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NOW OPEN OR OPENING
Dear Olivia Bar & Kitchen
7805 N. University Drive, Suite 100, Parkland; DearOliviaParkland.com
Call it a sporty gastropub with nightclub DNA, or maybe a family restaurant with late-night aspirations. It’s all of those things, if you ask owners Paul Greenberg (co-founder of American Social) and the married team of Eddie and Christina Pozzuoli (Eddie & Vinny’s, Corvina Seafood Grill), who are debuting Dear Olivia with an Aug. 6 grand-opening party. Its 122-seat dining room and 110-seat patio want to spark nightlife in the sleepy Parkland ‘burbs, Pozzuoli and Greenberg told the Sun Sentinel earlier this year. Its casual comforts include spicy chicken sandwiches, brisket French dips, mushroom and black truffle flatbreads and Reuben egg rolls alongside double-smash cheeseburgers and its signature “Adult Happy Meal,” a Caesar salad paired with french fries, malt vinegar aioli and a martini. There are also desserts, cocktails and digestifs.
Masseria Caffé
5505 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 4, West Palm Beach; masseriacaffe.com
This West Palm Beach eatery is the second South Florida location for this New York City-based boutique brand (the other is in Palm Beach Gardens). Following a soft opening, it’s set for a grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 9. Masseria is known for its traditional Italian café culture menu that highlights freshly baked pastries, artisan breads, panini, focaccia and coffee. “We were drawn to this area by its growing food scene, strong sense of community and the charm of the South Dixie corridor, which we believe aligns well with the inviting and authentic atmosphere we aim to create,” Vito Coladonato, co-owner/managing partner, said. His father is chef Pino Coladonato, the executive chef who opened Sette Mezzo in New York City and later became executive chef/owner of Sette MoMA before helming La Masseria Group.
Crema Gourmet
421 NE Sixth St., Unit 2 (at EON Squared apartment complex), Fort Lauderdale; 954-839-8217
216 Clematis St., West Palm Beach; 561-823-3764
cremagourmet.com
This Miami-based chain opened in downtown West Palm Beach on May 29 and in Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village neighborhood on June 25. Crema serves breakfast fare, pressed juices, pastas, sandwiches, salads, wine and beer. Its most popular menu options include the Open Face Breakfast Sandwich, Chicken Club Sandwich and Salmon Bowl. Next up will be locations Pembroke Pines and Coconut Creek.
Salvo Osteria Romana
2389 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors; 754-200-4145; Facebook.com
This Italian restaurant opened to the public on July 4, taking over the Wilton Manors space that formerly housed Thai Me Up. Owner Salvo Mule told the South Florida Sun Sentinel: “There is no [authentic] Italian restaurant here. They have Italian American, but not Italian Italian. And I thought having been born in Italy and raised in Italy, a really good Italian restaurant would be an asset for Wilton Manors.” Some of chef Giancarlo Le Donne’s menu creations include Pork Chop alla Valdostana, Spinach Gnocchi, Seafood Carbonara, Saltimbocca alla Romana and Branzino alla Griglia.
Beach Buns Bakery
222 Commercial Blvd., Suite 102, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea; Instagram.com
This bakehouse four blocks west of the Commercial Boulevard pier is obsessed with buns — by which we mean bundt cakes and cinnamon rolls, not those you see suntanning on the beach. The shop, registered to owner Linda Alfano, had its grand opening in late April and features rotating housemade items including cinnamon-drizzled bundts, tres leches cakes, tiramisu, dulce de leche brownies, blueberry muffins, mini oatmeal raisin cookies, strawberry shortcake and even dog-friendly treats.
Revive Smoothie Bar
1680 SE 3rd Court, Unit 2, Deerfield Beach; 954-588-7869; revivesmoothiebar.com
Revive Smoothie Bar opened July 1 at The Cove Shopping Center and offers smoothies, juices, wellness shots, plant-based snacks, salads, grab-and-go meals and baked goods. “Our goal is to create a space where people can feel good about what they’re putting into their bodies,” says owner Alexandra Marciello. “Whether you’re stopping by after a workout, grabbing a quick breakfast, or just looking for a delicious way to cool down in the Florida heat, we’re here to offer something both tasty and beneficial.” Revive also offers drop-off catering.
McCray’s Bar & Grill
604 Lake Ave., Lake Worth Beach; 561-494-5104
His name has been synonymous with Palm Beach County barbecue, with his family’s restaurant evolving from a gathering space for civil right activists in the ’50s and ’60s to a pit stop that has catered the past 18 Super Bowls. Derrick McCray, the man in charge of flipping baby back ribs and wings over a hickory live fire, reopened on Lake Avenue over Fourth of July weekend, more than a year after illness and a falling-out with his landlord forced him to shut his 45th Street flagship in Riviera Beach. “Some ancestral thing in me wanted me to keep things going,” he told the Sun Sentinel earlier this month. “Now I got the opportunity to feed people again.” The new 7,860-square-foot spot offers the same “Floribbean” style barbecue that made him famous, including smoked brisket, pulled pork and chicken, along with sides of cracked conch, potato salad, baked beans and new vegan options. The restaurant also offers a hookah bar, two full-liquor bars, live music and TV sets featuring live sports.
KPot Korean BBQ and Hot Pot
15995 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines; TheKPot.com
The second South Florida location of this all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue and Chinese hot pot mashup debuted July 28 in the city’s Westfork Plaza, a KPOT spokesperson told the Sun Sentinel. Essentially a DIY restaurant, customers pay a flat price to grill and boil a buffet of marinated meats and vegetables tableside. For example, diners can sear bulgogi beef, pork belly, spicy chicken and garlic shrimp on built-in tabletop grills, or dip tofu, noodles and dumplings in steamy cauldrons of flavorful broth on built-in burners. KPOT’s Coral Springs flagship opened in April.
Rossano’s Pizza Lab
1445 N. Congress Ave., Suite 12, Delray Beach; rossanospizzalab.com
Ever since the pandemic, pizza-heads have made the pilgrimage to Marcelo Rossano’s soccer- and pizza-themed truck parked in downtown Delray Beach, showering praise on his Neapolitan pies fired at 950 degrees with 48-hour fermented dough. Now his food truck — built with help from the community he serves — has expanded, with Rossano opening his first brick-and-mortar on July 14. The new takeout joint, adorned with ocean-blue and yellow-tiled walls, has an order window and serves 16 pies similar to those from his food truck. They include Margherita, pepperoni, veggie, and ham and cheese.
Eathai, Boca Raton
6299 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton; 561-270-3156; EaThaiFlorida.com
Chef Sopanut Sopochana — chef So to his friends — has moved his 9-year-old Delray restaurant mashing up traditional and street-food Thai cuisine 3 miles south into the Boca Raton space formerly occupied by Fries to Caviar. Eathai reopened on June 25 with a dining room resplendent in gold-accent lights, loungey wood tones and bar shelves stocked with soju and sake. Here, Chef So specializes in clever reinventions of modern Thai, including “skinny Pad Thai” with less oil and bean thread noodles, “French toasted” Thai chicken, crispy duck breast with lychee curry sauce, oxtail spicy basil fried rice and bone marrow noodle soup, along with cocktails from lychee mojitos to Thai iced tea martinis.
Jeff’s Bagel Run
9774 Glades Road, Suite A-2, Boca Raton; 561-617-5354, JeffsBagelRun.com
Inspired by the boiled-never-toasted New York bagels of his youth, cofounder Jeff Perera’s pandemic-born Central Florida franchise has exploded in recent years, growing to more than 20 locations. The latest debuted on May 23 in the Westwinds of Boca plaza and features 15 styles of chewy-soft bagels from cacio e pepe and asiago everything to cinnamon sugar and rosemary salt, alongside creative spreads (cookies and cream, cannoli, cake batter), coffees and lattes and uncommon treats such as red velvet doughnuts and egg waffle sandwiches. More locations are planned for later this year, according to the website, including in Coconut Creek and Plantation.
Cafe Landwer
9858 Clint Moore Road, Boca Raton; landwercafe.com
This Mediterranean chain with more than 80 locations around the world — including one in Hallandale Beach — has a history stretching all the way back to 1919 in Berlin, Germany. That legacy includes becoming one of Israel’s first coffee roasting houses in 1933. The new Boca Raton location, which opened on June 2, offers signature menu items such as schnitzel, shakshuka, hummus plates and house-made Rosalach pastries. “Bringing Cafe Landwer to Boca Raton is a meaningful step for us,” said cofounder Nir Caspi in a news release. “This community values great food, strong connections and a welcoming atmosphere, which is everything our brand stands for.”
Mr. Seas
1000 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; 561-665-4800; seagatedelray.com
This beachside restaurant in the recently renovated Beach Club at The Seagate resort opened to the general public on May 15. The lunch and dinner menus include options such as lobster rolls, poke bowls, fresh oysters and truffle fries, as well as globally influenced salads and grilled entrees. “Opening Mr. Seas to the public is an exciting milestone for us,” said Alex Schnoeller, managing director of The Seagate, in a statement. “From its roots as a beloved gathering place for local writers in the 1930s to present-day, we are proud to carry on that legacy, now as a vibrant destination for great food, drinks and lively conversation.”
Bad Parrot Café
601 Silks Run, Suite 1480, Hallandale Beach; 954-454-7000, gulfstreampark.com/bad-parrot
This new eatery in the shopping/dining/entertainment area at Gulfstream Park had a soft opening on April 17. The menu includes empanadas, egg bites, croissant sandwiches, a chicken Caesar wrap and a pesto chicken sandwich, as well as pastries such as pain au chocolat and brioche cinnamon rolls. Bad Parrot uses Italian coffee brand Hausbrandt for its espresso, macchiato, cappuccino, latte and matcha drinks.
Leaves & Roots Lounge
445 N Andrews Ave., Space 1, Fort Lauderdale; Instagram.com/leavesandrootslounge
Leaves & Roots Lounge used to bill itself as Florida’s “only all-vegan kava and kratom bar.” That’s when it was in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village (kind of behind what was Searstown) before moving to the Northeast 13th Street neighborhood in 2022. That location closed in December, according to social media posts, and Leaves & Roots Lounge has relocated to the opposite side of Flagler Village (next to the in-the-middle-of-being-rebuilt FAT Village) at Avenue Lofts apartments. This happened in May, according to an Instagram post by the lounge.
Poblano South
600 N. Congress Ave., Suite 160, Delray Beach; 561-632-9333; PoblanoSouth.com
What began as a buzzy food truck hub for award-winning smash burgers has now morphed into Marty Schecht’s first brick-and-mortar location, which quietly debuted on April 9 in the back of the Lake Ida Plaza strip mall. Its signature offering is the Rizo Smash Burger, the 2021 “Best Bite” winner at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. It’s a double stack of house-ground brisket, chuck and pork chorizo patty topped with American cheese, bread and butter pickles, caramelized onions and gochujang on a buttered, griddled potato bun. Poblano’s slim menu, refined over years in the food truck and as a Delray Beach GreenMarket vendor, also includes a breakfast sando and spicy street mac ‘n’ cheese.
Chip City
921 SE 17th St., Suite B-1, Fort Lauderdale; ChipCity.com
Yet another cookie monster has set its sugary sights on South Florida, and its newest location hosted a grand opening on May 23 on the 17th Street Causeway, joining other recently opened shacks in Delray Beach, Aventura and Miami. Founded by childhood friends Peter Phillips and Teddy Gailas in 2017, Chip City has been on a Florida tear in recent years after a $10 million investment by Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer. Their chunky 5 1/2-ounce cookie menu includes dairy-free chocolate chip made with oat milk and coconut oil, oatmeal apple pie, chocolate peanut butter, blueberry cheesecake, plus seasonal outliers such as hot honey cornbread and cannoli (stuffed with toasted pistachios, cannoli shells and cream).
OTHER RECENT OPENINGS
Num Num Baked Potato & Waffle House, 410 Evernia St., Suite 108, West Palm Beach; 561-227-9681. This eclectic comfort-food hub, which opened in early May, specializes in Turkish-style loaded baked potatoes called kumpir, along with egg waffles topped with fruits and ice cream, hot dogs and housemade pastries. Did we mention it’s eclectic?
La Terraza Cubana, 3428 E. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach; 954-933-2003; Instagram.com/LaTerrazaCubana. Traditional Cuban staples meet Italian and seafood fare at this beachside sit-down, which opened May 20 and carries paella marinera, tostones, croquetas, empanadas and mixed ceviche alongside roasted pork legs, grilled beef skewers, lamb chops and pastas.
Sunday’s Eatery, 2010 NW Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale; SundaysEatery.com. The second location of this soul-food restaurant, co-owned by rapper Trick Daddy, debuted in July on Sistrunk Boulevard, replacing the former Donna’s Caribbean. It features a menu of fried ribs, grilled snapper, catfish and blue banana pudding. A Miami Gardens flagship opened in 2019.
Crumbl, 3760 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach; 954-698-2215; crumblecookies.com. The grand opening took place on July 11 for this dessert destination franchise owned by married SoFlo couple Courtney and Jamil Newell.
Monster Subs, 2172 W. Oakland Park Blvd., Oakland Park; 954-982-2801; monster-subs.com. Monster Subs opened in 1996 and closed in 2023. Now chef and restaurateur Jody Tobin has resuscitated the eatery, keeping the menu largely the same. A grand re-opening took place in May.
CLOSED
Grandview Public Market
1401 Clare Ave., West Palm Beach; cityfoodhall.com/grandview
Grandview Public Market, the multi-vendor hub in West Palm Beach, was scheduled to shutter for good on Thursday, July 31, after seven years in business. A July 18 post by The Warehouse District, site of the food hall, stated: “We’re sad to see the end of an era. The Food Hall has been the heart of the Warehouse District since it first opened.” Grandview’s Miami-based operator, City Food Hall, asked to terminate its lease earlier this summer, according to CBS12. The food hall included spots such as Ramen Lab Eatery, Drunk Tacos, CesArt Boutique Delights and Clare Ave Grille.
Flashback Diner
4125 Davie Road, Davie; FlashbackDiner.com
For 16 years, this 24-hour diner dished chicken and waffles, omelets, coffee and fresh pastries along the Davie Road drag, but on June 22 owner Toula Amanna closed her retro-fabulous restaurant, liquidating all its kitchen equipment and furniture at a short-notice auction. The reason: Amanna sold three properties including the restaurant and its 2.65 acres of land to the town of Davie’s Community Redevelopment Agency for $14 million, property records show. The town intends to transform the area into new a Davie Road-facing complex called Saddlebridge Apartments while expanding the Bergeron Rodeo Grounds just south of the property, according to Davie’s Planning and Zoning Board. Flashback’s last existing location in Hallandale Beach remains open.
Swirl Wine Bistro
4976 W. Atlantic Blvd., Margate; SwirlBistro.com
After eight years of serving high-end Caribbean, European and American fusion, owners Mike and Judith Able closed their adventurous bistro on June 27 in Margate, citing a “slowing of guest reservations and attendance, overall sales, rising rent and food costs,” in a letter the couple posted on social media. The restaurant specialized in a rotating menu from chef Judith Able, a graduate of Johnson & Wales University (and onetime winner of Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games”). In the days since closing, the Ables have rebooted Swirl as a pickup-only catering business, according to their Facebook page.
OTHER RECENT CLOSURES
Tin Fish, 10053 Sunset Strip, Sunrise; TinFishRestaurants.com. This American-style seafood staple closed in June after 11 years, with the chain’s website de-listing its social media and phone number. A Boca Raton location remains open, along with 10 more outposts in Florida, California and Indiana.
Not So Bizaare Ave Cafe, 921 Lake Ave., Lake Worth Beach; Facebook.com. After more than 10 years of laying dormant, this eclectic boho-chic hotspot reopened in August 2024 under new ownership, but now it is closed again. Though there’s no official word from chef/restaurateur Lisa “Aloha-Lani” Mercado on the eatery’s Facebook page, the eatery seems to have shuttered sometime in April. Now comes word that Off The Clock plans to open in the space sometime in November.
Lula’s by Todd English, 717 Lake Ave., Lake Worth Beach; 561-660-8798; lulasbytoddenglish.com. After a grand opening a few blocks from the ocean back in October 2024, the restaurant that offered Mediterranean cuisine with Tuscan touches closed at the beginning of this past June. In South Florida, the celebrity chef and four-time James Beard Award winner also had Todd’s in West Palm Beach, Figs in Palm Beach Gardens, Wild Olives in Boca Raton and Da Campo Osteria in Fort Lauderdale.
