Restaurants

We know. You didn’t come here for the food—the beach and the sun lured you. But you’re in for a treat—once you sit your newly bronzed self into a restaurant after a hard day of tanning, you’ll find the dining scene scores high and offers Florida faves that don’t grace many menus outside the state, plus cuisine types you know and love.

Greater Fort Lauderdale’s thousands of restaurants cover every kind of cuisine you could want: American, French, Greek, Mexican, Italian, Spanish, steak, pizza, Southern and barbecue, Turkish, vegetarian, hot dogs and burgers, every kind of Asian food imaginable, hoagies and panini, breakfast and brunch fare, and, of course, the glorious seafood bounty caught straight from the Atlantic. Those looking for a fun place to socialize, cap off a great meal, or stop off for a snack will find plenty of laid-back coffee shops here.

Water plays a huge role in dining experience here—some of the best and most interesting places sit smack on the beach or the Intracoastal Waterway, are ensconced within yacht-filled docks, or provide a view of waves or boats (or both). As a result, we’ve listed a fair amount of restaurants where you can take in a proper waterside meal. There are many to choose from, and they fill up quickly, so be sure to reserve if you have your heart set on one.

But beyond the water there’s a goldmine of excellent finds tucked into main drags and inland shopping malls. With so many eateries in the area, it’s impossible to list all of the great ones in the space of a chapter. In the pages that follow, you’ll find some of the best and most popular restaurants here.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the sheer choice and you want to simply park, stroll in a restaurant-dense area, and let your nose decide, head to Las Olas Boulevard in downtown Fort Lauderdale—the street is chockablock with fine locales, most on the mid- to upscale side. For more downbeat vibe, try downtown Hollywood and tool along Hollywood Boulevard and the parallel Harrison Street. For beachside options, hit the Hollywood Broadwalk or Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard between East Las Olas and Castillo (but take note of our recommendations for the great finds for both; there are a tremendous amount of disappointing tourist traps along these stretches of sand and sea).

Overview

The chapter is organized to make it as easy as possible for you to find the kind of food you want in the neighborhood in which you want to dine. Restaurants (as well as coffee shops) are organized by cuisine, then organized alphabetically. The restaurants listed span the price range from highly expensive to crazy cheap, but the majority fall somewhere in between. Most offer at least a few vegetarian options; those that don’t have been identified as such in these pages.

There are plenty of places to dine with children; the barbecue, diner-esque, and Floridian/seafood restaurants are particularly good candidates for family dining. Most restaurants are open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and many serve brunch. But it can’t hurt to call ahead to double-check a restaurant’s hours, as these often change.

When choosing a place to eat, keep in mind that the restaurant landscape is constantly changing. By the time you read this book, some of the restaurants listed may have moved or gone out of business, so it’s a good idea to call ahead before your visit.

Hours vary greatly, but if you are expecting Miami’s late-night dining scene, you’ll notice Fort Lauderdale eats earlier than their more Latin-influenced county to the south. Expect most venues to close their kitchens around 10 or 11 p.m. on weeknights, by 11 p.m. or midnight on weekends.

Popular restaurants—which is to say, just about every restaurant listed in this chapter—tend to fill up on Friday and Saturday nights and holidays. Keep in mind that winter sees zillions of snowbirds, sun-seeking weekenders, and beach-bound families fleeing from the cold north: As a rule, expect busier tables between November and April. Pricier restaurants take reservations so call ahead to get a table wherever possible.