Tarpon Bend Food & Tackle

I come here often for happy hour, tarpon's almost always a good time. They have extended happy hour on the weekends and the food is always fresh. I wish the bar was bigger, getting a drink can be a difficult process from time to time. For the most part the service is decent, Michelle and Jon are always good, and I ask for them whenever I want to have lunch/dinner. more

As this is near work, I've been here dozens of times with colleagues for lunch and the quality is pretty consistently good. The burgers are probably better than at ROK:BRGR next door, which is somewhat perplexing as the latter theoretically specializes in them; Tarpon's fries are unquestionably x1000 better, either in regular form (like crack) or sweet potato form (like sweet crack). \r \r The salads are also winners. I really like the Cobb even though there's no egg (it's not missed as far as I'm concerned), and my coworkers obsess over the Southwestern salad. The Caesar is great too.\r \r There used to be a fantastic turkey sandwich on the menu but it's been relegated to an occasional special, as has the delicious spicy tomato soup/grilled cheese combo. Fish tacos are also winners. I would only advise you to beware of the Jambalaya unless it's been substantially improved. I'm still bitter because it was put on the regular menu instead of the turkey sandwich.\r \r I could go on. Just don't expect to be productive for about two hours after--the portions are enormous. Thankfully we're not performing surgery or anything requiring fine motor skills at work.\r \r The atmosphere is serviceable but after 6 pm this place can get incredibly loud, especially if music is involved, so don't expect to have a conversation that doesn't involve shouting. You're much better off sitting outside unless it's one of those days when the sewers decide to act up. The service is never bad, but we often joked about the succession of tramp-stamped waitresses that showed some obvious predilection on the part of the hiring manager. Waitress Michelle (with red hair) keeps it classy, however, and is arguably the best server I've had here in Fort La-Di-Dah. more

Food was good enough to quench our seafood crave for the day. Swordfish was great, but Mahi was ifish. All in all the meal was good. Best attribute of place was the atmosphere. more

Wonderful atmosphere, incredibly fresh food!, friendly service. First time going and I'm definitely coming back. The pan-fried snapper in lemon sauce was amazing! And the seafood linguine was huge! I will post pics more

Wow! Awesome fish! Fresh salmon and wahoo. Delish! Sweet potato fries are great too more

Hope to work here soon! more

Really good fish but not much variety for a 'fish' resturaunt. Daytime staff is full of pretty girls!awesome! more

Great bar food, probably the best in the area. Seafood is always above average-good. Their burgers are juicy and flavorful, top 2-3 in the city. Great on Fridays early in the evenings. more

I'm not a big burger person but their burgers are the best. Very well charred, thick, juicy & comes with matchstick fries... Besides it's nice to seat outside & watch people.. more

Outstanding! more

Located on a great location, this restaurant is in the middle of Fort Lauderdale's night life, downtown. The food is fresh and tastes good, and the place remains open late every night when it's busy serving food and drinks! Two stories with outside dining in front of the restaurant. Sometimes they have a live band performing, as a lot of the adjacent restaurants and bars do. more

Right in the heart of downtown Ft. Lauderdale near Las Olas Riverfront, my boyfriend and I stopped here on a Tuesday afternoon for lunch after comparing menus with other nearby restaurants on this small strip. We chose the seemingly popular Tarpon Bend and outdoor seating. In for a light lunch, we split an Asian inspired ginger tuna sandwich that came with french fries. The ambiance was pleasant in the afternoon with others dining around us and our service was decent. Our sandwich was brought on separate plates and seemed quite appetizing. However, the sandwich was topped with too much ginger, overwhelming the flavor of the tuna. The house margarita came in a regular 16oz glass and resembled the taste of Minute Maid Lemonade, sadly. Not to mention that the best way to describe the french fries was simply soggy and disappointing. Tarpon might be better as a night-time bar if I were in the area, but I wouldn't recommend my friends for lunch there. Pros: Great location, Fair menu options Cons: Poor food and drink quality more

Best grouper Reuben in town more

I was in town visiting a friend and they toom me here. The seating was prompt and the server was great. A friend and I split the crab sandwich and the dolphon rueben. It was delicious, they also have those great skinny fries there. Our waitress was super helpful and attentive. We ordered a couple rounds of drinks and food and was pleased with everything. We went on am Monday night and they had a regae night, this is usually not my seen but it ended up being fun. They had redstripe girls passing out drinks and a good crowd of people especially for a Monday night! Would recommend the food and atmosphere. Pros: Service, Food Cons: None! more

Great place to hang out at on the week-ends.. Decent live bands.. Just wish they would get that band SPLIT! in there! They ROCKED when we saw them outside the Hard Rock and would do great at Tarpon Bend! more