The culinary landscape in South Florida sizzles with flavor, from Old Florida classics to new international influences.
The region is a mecca for seafood lovers, naturally, but those hungry for a perfectly grilled steak, handmade pasta or decadent desserts don’t need to look far for satisfaction. A plethora of great restaurants, dynamic bars, top chefs, creative mixologists, wine tastings, food tours and world-renowned foodie events feed the area’s rich culinary landscape.
Here are 50 standouts.
1. In Tequesta, the stylish Evo Italian has a reputation for serving outstanding food in an intimate setting with crisply dressed tables, spot-on service and frequent celebrity sightings (e.g., Joe Namath and Joe Torre). No wonder so many special occasions are celebrated here.
2. As the old polka ditty says, “In heaven, there is no beer; that’s why we drink it here.” And, by here, we mean the annual Craft Beer Bash in August at PGA National Resort & Spa.
3. When we can’t travel to the world’s most venerated viticultural meccas, we sip their finest wares during monthly wine tastings at III Forks Prime Steakhouse in Palm Beach Gardens.
4. When we’re looking to set sail for happy hour, we take the boat over to The Waterway Café, one of Palm Beach Gardens’ favorite dock-and-drink spots.
5. For a sexier, more glamorous take on the traditional steakhouse, Meat Market in Palm Beach, under the orchestration of Executive Chef Sean Brasel, never fails to impress.
6. We all scream for ice cream, especially if it’s Thai rolled ice cream – like the kind they dish up at Crema in West Palm Beach.
7. Cheers to City Cellar at West Palm Beach’s Rosemary Square for concocting the irresistible Dragonberry Strawberry Mojito, a pretty señorita with Bacardi Dragonberry rum, mint, lime, simple syrup and fresh strawberry puree.
8. Chef Lindsay Autry dazzles diners with excellent food, family recipes and attention to detail at The Regional Kitchen & Public House in West Palm Beach. The Pimento Cheese, made tableside, is to die for.
9. Palm Beach County’s first food hall, Grandview Public Market in West Palm Beach, continues to draw crowds with tacos, pizza, rolled ice cream, Mediterranean food, crepes and a whole lot more.
10. After more than seven decades, Ta-boo on Palm Beach’s Worth Avenue remains a hotspot for A-listers. Legend has it that a Ta-boo bartender invented the Bloody Mary for a hungover Barbara Hutton.
11. While shopping on West Palm Beach’s Antique Row, Belle & Maxwell’s is an ideal place to relax, sip some iced tea, munch on flatbread and treat yourself to one of the café’s delectable desserts.
12. Nothing satisfies a taco craving like Cholo Soy Cocina in West Palm Beach. Although the space is small, we love lounging in the colorful courtyard – the perfect backdrop for the restaurant’s bold, flavorful fare.
13. It’s all about comfort food with a refined twist at Mazie’s by Chef Eric Baker in West Palm Beach. Go for the sharable platters so everyone can sample the Pierogies, Bahn Mi Dog, Moroccan Lamb Knish and more.
14. For beer-swilling fun, German culture and some darn good bratwurst, don’t miss Oktoberfest at the American German Club of the Palm Beaches in Lake Worth. Prost!
15. Billed as the “best stinkin’ party in South Florida,” Garlic Fest in Lake Worth’s John Prince Park in February showcases chefs and artists who express themselves with – you guessed it – garlic.
16. Michelin-starred Chef Mauro Colagreco is knocking it out of the park at Florie’s, the new signature restaurant at the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach.
17. True foodies in Palm Beach County never miss the annual Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival, a star-studded epicurean extravaganza with an international menu of gastronomic delights. It takes place Dec. 12-15 this year.
18. Critics praise Oceano Kitchen in Lantana for its ever-changing menu. But we can’t say enough about the desserts, especially the Lemon Meringue Tart, with lemon mousse, pistachio milk crumbs and sour cream sorbet. Magnifique!
19. Famous for its Fish and Chips, Gazpacho and dessert-like breakfasts (think Cinnamon-Nut French Toast), John G’s in Manalapan is a perennial foodie fave.
20. Reminiscent of ice cream shops on the Jersey Shore, The Boardwalk Italian Ice & Creamery in Boynton Beach gets customers in a nostalgic state of mind with Italian ice, ice cream, candy apples, funnel cakes, cannoli, zeppole and milkshakes.
21. Chefs at Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar in Delray work with dozens of local farmers to source the freshest and highest-quality ingredients, which makes the restaurant’s Impossible Hawaiian “BBQ” Burger our favorite take on the meat-like veggie burger.
22. Johnny Demartini, a young chef at Death or Glory in Delray Beach, is making a name for himself with such vegan dishes as his Gnocchi, with sweet onion cashew soubise, squash and pepitas.
23. Call us boring, but anytime we visit Sloan’s – with seven South Florida locations, like this one in Delray Beach – we go straight for the Coffee and Doughnuts ice cream, loaded with Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut bits. Need we say more?
24. When it’s teatime in Delray, you’ll find us at Yaxche Tearoom, a cozy, colorful cottage featuring 120 artisanal teas and to-die-for desserts.
25. It’s an oldie but a goodie: The Mixed Berry Crème Brulee Pie at Max’s Grille in Boca Raton continues to be one of our favorite desserts on the planet. Talk about a happy ending.
26. Getting gussied up is worth the hassle for the exceptional five-course vintner dinners of the Boca Bacchanal Wine & Food Festival. Hosted in beautiful private homes, they’re a highlight of the Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum’s annual event.
27. Mushroom aficionados are going gaga over the Tartufo pizza – loaded with truffle mushroom sauce, fior di latte, basil and cremini mushrooms – at Louie Bossi’s in Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale.
28. We’re always happy to board the Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum’s annual Toasts, Tastes & Trolleys event for dinner-by-the-bite and signature cocktails at various Boca restaurants. Hop on Oct. 4.
29. Life is always sweet at IT’SUGAR, a one-of-a-kind destination for candy with headquarters in Deerfield Beach and more than 100 locations globally, including in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Palm Beach Gardens.
30. We like to take the pup along and sit outside at Saquella Café in Boca Raton’s Royal Palm Place, where the freshly baked breads, pastries and quiches are hard to resist and the coffee is divine.
31. Nobody does chicken kebab better than Rafina Greek Taverna in Boca Raton. The marinated, glazed meat is perfectly cooked and paired with veggies and rice.
32. When it’s time to feed our burger fantasies, we head to Brgr Stop (in Coconut Creek and Fort Lauderdale) for a Mac Daddy, a mother of a burger with jalapeño havarti, jalapeño cheddar sausage, mac ’n’ cheese, root beer sriracha barbecue sauce and candied bacon.
33. With street-style wall art, a farm-to-table bar in an Airstream trailer, and rustic tables and chairs scattered around a yard, Rhythm & Vine in Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village is a favorite hangout for well-made cocktails and relaxed conversation.
34. Bartender Tamara Jovanovic at The Wilder in Fort Lauderdale doesn’t just make cocktails. She puts on a show. This is especially true when stirring up her favorite, Tiki Passion, for which she lights lime peels on fire.
35. There’s a handful of top-level steak houses in South Florida, but Steak 954 in the W Fort Lau
derdale is one of the best. The Tajima Kobe from Australia, in particular, is a rare find and a must-try.
36. A fun way to check out the constantly evolving Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale is by attending the annual Las Olas Wine and Food Festival, with samplings from more than 50 restaurants and 200 wines, spirits and brews.
37. Lunch crowds on Las Olas are lining up at Big City Tavern for Sous Chef Ladanna Lawes’ Roasted Jerk Chicken Breast: a bone-in quarter chicken served with red beans and rice, red and green peppers, plantains and a curry butter rum sauce.
38. Any way you slice it, the handcrafted mini pies at Pink Pie (with stores in Wynwood and Hollywood) are an adorable spin on the traditional dessert.
39. Taquiza, a North Miami Beach taco joint famous for tacos wrapped in blue-masa tortillas, mixes up the best sangria around. Period.
40. When visiting Wynwood, a veritable outdoor museum of large-scale works by street artists, double your pleasure by taking a culinary tour of the neighborhood’s stylish bistros, craft breweries and hip bars.
41. Executive Chef Fabian Di Paolo is shaking things up at Cvltvra, which serves Latin American cuisine with a Mediterranean twist in The Gabriel Miami hotel. His burrata, made with orange, mint cream, coriander seeds and toasted almonds, has customers swooning.
42. For a quick, unpretentious Cuban lunch (think sandwiches, croquettes, churrasco and pastries) and a fantastic cafecito (Cuban espresso), head to Latin Café 2000 in the booming Downtown Miami/Brickell neighborhood.
43. Nothing says Cuban sandwich like El Exquisito on Miami’s Calle Ocho, which is why there’s always a mix of tourists and Cuban exiles lining up for lunch.
44. A day in Miami Beach isn’t complete without bellying up to Circa 39’s WunderBar, a popular hangout that offers local craft beers, creative cocktails, boutique wines and light bites.
45. Count us in when it’s time for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, a star-studded, five-day destination event in February showcasing the world’s most renowned chefs, culinary personalities, and wine and spirits producers.
46. At Essensia, a farm-to-table eatery at The Palms Hotel & Spa in Miami Beach, Executive Chef Richard Earl makes the most of the hotel’s beachside organic garden, which produces herbs, greens and edible flowers.
47. A smorgasbord of world cuisine is a major draw of Española Way, one of South Beach’s most iconic and historic streets. Within a few blocks, you can chow down on everything from Spanish, Cuban, Brazilian and Mexican to Italian, French and Japanese food.
48. Of all the food halls that have opened in South Florida, our favorite is Time Out Market in Miami Beach for bringing 17 local kitchens under one roof, including those helmed by chefs Norman Van Aken of Three, Jeremy Ford of Stubborn Seed and Scott Linquest of Coyo Taco.
49. There’s no better place for people-watching in South Beach than News Cafe, a favorite breakfast spot of the late designer Gianni Versace and as good a place for coffee and a pastry as any on Ocean Drive.
50. A healthy South Beach breakfast fuels a day of adventure – and that’s why we love Lilikoi, known for organic, seasonal dishes with a Hawaiian touch as well as juices and smoothies. O