Costa Rican roots are woven throughout Waffle Monkey’s downtown Sarasota location.  With its laid-back, beach-inspired atmosphere, the café is independently owned and operated by Pete Collins and his wife, Kathryn. The couple was inspired by their close friends who founded Waffle Monkey in Costa Rica a decade ago. When Pete and Kathryn moved to Sarasota a few years ago, they saw an opportunity to bring the concept to the states, believing the relaxed coastal vibe of the Suncoast was the closest thing to the Cayman Islands they had found.

“There are two Waffle Monkeys in Costa Rica now, one in the Cayman Islands and one in Bonita Springs, which opened up three years ago, but we're the only location with a jungle theme,” shares Collins. “All the rest are beach themes because they're on or very close to a beach. We opted to go for this theme, and we commissioned a guy in Australia to do our mural for us, which is monkeys eating waffles, monkeys wearing sunglasses, bees, parrots, peacocks and butterflies.” The restaurant operates by four principles, all starting with F: Freshly prepared, family friendly, fun lovin’ and firmly flexible. The waffles are freshly made to order—crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside—with the freshest of toppings and the coffee is sourced from Costa Rican growers and pulled with care. They love having children of all ages to join them in their fun-loving environment and they welcome special requests. Wanting to honor his roots and bring a distinctly English flavor to the menu, Collins introduced a traditional full English breakfast—featuring two sausages, English bacon, eggs, grilled tomato, baked beans and toast—along with his own homemade sausage rolls. Made with seasoned sausage meat and red onion wrapped in flaky puff pastry, the sausage rolls quickly became a customer favorite. “When I first added sausage rolls to the menu, my wife looked at me and said, ‘Honey, Americans don’t know what sausage rolls are,’” Collins recalls. “I told her not to worry—they soon would. Now we're becoming quite famous for it. We sell out of them every single day.”

There are 16 different gourmet Belgian waffles on the menu, including gluten-free and vegan options. Because of special diet restrictions among his patrons, Collins is especially mindful about avoiding cross-contamination in the kitchen. “We're very popular with the Celiac Society and word has gotten out that we have gluten-free options. We are super careful so that everyone can eat healthy at the Waffle Monkey,” he adds. Besides its regular opening hours, Waffle Monkey frequently hosts special evening events, including trivia nights with live music. During these events, guests can enjoy a limited dinner menu featuring dishes such as fish and chips, beef brisket burgers and cottage pie—a dish made with minced beef rather than lamb, which distinguishes it from Shepherd’s pie. Visit the website for the latest event schedules and updates.  SRQ