Popular Lakewood Ranch restaurant and sports bar opens second location
A Lakewood Ranch dining and drinking mainstay, as well as one of the most popular sports bars in Sarasota-Manatee , has expanded with a second location in the area.
Ed's Tavern recently opened at 1305 108th St. E., Bradenton, off of State Road 64 by where Upper Manatee River Road merges into Lakewood Ranch Boulevard. The other Ed's Tavern's location is at 10719 Rodeo Drive on Lakewood Ranch Main Street, next to Lakewood Ranch Cinemas.
Operations manager Bruce Mahnke said that since ownership of the business switched over a decade ago, Ed's Tavern has built a loyal clientele that's grown to include the Parrish and northern Lakewood Ranch area —particularly when the Fort Hamer Bridge opened in 2017 — making that area ideal for a second location.
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Lakewood Ranch restaurant and sports bar Ed's Tavern opened a second location at 1305 108th St. E. in Bradenton, off of State Road 64, in 2024.
"We really felt that if we were going to expand, we didn't want to expand too far, because we wanted to be able to give people who knew the name a familiar name closer to home," Mahnke said. "That's kind of why we settled on this area of 64 — the whole area up here is really building up. The Fort Hamer Bridge opening up really allowed that access point from Parrish down here, which has just been a great addition."
The new Ed's Tavern features a menu identical to its other location, offering a variety of casual cuisine dishes including shareables, salads, wings, chili, flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches, wraps, bowls, other entrees, sides and desserts. Both locations are also full-liquor, serving signature cocktails, beer with local craft options, and wine.
Ed's Tavern's current locations offer a variety of casual cuisine dishes including shareables, salads, wings, flatbreads, sandwiches, wraps, burgers, sliders, bowls, entrees, sides and desserts. It also has a full-liquor drink menu, serving signature cocktails, beer with local craft options, and wine.
The new location spans about 4,200 square feet and seats roughly 200 people, with an indoor-outdoor bar and covered patio, and the ability to bring down curtains in case of inclement weather or open an accordion-style sliding glass door wall during good weather. It also features over 35 TVs, and live music Friday and Saturday nights.
Ed's Tavern is open daily starting at 11 a.m., closing at midnight Monday through Thursday, 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 941-329-1010 or visit edstavernfl.com .
Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing .
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Lakewood Ranch restaurant sports bar Ed's Tavern opens second location
