The CURVE Sports Tavern

Ordered the Meatloaf sandwich… it was like a hockey puck. HORRIBLE. Our server seemed razzled and there were only about 10 full tables total, to which he had 5. I usually enjoy my lunches and dinners at Curve, but this night was awful. Won’t be back for a long time, if ever.

We were in town for the weekend and thought we would go to a SPORTS BAR to watch the Steelers-​Bengals playoff game. Imagine our surprise when we showed up and were told the band would be playing until 11pm. The waiter looked almost ashamed to tell us that. Seriously? A sports bar that isn’t showing a playoff game. We ended up at Beef O’Brady’s. I hear the food at The Curve is really good and the band was also pretty good so we were disappointed to have to go elsewhere. We might try it again for the food if we are back in town again.

There are typically only a small handful of restaurants in an area that strive to be different and offer an eclectic variety of menu items. This is one of those places!
I’ve tried several items over the past few days and have been extremely satisfied by the quality and variety of choices. This is not your typical tourist restaurant that compromises good, fresh ingredients for the sake of mass production and ease for the kitchen staff. Take a chance. You likely won’t be disappointed. I wasn’t, and keep coming back for more. I’m sure you will too.
To the chef… keep doing what you’re doing!

This Latin fusion restaurant is a unique and upscale little hidden treasure. So we went as with a group of friends, and one of our members knew the Chef’s wife. This is a nice little place inside a hotel, but it plays like a big restaurant. It claims to be a sports bar, but it’s more of a casual bar, which is just fine for it’s place and location. They have great Happy Hour prices, Bud Lite $ 2, and $ 3 wines (or something like that). The Chef is from Buffalo, NY and they had Buffalo Wings so I thought why the heck not, and I was not disappointed. They serve the wings whole (not separated) and they are big and meaty. I only wish I had ordered them hot rather than medium (so much for the waiters recommendation). I also had the Greek salad, which was large and awesome! My wife had the lobster mac & cheese. OMG, I ate half of it because there was soooo much, and it was fantastic. To heck with the Buffalo Wing on my next trip, I’m in for the lobster mac & cheese. It was a little pricey at $ 23, but it’s loaded with lobster so I think it was worth it. They also service the roof top bar at the hotel’s pool, while we only got to walk up and look around due to the thunderstorms, it was a promising place for a late fall through spring outdoor dining experience. We’ll be back!

Nice pub area on first floor of The Wyvern hotel. Ordered Coconut Shrimp, they weren’t cooked, still translucent, gross. Cannot eat partially cooked shrimp, not good. I sent it back and ordered a Caprese Salad. Mozzarella is not made in house. Tastes like it came from a local supermarket where it had been sitting for weeks. House salad was very good. Its too bad the kitchen cannot put out quality food because the hotel is lovely. The place is dead. One or two customers at most.

We are guests of the Wyvern & had two sandwiches sent up as room service. Both were outstanding. Hubs had the grilled chicken — provolone, bacon, lettuce, tomato & chipotle aioli on a pretzel bun. He said the chicken was tender & moist and the pretzel bun topped off the great sandwich. I had the House Reuben — which was thinly sliced, house cured brisket, kimchi, jalapeño jack cheese & chipotle aioli on grilled marble rye — it was absolutely delicious. All the flavors were perfect together. Hands down best sandwich I’ve had in ages. The house made chips– ehhh — a throw away to these masterful sandwiches — but a lil salt or other seasoning on the chips would have made a big difference.

We went here to catch what we hoped would be a great breakfast (the Tavern is the breakfast place for the Wyvern Hotel – the only 4 star hotel in Punta Gorda), but were let down. Whoever prepared their short menu had some good ideas, but the cook didn’t execute them. Our omelettes were too crispy, a bit greasy, and were very light on the ingredients (other than eggs). The ricotta blueberry pancakes tasted undercooked and had the flavor of donuts… what’s with that? Odd!
The orange juice and toast were good; the dining area, bar and lobby were clean; we had good service, and a nice table and seating. Somehow, we got the impression that their business was hurting… hope not, because they have the potential. If you don’t have good cooking, nothing else matters… need to show the food some love!
Pleasant atmosphere and convenient parking just on the side of the hotel (this is a small hotel, so you won’t walk far).

The Curve Sports Tavern, located on the ground floor of the boutique Wyvern hotel, in historic downtown Punta Gorda, is a refreshing change from the high-​end establishment that once occupied this space. It can be rather noise if busy because of all the hard surfaces, but the staff is friendly and the food, which is also available to order at the roof-​top bar, is quite unique, fresh and very tasty. We started going there about 10 months ago, not long after it opened, and have enjoyed a variety of delicious menu items, but the «Not a Ruben» (NAR) was our favorite. Comprised of brisket cooked to perfection, our craving for this single item has brought us back time and time again. We have referred this particular meal to several friends who also had become addicted — crazy. SO, imagine our surprise when we were in last Friday and learned that the menu had been updated and the NAR was no longer available — OMG, SERIOUSLY! We completely understand the need to change-​up the menu from time to time but there should be some signature /​unique items that are static to the offerings — the NAR should have most certainly been one of them.
In sort the Curve Sports Tavern is a great spot to dine and weather permitting, the view of Charlotte Harbor from the roof is fantastic. The deletion of the NOT A RUBEN should most definitely be reviewed.