The Bijou Café is a charming Continental-American restaurant located in the heart of Sarasota’s downtown Theatre & Arts District just two blocks from the Ritz Carlton. Over the years our cuisine, award-winning wine list and exemplary unobtrusive service have set the standard for dining on the Sun Coast and established us as one of Sarasota’s most sought after fine dining destinations.

Since 1986, Chef Jean-Pierre Knaggs and his wife Shay have owned and operated The Bijou Café. It has grown from a small 50-seat restaurant to a seating capacity of 140 people in three separate dining rooms. The enchanting décor you’d expect in a quaint, but modern European café surrounds you with French windows and doors throughout, sparkling glassware, bouquets of freshly-picked flowers and the soft glow of candlelight.

Our Other Rooms
The Bird Room seats 30 and is designed for functions like business conferences and meetings, wedding rehearsal dinners and other private gatherings.

The Gossips Lounge features seating for nine at our lovely and inviting solid cherry bar with additional seating at tables for about twenty and two outside courtyards accommodate al fresco dining so you can take full advantage of a balmy Florida evening.

Award Winning Cuisine & Wine List
Our cuisine reflects Jean-Pierre’s South African and French heritage with many of his famous recipes developed and refined as he traveled the world as chef aboard a luxurious private yacht. His style and interpretations have won the notice and acclaim of Town & Country Magazine, Bon Appetit and Gourmet. In 2004, the Zagat Survey named The Bijou Café as Sarasota’s highest-rated restaurant and one of the top three restaurant on the whole of Florida’s West Coast. Sarasota Herald Tribune readers included us in the paper’s Reader’s Choice Awards, Florida Trend put us in their top 200 restaurants in Florida and Sarasota Magazine simply calls us the “Best of the Best!”

Since 1990, The Bijou Café has annually garnered the prestigious Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for our outstanding wine selections from the USA, France and around the world-including one of the most extensive selections of South African wine available in Florida.

The Dining Experience
While all these awards are fun to talk about and we’re proud as can be to hang them on our wall, you can only guess at how our Boursin-Glazed Shrimp with freshly picked Strawberries sliced into Baby Arugula, sprinkled with toasted Hazelnuts then dashed with a sweet but piquant Sherry Vinaigrette and topped with Jean-Pierre’s herbed infused croutons delights the eye as it arrives at your crisp, linen-draped table. Your imagination savors the aroma as you delicately search for the perfect first bite. Then, ahhhhh. Yes. A sip of the remarkable ‘99 Chablis Premier Cru Mountmains. Now you understand. And this is only the appetizer.

Lunch, Dinner or Your House
Please visit us soon and experience firsthand why The Bijou Café is at the top of everyone’s list. Jean-Pierre and Shay and all of us here want you to feel as comfortable as you would if you were dining in your own home. In fact, if you’d rather relax at home or if you’re having a party and would like us to put together a platter of hors d’oeuvres or Jean-Pierre’s famous Mozambique-influenced Piri-Piri Shrimp, just give us a call and we’ll prepare your choices for you to take home.

We open at 11:30AM Monday-Friday for lunch and serve dinner beginning at 5PM everyday during high season. During low season, we take Sunday off.

New Art!
Most of the new artworks are offered for sale by State of the Arts Gallery. More Information and a catalog is available at the front desk.

Dress is Resort Casual. Reservations please. 941.366.8111