2520 Tavern

 

Located at 2520 Lewisville Clemmons Road in Clemmons, 2520 Tavern offers steaks, seafood, and cocktails as well as a Sunday brunch. It is open from 11-9 on Sunday and Tuesday-Friday, 4-9 on Saturday, and closed Monday. Online ordering is available.

Anticipating a visit to Old Nick’s afterward, our group of four sought a dinner option in the Clemmons/Lewisville area. 2520 moved toward the front of the line by virtue of not being a chain though the intriguing menu certainly bolstered its case as well. On food alone, 2520 offers the makings of an excellent meal, but the overall experience is mixed.

Though 2520 is spacious, the restaurant was full when we arrived on a Saturday night. No worries: the wait was hardly unbearable. 2520 slots in somewhere between sit-down casual and fine dining, and the atmosphere – low-key classy – reflects that.

As a seafood fan, I was pleased to see how many fish and seafood options 2520 had available. The appetizers alone boast calamari, muscles, Thai shrimp, and lobster nachos, and the entrees throw several fish dishes into the mix. For those less aquatically inclined, there are steaks, sandwiches, pastas, risottos, burgers, and salads. The menu is appealingly well-rounded though, oddly enough, cranberries feature in an inordinate number of dishes.

 

Our group started with a fried calamari, my wife opted for the peppery goat burger, and I tried the stuffed flounder. The calamari came not with the classic marinara but rather with roasted red pepper, cranberries (removable upon request), candied pecans, parmesan, and a citrus herb vinaigrette. This version was lighter than others yet still flavorful, and the calamari were cooked well. The flounder was preceded by a generously sized salad (I opted for Caesar) and was very good. It came with a rich scampi cream sauce, to which tomatoes added a bright and tangy note. Asparagus proved to be a welcome complement. The burger, though messy, featured a very tasty pepper jelly.

That said, 2520’s pricing and service are both up-and-down. The appetizer ($12) and the burger ($12.50 with a side included) were definitely reasonable though at close to $30, the stuffed flounder was a bit of a reach. Our server was polite, but we ended up waiting for close to a half hour just to get our checks. From what I’ve gathered, “slow” is the default speed rather than the product of heavy volume.

Were it not for these issues, I would gladly return to 2520. The food was good, and the menu holds plenty of promise. However, if I do come back, it would have to be on a day when I have time to spare.