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Gallaghers Steakhouse, Boca Raton
This 96-year-old steakhouse — a midtown Manhattan shrine to Broadway stars, gangsters, gamblers and celebrities dating to the Prohibition era — brought its white-tablecloth grandeur and dry-aged beef to Boca Raton when it debuted July 19. Gallaghers, replacing the former Madisons New York Grill & Bar, ages its steaks within an in-house meat locker for 21 days before firing them on hickory coal grills. “I know some of our Boca Raton guests will have visited our New York location already, but I’m just as excited to welcome first-timers who will realize that Gallaghers is so much more than just a steakhouse,” restaurateur Dean Poll said in a news release. Along with steak entrees, the restaurant serves seafood towers, shrimp and lobster dumpling starters, and mashed potatoes and creamed spinach as sides. 2006 NW Executive Center Circle, Boca Raton; 561-559-5800; Facebook.com/GallaghersBoca
Sea Mario Italian Restaurant, Pompano Beach
The names Mario and Nadia Spina are instantly recognizable to anyone with long memories of Broward County dining. The husband-and-wife restaurateurs behind Big Apple (a pizzeria-turned-trattoria that ran for 22 years in Pompano Beach) and Sunset Catch (which shut in early 2022 after nearly a decade) are back with this coastal Italian sit-down, which debuted July 28 in the space that was formerly Cafe La Buca. (Spina, who’s Sicilian, has no relation to Cafe La Buca’s Napoli owner Marco Spina, but his brother is Salvatore Spina of Mama Mia! Pasta & More at The Bite Eatery.) The new Sea Mario, a redesigned 42-seat restaurant, is open for lunch and dinner daily except Tuesdays. It serves a catch of the day along with entrees such as grilled lamb chops, pappardelle and fettuccine with golden crab and Caribbean curry. “I still love the restaurant business, but I want to do it smaller-scale and have a more intimate place for guests,” Mario Spina told the Sun Sentinel this week. 451 S. Cypress Road, Pompano Beach; 954-786-0673; SeaMarioRestaurant.com
Kingdom Sushi, Boca Raton
Born in Orlando, this growing buffet sushi mini-chain registered to Cleston Santino Pereira debuted its third Florida location on Powerline Road in Boca Raton in late July, according to a social-media post. Kingdom, which takes over a former Tijuana Flats, will feature mostly Japanese cuisine with a splash of Brazilian, including caipisake cocktails (think caipirinhas but infused with sake). Ceviche, temaki, sashimi, nigiri and sushi are offered in a la carte or all-you-can-eat formats, with buffet prices broken down by age ranges. There are also shrimp coxinha, salmon carpaccio, yakisoba and tilapia bites for appetizers, and Nutella rolls and ice cream cookie sandwiches for dessert. 22191 S. Powerline Road, Boca Raton; 561-756-9253; KingdomSushi.com
Cordial, Lake Worth Beach
Who says indoor amusement parks can’t have hip cocktail bars? Walk past the go-karts and laser tag at Lake Worth Beach’s Fun Depot and you’ll find the adjacent Cordial, an adult-leaning cocktail haunt and kitchen that opened to the public on July 2. The 25,000-square-foot restaurant-lounge, which boasts a new bowling alley, gear-cog chandeliers and other steampunk-style flourishes, offers a pub menu with Nashville hot chicken sandwiches, a Mediterranean bowl, Bavarian pretzels, pizza and cheeseburgers, among other entrees, along with brownie a la mode for dessert and American Icon Brewery craft brews. 2003 10th Ave. N., Lake Worth Beach; 561-547-0817; CordialPB.com
Voodoo Bayou, Fort Lauderdale
Radiating French Quarter cool with a wrought-iron balcony to match, this pandemic-delayed Southern Cajun cafe finally opened July 23 on the Las Olas Boulevard drag. Voodoo Bayou is owner Curtis Peery’s (Calaveras Cantina in Boca Raton, Jupiter) vision of New Orleans cuisine, with entrees spanning Crescent City staples (gumbo, jambalaya, shrimp and crawfish étouffée, po’ boys) as well as inventive dishes (such as an 18-ounce, bone-in Cajun ribeye with bourbon jus, wood-fired redfish and even gator tail). This is the second location after its flagship opened in Palm Beach Gardens in 2020. 715 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-314-0669; VoodooBayou.com
Rita’s Italian Ice and Frozen Custard, Deerfield Beach
This Pennsylvania-born sweet shop franchise opened a Deerfield Beach location in mid-July in the Sawgrass Promenade plaza on South Military Trail and Southwest 10th Street. Franchisees Andre Davis and George Sapirstein run the parlor, serving Italian ice flavors ranging from cotton candy and Sour Patch Kids red to mango-strawberry and tropical punch, as well as custards such as vanilla chocolate twist, strawberry cheesecake, tiramisu and peach cobbler. 1305 S. Military Trail, Deerfield Beach; 954-531-6464; RitasIce.com
Berry Fresh Cafe / Courtesy
The Irish eggs benedict at Berry Fresh Cafe, which opened its fourth Florida location in July in Palm Beach Gardens. (Berry Fresh Cafe/Courtesy)
Berry Fresh Cafe, Palm Beach Gardens
Mitch and Michael Timoteo are the father-and-son duo behind this farm-to-table, breakfast-lunch cafe that opened its fourth location on July 31 in the Oakbrook Square Shopping Center. The menu is loaded with whimsical scratch dishes including Captain Crunch challah French toast, Irish eggs benedict and Nashville hot chicken hash for breakfast, as well as beef birria and chicken pesto sandwiches for lunch. There are also stone-ground grits with heavy cream, housemade biscuits served with the cafe’s own apple butter and mixed-berry jams, along with a spirits menu of bloody marys, screwdrivers and vodka-spiked coffee concoctions. The new location joins three other Florida outposts: in Jupiter, Port St. Lucie and Stuart. 11658 U.S. Highway 1, Suite 18, Palm Beach Gardens; BerryFresh.Cafe
Marco’s Top Burgers, Coral Springs
What began as Marco and Ana Paula’s Brazilian food truck has graduated into a second storefront that opened to the public on Aug. 7 in the former Rosati’s Pizza in the Turtle Crossing plaza. The burger joint, which opened its first brick-and-mortar in Pompano Beach in 2021, slings Brazilian-style Angus patties loaded with toppings familiar, like bacon or sunny-side-up eggs, and unfamiliar, like corn, potato sticks, bananas, shredded chicken, catupiry (a Brazilian cream cheese) and prato (a gouda-like cow’s milk cheese). The result: an over-the-top, leaning tower of hamburger. There are also sirloin steak strips, calabresa (Brazilian sausage) subs, Brazilian hot dogs (corn, potato sticks, mozzarella, Parmesan, tomato sauce on brioche) and sides of fried yucca and plantains. 4320 N. State Road 7, Coral Springs; 954-999-8665; MarcosTopBurgers.com
The Soulful Steep, Pompano Beach
Billed as a new teahouse, salt cave and emporium, this groovy nook designed to help channel one’s “inner hippie” quietly shuffled into Pompano Beach’s arty Old Town district with its soft opening on Aug. 4. The menu at this cozy shop, registered to owners Christina and John Abresch, features a bevy of teas blended by local herbalists, along with vegan and gluten-free baked goods and light bites. The 40-seat shop is also accented by a therapeutic salt cave and the sale of art and furniture made by locals. 122 N. Flagler Ave., Pompano Beach; TheSoulfulSteep.com
Lessing’s Hospitality Group
The menu at Hatch, a new brunch restaurant in Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village, has a “Flight of the Pancakes” section, with options such as a Pineapple Upside Down Pancake, a Cinnamon Roll Pancake and a Blueberry Danish Pancake. (Lessing’s Hospitality Group/Courtesy)
Hatch, Fort Lauderdale
Brunch is the business at Hatch, the new eatery on the edge of Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village. “Hatch is more than your typical breakfast or brunch,” said Lawrence Lessing, executive vice president of Lessing’s Hospitality Group, which owns and operates Hatch. “We wanted to change the rule that dinner had to be the meal with the best food and the most fun. South Florida is the perfect spot to share our unique dining experience and our contagious passion for life and serving others.” Lessing hatched the first Hatch back in 2018 in Huntington, N.Y. The SoFlo restaurant is the second location for Hatch, but Lessing’s Hospitality Group is hardly new to this region. The sixth-generation, family-owned company has more than 100 food-and-beverage businesses throughout the Northeast and Florida, including three restaurants in Jupiter. Hatch’s menu — created by chef William Muzio — includes what they bill as “creative and surprising takes on brunch classics.” There’s a “Hollandaze” selection of twists on classic eggs Benedict, as well as a “Flight of the Pancakes” section with Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes, Cinnamon Roll Pancakes and/or Blueberry Danish Pancakes. There’s also a children’s menu. The full bar includes unique creations such as: The Spiked Espresso (vodka, crème de cacao, simple syrup, double shot of espresso on the rocks) and The Pancake in a Glass (vodka, crème de cacao, cinnamon simple syrup, maple syrup, milk). 715 N. Federal Highway (at Quantum Flagler Village), Fort Lauderdale; 754-200-8747; hatchbrunch.com
Krakatoa Cuisine
Krakatoa’s special Indonesian Rijsttafel dish was offered during the grand opening of the eatery’s kiosk at Sistrunk Marketplace & Brewery in Fort Lauderdale. Rijsttafel features lemongrass candlenut lamb, cardamom chicken, turmeric lemongrass sauce chicken and kaffir lime spicy beef. (Krakatoa Cuisine/Courtesy)
Krakatoa Indonesian Cuisine, Fort Lauderdale
Way back in 2014, Krakatoa Indonesian Cuisine opened a very popular food stall at the weekends-only Yellow Green Farmers Market in Hollywood. Three years later, chefs/owners Abe Muis and John Anthony shuttered that in favor of a brick-and-mortar just off of Young Circle in downtown Hollywood. Now, in addition to that still-going-strong location, there is a Krakatoa kiosk at the Sistrunk Marketplace & Brewery food hall in Fort Lauderdale. The kiosk had a grand opening on Aug. 4. Featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” the restaurant brand is named after the Indonesian volcanic island of Krakatoa and connotes the “explosion of flavors you experience with every bite,” according to Muis, who grew up on the island of Lombok. He adds that the menu at Sistrunk Marketplace is unique to that location. 115 NW Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale; krakatoacuisine.com
Buffalo Wild Wings
The new Buffalo Wild Wings GO opened in Pompano Beach in July. As evidenced by its name, the eatery is known for its chicken wings, with 26 signature sauces and seasoning options. (Buffalo Wild Wings/Courtesy)
Buffalo Wild Wings GO, Pompano Beach
Buffalo Wild Wings GO, a new takeout- and delivery-focused model, opened July 19 in the Pompano Marketplace shopping center. There are nine Buffalo Wild Wings in South Florida, but only one Buffalo Wild Wings GO. In fact, the Pompano Beach location is the only GO restaurant in the state. The GO iteration puts emphasis on a walk-up counter, digital menu boards and limited seating. If you order ahead, you can pick up your meal from individual takeout lockers, providing a contactless experience. As evidenced by its name, the eatery is known for its chicken wings, with 26 signature sauces and seasoning options. “Our takeout and delivery business grew significantly over the past two years as guests across America enjoyed our award-winning wings, sauces and other menu items at home,” said John Bowie, president of Buffalo Wild Wings. “With great deals every day of the week on wings and bundles at GO, customers have one more way to enjoy our wings.” In addition to traditional and boneless wings, the restaurant offers hand-breaded tenders, chicken sandwiches, burgers and sides.1299 Federal Highway, Pompano Beach; 754-778-7999; buffalowildwings.com
El Tiesto, Fort Lauderdale
This Miami-born fusion kitchen and nightclub featuring Dominican sushi rolls, bottle service, entrees and a hookah bar hosted its grand opening on June 30 in the clubby downtown drag of Himmarshee Village. Traditional sushi rolls are also on this Caribbean-Japanese menu, which includes fried red snapper with green plantains, Dominican-style fried rice with maduro mixed vegetables, mofongo, skirt steak with chimichurri sauce, and a seafood dish dubbed the Salma Hayek (salmon in grated tomato sauce with mashed malanga). There are also tapas such as fried-chicken dumplings, tequeños, grilled octopus and conconcito (crispy rice topped with longaniza, chicken, shrimp and guacamole). The Himmarshee Village location is the third, coming after Pembroke Pines and Miami. 210 SW Second St.; 954-900-4583; ElTiestoCafeGroup.com
Juan Duran/The Modern Rose
Avocado Toast from The Modern Rose. (Juan Duran for The Modern Rose/Courtesy)
The Modern Rose, Fort Lauderdale
The second location of this chic coffee shop/cafe had a soft opening in Fort Lauderdale’s Gateway Shopping Center, and there’s a grand opening still in the works. Like the original, which is tucked inside The Cove Shopping Center in Deerfield Beach, this new iteration has a similar menu “but with nighttime tapas and beer and wine,” says Emilio Dominguez, who along with wife Jimena co-owns the Fort Lauderdale restaurant with operating partners Ida and Ray Passaro. “Our partners are Italians, so there (are) a couple of toasts and bruschetta and imported ingredients — to kind of elevate the concept a little bit.” He describes the culinary direction of both eateries as “eclectic international brunch … with comfort foods fusion.” The decor and vibe is a hodgepodge of thrift-store finds to reflect the diverse mix of clientele. “It’s a welcome space for all, from 14 to 84 years old, every walk of life, every color, every religion, every sexual orientation,” Dominguez adds. The Dominguezes also own Cleopatra Royal Coffee inside the Art Outfitters gallery in Fort Lauderdale. 911 NE 20th Ave., Fort Lauderdale; themodernrose.com
Grumpy Gary’s Bar & Grill, Dania Beach
It’s hard to be grumpy on the beach — unless your name is Grumpy Gary’s Bar & Grill, which closed in late April after five years on the Hollywood Broadwalk. But owner Gary McGeddy refused to stay grumpy for long and moved into the former home of Historic Dockers on June 30. The menu includes the flagship location’s hamburgers, fries, steaks and seafood, along with craft beer, cocktails and wine. 318 N. Federal Highway, Dania Beach; GrumpyGarysDania.com
Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar, Palm Beach Gardens
The newest Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar opened at The Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens on June 20, the ninth in Florida for the tropical lifestyle brand. The Tommy Bahama retail store on the first level relocated to this new Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar location on the second level, near Nordstrom and Saks, so that the 9,000-square-foot, open-floor plan now has a store, restaurant, bar and outdoor patio. The menu is mostly shareable dishes (and signature cocktails) with a dash of island flavor profiles such as Coconut Shrimp, Lomi Lomi Salmon, Blackened Mahi Mahi Tacos, Ahi Poke bowls, Chicken Breasts with Jerk Marinade, Piña Colada Cake and Key Lime Pie. “Over the last 30 years, we have seen how our guests enjoy shopping at Tommy Bahama when it is combined with a restaurant. It’s one of the ways Tommy Bahama is different from other lifestyle brands,” says Tommy Bahama CEO Doug Wood. 3101 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens; 561-909-1886; tommybahama.com
Clare Ave Grille, West Palm Beach
The tentpole food stall inside the hip Grandview Public Market food hall, this burger shack soft-opened on June 23 ahead of its grand opening on July 4. The shop, from owners Atoshia and Antonio Coleman specializes in smash burgers with fresh-cut fries, mac ‘n’ cheese, onion rings, pineapple coleslaw and truffle “crack fries.” 1401 Clare Ave., West Palm Beach; 561-660-5629; Facebook.com/grandviewpublic
Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel
Brian “El Jefe” Faeth’s Papamigos food truck holds court in Pompano Beach. The restaurant’s third location has opened in Delray Beach. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Papamigos, Delray Beach
Somehow-still-trendy birria is served in not one but five configurations (ramen, nachos, mac ‘n’ cheese, tacos and burritos) at this so-called “Mexi-Crasian” (Mexican-Asian fusion) eatery from Lauren Grosso and Brian Faeth, which opened its newest location in June in the South Delray Shopping Center. Papamigos, which replaces Las Catrinas Mexican and Tequila Bar, slings Mexican-style items such as chicken tortilla soup, taco salad and elote, but also sushi tacos, tuna nachos and oysters on the half-shell. This is Papamigos’ third venture, joining a Coconut Creek storefront and a food truck in Pompano Beach. 3035 S. Federal Highway, Delray Beach; 561-359-2687; Papamigos.com
Del Fuego Tex Mex Kitchen and Tequila, Delray Beach
Founded in Long Island by a trio of Italian brothers — Joseph, Jim and Leo DeNicola — this lively cantina chain debuted its first location outside of New York on June 24 on the Intracoastal, replacing former Argentinean steakhouse Che!!! It’s a Tex-Menu with a few savory departures, namely slow-roasted chicken wings glazed in mango-barbecue sauce; dry-rubbed baby back ribs; and a charbroiled Fuego Burger, with chipotle mayo, melted Mexican cheese, avocado and applewood bacon, accompanied by chili-spiced onion rings. There’s also housemade guacamole and tortilla chips, sizzling fajitas, chile relleno, barbecue chicken quesadillas, chimichurri skirt-steak burritos and blackened shrimp tacos topped with roasted corn salsa, red cabbage slaw and chipotle aioli. This is the fifth Del Fuego for the brothers, who also operate Italian eateries Ruvo and La Tavola on Long Island. A manager told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the restaurant will open for dinner service for now, with lunch service starting later this summer. 900 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; 561-865-5629; DelFuegoRestaurant.com
Austin Republic, West Palm Beach
Spare ribs, prime brisket … and Tex-Mex? That’s the ambitious premise behind chef Jimmy Strine’s smoky, new mobile kitchen that quietly opened in June, perched on South Dixie Highway next to Phipps Park in the city’s SoSo (South of Southern Boulevard) district. The barbecue spot, a shipping container on wheels, is a partnership between Strine (known for working in top-notch kitchens Café Boulud, Buccan, Grato and Sundy House) and Roxy’s Pub owner John Webb, whose hometown inspired the name. While the focus is smoked meats like pork spare ribs, rotisserie chicken and Texas hot links, Strine’s window also offers tacos and burritos filled with carnitas, plus brisket melt and pulled pork handhelds, and side dishes including mac-and-cheese pasta shells in queso sauce. Customers dine on outdoor picnic-style tables surrounding the container. The plan is to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant with a bar, billiard tables and outdoor games. 4801 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach; Instagram.com/TheAustinRepublic
David Kim / Courtesy
The new Gen Korean BBQ in Fort Lauderdale offers an array of grilled meats, veggies and banchan. (David Kim / Courtesy)
Gen Korean BBQ House, Fort Lauderdale
The dream to replace Fort Lauderdale’s old Sushi Shack with Korean barbecue on Las Olas Boulevard has finally materialized 3 1/2 years later with this all-you-can-eat spot, which debuted June 10 under owner David Kim. Here are appetizers such as mandu (Korean-style dumplings stuffed with pork and vegetables), popcorn chicken, breaded calamari, crispy fish katsu and cheese tonkatsu (a deep-fried cheese pork cutlet). But its main attraction is bottomless feasts. Each dining table is equipped with heating plates where customers cook entrees from pork cheeks and beef tongue to Hawaiian chicken and premium top sirloin. There’s also banchan, side dishes like edamame, housemade kimchi and spicy ssamjang paste. 1301 E. Las Olas Blvd., Bay 150, Fort Lauderdale; 954-271-3343; GenKoreanBBQ.com
CLOSED
Cafe La Buca, Pompano Beach
This neighborhood Italian sit-down known for its pizza, pasta and unpredictable menu of rustic Southern Italian cuisine closed in June after 15 years on South Cypress Road. Founded by the Spina family — Giorgio, Maria, Simona and Marco — the restaurant lacked a menu and prices, relying instead on what was in season and what chef Marco Spina preferred to make that evening. Still, it was not uncommon to find clams in white wine and pancetta, papardelle Bolognese, fresh gnocchi, lamb chops and pizza in a wood-fired oven imported from Naples. In its former space is the new restaurant, Sea Mario. 451 S. Cypress Road, Pompano Beach; CafeLaBuca.biz
Truli Italian Food & Drink, Coconut Creek
This modern Italian trattoria and bar has permanently closed after about 20 months inside the Promenade at Coconut Creek, co-owner Doug Zeif told the Sun Sentinel this week. “We just never did the revenue we needed here,” says the Parkland restaurateur, formerly a Cheesecake Factory senior vice president. “I thought we put something together special, but it was a struggle in that location.” Truli, which replaced the former Ciao Cucina space that shuttered in 2021, featured build-your-own pasta bowls (with 10 pasta types and nine sauces from alfredo to “Sunday gravy”), build-your-own pizzas, and old-school entrees such as chicken Parmesan and steak tagliatta. 4443 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek; TruliItalian.com