The Packinghouse is a great “old Florida” restaurant and music venue. It’s the kind of place we’re everyone feels welcome. We discovered it about twelve years ago. It’s the kind of place where you can go on date night, have a really great meal, a couple of beers, listen to some really great music and get out the door for under $50 bucks. Their menu has a wide range of items that I’m sure will please Every palette. Plus they have one of the best burgers, if not the best on the suncoast.
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We did a quick internet search for a good Cuban sandwich in Sarasota and it came up with this place. As we drove there, we were getting leery of the "neighborhood" and the place looked a little rough from the outside, but I decided we needed to try it out. I walked in first to get a quick glance and it just felt like a good ol' local dive bar. I waved my family in (including my two kids) and the owner (J.R.) seemed a little skeptical of me with my Detroit Tigers shirt sitting alone at a table of six! Once everyone was seated, JR came over an cracked some jokes about how nice I was to allow some strangers to sit at "my" table! It was all in good fun! The wait staff and fellow customers made it feel comfortable to be there. Our waitress, Heidi from Toledo, was fantastic! She was personable and very accommodating to our kids' needs! The food was great and portion size was favorable! The Cubans my wife and I had were delicious. Our plates were empty (as noted by Heidi) and our bellies were full. I highly recommend this local establishment and hope to return in the future! Well Done JR and Heidi! - Vacationing customer from Detroit
The Packinghouse is one of the few old Florida venues that remain. I absolutely love the old time style of the "décor", the live bands and best of all - the food is consistently good. Just a great, great, fun place!
Best blackened catfish and black beans and rice around. Beer was cold and music was good too!
First time we had eaten since since reopened. Friday evening, all tables full, Florida Mountain Men playing great music and a mountain of good food. Lovely evening.
Stopped into JR's for lunch today. The Colossal Burger was AMAZING! The service at the bar was perfect, especially since I was on my lunch break. I can't wait to come back for dinner, they have an awesome selection of craft beer on draft!
the very best, always have such a good time food is great and the music is the best
Bands or solos- all great music. Miss the StoneFish but that’s ok. Cuban food is best reason to hang out there!
A great destination to enjoy great food and a beer. The wait staff is very friendly making you feel welcome.
Had a great time! Place was packed. We ordered The Cuban sandwich and listened to some great music. Will definitely be back.
Great food and great people working there. Cozy feeling to the place.
Barrie Pfeiffer Morlon
+5
Good food and fun time! Our server was spot on, there was live music by a local country band and we enjoyed ourselves.
It is not a fancy place, but that is part of the charm and appeal. Great food consisting of burgers, sandwiches (including Cuban sandwiches). They have live music 6 nights a week. Definitely a great place to dine when you don't want the typical chain atmosphere and food.
Ebone Cruz (The Entrepreneur Plug)
+5
I had the cornbread fish with yellow rice & black beans......delicious! Food was excellent & so was there services. Margaritas are pretty great as well. I missed the live music but we had a great time with laughs & good food!
Great food, great service and great live music. Great singer on stage, Elizabeth Bernardini "Someone like you".
My favorite place so far on this visit to Sarasota. Had the pork burrito. It was delicious. I would like to go back and try some other dishes. Staff was friendly and service was quick. We had a large group (10) so we arrived at five and got right in. By the time we left at six the place was filling up. They often have live music. The vibe is very laid back and eclectic. Fun place to meet with friends for a good meal.
Had a wonderful time here because the of Maria and Dianne made the experience so much fun! Food is great, had. Mediterranean salad, of course I had to ask Maria to make it special and my honey had the Cuban, their claim to fame! To me it’s the people who make it great! So thanks again.. highly recommend this local place over any chain.. A must try!
Yolanda Varela DenverRealtor
+5
Enjoyed very much the live country music and the Cuban sandwich was outstanding. Very good atmosphere and good crowd on a Thursday evening. Definitely something to try while visiting Sarasota. Loved it! Our server Fay was very friendly and welcoming too, plus they offered us dessert on the house being our first time.
Great experience. Had the Cuban for dinner. Finished with the best rice pudding. Waitress was friendly and helpful. Nice to hear great live music during the week. Will back soon to try the Cuban entrees.The owner JR wandered to each table to talk.
We were at another business within walking distance and saw the lights so we had to check it out. What a pleasant little surprise! We walked in to a band playing on the stage and sat at the bar for a drink and a late dinner. I ordered the Basa FILET with beans and rice and fries. My husband had the Cuban since they proclaimed to have the best in town. The food was phenomenal! It arrived hot (since I find many places let food sit out too long) and every bite was good. We left with no leftovers which means we enjoyed our food (sad to not have any though for the next day). Prices reasonable.
Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Staff friendly and courteous. Definitely recommend.
If you enjoy a funky, old Florida vibe, this is your place. For almost 25 years JRs has been a local go-to for eating good pub-style food and, most evenings, listening to local bands. It’s not spacious, pretty quirky, and has some tasty food offerings - burgers and Cubans are especially good. Relaxed, friendly atmosphere. I’m more of a lunchtime fan.
Omg this Blackended Ybor Burger was SO good. Highly recommend. We sat on the porch listening to live music, enjoying good food, great company and a hard rain. The staff is so welcoming and the service was great. I found a small hair threaded in one of my fries, no biggy it happens, but that's why I gave 4/5 stars.
JR's is a nice little restaurant. Kind of funky, with live music. The band that was there was pretty good although the outside seating area was kind of rough due to the high winds. But we made it work. The food was excellent, although I would suggest the burgers over the chicken sandwich. The chicken sandwich was excellent but very large and because it's a real piece of chicken you may run into some extra bits that you didn't expect. The hamburgers though we're excellent. The fries and onion rings are very good, and I really have nothing negative to say about JR's, it was great.
A great homey bar with a variety of food, craft beers and full licence. Our waitress was excellent. I had a burger and my wife had a Cuban dish with ground beef, black beans and rice. Both meals were excellent. Music was a duo that were very good as well. Definitely an old Florida bar well worth a visit.
In pursuit of finding the areas best Cuban sandwich we paid a first visit to JR’s Old Packinghouse Cafe. We got there around 9p on a Friday night and managed to avoid any sort of dinner rush they might have had. We of course went with the Cuban and a double order of fries.
The fries were a little extra salty, which we enjoyed, but others might not. Cuban came out quick and hot. Honestly though, it was a little on the dry side and kinda bland. We doctored it up with additional mustard to give it some zing. While the music genre (or “gen’dra” as Beep; Boop’s olds like to say) wasn’t our jam, the sound of any live music these days, is a plus. So +1 for the band! Beer was cold, and our server was delightful. Great little spot and we’ll come back, just didn’t wow us enough this time for that cherished 5th star.
Great local place with great service, food and drink with live music all the time. Monday is open mic the way it's meant to be.
Place is nice for lunch beer o brunch,Florida Countryside,Old stile.Big portions services is quick. I Come back for music live and beer
I read a review of this restaurant in the Herald and added it to my list of places to try. The decor was outstanding, old Florida neighborhood kinda place.
I went last week with some friends and we all had the Cuban sandwich filled with ham, cheese, pickles and pork. The sandwich was huge and came with a side of fries. The sandwich was delicious and very filling. The pork was flavorful and tender!
One of the employees, or owner, even checked with us to see how our meal was. That was appreciated.
The menu itself is enough for a return visit, which I am looking forward too.
They also have live music, so an evening visit may be in order.
Stopped in for lunch and had never been there. Signs outside said Best Burger in Town and Best Cuban Food. Looking at the menu I had a tough time deciding between the two, but ultimately ordered a Cuban sandwich. Got a platter, so fries and coleslaw, which both were very good. The Cuban itself was very big and pressed nicely. It was a little dry for my taste, as I had to spruce it up with mustard. Further inspection showed not enough aoli or pickle on it. Still pretty tasty, the venue is small. Quiet when I was there but can't imagine live music in such a small place.
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