.
Our favorite was the chicken but there were no bad plates.
Enjoy people, enjoy.

We decided to try out Darwin’s after hearing great things from others in the area. We had been here back when it was the Mad Crow and weren’t super impressed with the food… but aside from the layout — Darwin’s is completely different.
We each had an appetizer, drink, and entrée and everything was delicious. They had some of the best brewpub beers we have had (and we are kind of a bunch of beer snobs).
The Cesar salad was a delicious change from the average — full of manchego cheese and plantain chips. The pork tacos were some of the best we have ever had. I opted for the braised short ribs and was not disappointed. My husband had the fish special — crab crusted mahi — he joined the clean plate club on that one.
Overall, a wonderful experience. We sat at the chefs table and enjoyed watching Chef Darwin plate all of the meals with precision and focus. We would definitely return on our next visit.

Located a block away from a homeless shelter (keep in mind when self parking), this location looks as if its nestled within Sarasota’s Art District… if they had ine that is. I came here on a weekend getaway, attempting to escape from S. Florida, with many expectations and preconceived notions in mind.
The location was nice, a large bar is immediately in view as soon as you walk in with live music playing near a small corner «stage» area. The hostess and server area is tucked on the adjacent corner. Décor was contemporary antique (kindof like an oxymoron but it works well in this scenario). The main seating area is arranged around the kitchen as the centerpiece. This actually works well, and has a great feel to it. Dates will definitely be impressed with the ambiance.
For starters, I opted not to eat ceviche, which I regret now writing this as it may have swayed an additional star thinking it would’ve been their strong point. Unilocal had this restaurant classified as Contemporary Peruvian and Cuban Cuisine. .keep that in mind in reference to this review.
We ordered the Chicharon Calimar along with the wings (the only remotely kid friendly choice) which was for my daughter. For drinks I had the flight assortment of four 5oz craft beer selections and a Caipirinha. The micro brews were decent, nothing to rave about. The Caipirinha arrived in a tall 90’s piña colada glass with a sliced lime. The presentation of the drink was lacking mint leaves and flavor. The main reason I ordered it was because a previous Unilocaler raved about it saying it was the best in the city. Either he had some botched drinks in the past or the city truly lacks a decent Caipirinha. I was completely disappointed. For reference bartender, go to Sugarcane Grill in Miami to take notes and lessons. This may wow the Gringo over 50 crowd, but not the new, young, experienced foodies.
The Chicharon Calimar was nicely seasoned and fried, however it wasnt done in a crunchy «chicharon» fashion, so I’d advise changing the name. It was paired with a sweet chili sauce and a tangy tarter. Good selection of calamari, but it was a little in the small side.
The wings were ok, more chicharoned aka «crunchy charr-​fried» than the calimari. go figure. My daughter opted to eat my calamari and I was stuck with her wings. Its what daughters are for.
For the entrée’s we had the Skirt Steak and the BBQ Guava Salmon. First on to the steak. The steak was grilled to perfection. Nice texture and flavor, proportionately red and soft. The only drawback was the abundance of chimichurri sauce sitting atop the meat, which threw off the natural flavor of the steak. Look at the picture for reference. The steak sat atop a bed of platano maduros drizzled with a chopped beet relish. The maduros were good, nothing out of this world, but there were too many on the plate which masked the quantity of meat. The beet relish was a good accompanying item.
The BBQ Guava Salmon was next. It sat atop a potato purée with collard greens. Yuck! The guava sauce didnt do the salmon justice. The portion was hearty but the salmon still had the ocean taste to it. It should have been smoked or cooked on some sort of plank for full flavor. The collard greens threw it off more. Being a latin fusion establishment, why add collard greens? This isnt a soul food establishment and greens are meant as cheap food. Once again, you can probably wow a Gringo but not a Latino. The only reasin I ate it was to not waste $ 27 and the tab was running like cab fare for this experience.
I was presented with a desert menu shortly afterwards but the choices were uninspiring. Crème brûlée, tres leches, fruits, mousse and a banana flan were the choices. A banana flan? I had to pass. Ive had flan de leche, coco, guava and mango. Not once in my hundresds of outings have ive seen a banana flan. Not something an inspiring Cuban would prepare. I settled for the expresso which was watered down compared to regular expresso. Another side note, if your touting as a Cuban spot and not offer a cafesito or anything remotely related, your fooling your clientele. Anither huge miss. Not sure if any of the 101 reviewers actually spend time eating in quality esrablishments in Miami.

I thought the food was pretty good. Happy hour calamari and Peruvian salad were good but the pork tacos were mediocre at best. The pork was cold, fatty and lacked flavor. Bartender was a nice gentleman and had this rum punch special that was strong but super fruity and delicious.
Overall, cool place to get dinner or happy hour drinks/​apps

I lost count on number of times my friends recommended Darwin’s on 4^th to me. I finally had an evening to get out of work a bit early, stop at the beach and get to Darwin.
I fell in love with true South American cuisine during my travels, and Peruvian flavors of Darwin were calling to me. It has traditional dishes, but with modern twist and Chef Darwin personal creativity.
Chefs table/​counter is fun to sit at — you watch them work their magic, pans all lined up, stoves fired, plates waiting for food, and all of them moving around the line in choreographic precision. Really, really cool.
Darwin’s menu is on pricey side, but it is well worth it. Dishes are true to the culture, flavors are complex and ingredients are fresh.
I found my beloved Pisco sour with ginger on drinks menu, and was happy as a clam waiting for my food to come out, waching Chefs working and listening to the music. Little puffy breads they start you with are nice to nibble on — they are like profiteroles without filling, light and fluffy.
The Mixto ceviche was a delight — all ingredients working together very well, flavors are strong but balanced. Cuzco corn was a nice touch.
The skirt steak with chimichurri sauce… Oh, that’s the magic right there! You know how hard to find the place that makes GOOD chimichurri??? Smooth, tasty, with cilantro added on top of it… Bite of medium rare steak, with a bit of that — with side of caramelized plantains, and beet relish — heaven on the plate.
Lastly, the dessert — artfully presented, chocolaty smooth goodness of Darwin’s Brulee. Oh, yes!
Darwin’s is absolutely must for special occasions dinner, or just fun time out!
Loved every bite.

Mixed ceviche was excellent
Wings were fantastic and original
Skirt steak is a must with a cab sauv
Goat cheese ice cream with pear and black pepper was interesting as well
$ 83 before tip
Would definitely go back

Highlight of our dining experiences while in Sarasota for this visit.
From the moment we sat down to when we put down our dessert spoons the experience was fab.
We had an attentive waiter who was happy to help with questions or give recommendations.
We started by sharing two flights of beer to get through the majority (7 of the 10!) of the brew offerings which were all delicious to these beer connoisseurs.
For an app we started with the shrimp in a spicy sauce which my fiancé wanted to slurp up with a spoon.
For entrees we had the skirt steak with chimichurri and fried plantains and then the malbec braised short ribs with truffle chive risotto. The short ribs/​risotto were heavenly and the bite I snagged from the other dish was just as tasty. The flavors were very rich yet balanced.
We barely saved room for dessert and ended up sharing the tres leches cake with strawberries which hit the spot — not to sweet which was a nice way to finish off our evening indulgence.
I am telling everyone I know to come to Darwins when they visit Sarasota and can’t wait to check out the brewery opening in the spring (I think) next time I’m in town!

First of all, it’s a great space — old building, stripped to the outer walls and reappointed inside with curtains and copper and wood. Very cozy. Next, they brew their own beer — and some nice ales, to boot!
Then they have a great happy hour menu, with beer, sangria, wine, and cocktails — as well as small plates for a great price. And finally, they have live music while all this is going on.
We loved the place, service was good, and the food — ceviche, pork tacos, mussels, burger, chicken skewers, truffle fries was GREAT!
We’ll be back…
PS – We got a little scared when the same guitarist (Brian Spainhower) we listened to at lunch at the Hub showed up to play flamenco guitar at Darwin’s (was he stalking us?), but the quality of music allayed our fears! LOL…

SO GLAD we stopped by here for Happy Hour! Located just off the edge of downtown, Darwin’s on 4^th is tucked away in the most beautiful building! Romantic and cozy spots all throughout the restaurant. There’s beautiful lights, paintings… everything just comes together to make this place special. You feel like you’re almost dining in an old world castle. Service was attentive and knew their menu well.
For Happy Hour, we ordered a bunch of little things to share. Parmesan truffle fries are a must for anyone who likes fries. Perfectly fried, fat wedges to make anyone happy. Tostones were good. Nothing out of the ordinary, but very good. The pork tacos were delicious! Juicy charred tomatillo salsa mixed with the pork. Ugh, I wanted more!
The boyfriend got the sirloin steak burger on the menu. Great deal for $ 10! The burger was huge! And came with a side of various chips (yucca, plantain, etc.). I splurged and got Chef Darwin’s Skirt Steak. YUMMMM~! Covered in beet relish and chimichurri sauce. Perfectly seasoned steak. It almost makes me sad I wasn’t born and raised Peruvian.
For beers, they have a cute little brewery set up on the side of the restaurant. Order a flight for $ 10 and sample up to 4 different kinds.

My husband and I had a wonderful Peruvian dinner here. We made a reservation about 20 minutes before arriving on OpenTable and was seated immediately even though there was a wait. The ambiance is perfection. A lovely live band, perfect lighting and 3 separate dining areas. We were seated on the second floor which gave us romantic privacy but also allowed us to overlook the entire restaurant.
We started with the classic ceviche and fried calamari. Both were excellent. For dinner I had the skirt steak with plantains and chimichurri and hubs had the seafood paella. His dish was devoured in about 5 minutes and then he joined me in finishing my plate.
Overall, it was an excellent dinner, a little pricey but definitely worth it!