Ticket Editor: Best restaurants Sarasota to Punta Gorda including Venice waterfront gem

Ahead of the highly anticipated opening of Sunseeker Resort along the Peace River in Punta Gorda, I bid farewell to all my favorite restaurants in downtown Sarasota and Bradenton and headed southbound with a big grin on my face. We had a room booked at the Suites at Fishermen's Village, and there would be plenty of dining opportunities in Punta Gorda, as well as along the way in places like Venice and Port Charlotte.

Not familiar with Fishermen’s Village? Built in 1980 on the site of a pier that once housed fish houses, this adorable, mostly covered village offers a delightful blend of restaurants, bars, shops, a marina, and the Suites resort.

Over four days, I visited nine different establishments in search of the best seafood, burgers, and anything else that sounded appetizing. From waterfront restaurants to a biker bar, and from great to terrible cuisine, here's what I discovered during my recent culinary journey that began on a Thursday afternoon in Charlotte County and concluded on a Sunday with much-needed stops in Venice and then downtown Sarasota.

Restaurant news: Popular upscale steakhouse chain opens new Sarasota location

Best waterfront restaurants in Sarasota and what to eat and drink there!

Best waterfront restaurants in Venice, North Port, Osprey, Nokomis area for awesome views

10 best restaurants in downtown Sarasota from fancy to casual

Ticket Newsletter: Sign up to receive restaurant news and reviews plus info on things to do every Friday

Thursday: Lunch at The Twisted Fork in Port Charlotte

2208 El Jobean Road, Port Charlotte; 941-235-3675; twistedfork.net

We had been driving down 41 for about an hour or so when I turned to my wife, Kristin, who was behind the wheel, and said something eloquent like, "I need to eat!" My phone told me we were close to a place called The Twisted Fork, and, wow, it turned out to be one of the coolest and biggest biker bars I have ever seen.

To be fair, The Twisted Fork is more of a large sports bar and live music venue than a biker bar, but it is located right next to a Harley-Davidson dealership and boasts a parking lot full of hogs. More importantly, The Twisted Fork serves tasty pub grub, such as their exceptional "hog wings," featuring a pound of pork shanks cooked perfectly tender on the inside with a crispy exterior covered in a Korean barbecue-style pepper glaze ($16).

Thursday: Dinner at The Pier in Fishermen's Village

1200 W. Retta Esplanade Unit C47, Punta Gorda; 941-655-8267; thepierpg.com

For our first evening at Fishermen's Village, we had dinner at The Pier, a 300-seat restaurant with a long row of outdoor tables that position guests right on Charlotte Harbor. We chose to avoid the heat and were seated in the chic dining room, which also offered impressive views of the water.

The Pier was ranked the third best restaurant in Punta Gorda by Yelp at the time of our visit, and while the pork wonton nachos ($11), pot stickers ($9), Polynesian chicken ($22), and braised short ribs ($26) were all fine, the seafood dishes disappointed — big time. The sea scallops ($38) were buoyed by a side of jalapeno cream corn but my blackened grouper sandwich ($22) was, in a word, inedible.

Friday-Sunday: Breakfast at Good Ole Days Coffee & Ice Cream in Fishermen's Village

28 Fishermen's Village, Punta Gorda; 941-655-8088; facebook.com/GoodOleDayCoffeeandIcecream

If you're staying at the Suites at Fishermen's Village, which I highly recommend, all the rooms are on the second floor with patios overlooking the water. The front doors of each room open onto charming wooden walkways that provide views of the shops and restaurants below, and everything is covered, so you never have to worry too much about excessive sun or storms.

The mornings are ideal for dolphin-sighting strolls and a stop at the 1950s-themed Good Ole Days Coffee shop that opens daily at 8. They serve a breakfast sandwich with bacon, sausage, or ham, along with egg and cheese, on an English muffin, bagel, or croissant for about $5, and that's what we had every single morning. Good Ole Days is the only breakfast option in Fishermen's Village since the landmark Village Fish Market, which I enjoyed for breakfast and seafood dinner in 2022, closed earlier this year.

Friday: Lunch at Celtic Ray Public House in Punta Gorda

145 E. Marion Ave., Punta Gorda; 941-916-9115; celticray.net

After our less than satisfying dinner the evening before at The Pier, we decided to head into downtown Punta Gorda for lunch, which can be accomplished via Harborwalk, the pathway that runs along the Charlotte Harbor shoreline. However, we opted to use a car to cover the mile or so from Fishermen's Village to Celtic Ray. That turned out to be a brilliant move, because I ate so much awesome Irish food that I wouldn't have been able to walk home even if we were staying just around the corner from that glorious pub.

The Celtic Ray can be a packed live music venue in the back featuring a covered stage that can be viewed from tables or the rooftop seating. However, the interior, where we dined, retains the ambiance of a traditional Irish public house with no televisions. It's adorned with stained glass, handsome wood and a matching bar where you can order your Irish beer, perhaps whiskey, and certainly the food. I manage to visit the Celtic Ray, which Irishman Kevin Doyle opened in 1997, about once a year, and on each occasion, I attempt to sample everything on the menu. I have yet to be disappointed, especially when paired with a pint of their Guinness, Smithwick's, or Harp, which somehow all taste noticeably better here than at any other bar in Florida.

So, what are the essential foods at the Celtic Ray? I would start with a Scotch egg ($8), which is a hard-boiled egg wrapped in smartly seasoned Irish sausage meat, baked and sliced into quarters ideal for dunking into the accompanying dip. Next, I would order a pastie, particularly the Breton Chicken ($17). It features chicken breast chunks in a Rosemary chardonnay cream sauce, baked in puff pastry, and served with colcannon, coleslaw, and Celtic Ray's irresistible soda bread. However, be sure to save room for the fish & chips ($18), featuring a generous piece of Icelandic cod given a light, flavorful battering and fried. Still have room for more? Treat yourself to the Jameson bread pudding ($9) that is worth every single decadent calorie.

Friday: Dinner at Harpoon Harry’s in Fishermen's Village

1200 W. Retta Esplanade, Punta Gorda; 941-637-1177; harpoonharrys.com

Located at the far end of Fishermen's Village, Harpoon Harry's places you right on Charlotte Harbor in a completely covered, open-air setting featuring waterfront tables, two bars, and a stage where bands performed from about 6:30 to 9:30 on Friday and Saturday during our recent visit. If you're seeking an excellent spot to enjoy drinks while listening to live music, watching sports, looking for dolphins, or witnessing a spectacular sunset, I highly recommend Harpoon Harry's. Like everywhere else we visited in Punta Gorda, it boasted an entire team of friendly servers and maintained a fun vibe during each of our multiple stops there.

As for food, stick with sports bar classics such as their chicken wings (8 for $10.40). When I inquired about the freshness of the grouper sandwich, our server paused before admitting that it was frozen and suggested I try the salmon B.L.T. ($18.72) instead, although it didn't exactly thrill my palate. Nevertheless, no visit to Punta Gorda, especially Fishermen's Village, is complete without sipping a beverage or three at Harpoon Harry's.

Saturday: Lunch at The Captain's Table in Fishermen's Village

1200 W. Retta Esplanade, Punta Gorda; 941-637-1177; thecaptainstable.com

The Captain's Table is Harpoon Harry's upscale sister restaurant, located directly above it and boasting arguably the best views of any dining establishment currently open in Charlotte County. With a pirate ship attached to its front and a swashbuckler to greet you by the elevator and stairs, The Captain's Table is delightfully kitschy, featuring a main room adorned with charming nautical touches, including the obligatory ship's wheel. During our visit, we opted for a high-top table by the bar, providing us with a direct overlook of the marina. There are also numerous regular dining tables with waterfront views, as well as outdoor seating equipped with wrought iron tables and chairs, positioned right above the expansive harbor waters.

Eager to savor a fresh Gulf grouper sandwich while dining in a place called Fishermen's Village, I figured The Captain's Table, which specializes in seafood, would be my best choice. However, my high hopes were dashed when I saw the price: $20. As many know, you typically want to see "market price" or, realistically, grouper that costs at least $25 or even $30 for a sandwich to ensure it's genuinely fresh these days. Unfortunately, the grouper I ordered was frozen. While it wasn't inedible like the one I had at The Pier, it had that distinctive mushy texture associated with frozen fish, and its flavor was reduced to a bland, buttery bore. The "fresh catch" special, tripletail ($22.88), was a bit better but still lacked the vibrant flavor one would expect from a fish that had roamed the Gulf of Mexico freely the night before.

Saturday: Dinner at Village Brewhouse in Fishermen's Village

1200 W. Retta Esplanade Unit G37, Punta Gorda; 941-621-8329; thevillagebrewhouse.com

Village Brewhouse is the centerpiece of Fishermen's Village. It features tables adorned with umbrellas in the waterfront courtyard and a covered open-air bar as well as an indoor dining room overlooking the harbor along with a second full-liquor bar. In addition to an outstanding beer selection, the Brewhouse serves some of the best burgers in the region. Like the Celtic Ray, I had been to Village Brewhouse before and can attest that it consistently delivers.

One of the most original and delicious burgers I've had anywhere in Florida is the Brewhouse's Red, White, and Blueberry BBQ ($17). It's a nicely seasoned beef patty topped with melting blue cheese crumbles and breaded onion rings, all of which is then covered with blueberry "BBQ sauce" that tastes as if it were made with fresh blueberries that morning. This sauce pairs perfectly with the other salty flavors, including the sharp, tangy blue cheese. Feel like a more basic burger? You can order the "Why Pop Pop" ($16.50), which features two smashed and seared burger patties topped with American cheese, sautéed onions, and Thousand Island dressing. I'm a big fan of both.

The owner of Village Brewhouse also operates Fishermen Village's Sunset Beach Club, a tiki bar located on a man-made beach on Charlotte Harbor. It opens daily at 11 a.m. and featured live music most afternoons and evenings during our stay, which included quite a few beverages there. Yes, enjoying a burger and a beer at the Brewhouse, followed by a drink or two at the Sunset Beach Club while watching the big, orange sphere sink into Charlotte Harbor, makes for a perfect evening — especially when all you have to do is stumble upstairs to your room!

Sunday: Lunch at Dockside Waterfront Grill in Venice

509 N. Tamiami Trail, Venice; 941-218-6418; docksidewaterfrontgrill.com

While we had a fun time staying three nights at Fishermen's Village — an Old Florida attraction that went up for sale earlier this year, and hopefully will thrive with new owners after Sunseeker Resort opens — I left still craving a fresh piece of grouper. Our charming Brewhouse bartender recommended Peace River Seafood; however, it is closed on Sundays (and Mondays). So, we headed back to Sarasota-Bradenton, rolling down Highway 41 again en route to my favorite restaurant in Venice.

In July, I wrote that Dry Dock Waterfront Grill on Longboat Key is the best waterfront restaurant in Sarasota County, following another outstanding seafood meal there. This coincided with their inclusion in OpenTable's list of the 100 Most Popular Restaurants for Outdoor Dining in the U.S. Here's the thing: both Dry Dock on Longboat Key and the similarly named Dockside Waterfront Grill are owned by the Sarasota-based Gecko's Hospitality Group and feature nearly identical, seafood-first menus. However, I might prefer the more laidback, Old Florida atmosphere of the Venice restaurant nestled in the Fisherman's Wharf Marina on the Intracoastal Waterway.

Seated at the open-air tiki bar area with a pleasant breeze and Jimmy Buffett music playing — a setting the late, great singer-songwriter would have surely adored — it was love at first grouper bite ($17). These mouthwatering morsels were rivaled by the scallops wrapped in crispy bacon strips and smartly complemented by a spicy honey Sriracha, setting the $21 dish apart from the bacon-wrapped scallops served at Dry Dock, which come with maple syrup. Another feature of the Venice location that you won't find at their Longboat Key sibling is the homemade chips ($3.50 for a side), originally from Gecko's. I could easily spend an entire Sunday afternoon by the water there, enjoying pints of Big Top Brewing's Tripletail Blood Orange Lager paired with those habit-forming potato chips.

However, I can't visit Dockside or Dry Dock without ordering one of my all-time favorite seafood dishes. Both restaurants consistently source fresh grouper, which can be enjoyed in various ways, including lightly fried bites, the highly recommended blackened grouper sandwich, and the show-stopping citrus grouper entrée ($35). On Sunday, I was served a plump grouper filet, lightly breaded and sautéed with their house-made citrus cream sauce that evokes memories of Key lime pie. I savored every single bite of that sweet and savory, citrus-infused piece of fresh grouper.

Sunday: Dinner at Marina Jack in Sarasota

2 Marina Plaza, Sarasota; 941-365-4232; marinajacks.com

To conclude our trip along U.S. Highway 41 and Tamiami Trail, we stopped for dinner at Marina Jack, the downtown landmark overlooking Sarasota Bay that dates back to the late 1960s. While my fresh grouper craving had been satisfied, I still wanted another quality burger, and Marina Jack delivered with their deftly seasoned double cheeseburger, which I had topped with American cheese ($17).

Seated on the Blue Sunshine Patio, we relaxed while enjoying a fantastic performance by local singer, songwriter, and guitarist Bain Beakley, who can be heard providing sweet background vocals on Duane Betts' excellent new album "Wild & Precious Life." It was during Beakley's beautiful rendition of the Allman Brothers' hit "Seven Turns," written by locally based legend Dickey Betts, that I looked at my wife, Kristin, and said something like, "I love heading down to places like Punta Gorda, north to our beloved St. Pete Beach and Gulfport, but right here in downtown Sarasota and downtown Bradenton, along Highway 41, is where I feel at home."

Who lives here? Most famous celebrities with homes in Sarasota and Bradenton area

Wade Tatangelo is Ticket Editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and Florida Regional Dining and Entertainment Editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. Support local journalism by subscribing.??????

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Best waterfront restaurants Sarasota, Venice, Punta Gorda