Arrive by boat or auto at this seafood mecca tucked inside Lauderdale Marina to experience breathtaking views of the 17th Street Causeway drawbridge. Seafood dominates here, from shrimp ‘n’ grits with trugole cheese and applewood-smoked bacon to wild blue crab cakes with double mustard cream, scallions, tropical slaw, and yuzu tobiko. Waterfront cocktails are a major draw here, but don’t leave the kids at home – they can help feed the tarpon that crowd the dock while you order another round of margaritas.
The oceanfront restaurant has recently undergone a makeover, a three-month renovation to be exact. Under the direction of newly promoted executive chef Adrienne Grenier, a Hollywood native and a Chopped TV 3030 Holiday Dr., 3030 Ocean promises a super-fresh take on American cuisine. With an ever-changing menu, Grenier takes a creative approach to her seafood and special meats options evident in items like Florida rock shrimp curried corn risotto and charred octopus salad.
Sip a cocktail while enjoying a view of the ocean at this restaurant located in the Harbor Beach Marriott. Then choose BBQ chicken flatbread, Caribbean jerk chicken sandwich, paella, or rock shrimp and avocado cocktail. The happy hour menu is available from 4:30-7 p.m.
Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa recently debuted their take on light fares. Located on the beach walk level of the resort, HB Fresh serves freshly squeezed and cold-pressed juices, frozen yogurt, healthy snacks, wraps and acai bowls. The casual restaurant joins Sea Level, 3030 Ocean and Riva as dining options in the Marriott Harbor Beach complex.
Seafood lovers, dive in with no strings attached at the Naked Crab. This upscale casual seafood house from longtime Miami restaurateur Ralph Pagano serves up surf in the newly renovated B Ocean Resort, formerly Yankee Clipper. Expect to see plenty of seafood classics like oysters Rockefeller, baked clams and of course, plenty of crab dishes. This vibrant restaurant offers daily catches and daily crab specials, as well as sushi available at the seafood bar. But if you can’t choose between steak and seafood try the Menage A Trois, a 10oz filet mignon with stuffed crab, shrimp and garlic shrimp. Meanwhile, customers can enjoy a wide selection of drinks from signature cocktails to an extensive wine list.
Enjoy Thai food with a direct view of the beach.
Located inside the DoubleTree at Bahia Mar and open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Chef Stefan cooks up chicken Marsala with spätzle, wiener rostbraten, Hungarian goulash and Holstein schnitzel. With the warm décor, and the music, it always feels like Oktoberfest inside. The large, attractive bar next to the dining room is a cozy place to sit with a mug of German beer.
Valentino’s cheaper cousin (and occupying its former space), this warm, neighborhood place offers an array of pizzas (including prosciutto with shaved Parmesan and arugula) as well as other tempting Italian dishes. The eggplant sliced thin, fried and layered like lasagna is a popular item.
The founder of Anthony’s Runway 84 and Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza, Anthony Bruno teamed up with restauranteur Michelangelo Mozzicato to open a casual restaurant with a Santa Maria-style grill as the centerpiece. The menu consists of American classics with a Florida twist – appropriate for a place in the old Dirty Ernie’s building.
Anthony Bruno, of Runway 84, opened this pizza joint in 2002 because he couldn’t find the “well done” pizzas of his native New York here in Fort Lauderdale. The flagship location has since become a nationwide chain. Ashy flavor permeates the crust of pies like the “Paul & Young Ron,” piled with meatballs, sausage, ricotta, and hot or sweet peppers. Oven-roasted chicken wings and salads round out the menu, and beer and wine are served.
Having already made a good name for themselves in Coconut Grove, the founders of Bombay Darbar decided to take their talents to Las Olas Boulevard. This Indian restaurant offers authentic cuisine featuring classic staples like lamb, tandoori dishes and naan. And if you want to wash it down with something different, here’s the place if you’ve never tried Indian beer.
Goji Juicery and Kitchen brings flavor without sacrificing health. That means hormone-free chicken or organic fresh produce (no added preservatives) with a side of freshly squeezed juices. The vast menu features dips, soups, acai bowls, energy shots, wraps, smoothies, grain bowls and, of course, salads.
A local institution offering breakfast, lunch and dinner all day and night. Try the egg specials or hot cakes for breakfast, catfish fingers for a mid-day snack, and then a burger for dinner. No credit cards accepted, but there is an ATM on-site.
Carnivores: look no further than this elegant 21st-century take on the traditional Brazilian steakhouse. Guests can choose from rodizio, featuring access to over 15 different rotisserie meats (including top sirloin, filet, ribs, lamb, pork, chicken, sausage and fish) passed around by gauchos, and/or the enormous salad bar, stocked with an array of vegetables, cheeses, soups, cold cuts and authentic hot dishes. The courtyard, with its towering banyan tree, also holds court to an array of parties and charity functions.
Small, but popular Japanese place.
Friendship Grill is an extension of The Friendship Circle of Fort Lauderdale, a not-for-profit organization that offers training and education for those with developmental disabilities. Menu items include falafel, pita, pizza, wraps, sandwiches and vegan food. The café also serves breakfast.
Former Miami Dolphin Kim Bokamper and partners’ latest venture is a two-story restaurant and bar located right on Fort Lauderdale Beach. The restaurant features fresh local seafood, a signature wood-fired oven, a good cocktails list and more. Oh, and did we mention two floors of ocean views?
This extremely popular Las Olas bar and restaurant offers traditional favorites: tamales, chimichangas, enchiladas and of course tacos. Guacamole is prepared table side, and 225 varieties of tequila are waiting to be tasted.
Calzone, panini, wings and – of course – pizza.
Former Miami Dolphin Kim Bokamper and partners have opened their latest venture featuring New Orleans-inspired cuisine and vibes. The two-story restaurant with rooftop seating and balcony space is led by executive chef Simon Porter, whose menu blends French, Spanish, West African, Amerindian, German, Italian, Irish and Vietnamese tastes to create the New Orleans-inspired flavor. Menu items include alligator and shrimp jambalaya, fried green tomatoes and Southern confit duck Cobb. Weekly specials include all-you-can eat Saturday crawfish boils and a Sunday jazz brunch.