South Florida restaurants: Now open, coming soon and closed
Got a tip for this weekly check on what’s happening in South Florida’s dining scene? Email Arlene Borenstein-Zuluaga at aborenstein@sunsentinel.com.
Stay up to date with the South Florida dining news:
Sign up for our twice-weekly Eat Beat newsletter, filled with restaurant news, guides and recipes. Go to SunSentinel.com/newsletters to sign up.
Join our Let’s Eat, South Florida Facebook group.
Now open
Even Keel Fish Shack, Lauderdale-by-the Sea
This is a casual spinoff of the original Even Keel Fish and Oyster restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, which closed in December. The new beachside eatery still promises great seafood just less square footage in a more laid-back environment. You may get mixologist “Bootleg Greg” behind the bar creating some natural craft cocktails. And there is a weekday happy hour. 112 Commercial Blvd Ste A, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea; evenkeelfishshack.com, 954-530-6276
Twice Removed, Fort Lauderdale
This gastropub at the former Bar Red Beard in Galt Ocean Plaza is focused on French fries: spiral-cut, wedges, chips, crinkle-cut. Fries are covered in ropa vieja, smothered in cheese curds, topped with curry chicken and tossed with cremini mushrooms. Even zucchini, yuca, turnips, rutabaga and other root vegetables get the treatment. 3301 NE 33rd St., TwiceRemovedFTL.com.
Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants, Fort Lauderdale
The restaurant and Napa-style tasting room reopened its Galleria location on Feb. 1. It offers dine-in plus socially distanced wine tastings along with carryout and delivery. 2568 E. Sunrise Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale; 754-755-9463, chwinery.com.
Grapes Wine Cafe and Market, Fort Lauderdale
Chef Lenore Nolan Ryan’s new cafe/market is in the same location on Galt Ocean Mile where she operated her catering business and cooking school. 3311 N. Ocean Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; grapeswinecafeandmarket.com, 954-491-2340
Riviera by Fabio Viviani, Fort Lauderdale
Top Chef star Fabio Viviani brings a new Italian concept to Fort Lauderdale Beach. The 200-seat waterfront restaurant is inside the Hotel Maren with local seafood inspired dishes. 525 S. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale; RivierabyFabioViviani.com, 754-241-2020
DiFarina Pasta, Pompano Beach
Pasta and sauces are made from scratch at this pasta factory and restaurant. Italian dishes including gnocchi, ravioli, and panzottis are available for dine-in or takeout. 1915 East Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach; difarinapasta.com
Amar Mediterranean Bistro, Delray Beach
The 60-seat restaurant including a patio serves modern Lebanese dishes crafted from old family recipes. 522 E. Atlantic Ave.,Delray Beach; AmarDelray.com.
Chicken Salad Chick, Coral Springs
The fast, casual chicken salad restaurant is expanding its Florida footprint into Broward at the Walk of Coral Springs. Southern inspired dishes include a chicken salad BLT. 2908 North University Drive, Coral Springs; chickensaladchick.com
Uchi Sushi and Asian Bistro, Boca Raton
Aden Lee and Joy Chen’s new eatery samples a wide variety of Asian flavors. Lee brings 18 years experience as a chef in the couple’s native Hong Kong and as the sous chef at Mr. Chow in Miami Beach’s W Hotel South Beach. 8221 Glades Road, Boca Raton; 561-556-1688, UchiAsianBistro.com.
M.E.A.T. Eatery and Taproom, Boca Raton
This award-winning gastropub has moved from an office park that served a mostly lunchtime crowd to a 1,700-square-foot space. As a registered smokehouse, it makes chorizo with ground pork butt, pastrami and its specialty the Inside-Out Juicy Lucy Burger. 2831 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton; 561-419-2600, MeatEatery.com.
Salt7, Fort Lauderdale
“Hell’s Kitchen” winner, executive chef Paul Niedermann, is at the helm of the restaurant’s second location on Las Olas Boulevard at the Icon apartment building. The waterfont eatery uses a blend of seven exotic salts to season dishes and steaks. 500 E. Las Olas Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale; salt7.com
Tropical Smokehouse, West Palm Beach
A “Florida barbecue” concept with dishes including Cuban medianoche hot dogs and Jamaican jerk turkey chili. 3815 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach; 561-323-2573; EatTropical.com
Oak Craft Bar, Fort Lauderdale
This clubby restaurant from owner Yashica Bain is a rebranding of Hideaway Sports Bar and Lounge, the owner’s short-lived sports pub that shuttered in the same space last summer. Since the closing of Elliot Wolf’s Red Cow BBQ here in 2018, this strip-mall storefront has become somewhat cursed with a string of eateries lasting fewer than six months. 1025 N. Federal Highway; Ft. Lauderdale; 954-616-5578, OakCraftBar.com
La Biblioteca de Tequila, Dania Beach
The bar-library isn’t necessarily for reading, but to catalog more than 300 premium tequilas that can be sipped, sampled and even stored. The lounge is open Thursday, Fridays and Saturday evenings inside the 12-story Le Meridien Dania Beach luxury hotel. 1825 Griffin Road, Dania Beach; 954-920-3500, torodaniabeach.com/la-biblioteca-de-tequila/
Kura Sushi, Aventura
With locations in nine other states, this is the first Florida location for the restaurant that features sushi delivered on a revolving belt. 18707 Biscayne Blvd, Suite #290 Aventura; kurasushi.com, 561-462-3555
Oceanside Gardens, Delray Beach
Oceanside Grocers is out, Oceanside Gardens is in. The rebranded hidden craft-cocktail haunt has added extra patio seating, picnic tables and raised planters. The bar also features DJs, live music and local crafts made by Delray Beach artists. 166 SE Second Ave., Delray Beach; oceansidegardensdelray.com.
Elisabetta’s Ristorante, Bar and Pizzeria, West Palm Beach
The successful Delray Beach eatery opened a 10,000-square-foot sister location in downtown West Palm Beach, overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway, Jan.12. Chef Lisabet Summa promises baked goods that are more flaky than ever and dishes made from scratch including pasta, breads, sauces and gelatos. 185 Banyan Blvd., West Palm Beach; elisabettas.com
Coming soon
Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, Fort Lauderdale
Opening Feb. 25, this “luxury dining destination” is the third Florida for the chain operated by Darden Restaurants, which also runs Seasons 52, Capital Grille, Yardhouse, Bahama Breeze Island Grille and other properties. With a wine list recognized by Wine Spectator, Eddie V’s will include a speakeasy-style cocktail space called the V Lounge. 100 Las Olas Blvd., EddieV.com.
Chuy’s, Pembroke Pines
Known for it’s Texas-sized dishes, the Tex-Mex footprint is expanding into Broward. The location on Pines Boulevard near Pines City Center is slated to open in February. 10610 Pines Blvd.,Pembroke Pines; chuys.com
Phat Boy Sushi & Kitchen, Fort Lauderdale
The trendy Japanese mini-chain is rolling its flagship to bigger digs on Federal Highway: the former home of Even Keel Fish & Oyster in Fort Lauderdale. The original Phat Boy location, three blocks north, will close on the same day the new location opens on March 1. 4100 N. Federal Highway, Ft. Lauderdale; 954-533-4218, PhatBoySushi.com
Tap 42 Craft Kitchen & Bar, Davie
Scheduled to open in early 2021, this is the eighth location in the chain of attractive dining-and-drinking establishments that debuted nearly a decade ago in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The space formerly occupied by Mash’d restaurant is located inside the Tower Shops Center. 951 S. University Drive, Davie; Tap42.com
Vinos Wine Bar, Fort Lauderdale
A new and much bigger Vinos will open just down the street from it’s old location on Las Olas Boulevard. Its outdoor lounge will be covered. 901 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale
Cuba Libre, Fort Lauderdale
Opening late January, this is the fifth nationwide location from co-owners Barry Gutin and James Beard Award-winning chef Guillermo Pernot, executing modern twists on traditional Cuban dishes. 800 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-314-6500, CubaLibreRestaurant.com
Warren, Delray Beach
From Damn Good Hospitality CEO Jeff John, Warren will feature “American bistro with a world flair,” under the direction of Chef Jared Case, as well as more than 1,000 bottles of hard-to-find scotch and bourbon. 15084 Lyons Road, Delray Beach; WarrenDelray.com
Closed
Doc’s All-American, Delray Beach
An iconic joint open since 1951 known for hamburgers, milkshakes and footlong hot dogs, Doc’s abruptly closed in late January and may be demolished to make way for a 44,870 square-foot new retail-office building. The restaurant had been in disrepair for years as its owner sought ways to sell the property. Developers say they plan to preserve Doc’s by seeking historic-designation status. 10 N. Swinton Ave.
Jimmie’s Chocolates, Dania Beach
The iconic chocolatier and old-fashioned cafe that has served up delicious confections since 1947 has permanently closed and its owners have put the business and land up for sale. Owners are searching for new ownership to update and run the aging confectionery. 148 N. Federal Highway.
Mash’d, Davie
This Texas-based, moonshine-themed eatery didn’t last long after its 2019 opening inside the Tower Shops Center in Davie. Food and cocktail options were served up with Moonshine (corn mash) funneled in from distilleries in Kentucky and Tennessee. 951 S. University Drive, Davie; mashd.com
The Blue Fish, Boca Raton
After an 11-month run, the sushi restaurant shut its Boca Raton location on Jan. 4. Based in Dallas, Blue Fish previously had a location in Delray Beach. Mizner Park, 402 Plaza Real, Boca Raton; thebluefishsushi.com
Sette Bello Ristorante, Fort Lauderdale
Traditional Italian dishes were served at this family-owned business for more than a decade. Chef-owner Franco Filippone announced the Jan. 1 closure on the restaurant’s website, citing the pandemic. The family’s other restaurant, Sette Mezzo in Coconut Creek, remains open. 6241 N Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale; settebellofla.com
PRL Euro Café, Hollywood
A grungy, hipsterific hub for beer aficionados long before IPAs hit the mainstream, longtime downtown Hollywood bar PRL Euro Café closed this fall. PRL did not peddle PBR but rather rare European lagers, and this dimly lit dive stayed defiantly old-school: twinkling ropes of lights strung along the wall, exposed ceiling pipes and vintage birdcage filled with tchotchkes near PRL’s slender wooden bar. 1904 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
Burgers and Suds, Pompano Beach
The 5-year-old neighborhood comfort-food pub, known for 30 hamburger varieties plus sandwiches and salads, quietly closed in December after remaining closed for several months at the start of the pandemic. 360 SE 15th St., Pompano Beach
Tapeo, West Palm Beach
The Spanish-inspired tapas restaurant, opened by New Jersey restaurateur Carlos Mendez and his partners on Clematis Street in 2018, closed in December after flagging sales and a partnership dispute. 118 S. Clematis St., West Palm Beach
Mai-Kai, Oakland Park
A flood and ceiling collapse has closed the 64-year-old restaurant known for it’s Polynesian style meals and entertainment. Owners are looking for investors to rebuild the kitchen in hopes of reopening. 3599 N. Federal Highway, Oakland Park; maikai.com
