The Fort Lauderdale Dining Guide: Seven Restaurants Worth Building Your Trip Around

Fort Lauderdale's dining scene has quietly become one of the most interesting in South Florida. The waterways help — half these restaurants are reachable by boat or water taxi — but the kitchens are doing the real work. Whether you're here for the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show or just looking for a reason to make the drive, these seven restaurants are worth planning around.

The most practical pre-show stop on the Intracoastal — and the Water Taxi's northernmost pickup and drop-off point, which means you can eat, drink, and board without touching a car. The menu covers the full range: seafood, burgers, salads, cocktails. The deck is the reason to come. Mahjong and Martini Mondays have become a regular fixture. 3033 NE 32nd Ave., Fort Lauderdale.

From the family behind Miami's Rusty Pelican, Sweetwaters opened at the newly reimagined Huizenga Park — corner of Las Olas Boulevard and Andrews Avenue, right on the New River — in October 2026. Nearly 10,000 square feet, 292 seats, designed to feel like it belongs to the river. Executive Chef Nicco V. Salanitro runs the kitchen; Culinary Director Matthieu Godard (nearly three decades in fine dining) shapes the menu. Start with the Yellowfin Tuna Crudo or the Castaway Roll. For the table: the Grand Seafood Tower ($98) or the Chef's Sushi Tower ($125). The Nuggets & Caviar ($19) — free-range chicken, yuzu crème fraîche, Osetra caviar, gold flakes — sounds like a bit. It isn't. 58 E. Las Olas Blvd., Downtown Fort Lauderdale. sweetwatersrestaurant.com.

Voted Best Asian Restaurant by Fort Lauderdale Magazine for more than six years, Casa Sensei sits directly on the Himmarshee Canal on Las Olas Boulevard. The kitchen blends Latin American and Pan-Asian flavors with a menu that moves from sushi and omakase to ceviche and wagyu. The signature experience: private gondola dinner cruises along the Las Olas canals — available seven days a week, and one of the most distinctive dining experiences in the city. The intimate sushi counter and the Sushi for Two presentation are worth knowing about too. 1 N New River Dr E, Fort Lauderdale. casasensei.com.

Worth the trip up the coast to Deerfield Beach. A South Florida oceanfront institution for more than 20 years, the chef-driven menu is overseen by James Beard-recognized Culinary Director Duvan Marin. The setting — directly on the Atlantic — is the kind of thing that makes you remember why you live here. 234 N. Ocean Blvd., Deerfield Beach.

Omni Fort Lauderdale's coastal Italian chophouse overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway at 1880 SE 17th St. — on the waterfront plaza adjacent to the hotel and Broward County Convention Center. Executive Chef David Caceres runs a menu of handmade pastas, premium seafood and prime steak. The Bistecca Fiorentina (prime T-bone for two) and the Frutti di Mare are the anchors; the Pomodoro Negroni — tomato-basil-washed gin — earns its place on the bar menu. Open Tuesday–Sunday, dinner 5–11 PM (midnight Friday–Saturday). 1880 SE 17th St., Fort Lauderdale.

Theo and Grace Xidis opened Theos Estiatorio on East Sunrise Boulevard with a specific intention: to cook the way Theo's family cooks in Greece. The olive oil on the table comes from his family's village. Executive Chef Peter Spyropoulos brings a New York fine-dining pedigree to a menu that is genuinely Greek rather than a performance of it. The whole grilled Branzino, the Grilled Lamb Chops, and the mezze spread are the moves. The room is chic without being cold. 1826 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. 954-404-3040.

Three restaurants, one address: 551 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd. Takato is the elevated Japanese-Korean fusion restaurant led by Executive Chef Taek Lee (Zuma, Makoto, Monkitail) — Wagyu Filet Mignon Skewers, Grilled Branzino, Short Rib Jabche, expertly crafted sushi, open-air bar and oceanfront terrace. Vitolo is Chef Anthony Vitolo's Italian-American room, drawing on generations of family recipes and ingredients from his family farm in Sarno, Italy — Mozzarella en Carrozza, Linguine Alla Vongole, the signature Vitello Antonio, handcrafted pizzas. Sunday brunch launches November 8, every Sunday 10 AM–2 PM. Daniel's, A Florida Steakhouse is recognized in the 2025 MICHELIN Guide and named Best Steakhouse in Florida by Tasting Table — premium steaks from Florida ranches, fresh seafood from the Keys, seasonal produce from Homestead. Florida Blue Crab Cake, Florida Wagyu Bolognese, Demkota Heritage Elite Prime Filet Mignon. All three at 551 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd.