Just steps from the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea fishing pier, the Village Grille has been serving up three solid meals a day for decades. Exposed brick, big booths with wood tables, and metal accents give the place a modern bistro look. The menu features many old standards, like the fish dip appetizer and the Boston baked cod, but there’s also an excellent Thai chicken salad and specials like a seasonal bento box. Weekend mornings will find waits around the block, and summer nights find the Village Grille packed with salty locals who come not for the near-ocean-views but consistency that has lasted a generation.
Waterfront dining with seafood cuisine.
Located just 50 yards from the fishing pier, 101 Ocean takes advantage of beach breezes with an open bar that spans inside and out. It’s rare to see those bar stools empty, occupied by both tourists and locals. The menu offers a mélange of international offerings in a classy-yet-casual setting. Find a bit of everything, including pizza, pasta, flatbread, sandwiches, steaks, salads, seafood, and chops. There’s also a decadent raw bar with shrimp, mussels, oysters, and lobster tail.
A familiar face on the local restaurant scene has brought a new place to Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. The name Vincent Foti will be familiar to many. Now the restaurateur behind longtime Federal Highway favorite Kitchenetta is taking his talents to East Commercial with a place that’s aiming to do something a bit different. Vinny’s by the Sea offers many of the Italian favorites that Foti’s built his reputation on. But this time, they’ll come with more American flare in a casual place where diners can have a beer, watch the game and relax Lauderdale-By-The-Sea style. In keeping with the its location just in from Anglin’s Pier, the restaurant will offer a raw bar. There’s also a pizza bar if you want to keep up on your pie as it’s being made – and a number of TVs if you’re more concerned about the Marlins’ playoff chances than your meal prep. If you need a more ample serving, the “Big Shot” menu is there for your outsize needs.
American food by day, German food by night.
Clean and decked out in tranquil tones, Basilic is known for its variety of fresh spring rolls, Hanoi-style noodles, and bowls of flavorful pho. For a fresh and filling lunch, order a vermicelli noodle bowl with grilled pork, shrimp, chicken, or beef and loads of carrot, cucumber, and more veggies; or go for a main course like lemongrass chicken, spiked with spicy chilies and served with slaw and steamed rice. The pho takes center stage, though, with fragrant broth, tender cuts of rare steak and brisket, miniature meatballs, and an assortment of flavor-enhancing ingredients to alter the soup to your taste, such as cilantro, Thai basil, fresh jalapenos, limes, bean sprouts, sriracha, and hoisin sauce.
A tribute to classic American favorites and craft beers, BJ’s is a casual dine-in (or carryout) restaurant for self-proclaimed bacon lovers. The menu includes boxes of “sticky shrimps,” or “chicken nuggs,” and even “Chuck Norris” sandwiches that include pork, coleslaw, and melted cheddar cheese on wagyu buns . Billy Jack’s offers a large variety of drafts that change daily and range from local to international, in addition to the collection of bottles or cans.
Sushi and thai restaurant located just minutes from the sea.
This Gallic charmer offers an intimate dining experience where food art meets your needs for French cuisine.
Located in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, serving authentic Italian food using fresh ingredients.
A casual cafe with the flair of Milan and great Italian dishes all the way through to dessert.
For casual-elegant dining along the Intracoastal, this acclaimed eatery provides first-class fare with an art deco interior and a stunning backdrop. Offerings from the raw bar include an iced seafood tower of oysters, shrimp, ceviche, clams, tuna tartare, and Maine lobster cocktail. Togarashi-spiced local swordfish with bok choy, udon noodles and coconut curry lime broth highlight the international inspiration.
The new Plunge Beach Hotel adds another eatery to Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. Backflip Beach Bar offers the right light bites and beverages any beach-goer would need to sit back and relax with. The cocktails stay true to the beach theme, being named after cult classics featuring the sea – try the “Bigger Boat Needed” or “There Was Room for Two.” As for those bites? They include street tacos, grilled steak sandwiches, fried fish catch of the day and, of course, juicy burgers. From local brews to rum cocktails to fresh juice blends to tasty treats, all you need by the sea is right here.
An eclectic dining experience with artsy vibes serving gastro cuisine in tapas style or larger portions.
A beautiful restaurant with a dark wood interior, high ceilings and large windows overlooking the Intracoastal. Tables on the terrace provide a more casual setting. Sweet ginger calamari comes with a chili ginger beer glaze and the filet mignon is served with chimichurri and a loaded baked potato.
The vast domain of the Atlantic Ocean blends with the post and beam design, rugged planting and marine breath of this special sea side dining place. In ancient days the beaches knew only of swirling gulls and lumbering turtles. An occasional Spanish galleon passed by on the Caribbean blue horizon. Join us in a toast to those gentle days. The Sea Watch is your connection to the past and present. It exists for all to enjoy.
Opened in 1969, this is one of the last of the area’s corned beef-and-pastrami lunch places. Order The New Yorker and you’ll get both meats with Swiss cheese and Russian dressing, and a crisp half-sour pickle on the side. There’s also chopped liver, creamed herring, lox and bagels and, for dessert, coffee cake and rugelach.
Thai and Japanese dishes plus a “build your own burrito” option.
This family-owned restaurant specializes in German-American food, including seven types of schnitzel, two types of calf’s liver, bratwurst and sauerbraten. For more American meals, there are baby back ribs, steaks, and surf and turf.
Open seven days a week since it debuted in 1989, Zuckerello’s still has its original owner and chefs in place pumping out home-style Italian. Expect to find traditional dishes like zuppa di clams, fried calamari, and house-made meatballs, along with pasta such as penne alla vodka, crab ravioli, lasagna, and linguine with clam sauce. Large booths can accommodate family-size parties, and the casual-elegant vibe will keep you lounging long after you finish eating. Red and dark gray walls adorned with lively paintings are complemented by glossy wood tabletops and chairs in a contrasting shade of wood. House specialties like veal Marsala, chicken Milanese, and panko-breaded eggplant Parmesan are affordable and come in shareable portions. Fish lovers should try the herb-crusted salmon in orange beurre blanc sauce.
With 25 years of Italian culinary experience, Chef Walter Hernandez brings authentic Italian cuisine to the table. Classic Italian menu items include shrimp scampi, Frutti Di Mare, Veal Frascati sautéed in a lemon white wine sauce with spinach, capers, artichoke hearts, and roasted red peppers with spaghetti, pizza and more.
Dockside dining is just one attraction at this eatery perched on the Intracoastal just south of Oakland Park Boulevard near A1A. The vibe is Florida-casual, and you can expect to see men in Hawaiian shirts disembarking from boats and strutting inside. Traditional bar bites, Floribbean fare, and international offerings comprise the menu, including crabcakes, fried calamari, coconut shrimp, seared ahi, and conch fritters. You can also order half-pound beef burgers, overstuffed wraps, and out-of-the-ordinary takes on fish, like the blackened mahi Reuben sandwich. Cocktails run the gamut, including fruity martinis, thick frozen margarita-like concoctions, and enormous fish bowls filled with fizzy, vodka-based drinks.
Cure that hunger! Looking for a quick bite, or fuel for the hangover? Courtyard Cafe has what your hungry needs. set in the heart of Wilton Manors, the cafe has been serving and feeding the community for over 50 years. they pride themselves on great service and quality food.
Known for its wood-fired dishes, J. Alexander’s serves classic cuisine in a sophisticated setting. Enjoy Tuscan steak, grilled fish with mango papaya salsa, chicken Milanese and seafood czarina. Pair your meal with wine from the full-service bar.
This restaurant in the Marriott Renaissance Hotel serves up an assortment of American and French-inspired items. Early arrivers can indulge in omelets, French toast, and interesting offerings like alligator eggs Benedict with blackened alligator medallions and orange hollandaise sauce. Small plates like shredded pork sliders with pineapple barbecue and chicken lettuce wraps with sesame ginger dressing are served as midday snacks. For dinner, it’s all about the filet with port wine cherry reduction. For dessert, there’s warm bread pudding with vanilla and caramel or the Florida Key lime pie with chopped fruit and orange Grand Marnier sauce.
Almost any seafood you can think of is offered at Crafty Crab. The chain promises to use only the freshest seafood and most authentic food in the area. Menu items include crab meat fries, oysters, seafood boils and platters and much more.
STEAK 954 is a luxury boutique steakhouse inside the W Fort Lauderdale that faces the ocean. The restaurant features dry aged beef from hand-picked ranches, Tajima Kobe from Australia, locally caught seafood, and the finest wines and spirits with selections from all over the globe.
Modeled after classic taverns of New York and Chicago, BCT has high tin ceilings, wood floors, brick walls, and a patio overlooking the heart of Las Olas. The bar offers an extensive selection of libations, from California wines to locally brewed craft beers. The menu includes pan-seared Chilean sea bass with seasonal greens, and rigatoni Bolognese with Chianti-braised beef and veal topped with Grana Padano cheese. For lunch, stop in for a griddled burger with parmesan-truffle fries, or snag a stout-braised short-rib grilled cheese on sourdough with smoked maple cheddar. The late-night menu (Friday and Saturday from 11 p.m. to midnight) features pizzas, paninis, salads, and appetizers.
The brewery’s Oakland Park taproom recently launched its Craft Food Counter and Kitchen. Chef Jeff Vincent has come up with a menu that mixes down home with uptown – it’s bar food, but not as you might know it. Perfect-with-beer dishes include the Mighty Tatanka (a bison/pork belly blend with sweet onions and buffalo mozzarella), Craft Brat or Main Street Pork Sandwich.
Located in the Gallery ONE DoubleTree on the Intracoastal, this restaurant offers contemporary cuisine overlooking the water and hotel pool. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with seating indoors and on the 30-seat patio. Menu favorites include crab cakes, short ribs and swordfish.
American cuisine inspired by Florida and Caribbean flavors.
This locally owned restaurant offers a wide selection of classic American dishes. The lunch and dinner menu includes Jamaican grilled wings, crispy walnut shrimp, orange chicken and a deep-sea tuna burger. On Saturdays and Sundays, guests can choose from a selection of made-to-order brunch dishes, including six styles of eggs Benedict.
This chain serving American food and steakhouse options has opened a location in Dania Pointe. They serve everything from hand-cut, aged steaks to seafood to burgers and pasta. Popular items include the Durango Burger (chile-spiced pepper jack cheese, pickles, fried onions, roasted garlic ranch dressing and brioche bun) and the Firebirds Chicken Pasta (spicy Asiago cream sauce, applewood-smoked bacon, green onions, tomatoes). They’re now doing takeout.
Home-style American cooking, open for breakfast and lunch.
Beehive Kitchen is creating a buzz with fresh, flavorful ingredients and an innovative approach to build-your-own-bowl dining. Dishes include a wide selection of savory vegetables, wholesome grains, proteins and made-from-scratch sauces all for customers to create their own unique bowls. If you don’t know where to begin, they offer several planned-out bowls including the Mediterranean Bowl – cranberry almond kale salad, whole grain brown rice, Parmesan, roasted broccoli, wok-seared mushrooms, rustic herb-grilled chicken and soy-charred steak-roasted pepper sauce. Fresh ingredients don’t stop there; Beehive Kitchen prepares fresh cold-pressed juices daily. Grab a bowl, eat and bee happy.
A trendy chain in the center of downtown, Cheesecake Factory is known for its massive menu with more than 200 selections and its decadent cheesecakes available in over 50 varieties. Inspiration comes from the world over. Unexpected offerings include the Moroccan chicken with spicy harissa sauce, miso-glazed salmon, and a macaroni and cheese burger with deep-fried macaroni and cheese balls and cheddar cheese sauce. Lunch specials cover all areas of the menu and are reasonably priced. For cheesecakes, go all-out with Dutch apple caramel streusel or wild blueberry white chocolate.
Located inside the Ocean Sky Hotel & Resort, serving American Continental at budget-friendly prices.
A part of the Ocean Manor Beach Resort, this casual spot serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. There’s brunch on Sunday, followed by a late-afternoon Caribbean pig roast buffet. Mondays are dedicated to Italian food, and parties are held whenever the moon is full.
This much-anticipated spot features an always-changing world cuisine menu that offers anything from Indian dishes to ramen to creative takes on American comfort food, including breakfast. There’s interesting local art on the walls and, as these things become more possible, local music and other events on the calendar. And if you like an adult beverage, get a rideshare over and sample from a craft cocktail list that matches with any flavor palate.
A local place to gather at the table and enjoy modern American dining. The Rusty Hook tavern boasts local brew and craft cocktails with a causal atmosphere. See their website for great deals at 50% off specials during the week.
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.