Coming soon: Novecento opening first SoFlo spot outside Miami-Dade, Mistah Lee’s Smokin’ Good BBQ also expanding

When it comes to food, South Florida is a great place to be. So many new restaurants open nearly every day.

Here’s what’s coming soon to a city near you. Please note: Opening dates are subject to change.

Novecento
116 NE Sixth Ave., Delray Beach; novecento.com 

Led by brothers Andrei and Aliosha Stern, the SuViche Hospitality Group acquired the Argentina-inspired restaurant brand Novecento in 2018 and is now planning to open a new location in December in the space that formerly housed The Falcon gastropub (and before that Death or Glory). “We have been looking for an iconic location in Delray Beach for a long time,” Aliosha Stern tells the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “We did not want to go into a traditional commercial space. The old Falcon House is a unique property with deep ties in the local community. We felt this was the best representation of Novecento.” Along with the occasional tango show, expect classic Argentine-influenced fare such as steaks, handcrafted empanadas, homemade pastas and a curated wine list. The concept first opened its doors back in 1991 in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood. Now there are Novecentos in Argentina and Uruguay, and — much closer to home — in Miami-Dade County’s Brickell area, as well as Key Biscayne, Aventura, Doral and inside Hard Rock Stadium. The Delray Beach location will seat 50 guests inside and 80 outside under a pergola.

Adega Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse
240 S. Federal Highway, Deerfield Beach; AdegaGaucha.com

Bring out the steak knives: Another Brazilian churrascaria is coming to town. Flame-licked meats are the star of this all-you-can-eat steakhouse, which will open this December and is registered to Fabiano Borsato, Jean Oliveira and Elthon Figueiredo. This is the restaurant’s third location, after Orlando and Kissimmee. Here servers, known as “gauchos,” parade a carousel of ribeyes, picanha, beef and pork ribs, bacon-wrapped chicken, lamb and filet mignons glistening with salt. The mains are plated with rich peppercorn or gorgonzola sauces and sides including corn brûlée, fried yuca, roasted Brussels sprouts, caramelized bananas and mashed potatoes. Also on the menu are wines, cocktails, desserts and higher-end cuts such as 32-ounce, fire-roasted tomahawks and garlic skirt steaks.

Ozzie’s Oceanfront Restaurant & Bar
905 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; Instagram.com/ozziesrestaurantbar_ 

This beachside restaurant is planned inside the space that was formerly Fiorello’s, but there is no word from owners on when this eatery might open yet. Tucked inside the dining/drinking/tattooing/T-shirt and swim shop enclave where Sunrise Boulevard meets the ocean, Ozzie’s promises “a blend of Italian and American flavors,” according to Instagram posts that also feature pictures of empanadas, lobster fried rice, burgers, filet mignon topped with shrimp, pork belly, seafood pasta and tropical craft cocktails.

Gesto
522 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach

Now that the 4-year-old Amar Mediterranean Bistro has moved into bigger digs across the street, the 1,200-square-foot space it leaves behind will be converted into a sourdough pizzeria, opening sometime in early 2025. The pie shop, owner Nicolas Kurban explains, will “take advantage of the same wood-burning oven” his bistro once used to fire pita bread. The offerings are still in flux, but “we’re looking at a very small menu” of eight signature pies, Kurban says. “It’s pizzas with the best mozzarellas and the best meats, a few salads and desserts, plus some beautiful wines, and that’s about it.” All pies, which use a sourdough base, will be fired between 550 to 600 degrees for two minutes. Kurban is no stranger to high-end baking, having spent decades managing food and beverage programs at hotel-casinos from Atlantic City to Las Vegas..

Mistah Lee’s Smokin’ Good BBQ
8240 S. State Road 7, Suite 250, Boynton Beach; 561-617-3654, Facebook.com

It’s a good time to be pitmaster Lee Stransky, the owner and meat maestro who will open his first brick-and-mortar pit-stop later this November at the Melrose Shoppes, a strip mall in West Boynton Beach nursery country. In March, Stransky’s roving food truck won “Best BBQ” in the Sun Sentinel’s Best of South Florida Dining series (readers’ choice), following recent wins at the St. Pete Bacon & BBQ Festival and The Red Meat Lovers Club Best Sandwich of South Florida cook-off. His new shop will use four custom Gladiator smokers from Gator Pit of Texas to turn out 16-day, house-brined pastrami, beef brisket, chicken, beef and pork ribs. Also on the menu are four-cheese mac ‘n’ cheese, collard greens, Southern potato salad and cornbread slathered in Stransky’s “sticky” sauce.

Stage Kitchen & Bar
5377 Town Center Road., Suite 200, Boca Raton; Instagram.com

The fourth and final tenant in Boca Raton’s high-end Restaurant Row, east of Town Center mall, is this global small-plates sit-down from chef-owner Pushkar Marathe, expected to open in early 2025. (It replaces a half-finished, Lebanese-inspired eatery named Shabibi.) Marathe, if you haven’t heard, is on a culinary tear lately, after picking up a “Best Chef: South” semifinalist nod from the James Beard Foundation in 2023, and a ranking on USA Today’s Best Restaurants of 2024 for his Stage flagship in Palm Beach Gardens. Marathe’s Boca outpost will be bigger than the original, with a dining room adorned in blue walls, bronze and copper chain accents, walnut-wood tones and caramel-hued faux leather. The kitchen, meanwhile, will have an open woodfire oven.

Oceana Coffee
1301 10th St., Lake Park; oceanacoffee.com 

When Oceana Coffee’s new headquarters arrives in Lake Park, which is expected by year’s end, it will include a cozy, little cafe with indoor/outdoor seating, a drive-thru window and an upstairs event space. Founded in 2009, Oceana has two locations in Palm Beach County, both in Tequesta. This venue will mostly serve as the company’s new roasting and manufacturing headquarters. The company works closely with The Els for Autism Foundation in Jupiter, offering internships to students and jobs to adults.

Milky Moo
8000 W. Broward Blvd. Plantation; 954-473-8100; visitbrowardmall.com/stores/milky-moo 

This addition to the Broward Mall’s food court is slated to open in December, making it the first U.S. location for the ice cream shop with Brazilian roots. The menu will boast more than 30 milkshake flavors.

Elba
600 SE Second Court, Fort Lauderdale; ElbaLasOlas.com

Named after the famous Tuscan island where Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled, this new Mediterranean restaurant aims to be a different kind of paradise when it debuts in October a block north of Las Olas Boulevard. The restaurant and music bar, facing Tunnel Top Park and the mouth of the Henry E. Kinney Tunnel, comes from owner Christophe Bellone, who previously ran the 45-year-old breakfast-lunch bistro, La Bonne Crepe, before it closed earlier this spring. There’s no menu available yet.

Johnny’s Hungry Hoagies

790 E. Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; johnnyshungry.com 

Ever since signs went up at the soon-to-come space in the plaza of the Laureat apartment building, near the oh-so-busy intersection of Broward Boulevard and U.S. Highway 1, there’s been anticipation buzz about this fast-casual eatery. “We looked for a growth area with a large residential population and great visibility in a key section of downtown,” owner John “Johnny” Wiggins told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Wiggins would know. His career has been in commercial development and upscale home building. Why hoagies now? “There are a lot of generic hoagie sandwich shops,” the self-described foodie and lifelong Fort Lauderdale resident said. “We’ve created a very unique and craveable line of sandwiches based on the highest quality meats and cheeses, along with chef-inspired recipes that will differentiate us from other chains.” There will be indoor seating for 20 guests, and details are still being worked out on possible plaza seating. This first location is expected to debut in December.

Death By Pizza
15065 S. State Road 7, No. 400, Delray Beach; DeathByPizzaDelray.com

This pandemic pizza baby will officially have a sister. Joining the first Delray Beach location of Death By Pizza is this new 75-seat, brick-and-mortar spot, expected to open by year’s end on the southwest corner of State Road 7 and West Atlantic Avenue and replace the former Pizzeria Sophia. Born as an Instagram pop-up in the ancient COVID-19 era, the pizzeria specializes in Detroit-style pies built with a sourdough starter, which imparts a crunchy-chewy, focaccia-like crust. Many more tantalizing rectangles have joined the menu since its heady pop-up days, notably the Gandolfini (sweet Italian sausage, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, mozzarella, basil and honey), the Meatball Burrata (self-explanatory) and Final Vegstination (wild mushrooms, roasted broccoli, mozzarella and basil pesto). There are also salads, Philly cheesesteak eggs rolls, chicken wings and desserts such as an crushed Oreo mud pie and a half-pound cookie that uses the same recipe as Two Fat Cookies in downtown Delray Beach, Wexler’s family bakery.

Patsy’s Pizzeria
114 Plaza Real S., Boca Raton; PatsysPizzeria.us

Another slice of Big Apple pizzeria royalty is firing up in Boca Raton before the end of this year. When pizza pilgrims picture New York-style pies, they’re no doubt thinking of Patsy’s Pizzeria, an East Harlem dynasty that’s been serving smoky, crispy thin crust cooked out of its 91-year-old shop’s bituminous coal oven. One of the oldest progenitors of the style, the eatery was founded by Patsy Lancieri in 1933, and later begat other New York icons like Grimaldi’s and helped spawn a New York pizza renaissance that’s still very much alive. (Fun trivia: Its Harlem shop even played a major role in the horror prequel “A Quiet Place: Day One,” earlier this summer.) The first Patsy’s in Florida is registered to Matthew and Tonin Raja.

Norman Love Confections
1911 S. Federal Highway, Suite 104, Delray Beach; 561-749-9049; NormanLoveConfections.com

After conquering Florida’s west coast with his fleet of Euro-chic chocolate salons, chocolatier Norman Love has finally crossed the Glades with his first Delray Beach confectionary, set to open Sept. 20 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and an appearance from Love himself. His seventh shop in Florida — he’s already a fixture from Naples to Sarasota — debuts in the Delray Place plaza on South Federal Highway. Love is known for his handcrafted chocolates, truffles, bonbons, gelatos, desserts and pastries, which have been singled out in publications including USA Today and Forbes.

Carolina Ale House
123 NE 20th Ave., Deerfield Beach; LMRest.com

Remember the rash of Bru’s Room closings earlier this year? Restaurateur Lou Moshakos, the man behind the makeover of the Cove Waterfront Restaurant and Lucky Fish Pompano, has snapped up the sport bar’s old perch near the Deerfield Beach Pier and plans to open the 25th chain location of Carolina Ale House before year’s end. As with other Carolina Ale Houses, the sports-themed restaurant will carry pub fare: fish and chips, creamy spinach chicken and shrimp, steak frites, 28-day aged ribeye and Carolina baby back ribs, along with salads, burgers, cheesesteaks, a smoked brisket French dip, beers and cocktails.

Taco Labs
7619 S. State Road 7, Parkland; 561-961-0585, TacoLabsFL.com

No, it’s not some research center for tortillas, but owner Arun Sareen‘s (of Arun’s Indian Kitchen fame) modern taqueria does lean into the experimental with Indian-Mexican fusion tacos that mash up Mexican and New Delhi flavors. The restaurant, which replaces the former Blue Agave in the Waterways Shoppes at Parkland plaza, plans to debut later this fall, joining its flagship in east Boca Raton. Alongside the usual trendy favorites — al pastor, birria, carne asada — there’s also tinga and New Delhi tandoori, with proteins (chicken, steak, jackfruit or tofu) slow-cooked in a clay oven then tossed in a tangy spiced sauce. There are also chimichurri wings, Korean barbecue burritos, fajitas and, for dessert, churro and vanilla ice cream.

Parlor Doughnuts
444 NE Seventh St., Fort Lauderdale; parlordoughnuts.com/fort-lauderdale-fl 

Set to open this fall, this sweet newcomer to Flagler Village will offer signature layered doughnuts as well as vegan, gluten-free and keto-friendly options that feature a cake-like texture. There will also be a full coffee bar, plus special Pawler Dog Doughnuts available for your furry friends. The decor will mix modern with vintage Americana, evoking “parlor” rooms of 1900s Victorian homes. This marks Parlor Doughnuts’ first foray into Broward County, with future plans to open three more locations in the region.

Gabriella’s Modern Italian

40 NE Seventh Ave., Suite 160, Delray Beach; gabriellasfl.com

This new eatery just off buzzy-busy East Atlantic Boulevard is an offshoot of Gabriella’s Italian Steakhouse in downtown Red Bank, New Jersey. The Delray Beach version is expected to open this fall, according to a news release. The dinner menu in The Garden State original includes raw and chilled seafood, starters such as Shrimp Arrabiata and Truffle Ricotta, pastas, steaks and desserts ranging from Affogato Granita to Bombalonis.

Originally Published: November 7, 2024 at 8:55 AM EST