A real wave of openings landed between late 2025 and spring 2026 — Auberge Beach got a Mediterranean reset, The Fort pickleball complex landed a Top Chef alumni kitchen, Flagler Village got a cold-pressed outpost, and Sunrise Boulevard quietly added a speakeasy. These are the ones worth making a trip for.
Top Chef alumni Janine Booth and Jeff McInnis opened this ground-up coastal-clubhouse restaurant at The Fort, the city's social-sports complex, in January 2026. Southern-coastal menu, wood-plank salmon, and a wagyu meatloaf that locals actually talk about.
The reinvention of the former DUNE space at Auberge Beach Residences — same oceanfront dining room, lighter Mediterranean menu, and a genuinely strong seafood program. Grand opening landed in November 2025.
Hidden-entrance speakeasy tucked above Sunness Supper Club. Moody, vintage-inspired, live music most nights, and a craft cocktail program that's actually earning the speakeasy label — not just dimming the lights.
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The cold-pressed-juice brand's newest cafe, tucked into a small Flagler Village-adjacent corner. Smoothies, acai bowls, and wellness-forward plates — the kind of thing the neighborhood had been missing between the espresso bars and the gastropubs.
The new rooftop at the Omni Fort Lauderdale Hotel on 17th Street — opened late 2025. Small plates, a serious cocktail program, and views over the port and the Intracoastal. Cocktail-chic dress code applies.
Two-story, 5,000-square-foot tiki concept from James Flanigan of Old School Hospitality (Quarterdeck Restaurants) on the 17th Street Causeway. No relation to the Mai-Kai in Oakland Park — this is a modern Polynesian take with pan-Asian plates and flaming drinks.
The Dubai-born dessert concept's first U.S. location, opened on Cordova Road in summer 2025. Rolled ice cream, gourmet chocolate, crepes, and waffles made in front of you — it has already become a teen-and-date-night fixture on the south side.
Mediterranean-and-Spain-leaning cafe in a space that, over fifty years ago, was the owner's grandmother's dress shop. Saffron lattes, ensaimadas, and a hi-fi sound system for listening nights — a coffee shop with actual design intent.
Events, openings, hidden gems, and more — in a 3-minute read.
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