Fork and Hen is a hidden gem in plain sight. While the restaurant sits on a major thoroughfare, it's somewhat easy to miss as its surrounded by plenty of businesses and kind of tucked away in a corner. Don't let the inconspicuous setting fool you. This is an absolutely terrific eatery for any number of Southern dishes - honestly, in our experience nothing disappointed. The brussel sprouts were deliciously charred - savory and sweet and utterly succulent. The red snapper creole was deeply satisfying, boasting a dirty rice that rivals anything you'll find on Bourbon Street (New Orleans). My salmon sat placidly on a bed of celeriac puree that was nuanced and fresh and beautiful. And the banana pudding! One order was enough for the six of us - it's practically a goblet of the stuff. And it's extraordinary - sweet but not cloying, and surrounded by caramelized bananas to render the dessert even more decadent. Mark Traugutt, a co-owner, is a graduate of the prestigious French Culinary Institute. We learned this when Traugutt approached our table to say hi and ask if we were pleased with our meal. Oh yes, we told him. More than pleased. Thrilled with dinner, and extremely grateful for the experience. Food made with love, and a wellspring of talent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jeffry Baughman
Easy free parking across the street. Excellent food. Really top notch. Had the Brussels sprouts that were caramelized perfectly. My wife really enjoyed the fried chicken and Mac and cheese. Will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ian R
Outstanding. Massive portions. Delicious. Everything is deconstructed and recostructed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sandy N
Hands-down, the best fried chicken I have ever had in my life. It literally tastes like the owners were on a mission to find out how To make the best fried chicken sandwich and absolutely nailed it. Husband and I have been disappointed with eating out lately, but this place felt redemptive. First time coming, and we will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kara Niffin
Absolutely delicious soul food at Fork & Hen! I really enjoyed the menu, there’s something for everyone on it! The portions are HUGE, so order accordingly. The banana pudding dessert and the giant cookie were amazing. Highly recommend trying the cookie!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Stan Butler
Went here while visiting Sarasota for a weekend. We shared the Crab Rangoon appetizer and then went family style on the Short Rib, Fried Rice & Chicken and Waffles. The portion sizes were very generous and we took food home. The presentation on the Fried Rice was very unique. Will definitely eat here again when we are back in town !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yani modo
Visiting from Boston, Texas and Mexico, etc … meaning we have a wide variety of tastes, palates and cultural experiences. After a long day of kayaking and sun and having eaten at the finest rated restaurants in the Sarasota area, we decided to try this hidden gem! The menu looked diverse and interestingly creative. We were welcomed by an extremely friendly and attentive staff. The ambiance was casual yet creative. The food was extraordinary, creative and perfectly prepared. Their specialty is fried chicken but do not let that fool you into thinking this is ordinary fast food. It is far from that, actually the opposite of that. Every dish was expertly prepared by the chef owner to provide and consistently delicious combination of flavors and textures that is hard to beat. For entres, we shared the chicken and waffles, blue plate chicken (house specialty that did not disappoint) and the self proclaimed “best dam Mac and cheese (and it is)”. I wish we had found this place sooner in our trip. I can’t wait to experience the brunch menu which I am confident is as deliciously creative as the dinner menu. All in all, a big win! I strongly suggest giving it a try. It is a fairly new locally chef owned restaurant, that deserves more public recognition than it currently gets. Great people, great chef owners, great staff, great menu, and most of all awesome quality food and drinks. I strongly recommend visiting Matt and Alfonso and the crew!!! I cannot say enough!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Caden Nestler
Chicken sandwich and chicken and waffles are delicious and so much food
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kay Ennis
Terrible service. Sat for 25 mins and wasn’t even asked to put in a drink order. The waitress was hanging around the bar and didn’t even acknowledge we were leaving. We thanked her for the service and she said “I’m busy”…. Will not be back here.
Rebecca Dyer
2/14/26 reservations for 6 at 6:30pm…we get there a few minutes early and sit down…6:45pm no sign of a waitress, like at all…my friend and I go to the bar to get drinks bc we don’t know where anyone is…6:55pm we’re still at the bar and the bartender tells us she’s the only bartender for the entire restaurant and bar, we go back to the table,..6:57pm a waitress comes out and asked the hostess, “who’d been here the longest?” I speak up and say we’ve been here since 6:30pm…she walks by our table and says oh good, you have water, I’ll be back in a few AND LEAVES…6:57pm our party of 6 leaves and go to Office Bar to grab some drinks and Vietalys to grab some food and proceeded to have a lovely night no thanks to Fork and Hen…please figure out a way to do better because the restaurant was not even seated to capacity and come to find out there was a couple that had been sitting on the patio outside since 6:00pm and hadn’t even ordered yet…not okay…the end.
You can’t go wrong with anything you choose, it’s amazing how everything i tried so far was absolutely amazing! The flavor combinations and the presentation of the plates are on an artistic level! Definitely a must try!
Jackie Pointer
The food was flavorful. Nice sized portions. The sweet tea was excellent without excessive sugar. The mac n cheese was not from a box and dressed up. The chicken was not dry. Service was quick and friendly. They even offered a to go cup for my drink. They have seating indoors and outdoors. I will be returning.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mac N Cheese with Fried Chicken
Samantha Hix
The food is absolutely amazing, we had the crab cakes and chicken n waffles. This was the best food we ate the entire month we were in Florida. The wait staff could use some work, it was relatively slow when we’re there and we rarely saw our waiter, could have definitely refilled our waters! But the food was so delicious I couldn’t help but leave a 5star cause it made up for the staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alex
We had come here to eat and it did not disappoint, the service, food, and atmosphere was phenomenal. Our server Megan, went above and beyond and gave us exceptional service. 10/10 do recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken \u0026 Waffles, Blue Plate Southern Fried Chicken
Fork and Hen is a hidden gem in plain sight. While the restaurant sits on a major thoroughfare, it's somewhat easy to miss as its surrounded by plenty of businesses and kind of tucked away in a corner. Don't let the inconspicuous setting fool you. This is an absolutely terrific eatery for any number of Southern dishes - honestly, in our experience nothing disappointed. The brussel sprouts were deliciously charred - savory and sweet and utterly succulent. The red snapper creole was deeply satisfying, boasting a dirty rice that rivals anything you'll find on Bourbon Street (New Orleans). My salmon sat placidly on a bed of celeriac puree that was nuanced and fresh and beautiful. And the banana pudding! One order was enough for the six of us - it's practically a goblet of the stuff. And it's extraordinary - sweet but not cloying, and surrounded by caramelized bananas to render the dessert even more decadent. Mark Traugutt, a co-owner, is a graduate of the prestigious French Culinary Institute. We learned this when Traugutt approached our table to say hi and ask if we were pleased with our meal. Oh yes, we told him. More than pleased. Thrilled with dinner, and extremely grateful for the experience. Food made with love, and a wellspring of talent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Easy free parking across the street. Excellent food. Really top notch. Had the Brussels sprouts that were caramelized perfectly. My wife really enjoyed the fried chicken and Mac and cheese. Will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Outstanding. Massive portions. Delicious. Everything is deconstructed and recostructed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hands-down, the best fried chicken I have ever had in my life. It literally tastes like the owners were on a mission to find out how To make the best fried chicken sandwich and absolutely nailed it. Husband and I have been disappointed with eating out lately, but this place felt redemptive. First time coming, and we will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Absolutely delicious soul food at Fork & Hen! I really enjoyed the menu, there’s something for everyone on it! The portions are HUGE, so order accordingly. The banana pudding dessert and the giant cookie were amazing. Highly recommend trying the cookie!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Went here while visiting Sarasota for a weekend. We shared the Crab Rangoon appetizer and then went family style on the Short Rib, Fried Rice & Chicken and Waffles. The portion sizes were very generous and we took food home. The presentation on the Fried Rice was very unique. Will definitely eat here again when we are back in town !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Visiting from Boston, Texas and Mexico, etc … meaning we have a wide variety of tastes, palates and cultural experiences. After a long day of kayaking and sun and having eaten at the finest rated restaurants in the Sarasota area, we decided to try this hidden gem! The menu looked diverse and interestingly creative. We were welcomed by an extremely friendly and attentive staff. The ambiance was casual yet creative. The food was extraordinary, creative and perfectly prepared. Their specialty is fried chicken but do not let that fool you into thinking this is ordinary fast food. It is far from that, actually the opposite of that. Every dish was expertly prepared by the chef owner to provide and consistently delicious combination of flavors and textures that is hard to beat. For entres, we shared the chicken and waffles, blue plate chicken (house specialty that did not disappoint) and the self proclaimed “best dam Mac and cheese (and it is)”. I wish we had found this place sooner in our trip. I can’t wait to experience the brunch menu which I am confident is as deliciously creative as the dinner menu. All in all, a big win! I strongly suggest giving it a try. It is a fairly new locally chef owned restaurant, that deserves more public recognition than it currently gets. Great people, great chef owners, great staff, great menu, and most of all awesome quality food and drinks. I strongly recommend visiting Matt and Alfonso and the crew!!! I cannot say enough!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chicken sandwich and chicken and waffles are delicious and so much food
Food: 5
Service: 5
Terrible service. Sat for 25 mins and wasn’t even asked to put in a drink order. The waitress was hanging around the bar and didn’t even acknowledge we were leaving. We thanked her for the service and she said “I’m busy”…. Will not be back here.
2/14/26 reservations for 6 at 6:30pm…we get there a few minutes early and sit down…6:45pm no sign of a waitress, like at all…my friend and I go to the bar to get drinks bc we don’t know where anyone is…6:55pm we’re still at the bar and the bartender tells us she’s the only bartender for the entire restaurant and bar, we go back to the table,..6:57pm a waitress comes out and asked the hostess, “who’d been here the longest?” I speak up and say we’ve been here since 6:30pm…she walks by our table and says oh good, you have water, I’ll be back in a few AND LEAVES…6:57pm our party of 6 leaves and go to Office Bar to grab some drinks and Vietalys to grab some food and proceeded to have a lovely night no thanks to Fork and Hen…please figure out a way to do better because the restaurant was not even seated to capacity and come to find out there was a couple that had been sitting on the patio outside since 6:00pm and hadn’t even ordered yet…not okay…the end.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Unbelievable chicken!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
You can’t go wrong with anything you choose, it’s amazing how everything i tried so far was absolutely amazing! The flavor combinations and the presentation of the plates are on an artistic level! Definitely a must try!
The food was flavorful. Nice sized portions. The sweet tea was excellent without excessive sugar. The mac n cheese was not from a box and dressed up. The chicken was not dry. Service was quick and friendly. They even offered a to go cup for my drink. They have seating indoors and outdoors. I will be returning.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mac N Cheese with Fried Chicken
The food is absolutely amazing, we had the crab cakes and chicken n waffles. This was the best food we ate the entire month we were in Florida. The wait staff could use some work, it was relatively slow when we’re there and we rarely saw our waiter, could have definitely refilled our waters! But the food was so delicious I couldn’t help but leave a 5star cause it made up for the staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had come here to eat and it did not disappoint, the service, food, and atmosphere was phenomenal. Our server Megan, went above and beyond and gave us exceptional service. 10/10 do recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken \u0026 Waffles, Blue Plate Southern Fried Chicken
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