Pictured: The crispy boudin is one of the nostalgic family favorites Chef Mark Majorie is whipping up at Lucky 8. Provided photo.

Eddie Zaki and Mark Majorie are already well-established in Sarasota’s superb culinary scene. Majorie is a professional chef whose extensive resume includes eight years as executive chef at local mainstay Veronica’s, while Zaki is a restaurateur behind several successful businesses including local favorite 1592. In November 2024, the duo opened Lucky 8 Luncheonette, an eclectic eatery with flavors inspired by Majorie’s New Orleans upbringing.

“Our menu is very short, and we intended to have it this way because we don’t want people to get lost,” Zaki says. “Often, menus have 40 or 50 dishes and the time it takes to read them is sometimes frustrating. This menu is straight to the point, and every dish on there is a favorite.”

The menu is packed with New Orleans staples, many of them recipes that Majorie learned growing up next to his mother’s stove. The bread for the muffuletta sandwich is baked locally at Mama G’s from a recipe provided by Lucky 8, and the Sicilian sesame bread is the perfect foundation for the layers of sliced meat and cheese and the briny olive salad dressing. The crispy boudin is rich and flavorful, thanks to ingredients like pork shoulder and chicken liver, and the gumbo already has a devoted following with repeat customers coming back for more. The oyster po’boy is irresistible, and the smash burgers have also proved to be popular.

Like the food menu, the beverage menu is also streamlined at Lucky 8. You won’t find Hurricanes on the menu here as there isn’t a full bar, but the drink menu is well-curated with some local beers and beer from New Orleans, and a solid selection of natural, organic wines.

Lucky 8 Luncheonette is open Mondays through Saturdays from 11am through 9pm, It is closed on Sundays.

Lucky 8, 1812 South Osprey Avenue, Sarasota, 941-444-0155, www.lucky8srq.com.

Pictured: The crispy boudin is one of the nostalgic family favorites Chef Mark Majorie is whipping up at Lucky 8. Provided photo.