Popular sports bar expands beyond Lakewood Ranch with new Bradenton-area restaurant
Ed’s Tavern, a sports bar and restaurant that opened in 2009 on Lakewood Ranch Main Street, now has a second location at 1305 108th St. E., in the Warner Crossing shopping center.
The new restaurant, on the northwest corner of State Road 64 and Upper Manatee River Road, seats about 180 and has sidings that retract from the floor into the ceiling, giving guests an inside-outside view.
Partners Albert Myara, Adam Myara and Bob Bender bought Manatee County’s first Ed’s Tavern in 2014 from founder John Breiner and have carried on the tradition of offering a friendly place to relax and enjoy good food, a drink and a game on a large screen TV.
The new restaurant has 36 TVs, which makes it all but impossible not to get a good look at a March Madness game or another sport on the screen.
March Madness, the college basketball playoffs, has its final four on Saturday and the championship game on Monday, April 8.
While March Madness won’t last forever, the owners say that friendly service and food that exceeds expectations will always be in season.
“It’s all homemade from scratch,” Albert Myara said. “We make our own sauces, our own chili and our own patties and season them daily.”
Bender adds: “Our brand has a lot of strengths. The food is not what you’re expecting when you come into a sports bar. When our guests taste our food, it’s, ‘Whoa, I didn’t expect that.’ It’s really good food.’”
Another strength is the friendly, attentive staff.
Ed’s Tavern opens Bradenton location
Sherry and Michael Cavanaugh drove down Monday from Parrish and enjoyed drinks while talking to bartender Alina Mendoza.
“This is a nice location,” Sherry said of their return visit to Ed’s.
The Cavanaughs said they like the bar’s design, open to the outside behind them and facing onto a bank of wall-to-wall TVs.
“We like the bar, and, of course, the bartender,” she said.
Mendoza said she loves working at Ed’s.
“The guests are great, the owners are great and the food is amazing,” Mendoza said.
Asked what’s popular with guests these days, Mendoza said Old Fashions, coconut-pineapple margaritas and, “like a million beers on tap. So people have their pick.”
As for the food offerings, Bender says that bowls are growing in popularity, including the buffalo mac-and-cheese bowl and the salmon bowl. Especially popular is the orange chicken bowl.
“It’s a unique product you can’t get elsewhere,” he said.
Being a sports bar, Ed’s prides itself on its burgers.
The menu includes nine burger options, ranging from the classic burger (lettuce, onion, pickle and choice of cheese) to the Big Black and Bleu Burger (blackened patty, bleu cheese crumbles, fried onion rings, lettuce and tomato).
Burger prices are in the $12 to $13 range. Burgers are served with seasoned fries.
The menu also includes wraps, entrees — such as barbecued brisket, lemon chicken, fried shrimp, fish and chips and more —as well as sandwiches, flatbreads, wings and salads.
For those who want only appetizers, there are plenty to choose from: mini corn dogs, fried pickles, buffalo shrimp, pizza egg rolls, nachos, quesadillas and more.
The partners chose Warner Crossing for their new restaurant because it is in the middle of a large growth area and can attract customers from Parrish, Lakewood Ranch and beyond.
Bender is a 50-year veteran of the restaurant business.
“I just love what I do. It’s a passion and it’s fun to be part of something that is so successful,” Bender said.
Albert Myara has partnered with or owned several restaurants over the years, including Bogey’s, Shells and Captain Eddie’s.
The partners also own McGrath’s Irish Ale House, which opened in November 2020 at 8110 Lakewood Ranch Main Street.
What to know
▪ Name: Ed’s Tavern
▪ Address: 1305 108th St. E., Bradenton and 10719 Rodeo Drive, Lakewood Ranch
▪ Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday
▪ Special events: live music Friday and Saturday night and trivia Wednesday night
▪ Phone: (941) 329-1010 (Bradenton), (941) 907-0400 (Lakewood Ranch)
▪ Online: www.edstavernfl.com
