Lobster Love

Lido Beach Restaurant’s Recipe is on a Roll

When visitors envision a beach concession stand menu, they typically think basic: chips, soda, maybe a hot dog and fries. But Sarasota’s Lido Beach Restaurant blows that stereotype far out of the water.

The fare has been shockingly fresh for a decade. And the culinary headliner has always been the lobster roll.

“When we first opened 10 years ago, we basically wanted to create some menu items for our regulars,” says Gabriel Davila, who co-owns the concession with Darlene Ruth. “We wanted to make sure we ran specials so that a lot of the construction workers and locals could eat there every day.”

Davila and his team started with a filet mignon special on Saturday and a lobster roll special on Sunday. The response to the latter was overwhelming. Sandy-footed, swimsuit-wearing regulars flocked from their beach umbrellas to the pavilion and demanded more.

“The lobster rolls ended up being such a big hit that people wanted them on days other than just Sundays,” Davila says. “Now we make them every day. People drive from Venice and Lakewood Ranch and farther, and I have people who have been getting one every week for five years.” Davila’s recipe remains top-secret.

“We were one of the first places in the area to serve lobster rolls and now a lot of local places do,” Davila says. “Nobody’s able to make their lobster roll taste like mine. We use celery, creme fraiche, other seasonings, and New England–style buns.”

The menu varieties are the traditional “Sea Breeze”; the “Lido-Style” with avocado and cilantro; and the “Deluxe” with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and onions. The rolls range from $11 to $15, depending on the style and day of the week.

“The first day I started selling lobster rolls, I sold out in a couple hours. So I started out buying 12 pounds of lobster,” Davila says. “Next thing I knew, I was selling 180 pounds of lobster on a Sunday.”

During the busy season, Davila buys about 450 to 500 pounds (versus 225 pounds in the off season). The current average purchase is more than 300 pounds a week, he says.

The concession stand is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, with beer and wine, locally made popsicles, and weekend specialty items. There are Friday fish tacos with cilantro, homemade pico de gallo and guacamole ($10 for a plate of three); and filet mignon on Saturdays, cooked various ways (with chimichurri sauce, horseradish and caramelized onions).

“I keep trying to come up with new ideas for fresh food that can be made quickly, because you’ve only got about 30 seconds,” Davila says. “But it’s hard to top the lobster rolls. It’s really like they have a cult following.”

Lido Beach Restaurant: 400 Benjamin Franklin Dr., Sarasota, 941-388-0400; lidobeachrestaurant.com