Lauderdale does date night better than it gets credit for. Between Las Olas dining rooms, Intracoastal waterfront tables, and quiet north-end Italian rooms, there's a version of a good night out for every stage of the relationship.
The signature restaurant inside the W Fort Lauderdale, with a 15-foot jellyfish tank behind the bar and a dining room that opens onto the beach. It's the FTL beach-hotel date night that doesn't feel like a tourist trap.
Loud, theatrical, unmistakably Martorano — the dining room runs on hip-hop and red sauce. Dates who are into it leave singing. The meatballs and the Sunday gravy are the order.
Rooftop-leaning Japanese at the Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach. Sushi is serious, small plates are built for sharing, and the oceanfront views are a real selling point without dominating the room.
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Intracoastal waterfront that locals have been bringing out-of-town guests to for decades. Tables open directly onto the dock — tarpon show up nightly at the feeding and the deck bar is a full date night on its own.
The high-volume Italian anchor on Las Olas — wood-fired pizzas, house-made pasta, and a patio that turns into a people-watching front row on the boulevard. A reliable midweek date night that doesn't require a weeks-ahead reservation.
Intracoastal steak-and-seafood room where the bar runs loud and the dining room leans special-occasion. Pull up to the dock by boat or take the long walk out on the Intracoastal for an after-dinner lap.
Second-story dining room on Las Olas with a balcony that gets the boulevard sunset. Italian menu runs traditional — homemade pasta, wood-fired pizza, and a strong tiramisu — without the Louie Bossi wait list.
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