Bernwood Tavern & Cucina is a new Italian restaurant in Naples Florida offering classic Italian cuisine in a cozy setting. Bernwood Tavern & Cucina is located on the southwest corner of Pebblebrooke Center on Collier Boulevard and is owned and operated by Executive Chef Ron Casterline. Previously operating as Shabo’s Bistro, the restaurant changed ownership and concept on December 1, 2025. After that date, new signage, logos, and menus were introduced.
Casterline cautions that his business is not to be confused with Taverna Burntwood, formerly known as Burntwood Tavern in Mercato.
The time was right, he said, for a brick-and-mortar extension of his catering business to bring his cuisine to a new local demographic. He describes the concept as “a casual tavern experience with fine Italian cuisine in a cozy atmosphere.”
The menu is classic continental, highlighting Italian specialties including fresh fish, steaks, chops, seafood and pasta.
A Naples resident for nearly 20 years, Casterline aims to leverage his established reputation as a personal and private chef, developed through 15 years of operating Bernwood Catering, as he launches this new endeavor.
“I have been rated in the top 4 percent in the country for five years on one online site, and with our great five-star reviews, my reputation precedes me, and we hope to be on top for offering authentic Italian and Mediterranean cuisine,” stated Casterline.
The Space
Total seating is 190, with about 64 outdoor seats at eight tables draped in red and white checkered tablecloths that hint at the Italian-style cuisine to come. As you enter the restaurant on the left, find a small bistro area and a 10-seat bar with a television monitor.
Against a warm-toned backdrop of brown floor tiles, brown granite bar tops and beige walls, a large dining area with booth and table seating is lit by suspended overhead lamp-style lighting.
The venue, due to its large size, will do double duty, hosting catered events such as wedding receptions, bridal showers, rehearsal dinners, memorial gatherings, and business meetings, while remaining open to bar and dining patrons.
The Menus
At the bar and bistro, a menu from 3-5 p.m. offers weekly food and drink specials (the same menu will be available for lunch at a future date, starting at 11 a.m.). It includes: $3 beers daily; Meatball Mondays with $5 martinis (meatball parm hoagie or spaghetti and meatball marinara, $10); Tequila Tuesdays with $6 margaritas (tequila lime shrimp martini or tequila lime shrimp platter, $12); Wing Wednesdays with $5 wines (boneless Buffalo wings or chicken wings Calabrese, $10); Pizza & Boli Thursdays with $5 wines (TBA); Fish Fridays with drink specials (fried or broiled haddock - dish or sandwich, $19).
From 3-5 p.m, early birds can enjoy a menu of specials ($24.95 per person), or from 5 p.m. to close, chef’s dinner ($32.95 per person). Choose a complimentary glass of white or red wine, domestic beer or a soft drink, iced tea or lemonade. Choose one appetizer: house salad, Caesar salad, pasta fagioli, or Italian wedding soup; and one entrée: eggplant parm, chicken parm, chicken scampi, spaghetti and meatballs, or chicken brochette.
A dinner menu starts with crowd pleasers ($8.95-$24.95) like vegan moussaka, to tenderloin bruschetta; soups ($4.95-$17.95 cup, bowl or quart) and salads ($13.95- $14.95) such as Caesar, Greek or caprese (add-ons $5-$9); pasta and more ($19.95- $28.95 with salad and soup) includes pasta primavera, chicken piccata or Francaise, shrimp or chicken scampi; chef specials ($27.95-$32.95) include braised lamb risotto, filet mignon, braised short ribs, surf and turf, twin lobster tails and more; handhelds ($15.95-$17.50) include sausage and peppers, burgers, Philly cheesesteak.
About the Owner
Originally from the Pocono Mountains in Northeast Pennsylvania, Ron Casterline has had a lifelong passion for cooking. His family operated what he describes as “the hottest restaurant in the tri-state area” — encompassing New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey — for 10 years.
His formal training includes restaurant management in Pennsylvania and a two-year culinary program through a community college affiliated with Cornell University, which provided hands-on experience working alongside top chefs.
In Naples, Bernwood Catering is a one-stop, full-service operation offering everything from rentals and staffing to entertainment and photography. As a personal and private chef, Casterline has prepared food for five-star resorts, area country clubs, aboard Lear jets and yachts, and for destination weddings in Turks & Caicos — serving everything from box lunches and beach events to high-end cocktail parties, political functions and business meetings.
Future plans include opening for lunch, a renovation in August–September to enhance the bar and bistro area, and a grand reopening in October.
Visit official website: bernwoodtavern.com
By J.C. Amodea
Bernwood Tavern & Cucina
Where: 15215 Collier Blvd., Unit 324, Naples (Pebblebrooke Center)
Hours: 3-9 p.m. Monday to Saturday; 3-8 p.m. Sunday; (lunch hours coming soon); 3 p.m.-5 p.m.
Happy hour bistro and drink specials menu at the bar and bistro side; early bird and chef specials menu
More: Make reservations or order online at bernwoodtavern.com Contact: bernwoodtavern.com or 239.777.5137