Michael's Events & Catering Reviews

We had Michael's on East cater our wedding at Marie Selby! A heartfelt thank you to MOE for everything they did to make our wedding so incredible. From the very beginning, their team was prompt in answering questions, honest in sharing feedback, and always maintained an open line of communication. It was clear they truly wanted to help, and that made all the difference. The food was absolutely delicious! Our guests couldn’t stop raving about the appetizers, and the meal itself was a huge hit—not just in flavor, but also in the generous serving sizes. Accommodating our late-night meal request was such a bonus, and we’re so grateful for that. Lastly, I have to highlight their incredible wait staff. We received so many compliments on their kindness and attentiveness. My husband and I personally felt so taken care of throughout the night, and that level of service did not go unnoticed. Their entire team and operation are truly outstanding, and we are beyond grateful for everything they did to make our day exactly how we envisioned it.

Michael's on East catered my wedding and it was EXCELLENT! We still continue to hear from guests that this was the best food they've had before at a wedding and I completely agree with them.

My husband and I worked with Margaux throughout our planning process and she was truly exceptional - so detailed, always responded in a timely manner, and was just so easy and pleasant to work with. I can't speak highly enough of Margaux and of Michael's On East!

Michael's on East did a superb job not only catering our wedding but also on the presentation of the dinnerware. The servers and service were both outstanding. We received so many compliments on it all. We upgraded the dinnerware and linens, we served plated dinners, had champagne toast, and white glove wine service, we also had a lavish dessert buffet and open bar.

My husband and I booked MOE for our wedding at the Ringling this past January and we couldn't have been happier! Their team was friendly, helpful and accommodating. They were more than happy to make my husband a custom meal due to his GI issues. Our food was delicious and were definitely going to visit the restaurant next time we're in town!

Our experience working with Michael’s on East was great! We put together a wonderful tasting that allowed us to narrow down our choices, and on the day-of, everything was delicious and beautiful! The servers and bartender were very professional and friendly, and we got many compliments on the food :)

Many wedding guests complimented Michael's on East for their delightful and delicious food. Each course was meticulous and appetizing including the exquisite works of art on the Dessert Bar. We received first-class service from the wait staff.

Although we considered other venues, when Amy gave us the grand tour at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, we were sold! Amy Allen, Executive Director of Events and Catering Sales was exceptional, knowledgeable and answered every question with additional information to assist with our decisions.

Amy went above and beyond even meeting us at the Michael's on East restaurant for the taste testing. Amy recommended experienced vendors. We felt confident our special event would be handled with class and in a professional manner. We appreciate Amy and the Michael's on East team for our perfect wedding!

Photo Credit: Jake Ford Photography

I cannot tell you how many of our guests RAVED about how our FOOD! And I mean for months afterwards!! Uncle Phil truly took care of us and added anything I wanted, even off menu. If I could give it 6 stars, I would! We are so grateful we chose Michael’s on East! #marriedwithmichaels

The service you receive with the team at Michaels on East is beyond perfect and stress free! I absolutely LOVE working with this team for all my clients events.

Michael's on East was absolutely fantastic! I cannot speak highly enough about this incredible catering and events team. I worked with Amy, the Event Sales Director for my wedding. Amy was so great to work with, professional, knowledgeable, accommodating, and kind! I am vegan so when it came to deciding the vegan entrée, I was initially nervous about my options. Amy and the chefs at Michael's on East quickly put me at ease and gave me the option of sending the chef some vegan recipes I might want to try! They set up a special vegan entrée tasting for me that was so awesome. That was such a fun and personalized experience. Let me say that vegan meal came out INCREDIBLE!!! We had custom his and hers drinks at the wedding that everyone absolutely loved. Everyone loved the food and drinks at our wedding, the staff took care of us, it was delightful. I highly recommend this catering company. Thank you Amy and everyone at Michael's on East!!

We worked with the Michaels On East team for our October 2020 Selby Gardens wedding. Their team was easy to work with, extremely detailed and easy to get ahold of. MOE handled all rentals and event set up for ceremony, cocktail hour and the reception, as well as all beverages, appetizers and dinner. Our guests are still raving about how delicious the food was and how good the drinks were. I especially appreciated the attention the staff paid to the bride and groom over the course of the reception. We never needed to ask for anything, and they kept our glasses full. MOE is a reputable fine dining restaurant, and their event experience is precisely the same. We highly recommend Michael’s On East catering.

MOE catered my 10/10/2020 wedding and everyone raved over the food. Several guests stated it was the best wedding food they ever had! Agreed! MOE was incredibly accommodating with rentals as well. The servers were professional and attentive. Thank you for making my wedding so beautiful.

We feel so lucky to have been able to use the services of Michaels on East for our wedding at Selby Gardens. Amy Allen was our venue coordinator and she was absolutely amazing to work with! She knew the grounds very well and was able to provide us with guidance and expertise to help us make decisions during our wedding.
The food was unreal! First, we could not hear enough compliments from guests about the passed hour dourves – we were able to try some at our wedding and they were so delicious. Our guests also loved the salad and the main course. Some of our guests referred to the food as “the best wedding food they’ve ever had,” and we had guests travel in from all over: Connecticut, Boston, New York, Texas, California, Arizona, and Washington D.C.
Michaels on East not only delivers the best quality food, but the drinks, the service and the experience was impeccable. We highly recommend working with Michaels on East for your wedding or any event! You can trust them to deliver and to give your guests and you the best experience.

Michaels on East did an amazing job catering for our wedding. The food was phenomenal and guests are still commenting about it to this day! Not only was the food delicious, the staff was 5 star! They were very accommodating and made sure my husband and I had everything we needed on our special day. They were efficient with dinner service and made great cocktails. Amy, who helped us with food decisions made excellent recommendations when needed! We were very pleased with everything! Can’t wait to visit at the restaurant for dinner!!

Phil was so great to work with, he was funny and accommodating and most importantly- the food was out of this world.

My guest stills can’t stop talking about the file. And their Mushroom Wellington was so good I got it as my meal and I’m not even a vegetarian. Would definitely recommend this team to anyone!

Phil from Michael’s fulfilled every wish and created a nice environment for serving the entree “family style”. Our guests loved it and it produced more interaction with each guest than a standard “plated” serving. The food was very good and the waitstaff worked impeccably to ensure every guest had what they desired. Great catering service and food!

Absolutely hands down the best in town! We did a LOT of research and talked to many people in town before choosing Michaels. They were so helpful with decisions on the menu, and the food was incredible! On top of being super helpful, responsive, and professional the staff went above & beyond!! I have to make pay a special compliment to Tracy. She made sure EVERYTHING was perfect! Any issue that came up, she addressed and solved immediately! I wish my wedding planner had been as on top of things as she was. Thank you to everyone at Michaels for all your hard work on making our special day something truly memorable. <3 Mike & Christina Potts

IN LOVE WITH THIS VENUE. They were so accommodating and catered to our every need. Phil and his assistant Ngoc answered all of our questions and were very flexible with us. I was amazed when I walked into the venue and saw how beautiful everything looked. Not to mention the food is TO DIE for. Everyone was raving about how good the food was and they even let us have all the leftovers! All of the caters who worked the wedding were wonderful and made sure we had everything we needed. I wish I could relive my wedding day over and over because it was so amazing, and MOE had a lot to do with that.

Ngoc was amazing! Available all the time!! Willing to work with my numerous ideas!!! Even glitter!!! Phil, the owner, made my dream a reality and not only was the wine cellar the best venue for us, but my guests and family are still taking about the food!!!!

Michael's on East was an absolute pleasure to work with for my wedding event. I had to change venues about 4 months prior to my wedding date. Phil and his staff put me at ease and they handled everything. He immediately responded to any inquiry I had a question about, he gave excellent advice and opinions which I trusted implicitly, and he was on site the few days leading up to the wedding to make sure everything was setup as we had discussed. The food was absolutely incredible!! The service staff was attentive and very polite. I can't say enough about how wonderful everything turned out. My wedding was perfect and Phil and his team deserve all the thanks!

I can never say enough about Michael's on East. This restaurant has become our favourite evening out whenever we get down to Sarasota. As soon as we saw the Wine Cellar all dressed up for a private event we knew that we had to have our wedding reception in the Wine Cellar. Everyting was amazing from our first meeting with Helen and then Ngoc to our meetings and communications with owners Phil and Michael the business end of things always went smoothly. Then there was our actual reception for 55. The food was fantastic and raved about by all. Several of our guests had dietary issues....no problem chef put the Tuna out and just created a whole new side just for our event. Noel who seemingly does every job at Michael's was great, from helping us out with great wine selections, to setting up our tables with favours etc. to working with me and for me throughout the evening to making a little bed up for my 7 year old daughter/flower girl as the night wore on, he was amazing and felt more like a friend than anything. The entire staff for our reception (and I feel awful that I don't remember all of their names) Karen, Kristine and the others were all amazing. From cutting up food for the little ones, to treating us like old friends, to saving us some of the amazing h'or d'oeuvres for our late arrival......everything, they were just amazing. Some of the staff Joe (the pianist) and Jennifer (Bar) from the restaurant side were great and even made a point of coming over to our reception to offer their congratulations and wishes. The food, the wine, the cake, the staff were all the best. Thank you so much for making our reception so wonderful.

Rhondi and Phil Ouellette

I am beyond impressed by the level of service and quality we got from working with Michael's on East. I'm not from Sarasota but my husband is, and if you ask anyone from Sarasota they'd say that Michael's is the best (they also have a fantastic restaurant). I chose Michael's based on their great reputation, and it definitely delivered. The tasting alone was one of the best meals I'd ever had! They can do anything you want, and do it well. I wanted crab cakes made from my mom's recipe-- done. I wanted chicken fingers like the ones from my favorite place in Nashville with their signature sauce-- done. (They flew in the sauce). Every bite of food was excellent!!
Beyond the food, Michael's ended up playing a pivotal role in saving our wedding when the weather in Sarasota dropped to the 30s and our reception was scheduled to be outdoors. Micheal's happened to have their ballroom available that night (lucky for us!) and just 6 days before our wedding let us rent it. We met with Phil (who is a pleasure to work with) and he did everything in his power to pull together the wedding indoors. He helped us cancel our alcohol contract with our vendor at our other venue, choose new wines (he even sent us home with a bunch to try... I think he saw how frazzled we were), and helped us figure out what to do to transform the space (like drape fabric to soften the ceilings). Amazingly, they also helped us save money in this process. While the venue admittedly wouldn't be my first choice for my reception, when we had our weather crisis I felt so lucky to be working with them. You won't get better food, quality, or service anywhere else!

We and our guests loved the food from Michael's On East at our wedding! We were not the easiest group, since a significant number of guests (and the bride) had allergies, such as dairy, gluten, egg, and mushrooms. MOE did an amazing job accommodating these allergies. Our contact at MOE was also helpful and friendly in all the preparations leading up to the event. Would definitely recommend them!

Working with MOE from start to finish was amazing! Not only was their service great but their food was beyond amazing. I knew when we had our food tasting that we made a great choice to use them for our wedding!
On our wedding day their staff did such a great job and the food was SO good! We are still getting compliments from guests that it was the best wedding food they had ever had!
Super pleased with our whole experience of working with MOE, highly recommend using them.

MOE was awesome and my wedding day was executed to perfection. Margaux and Amy were absolutely amazing and very helpful. There was no question unanswered and they were very helpful and responsive. The food itself was perfection and every guest complimented us on how amazing everything was. Due to the heat we cut our photos a little short and decided to finish up at twilight when it was a bit cooler. This moved the timeline for dinner up a little, MOE made the adjustment with no problem or attitude and made it happen. Simply amazing!!

Michaels on East has an amazing reputation in the area. The food was phenomenal from what I was able to eat during my wedding and all the guest raved about the food, drinks, service. They are professional and a well oiled machine timely and officiant.