Two Siesta Key restaurants reopen after Milton

Two more Siesta Key restaurants reopened over the weekend after repairing damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The Cottage, a farm to fusion restaurant, is back at 153 Avenida Messina, and The Hub Baja Grill, at 5148 Ocean Blvd., welcomed customers back on Saturday, Nov. 2.

The two restaurants had their kitchens severely damaged; much of their furniture was also destroyed by Hurricane Milton. 

“It’s been a long 37 days, but our staff is back to work and our hearts are full,” the restaurants announced on their Facebook pages.

“It took a lot of blood, sweat, bug bites and tears, but with that came a lot of laughs, camaraderie and teamwork. We couldn’t be more proud of our team.”

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The businesses were bolstered by the Monday announcement by Sarasota County that the No. 77 Breeze Siesta Trolley off the Key, has resumed making stops in downtown Sarasota (Lemon and Main) and Southgate. 

The free service is in addition to the return of the No.33 seasonal bus service between the beach and the Cattlemen transfer station. The free trolley runs 7 days a week; the No. 33 bus doesn't run Sundays.