The Resy Guide to Dining in Fort Lauderdale

There are Italian restaurants, and then there’s Anthony’s Runway 84, which encompasses everything people love about Italian-American  dining. There’s an intangible quality to dinner at Runway, where the red sauces and crooning jazz music foster an ambience of old-school elegance, the kind of place you’d have expected to walk into in mid-century New York. Servers and bartenders stay for decades, and if you’re lucky enough to be a regular they all treat you like family. The chicken vodka parmigiana is the current menu favorite, but you can’t go wrong with the classic pastas or fresh-cut steaks.

South Florida has no shortage of restaurants touting their sourcing from local farms. But nowhere gives guests the flavors of the Sunshine State quite like Daniel’s, where nearly the entire menu is comprised of ingredients from Florida. During slower summer months, chef Danny Ganem travels the state, discovering ingredients and forging partnerships with farmers from South Dade to the Panhandle. He then crafts his menu based on what he finds, using Suwanee River wagyu in meatballs and pastrami, and Florida tomatoes in the burrata salad. Further down the entrees you’ll find meats from other places too, like prime beef from South Dakota and Australian lamb. But the tastes from Florida still permeate every dish.

Presumably tired by years of the dreaded Broward-to-Dade commute, Timon Balloo decided to open his own spot closer to home. And so the chef who made Sugarcane famous gave us The Katherine, which in three years has already become a staple on the Broward County dining scene. Balloo’s wife Marissa runs the dining room, greeting every guest as if they’re regulars. Timon mans the kitchen, where he puts out the same style of Caribbean-inspired creativity that’s earned him numerous James Beard nominations. The jerk grilled chicken thighs are the easy pick, three-day marinated in a scotch bonnet sauce. The Florida snapper curry is a shining example of how Balloo mixes Asian flavors into his dishes, in this case a ginger-heavy Thai style curry served over coconut rice.

For a pizza place to get the attention of the world’s most renowned tire manufacturer/restaurant authority, the pies have to be pretty spectacular. Heritage delivers and then some, packing the small dining  room in Flagler Village every night, in-season and out. It’s the creation of Rino Cerbone, who local music fans may know as the lead singer of Stellar Revival. Turns out he’s even more talented as a pizzaiolo, putting out thin, charred-crust pizzas with tangy sauce and smooth cheese. The open kitchen and small dining area give Heritage endless energy, and on the off chance you’re not feeling pizza, the fresh pastas are good, too.

Dining by the beach can be a mixed bag. The view is always guaranteed, but some restaurants rely a little too heavily on their aesthetics and leave the food as an afterthought. Lucky Fish, however, brings a menu that matches its beachside beauty, where you’ll feel the balmy breezes blowing off the Atlantic while sipping on a cocktail. Resist the temptation to order the usual fried fish appetizers and delve a little deeper into the menu. You’ll find refreshing creations like the Island Chopped Salad with mango salsa, peppers, and a pineapple mojo vinaigrette. The blackened fish tacos and lucky fish bowl are equally light, though if you’re up for something meaty, the smashburgers are some of Broward’s best.

There are myriad reasons for Pompano Beach’s recent renaissance, but the most visible is the buzz around its long-neglected pier. Its cornerstone dining destination is Oceanic, a two-level beachfront restaurant that feels equal parts elegant and funky. Guests are welcome to stroll in straight off the beach, as shorts and flip flops are completely acceptable dinner attire. But the food is more like what you’d find at a white tablecloth seafood restaurant, with seared tuna with ponzu and mahi lime ceviche heading the menu. Oceanic prides itself on its diverse seafood selections, with over a dozen entrees ranging from Thai curry snapper to cashew-crusted salmon. And while the steaks aren’t necessarily advertised, the Hawaiian grilled ribeye and churrasco with chimichurri are far from afterthoughts.

One of the best places to explore the spicy, savory satisfaction that is Trinidadian cuisine is Joy’s, who moved from its old sandwich shop digs into this larger location a few years back. Start with doubles, a traditional street food made with deep fried dough, a layer of spiced chickpeas, and curried meats. Then move on to paratha, the Trinidadian take on the crepe where a flour-based skin is filled with meat, potatoes, and a unique blend of Caribbean spices. Your order may take a minute – this is a genuine island experience. But for flavors of the southern West Indies, nowhere in South Florida comes close.

Walk-ins only. More info here.

Sometimes, all you want is a hamburger. And maybe a cookie, covered in more cookies and chocolate-covered pretzels. For those indulgent occasions there’s Gilbert’s 17^th Street Grill, a family-run, strip mall burger joint that’s been putting out the best burgers in South Florida for over 15 years. Every hamburger is flame broiled, cutting down on the grease and adding a distinct, smoky flavor. The oversized patties are then topped with all kinds of original combinations, like sundried tomato pesto, chimichurri, and Louisiana Cajun burgers. The desserts are almost as exceptional as the beef, with home-baked cookies covered in other confections. You might say they’re Instagrammable, but Gilbert’s was doing this long before social media.

Walk-ins only. Learn more here.

The classic Jewish Deli is vanishing across South Florida, but Top Hat is one of the precious few that remain. There’s nothing novel about the cuisine here, but those who crave an old-fashioned corned beef on rye with chips and a Dr. Browns can scratch that itch. Breakfast and brunch are a treat at Top Hat too, where you’ll find standards like matzo brei and blintzes alongside more unusual stuff like breakfast ramen and “doughssants.” It’s the kind of place that evokes nostalgia from childhood visits to grandparents in Florida, and a go-to lunch spot that never lets you down.

Walk-ins only. Learn more here.