Opened in 1974, Nick’s has a family-friendly atmosphere. Popular dishes include snapper puttanesca, veal picatta and manicotti. The bread, like the pizza, is baked daily. Nick’s UpStairs Supper Club features live entertainment Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
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.
Chef Song brings New York flair to his sushi, sashimi and specialty rolls.
Where the former Sly Fox was located sits the new Whales Bar and Grill. The menu consists of Mediterranean-infused takes on American cuisine – menu items include a naan flatbread, chicken tajin pocket (lightly toasted naan bread, marinated grilled chicken, arugula, balsamic glaze, tomato, onion, goat cheese and creamy tajin sauce) and a Mediterranean nut roll for dessert.
This Italian bakery/café/wine bar offers a great variety of freshly baked sweets and savory specialties from Sicily. This intimate cafe also serves a diverse range of small plates of classic Southern Italian pastas. Their menu also features paninis, pizzas, arancini, cornetti and more. The most requested pizza dish is the Sicilian lamb pizza, while the chef recommends trying the raviola, fried dough with fresh ricotta inside. And what’s an Italian café without hot drinks? The Bake Bar has all the Italian favorites such as cappuccino. And if you want to keep it cool, try some gelato.
This local market also serves as a restaurant and event space. For example, at “Tempting Thursdays Tastings” you can sample different recommended wines, while there’s live jazz on Fridays and Bubbles and Brunch on Sundays. The café menu features charcuterie and cheese boards with accoutrements, smoked salmon everything toast (with capers, red onion, tomato and arugula) and desserts like French Tropezienne custard cake.
This Mediterranean mecca in the Galt Ocean Mile area is known for Greek meze, or small plates, such as gyros, spinach pie, and pikilia, a sampler of four traditional spreads served with pita. The ambiance is that of a traditional taverna – festive and loud with a lively, casual feel. Red and white checkered tablecloths and Greek paraphernalia stand out within the interior, while diners can also opt for alfresco seating under a ceiling with fans if they want to escape the noise inside.
A local favorite, Fishtales offers an indoor / outdoor full liquir bar. the patio offer a great view of 33rd street. Live entertainment and dinner specials are offered every night of the week. Come enjoy the food, fun and friends at “Fishtales on 33rd.”
Enjoy wine and tapas in a relaxing atmosphere.
Family owned farm-to-table Italian bistro.
Old-fashioned, homemade cooking in the form of seafood cuisine with locally sourced ingredients.
Cosechas, which means “crops” in Spanish, is a Costa Rican spot with locations across Central and South America, as well as several in Spain. The new Fort Lauderdale location is the company’s first foray into the U.S. The shop serves smoothies, raw juices and frozen fruit drinks. Each Cosechas location caters to and takes advantage of the locally sourced produce to create healthy concoctions.
A true craft beer bar in one of the livelier spots along A1A.
A menu based around fries? Trust us on this one. This restaurant takes you on a tour of inspired alternatives to and takes on the humble fry. Their French fries come in all shapes and sizes, as well as different root vegetables. Try yucca fries, truffle fries, ropa vieja poutine and churrasco frites. Oh, and wash it down with a craft cocktail from a speakeasy-style menu.
Come pig out on the juiciest barbecue around at Smoke BBQ’s new location in Fort Lauderdale. This Kansas City-style barbecue joint offers the best cuts of meat and hearty sides, great for anyone who needs a real tank-filler. Barbecue fans can argue regional superiority until the cows – or pigs – come home. At Smoke, they do things the KC way – great ribs, great brisket, great sauce and even the “burnt ends” are good.
Fine wines, cheese plates and small bites…what more could we ask for? The original Vinos is on Duval Street in Key West; we’ve got the other two. The first 954 location is on Las Olas; more recently it’s been joined by the one on the Galt. The cozy spot features unique décor, for example the flying Superman action figure propped among umbrellas with images of the sky on them. Vinos also offers fun events like wine tastings and music nights.
Steve Martorano got his start hawking Italian sandwiches out of his basement in Philly. But his strip-mall restaurant a few blocks from the beach went upscale, and diners wait hours during season for a table (Martorano famously turned away Madonna’s entourage when she refused to wait outside). Those willing to wait find Italian classics dressed up with top-notch ingredients, like the eggplant stack featuring some of the crispiest breaded eggplant slices you’ll find sandwiched between fresh-pulled mozzarella. Not everyone will be down with the gangster movies showing on the overhead TVs, the dance music, or the women who sometimes take to the tables and dance. If you’re the type to like that kind of people watching, you’ll also find some of South Florida’s most soulful food.
Bakery and gelato shop.
Contemporary, global Greek food with daily catches and great cocktails.
This relaxed waterfront restaurant serves up casual American fare with fresh dips, soups, sandwiches and burgers. Pull up a chair and relax with a specialty drink like Sex on the Dock or Pineapple Upside Down. Happy Hour 4-8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
Internationally inspired fare meticulously prepared by Chef Hector Lopez is complemented by an extensive wine bar that will have gourmands and foodistas raving. Doubling as a purveyor of gourmet yacht provisions, this restaurant boasts refined elegance in its 55-seat dining area. Dishes like pan-seared foie gras with truffle strawberry carpaccio, cherry gastrique and blinis, and grilled hanger steak with crushed rutabaga, asparagus, and red wine demi-glace make every bite memorable.