Downtown Delray Beach’s month of dining deals adds new restaurants

Liz Balmaseda, Palm Beach Post
·3 min read
An array of Lebanese-inspired dishes at Amar Mediterranean Bistro in downtown Delray Beach.
An array of Lebanese-inspired dishes at Amar Mediterranean Bistro in downtown Delray Beach.

Walk a few steps in downtown Delray Beach and you’re bound to stumble upon one intriguing restaurant or another. And September is the best time for budget-minded diners to explore the city’s main dining district, which is chockablock with trendy eateries and bars.

The Downtown Delray Beach Restaurant Month promotion is returning for its seventh year. The month of hyper-local deals, which ran in August last year but was pushed to September for 2022, is organized by Delray’s Downtown Development Authority.

The program also has expanded its reach from last year’s 29 participating eateries: Diners can expect specials at more than 50 of the city's restaurants this year. They range from multi-plate, prix fixe menus to brunch deals to happy hour specials, plus culinary happenings.

Read more: Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival announces celebrity-filled lineup

Openings: Bar 25 debuts in former Mellow Mushroom space in Delray Beach

Standout deals and tempting menus

Chef Akira Back's tuna tataki dish is topped with a mustard sumiso sauce and pickled wasabi. The dish is photographed here on a plate designed by the chef's artist mother, Young Hee Back.
Chef Akira Back's tuna tataki dish is topped with a mustard sumiso sauce and pickled wasabi. The dish is photographed here on a plate designed by the chef's artist mother, Young Hee Back.

Here are five standout deals and tempting menus among the offerings; consider it an amuse-bouche for all the great meals you could find this month in Delray Beach.

1. Akira Back’s 10-plate, family-style dinner ($85 per person) 

Go the shareable plates route at this months-old, star-driven restaurant at The Ray hotel. Included in your lineup of dishes is celebrity chef Akira Back’s famous AB tuna pizza (a raw tuna “pizza” dotted with micro shiso and accented with truffle oil), salmon tiradito, rock shrimp, tuna tataki, grilled octopus, Back’s Pop Rockin’ roll (spicy crab, asparagus, cucumber, watermelon pop rocks), a Hot Mess roll (crab tempura, poke, spicy ponzu aioli), Jidori chicken with potato puree, 48-hour wagyu short ribs and assorted desserts.

  • 233 NE 2nd Ave., Delray Beach, 561-739-1708

2. Brulé Bistro’s hearty prix-fixe dinner ($50 per person)

Enjoy three courses of comfort food with a chef-y twist at chef Suzanne Perrotto’s popular Pineapple Grove bistro. The special menu starts with a daily market soup, continues with a “grilled-cheese” panzanella salad (a toss of arugula, tomato, basil, fresh queso, Spanish almonds and aged balsamic with sourdough focaccia), and a choice of entree (options include a short rib and foie gras mac and cheese, salmon with curry cream and a vegan farro stir-fry).

  • 200 NE 2nd Ave., Delray Beach, 561-274-2046

Amar Mediterranean Bistro is located on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach.
Amar Mediterranean Bistro is located on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach.

3. Amar’s Mediterranean feast ($45 per person)

Choose two mezze starters (options include Lebanese Moussaka, hummus, falafel and seasoned fries) and one main plate (such as chicken shish taouk and kafta kebab). You also get assorted baklava for dessert and for $20 more, two glasses of Lebanese wine. Open since early 2021, Amar is a love song to Lebanon, where owner Nicolas Kurban was born and raised.

  • 522 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561-865-5653

A peek at what's on the special menu at Deck 84 for Downtown Delray Beach Restaurant Month.
A peek at what's on the special menu at Deck 84 for Downtown Delray Beach Restaurant Month.

4. Deck 84’s two-course special ($25 per person)

Soak up the waterfront scene at this casual eatery, which is offering a choice of entree (fish and chips, crispy coconut chicken, bacon-wrapped meatloaf and spinach-pesto pasta) and a slice of Key lime ice cream pie with a couple of up-charge options. The deal is available Monday through Friday from 5 p.m.

  • 840 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561-665-8484 

Johnnie Brown's restaurant is offering an all-day menu deal during September's Downtown Delray Beach Restaurant Month.
Johnnie Brown's restaurant is offering an all-day menu deal during September's Downtown Delray Beach Restaurant Month.

5. Johnnie Brown’s all-day deal ($30 per person)

Get a nicely priced, three-course meal at this pubby, downtown spot. You'll have a choice of hummus or smoked fish dip for appetizer, mini-sliders or grilled fish tacos for main plate and a choice of Key lime pie or deep-fried Oreos for dessert.

  • 301 E Atlantic Ave.  Delray Beach, 561-243-9911

Downtown Delray Beach Restaurant Month

The 30-day dining promotion runs through Sept. 30.

For the full list of restaurants and their menus, visit DowntownDelrayBeach.com/restaurantmonth.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Downtown Delray Beach’s month of dining deals adds new restaurants