The "Little Venice of America" Mini Restaurant Guide
Fort Lauderdale’s food scene is very much alive and exquisitely varied. Food & Wine Festivals are here. Brews by the beach are here. Elegant, casual, tropical & chic restaurants abound.
Restaurants offer novel/unique fusion cuisine which brings out the best of tropical South Florida in terms of fresh fish, international cooking. Unique blending to create Pan Asian/Latin fare is exciting. Add in the locations and settings and you have wonderful dining opportunities – on the oceanfront, the intracoastal waterway, dining on gondolas, rooftop dining and more.
This wonderful oceanfront restaurant, like many others, is located inside Fort Lauderdale’s Harbor Beach Marriott. The Executive chef Adrienne Grenier is a South Florida native and has noteworthy experience working at Michelin rated restaurants with Gordon Ramsay. Her focus is on serving American cuisine made with organic produce and locally sourced ingredients from the land and sea. 3030 Ocean has earned praise for its fine and sophisticated dishes. It is known for its impeccable farm-to-table cuisine including: whole fried Key West snapper with fresh kimchi, shishito peppers, ginger-soy vinaigrette; seared yellowfin tuna with spicy green papaya slaw, peanuts, ponzu, puffed rice and sesame aioli. The atmosphere, dining and bar are outstanding at 3030 Ocean. There is also a chef’s surprise tasting menu with and without wine but…… who would not want wine?
All that is representative of coastal, tropical South Florida may be found here. Patrons enjoy outdoor dining in a super charming upscale setting with expansive views of the intracoastal waterway with boats passing by.
Some boaters dock their boat and come in for lunch, dinner. In the evening twilight to dusk- everything is beautifully illuminated. Coconuts provides great food in a casual setting. A happy place. The menu reflects this and the food is outstanding. While sitting and scanning the beautiful ocean diners enjoy conch & shrimp fritters, coconut shrimp, local catch of the day (grilled or blackened), crab cake salad, fish tacos, mahi sandwich and more…… Coconuts does have a Happy Hour, outdoor paella and a nice wine selection. Very South Florida casual.
El Vez is an upscale Mexican restaurant with a James Beard award-winning restauranteur, Stephen Starr, behind its success. This restaurant is located on the first floor of the W in Fort Lauderdale…. steps from the beach! Diners will enjoy baja-style cooking showcasing the fresh seafood found in South Florida. El Vez serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dinner menu items include guacamole in different variations; cerviche Snapper Aguachile with ginger, toasted morita chile & cucumber; tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas; whole Fried Yellowtail Snapper Gulf of Mexico Style with fennel, jalapeño, olives, lemon, brown butter; Branzino Baja Style with watercress & pickled jalapeño
This Italian restaurant is noted for its old school Italian dishes. Classic dishes made from scratch with a fresh look. Wood burning ovens for the pizzas. This restaurant has an extensive menu with great course selections. You will enjoy the ample bar and open space. The outdoor seating is very nice. Wonderful Apertivi range from COCCOLI FRITTO - little breads to fill with ricotta & prosciutto and ARANCINI CON TARTUFO -crispy rice filled with fior di latte, truffle aioli to SCOTTADITO - grilled lamb chops, chili oil, aioli and lobster fra diavolo.
Dune Restaurant receives high marks and is noted for an elegant setting. It is located in the new Auberge Beach Condo Residences on north Fort Lauderdale beach. The food is excellent and diners enjoy panoramic oceanfront views. Dune, reflects its Napa Valley roots which offer a food experience and great wine selection. Excellent, organically sourced food is presented in a clean and beautiful culinary way. Dune represents what it calls “New Coastal-Latin Cuisine” which presents innovative flavors from multicultural fusions of classic dishes and seafood specialties. Enjoy great dishes like Floridian Black Grouper with shellfish vinaigrette and preserved lemon; Lump crab spatzle with heirloom tomatoes; octopus a la plancha of sofrito, patatas bravas and green onions.
Located in downtown, this restaurant uniquely and brilliantly combines Pan Asian with Latin American food. Diners have the option to enjoy a gondola dining option!! Great dishes include: tender marinated skirt steak, Argentinian chimichurri, jasmine, rice, maduros; Lobster Guacamole; Red Shrimp Ceviche; Korean Grilled Steak Chimichurri with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes; Pad Thai; Lo Mein; Kimchi Fried Rice; Bulgogi and Bao Buns. Enjoy unique Japanese whiskies and sakes at the bar. Dinners can be prepared for a 90-minute private gondola dinner boat ride - serving up to six people. During the holidays Thanksgiving through New Years, all of the multi-million-dollar homes along the water have their holiday lights up and it is stunning!
What a beautiful setting and fine cuisine! Blue Moon Fish Co. sits on the Intracoastal Waterway, overlooking multimillion-dollar yachts and boats. Begin with wine, cocktails like a Cucumber Mint Refesher with Hendrick’s Gin, St. Germain, Agave, Fresh Lemon Juice Mint Sprig. Do have hors du oeuvres – lobster bisque, steamed mussels with fennel, crispy calamari with sweet chili lime. Enjoy wonderful entrees: Blackened Local Mahi Mahi; Key West pink shrimp “Mac n Peas,” zucchini noodles, citrus butter Herb Seared 60 South Salmon with shallot confit, spinach, oyster mushrooms, crispy marble potatoes, romesco; Coconut Lime Boniato Mash; Chorizo-Sweet Corn Potato Hash. Their brunch is outstanding with unlimited food and unlimited champagne, Bloody Marys, Mimosas. Diners will enjoy a carving station, a raw bar, an omelet stand, salad bar and more…
Funky Buddha is quite an experience if you are into craft beer. It is a favorite spot for those who love beer and their beer is excellent. With it’s 54,000 square foot production facility it has produced some fine craft beers like Floridian Hefeweizen, Pineapple Beach, Hop Gun IPA. Limited release beers include: Maple Bacon Coffee Porter, Morning Wood. Funky Buddha’s awards for its culinary- driven Maple Bacon Coffee Porter have put it in the national spotlight
Clasic cusine with a classic spin on food. This restaurant has stark white walls with wood beams in the ceilings and feels like you are in Tuscany. It is an elegant, romantic restaurant and the food is spectacular. Homemade pasta and dishes prepared include lobster Bolognese; cioppino; Strozzapretti with scallops, rock shrimp and sepia ragu, peas, pecorino. Interesting choices include: compressed watermelon with Feta, basil, cucumber, black olive and charred octopus with potato pave, watercress, olives.
A hidden gem. Located on the 25th floor of The Dalmar hotel, Sparrow Rooftop is a sophisticated, intimate urban hideaway with live music.
Sparrow is a gathering place for sure. Cocktails have been conceptualized by the team behind Death & Co, a world- renowned cocktail institution. The food is great. Try their sweet corn fritters; waygu burgers or tempura rock shrimp with aioli and scallion.
ETARU is a Japanese bar and grill with a very nice happy hour. From 5- 9 pm you can order $4 glasses of Whispering Angel rosé, which nicely pairs with Brussel sprouts with wasabi mayo and the shishito pepper tempura with a yuzu mayo. The dinner menu features sashimi, sushi rolls and robata grilled fish, steak, chicken and lamb. Enjoy fish (callops with yuzu mayo, corn, red bell pepper and shishito salad), meat (10oz Skirt steak with wasabi chimichurri) and sides (Sweet corn, wasabi lime butter, shichimi) from the robata grill. Try the Chef’s Tasting Menu for an adventure. The wonderful dessert platter for groups includes: guava mousse, grilled papaya, passion fruit sorbet and more.
Fort Lauderdale's beautiful beaches and breathtaking views of the Atlantic and Fort Lauderdale beach are center stage at Beachfront S3. This restaurant has a chic vibe. Enjoy happy hour and sharable food options. Dinner menu items range from curried lentils, goat cheese croquettes, wood fired short ribs with mustard spatzle to double-cut lamb chop / French Masala / Basmati / Pomegranate / Honey Lemon Raita. The wine selection and specialty cocktail selection is very good.
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