Beefed up: Old Marco Pub expands seating, now serving full liquor bar

When considering Marco Island’s watering holes, more is always better. Recently, the Old Marco Pub has gone three better with its expanded pub area and new wraparound bar equipped with a fresh full liquor license the better for pub patrons to enjoy the restaurant’s superb steaks and seafood selections.

“We are truly a neighborhood bar. Even though we’ve expanded we have retained our charm and added to the amenities we offer our patrons. You know, two couples come for dinner — three of them drink wine and the fourth one wants a martini before dinner — so they don’t come back a second time,” said Susan Ackerson, co-owner with husband Tom and son Tommy Jr., bar manager of the family run Old Marco Pub & Restaurant.

“So it was a logical decision to expand the pub to 150 seats from our original 102 seats in order to qualify for a full liquor license which we received Jan. 31,” she added.

Actually, the expansion of the pub began by putting the cart before the horse because everything had to be in place, and having all the paper work and permits signed off beforehand wasn’t easy but well worth it in the end, stated Susan, noting they had two-thirds more seats than before and the new wraparound bar is more than double the size of the original pub bar.

“Now, we have a lot more space to expand the Pub’s rock ‘n’ roll theme and display our collection of musical instruments common to that period. The theme reflects my husband’s musical band background playing guitar in the 1960s and our son Tommy continues that family tradition playing the drums. Also, locals who worked in the music industry have also shared some of their memorabilia that we have on display, she said adding that the pub opens with happy hour 4 to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to midnight only in the Pub. Dinner service begins at 5 p.m. until closing.

“Our Old Marco Pub and Restaurant dining room is still the casually elegant space it was. Our classic menu of old favorites remains with a few tweaks to incorporate some pub fare specials to complement our new expanded offerings of fine cocktails, liquors and thoughtfully selected wine list. We still feature our traditional house specialty — Veal Osso Buco — along with the trendy Boom Boom Shrimp and deep-fried soft pretzels with cheddar dip additions to our pub fare selections.”

Among the menu’s Pub favorites are classic Island’s Best Crab Cakes that can be ordered as an appetizer or an entrée served with pasta tossed with fresh diced tomato and basil. Another diner favorite is Francese Trio, a savory trio of veal, shrimp and chicken dipped in egg batter and sautéed in lemon butter and white wine sauce served atop a mound of angel hair pasta.

The restaurant’s filet mignon is unrivaled for taste and tenderness and can be ordered simply grilled or Au Poivre, Vino Rosso, or Moutarde classic styles and the varied eggplant specialties are as equally exceptional as the menu’s fresh local seafood selections and meat and pasta entrees and also offers daily specials in addition to the classic regular menu.

IF YOU GO

The Old Marco Pub & Restaurant

1105 Bald Eagle Drive, Eagle Point Plaza

Phone: (239) 642-9700

www.oldmarcopub.com

Hours: 4 p.m. to closing, Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday. Dinner starts at 5 p.m.