Dining in Naples: Review of Sydney's Pub at Tiburón
Shelby Reynolds
Editor's Note:The Naples Daily News reviews new restaurants each Friday, and now we're adding more dining coverage on Wednesdays. This space is reserved for restaurant reviews on new menus or chefs, hidden gems or "oldies but goodies." Have a suggestion? Email features@naplesnews.com.
Sydney's Pub is easy to miss.
Located inside Tiburón Golf Club in North Naples, it's set far off Airport-Pulling and Vanderbilt Beach roads, with a long, winding drive and no sign outside the clubhouse letting diners know they're in the right place.
Perhaps that's the appeal of an exclusive-feeling clubhouse eatery, anyway. There might as well be a secret password to get in.
Regardless, Sydney's Pub, with its ever-changing menu and cozy pub atmosphere, really deserves more attention.
On a recent Thursday evening, our table of four were mostly impressed by the contemporary American dishes on Executive Chef Brent Moore's menu. Sydney's added full dinner service at the start of the year available to both club members and nonmembers.
It has all the comforts of a sophisticated, masculine pub. It's all dark woods and leather, with floor-to-ceiling windows providing a wide view of the greens. There's a full bar with flat-screened televisions turned to sports networks. We found it a little odd that there was no background music, which made for a few uncomfortably quiet moments when chatter died down.
It's worth noting that reservations are made through the resort's concierge service, which can be reached through the club's general phone number, 239-593-2200.
We started with an order of the lemon-garlic grilled wings ($16) and the fried dill pickles ($9) off the starters menu.
The Greek-inspired wings were topped with slivers of English cucumber, feta cheese crumbles, kalamata olives and fresh oregano, with a side of tzatziki sauce for dipping. It was an interesting take on the American classic, but had the same finger-licking quality. The chicken was nicely grilled with a crisp skin. Although the garlic and lemon flavors were muted, the droppings of cucumber, feta and olives were made for munching.
The fried dill pickles were mostly a disappointment; the oh-so-important breading had no crunch, probably a casualty of the juicy pickle spears (not the usual pickle chips). The chipotle-lime ranch dip on the side, though, was a hit.
Of the selection of flatbreads, we tried the grilled chicken and Peppadew ($14), a brand of piquanté peppers grown in South Africa. The sweet and sour peppers were the highlight of this pizza, while everything else was pretty standard — chunks of grilled chicken, cheese, sauce, crispy thin crust.
The Tiburón burger ($18) was perfectly juicy and an equally enjoyed leftover the next day. It came topped with tomato, lettuce, red onion, Vermont cheddar, house pickles and a secret sauce (our waiter revealed it was thousand island dressing) between a grilled brioche bun. The house-cut fries were the star of the plate, though, with one diner at the table declaring them the best she's had in Naples.
A roasted turkey and brie sandwich ($16) included layers of shaved fuji apples and lingonberry mayonnaise, pressed between white bread. Lingonberry, usually bearing a tart sweetness, was mostly lost in the sandwich, which was a bit of a letdown. The apple slices, warmed from the grill, provided a necessary crunch. Everything else about it was just OK.
Off a rotating menu of dinner entrees, we ordered a Gulf shrimp pasta — an upgrade to the usual pub fare.
The Gulf shrimp were big, sweet and perfectly cooked. Rolled into a light creamy sauce with fettuccine and topped with Parmesan, the shrimp were a sudden reminder of why it’s nice to live so close to the Gulf of Mexico. Grouper and snapper are wonderful, but the pride of the Gulf has always been its shrimp.
Diners might quickly write-off the complimentary plate of miniature snickerdoodle cookies for dessert, but they were a deliciously sweet ending to the meal. We'd be interested in acquiring that recipe.
We recommend:
- Lemon-garlic wings
- Tiburón burger with fries
- Gulf shrimp pasta
Menu prices seemed a little steep — $16 for wings and $18 for a burger — but that's to be expected from a restaurant inside a prestigious golf course.
Service was quick and didn't hover, which is appreciated. Twenty percent gratuity is automatically added to the bill.
Sydney's Pub may very well be a hidden gem in Naples, if you can find it.
The Naples Daily News pays for all meals for dining reviews. We do not solicit or accept free meals.
Sydney's Pub
- Where: Inside Tiburón Golf Club, 2620 Tiburón Drive, North Naples
- Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
- Prices: Starters $9-$18; soup $6-$12; pressed sandwiches $16; salads $8-$15; flatbreads $14; sandwiches $14-$20; pub fare $16-$20
- More information: sydneyspub.com; 239-593-2200
- Forks: 3 1/2 out of 5
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