TripAdvisor recently published its Travelers’ Choice Awards for 2024, spotlighting what they call the “Best of the Best Restaurants,” including a list of the country’s top 25 hidden gems — and I completely disagree with their selections.
For starters, only three of the restaurants are from Florida, and none of them are from the west coast of Florida, namely Sarasota or Manatee counties, which we all know is home to the best restaurants in the Sunshine State, including, yes, hidden gems.
So let me submit my own highly subjective pick for the best “hidden gem” restaurant, TripAdvisor!
It’s tucked away in an Anna Maria Island strip mall and has impressed me numerous times over the years, but especially during each of my multiple visits since its post-hurricane reopening on Oct. 23.