Cafe voted Florida’s best waffle opens on Anna Maria Island with breakfast and more
The best waffle in Florida, according to The Food Network, is now available on Anna Maria Island.
The Toasted Mango Cafe, owned by two longtime friends and Sarasota residents, opened its first Manatee County location on Feb. 22.
The breakfast and lunch restaurant at 3240 E. Bay Drive, Holmes Beach, marks the third location for Kimberly Duffy and Sandi Wagner, who opened the original downtown Sarasota location in 2011.
While the downtown Sarasota restaurant is currently being relocated, another location has operated since 2015 in Siesta Key.
What’s on the menu?
The Toasted Mango in Holmes Beach is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and specializes in breakfast and lunch dishes.
The restaurant’s breakfast menu has various omelets, egg plates, breakfast sandwiches and wraps. The corned beef hash and eggs plate is a customer favorite, Duffy says.
On the sweet side are french toast, pancakes and waffles. The jewel of the menu is the Toasted Mango waffle.
“The airy malted discs - pressed for exactly three minutes - arrive crisp and warm, adorned with cubes of ripe mango, toasted coconut flakes and whipped cream,” The Food Network wrote in 2018 when naming it the best waffle in Florida. “It’s a true taste of paradise.”
The lunch menu offers a variety of soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps and burgers (there’s a beef, turkey or quinoa burger option).
Duffy said they recently added fish tacos to their everyday menu, which features homemade and fresh ingredients.
The Toasted Mango also has a bar serving mimosas, wine-based spirits, bloody marys, rum punch, mango ritas, beach-styled cocktails and smoothies.
Toasted Mango comes to Holmes Beach
The restaurant on Anna Maria Island seats 67 inside with four or five outdoor tables. Duffy said they utilize extra space on Sundays when other businesses in the Ace Hardware-anchored plaza are closed.
The location was previously another local breakfast and lunch restaurant: Peach’s, which began in 1989.
Peach’s closed its Holmes Beach restaurant in June 2024 after owners announced on social media that their lease was not renewed.
Duffy said they secured the location in late August, and they replaced the floors, created a small retail area in the front, built a new hostess station, moved the bar and made other renovations.
Duffy said the beaches and tourist traffic of Anna Maria Island made it the perfect fit for their new restaurant, and it’s been a fun experience so far.
“It’s been awesome, such a nice community out there,” Duffy said. “Everybody’s so nice and welcoming.”
Toasted Mango to return to downtown Sarasota
The longtime friends aim to open a third Toasted Mango by late March or early April. It’s planned for downtown Sarasota’s Rosemary District at 1371 Boulevard of the Arts.
Duffy said the downtown building for the original Toasted Mango was sold, and they are nearing the end of construction for its relocated home.
The Toasted Mango Cafe is also on Siesta Key at 6621 Midnight Pass Road.
Visit ToastedMangoCafe.com for more info.
