Drunken Poet Cafe proudly serves sustainable seafood and organic beef, and many ingredients from our local farmers. We are known for reinventing Japanese and Thai cuisine for your culinary enjoyment. Owner, Aporni Punyhotra, affectionately known to the locals as "Oy", is the perfect restaurateur; she's savvy, charming and the Queen of Hospitality.
Originally from Bangkok, Thailand, Oy always wanted to go to culinary school however, her father wanted her to go into the medical field so she moved to Normandy, France and became a pharmacist. A world traveler, Oy came to Sarasota by chance on a family visit to Florida. While on holiday in Clearwater, she came down to Sarasota to see the famous Marie Selby Gardens and fell in love with our city.
Originally from Bangkok, Thailand, Oy always wanted to go to culinary school however, her father wanted her to go into the medical field so she moved to Normandy, France and became a pharmacist. A world traveler, Oy came to Sarasota by chance on a family visit to Florida. While on holiday in Clearwater, she came down to Sarasota to see the famous Marie Selby Gardens and fell in love with our city.
Reviews (20)
Luis Lizardi
Jan 20, 2022
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The best sushi anywhere. As a sushi lover, I eat sushi everywhere I can, we’ll….after finding this place I exclusively eat my sushi here. Every week when I come I leave saying to myself “that was the freshest sushi I’ve ever had”. Staff is great and accommodating. Take it from a weekly visitor, this place is the best.
Irina Mlgi
Dec 30, 2021
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Rushiv P.
Dec 22, 2021
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We were very dissatisfied with our experience here. Despite having had a reservation for our party, we were essentially forgotten once seated. Aside from ordering our sushi and entrees, our waiter didn't check on us at all.
We ended up waiting 2 hours for our food leaving us visibly annoyed. We had to call different waiters multiple times without any explanation of what was going on. The food was okay, nothing really special as far as Thai food goes as well. Overall the food was a 3.5/5 but our service was horrible. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant to anyone.
We ended up waiting 2 hours for our food leaving us visibly annoyed. We had to call different waiters multiple times without any explanation of what was going on. The food was okay, nothing really special as far as Thai food goes as well. Overall the food was a 3.5/5 but our service was horrible. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant to anyone.
Sejal D.
Dec 22, 2021
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We came for a birthday and had made reservations for our party ahead of time to let them know we were coming. We were promptly seated in the back and the ambiance was great. The interior is very well done and we liked the vibe but that was about all we liked.
We ordered 4 different rolls of sushi and some Thai dishes to share for the table. We asked our waitress/waiter (we had two of them because our waiter didn't help us at the beginning and honestly, not much throughout our meal) if we could get the rolls first then the main dishes and she told us that wouldn't be a problem. The rolls
We ordered 4 different rolls of sushi and some Thai dishes to share for the table. We asked our waitress/waiter (we had two of them because our waiter didn't help us at the beginning and honestly, not much throughout our meal) if we could get the rolls first then the main dishes and she told us that wouldn't be a problem. The rolls
Hi There
Nov 26, 2021
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The check was 105$ for a meal we didn’t get to eat as my entree was unappetizing and the manager refused to take it off and it was a hassle to get a reduction. We had to have the waitress bring it to the owners attention for a discount and even then it was barely 8$ off. Nothing on the menu comes out how it looks you’re basically paying for the ambiance. Great curry puffs tho
Kevin H.
Nov 23, 2021
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There must be a correlation between "The Drunken" and the menu items particularly the lunch menu.
Appetizer and Sushi portion sizes here are ridiculously small in size (not in price) and the service is definitely not the type that would make you say "I definitely will come back here".
A glass of wine will set you back $14 for a "large great looking glass" --find the wine if you can.
I gave this place a second chance...but clearly It is what it is. This is clearly an example of hype over substance.
Appetizer and Sushi portion sizes here are ridiculously small in size (not in price) and the service is definitely not the type that would make you say "I definitely will come back here".
A glass of wine will set you back $14 for a "large great looking glass" --find the wine if you can.
I gave this place a second chance...but clearly It is what it is. This is clearly an example of hype over substance.
Em D.
Nov 16, 2021
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I love this place - vegan options, great vibe inside and yes, puppy friendly when dining outside. Is the food the greatest? Perhaps not ~ but the overall experience is on point as the food is satisfying, staff are attentive and the selection of beverages is awesome (especially the sake). Out on a date, chilling with my puppy or hanging with a friend, in these instances, the Drunken Poet is the perfect backdrop. Be mindful of what you order if you're concerned about spending too much money, otherwise, relax and enjoy yourself, we're in Florida, not Phuket!
Jessica McVay
Oct 17, 2021
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Absolutely love this place! My daughter and I go there all the time and know all of the staff. The food is amazing and the location is perfect. I dont want to speak on prices because everything is expensive right now due to the pandemic, but their prices are relatively high in comparison to other good Thai and sushi restaurants. However, youre also paying for the location, convenience, and ambience, too, so for all of that, it is most definitely worth it and more. This is our favorite sushi place in Sarasota for all of those reasons and more. 💜
Veronica R.
Sep 14, 2021
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Jaycee Harris Ii
Sep 03, 2021
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The vibe/aesthetic is high class for a street restaurant. The food is very fragrant and authentic thai food. I got spicy fried rice that was not spicy lol, but it didn't taste bad. I like a little more flavor in my dishes so i had to add a little soy sauce but overall not bad. The service was alright. He was a nice guy and did the bare minimum of what server does - takes orders, handles refills, serves food, gives the check. The price for this place's menu is not worth it in my opinion. It's way too expensive for the experience that I had. And it wasn't bad food! It was quality. I just feel like
Ayona Perera
Aug 19, 2021
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Nice restaurant with darker interiors. It was my first time here. Well about the food … Ok but not delicious for me. We ordered a Spicy Fried Rice n a Pad Thai. We ordered spicy level 5. But both Spicy Fried Rice n the Pad Thai were like spicy level 2. Then we asked for a spicy tray n he gave us some chilli flakes. I’m such a lover of Thai food. So when comparing to other restaurants I have been so far, the food is not delicious for me … The the presentation is also not eye catching …
L. B.
Jun 27, 2021
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The sushi rolls were good and the decor was really nice. I paid with cash and the waiter kept my change without me saying so, a small amount. When people do that though, that ends up being their tip, which is a shame because I intended to tip him more. So out of principle, make sure you get all your change if you pay with cash unless you tell them it’s ok to keep it!
Natalia Spinelli
Jun 16, 2021
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Jose N.
Jun 04, 2021
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Richard C.
May 14, 2021
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We had a great time ! The food was all delicious and fresh. We were there on Mother’s Day so it was busy but the staff were awesome. The selection of types of food is quite varied and everything we ordered we enjoyed. I have been to Japan several times and the Tomio sake is the smoothest sake l have ever had any where !!! My wife who doesn’t like sake enjoyed this one. They also have Thai as well as sushi and Sashimi.
Liz K.
Apr 25, 2021
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Mary M.
Apr 19, 2021
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I was hoping this would be a new 'go to' place for sushi and for Thai food. The decor is interesting and the wait staff very attentive. However, the food is very disappointing.
Before I review the food, who came up with the idea to have the menu on an iPad ? I'm tech savvy but this was such a frustrating experience having to swipe up/down/left/right to look at the different submenus. Surely, a printed menu (with pictures, if necessary) would suffice. If it's a Covid issue, then print/laminate/sanitize. I saw a number of people frustrated with having to go back/forth to look
Before I review the food, who came up with the idea to have the menu on an iPad ? I'm tech savvy but this was such a frustrating experience having to swipe up/down/left/right to look at the different submenus. Surely, a printed menu (with pictures, if necessary) would suffice. If it's a Covid issue, then print/laminate/sanitize. I saw a number of people frustrated with having to go back/forth to look
Marina M.
Jan 23, 2021
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A nice little find of a restaurant! I'd heard some positive feedback about it and finally was able to stop by and try it out for myself.
Love that there is outdoor seating, especially since I'm still a bit hesitant to eat indoors. Attentive server, very personable and honest with his recommendations.
Food was pretty good. Menu consists of various sushi, curries, rice dishes, noodle dishes, and an array of appetizers. We went with the curry puffs as a starter to share. Really, really, really ridiculously good. I wish that there were more than 3 per order!
My pad thai was okay. Not
Love that there is outdoor seating, especially since I'm still a bit hesitant to eat indoors. Attentive server, very personable and honest with his recommendations.
Food was pretty good. Menu consists of various sushi, curries, rice dishes, noodle dishes, and an array of appetizers. We went with the curry puffs as a starter to share. Really, really, really ridiculously good. I wish that there were more than 3 per order!
My pad thai was okay. Not
Robert C.
Nov 30, 2020
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Customer service is non existing here. We stopped here with a little over an hour to kill so we ordered accordingly. Cold app and split a meal. Girlfriend and I waited 40 minutes for cold appetizers. They told us they were very busy. I looked around and noticed only 2 tables had customers. Total of 5 other customers. When apps finally came they tried serving the meal with the apps. We declined. Told them we had another place to be. Asked for the bill and we were charged for the meal. "Manager" came out and was rude and we need to pay for what you order. Tried to explain we didn&apos
Jay B.
Oct 18, 2020
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