Travel Tips

The best of both dinner experiences
Get the best of both worlds at The Crow’s Nest Restaurant, Marina and Tavern in Venice. With a beautiful view overlooking the intersecting Intracoastal Waterway and the Gulf of Mexico, The Crow’s Nest gives visitors the opportunity to enjoy fine dining with Florida seafood favorites, nightly Chef’s specials, and a full range of entrees from seafood platters to surf and turf or a Red Hook Ribeye. The restaurant also offers guests a full wine cellar with special prices on Tuesdays.

Although the restaurant primarily takes walk-ins, they do offer a priority seating for a limited number of guests. You can call ahead at 941-484-9551 or log on to www.crowsnest-venice.com to see if priority seating is available for your party. Remember that although the restaurant sits on the water, guests are asked to arrive in proper casual resort wear attire.

For a more casual bar and restaurant experience, try the Crow’s Nest tavern downstairs, where you can enjoy a cold drink after boating all day or fill up on sandwiches, appetizers or try the raw bar, all while staying in your bathing suit or flip flops. The tavern stays open until midnight on Friday and Saturday with a variety of local Venice musicians for your listening pleasure. Depending on the time of year when you visit, the tavern will remain open until 11 pm during the week in the summertime, to accommodate those patrons enjoying a late vacation weekday.

The Crow’s Nest is also part of a larger marina that offers guests the opportunity to tie up their boats for an afternoon or to reserve a slip spot for their boat overnight and for longer periods of time. If you are planning to bring your boat to the vacation rental home, this is a great way to make sure your boat stays safe and it will be right in the water ready for you to go. If you are out for the afternoon, bring some resort wear and enjoy a full dining experience at the restaurant, or remain casual and grab an appetizer and some entertainment at the tavern.

By land you can reach The Crow’s Nest right near the South Jetty on Tarpon Center Drive. It may be difficult to find if you don’t know your way, but just follow Venice Avenue towards the beach until it ends into Esplanade and this will dead end into Tarpon Center Drive.