Sunset menus are special restaurant menus offered during the early evening, giving diners a chance to enjoy a meal at a more affordable price before the dinner rush begins.
The concept is essentially a modern take on the classic early-bird special, and in Florida, they’re a creative way to attract guests during the slower summer months. Menus vary by restaurant, but they often feature fixed-price (prix fixe) two- or three-course meals or select dishes at a discount from the regular dinner menu.
Here are some restaurants that offer sunset menus, one in each Treasure Coast city where applicable, including some that are less-obvious choices than your tried-and-true favorite.
Note: It is advised to call the restaurant ahead to check availability.
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
The Italian Cousin, Sebastian
Husband and wife Gus and Michele Hennessey, who are both chefs, own the Italian restaurant. Gus, an immigrant from Mexico City, trained under a Sicilian restaurant owner for 10 years. It features an intimate, casual yet elevated atmosphere. The restaurant offers early bird specials Monday through Friday from 4-5:15 p.m. and Saturday from 4-5 p.m. for $22.95. The menu features select entrees with bread and dipping oil, plus a choice of house-made tomato basil bisque or a house salad. Dinner entrees include spaghetti and meatballs, rigatoni bolognese, lasagna, chicken parmesan, tilapia piccata, fettuccine alfredo and grilled sausage ziti.
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Maison Martinique at Caribbean Court Boutique Hotel, Vero Beach
The Restaurants at Maison Martinique combines four distinct dining, drinking and entertainment spaces into a single area at the Caribbean Court Boutique Resort on South Beach. It offers The Creperie, open for breakfast and lunch; the Shell Lounge for happy hour and bites; Havana Nights Piano Bar for dinner, live music and late-night tapas; and Maison Martinique, the main dining room. The latter is a fine-dining restaurant with an elegant, romantic atmosphere set within a tropical oasis. It serves French Mediterranean food. Seating areas include the indoor Bamboo Dining Room and outdoor, poolside area. The restaurant offers a $35 sunset dinner menu from 5-6:30 p.m., with either French onion soup or a Caesar salad to start, plus entree options including lobster thermidor risotto, chicken over ricotta tortellini, grilled picanha steak and fresh catch of the season, saute?ed or grilled.
ST. LUCIE COUNTY
Meating Street Steak & Seafood, Port St. Lucie
The steak and seafood restaurant is located in the Tradition community of Port St. Lucie. It offers an elevated food experience that encourages the exploration of shareable dishes. The atmosphere is elegant and refined with dark leather booths, latte-colored walls, black-shaded windows and white tablecloths. There is indoor table and bar seating separated by long drapes, as well as a bistro-style outdoor patio overlooking Lake Tradition. It offers a three-course prix fixe menu from 2-5:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays. Appetizer options include beggars purse, spinach artichoke dip, wagyu meatball and clams casino; and entree options include spicy rigatoni vodka, chicken parmigiana, short rib lasagna, bouillabaisse, sesame-crusted ahi tuna and Berkshire pork chop. It also includes a chef's dessert. House wine, The Sunseeker and barrel-aged old fashioned are featured for an additional cost.
Kyle G's Prime Seafood & Steaks, Jensen Beach
Kyle Greene opened the luxury beachfront seafood and steak restaurant on A1A on South Hutchinson Island in 2017. The local restaurateur also owns Amore Italian Chophouse, The Chicken Place Latin Rotisserie & Cocktail, Oak & Ember Steakhouse in Port St. Lucie and Stuart, Nonna's Italian Eatery and Kyle G's Oyster and Wine Bar. The Floribbean restaurant offers an elegant coastal atmosphere with stunning views of the ocean. There is indoor and outdoor seating. During summer, it offers a three-course fixed-price menu which comes with an appetizer, entree and dessert. Appetizer options include boneless chicken wings, roasted garlic lemon hummus, crispy iceberg wedge and hearty chopped kale salad. Entrees include mahi Rockefeller, Thai curry salmon, parmesan-crusted chicken, filet mignon medallions and Cajun barbecue smothered pork chops. Dessert options include tiramisu and key lime pie.
MARTIN COUNTY
Sailor's Return, Stuart
Bob and Tracy Davis opened the waterfront restaurant at Sunset Bay Marina and Anchorage in downtown Stuart in 2009. The two previously owned the Jolly Sailor Pub in Stuart. The massive riverfront restaurant offers indoor dining, outdoor seating, two bars and dock-and-dine boat slips. It has a lively, casual-elegant atmosphere with nautical-themed decor and features idyllic sunset views over the St. Lucie River. It offers a sunset pre-fixed menu daily. First course options include Sailor's salad, beet salad, Caesar salad or cup of New England seafood chowder. Second course options include salmon piccata, chicken Milanese, blackened tuna, shrimp scampi, filet au poivre, wagyu sirloin and frittes, mango snapper or surf and turf. Third course options include key lime pie or peanut butter pie as well as Sunset Bay orange cake for an additional cost.
Shrimpers Grill & Raw Bar, Port Salerno
The waterfront Port Salerno restaurant opened on the Manatee Pocket in 1992. It is owned by Prawnbroker Restaurant Group, which was established in 1978 and also owns the Magic Oyster Bar & Seafood Grill in Jensen Beach, The Black Marlin in Stuart, Timbers Restaurant & Fish Market and The Sanibel Grill on Sanibel Island and University Grill and Prawnbroker Restaurant & Fish Market in Fort Myers. It offers an authentic, outdoor Florida dining experience in a laid-back atmosphere with a seafood-focused menu. The restaurant features fixed-price sunset seafood specials from 4-6 p.m. daily, which include New England clam chowder, Bahamian conch chowder, dinner salad or coleslaw, and dinner with a choice of fries, red potatoes, rice or vegetables. Dinner options include crunchy shrimp, the house specialty, fried golden with cocktail sauce; Caribbean jerk shrimp; barbecue shrimp; garlic-basted shrimp; catch of the day fried, grilled, baked or blackened; and clam strips from Peabody, Massachusetts.
4903 S.E. Dixie Highway, Stuart; 772-220-3287; website
Pastaio, Palm City
Cousins Francesco Gambina and Pasquale Lamarra opened the first Pastaio, Italian for pasta maker, in Port St. Lucie in 2021, and quickly expanded with a second location in Palm City. They also have a location in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Gambina also owns Tutto Fresco and Lamarra owns Meating Street Steak & Seafood with his brother, Carmine, both located in Port St. Lucie. It offers fresh, handmade pasta prepared daily, brick-oven pizza, and craft cocktails. The restaurant features a casual, trendy atmosphere with indoor and outdoor patio seating. It offers a three-course early bird menu from 3-5 p.m., which includes a salad or soup of the day as a starter, an entree and dessert of the day. Entree options include Chicken Francese, chicken Milanese, chicken parmigiano, spaghetti carbonara, eggplant rollatini, fire-roasted salmon, spicy rigatoni vodka and short rib ragu.