Best Restaurants in Fort Lauderdale

by The OpenTable Team

Updated 15 December 2021

Fort Lauderdale sits on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and is close to popular beaches, glamorous hotels and waterfront resorts. Like many cities in Florida, Fort Lauderdale is a popular spot for tourists looking to enjoy water sports and outdoor activities like canoeing, sailing, swimming, and golfing. When visiting this coastal city, diners will have the option of a variety of settings from casual to fine dining. Whether the diner wants to splurge on a fancy meal or is on a tight budget and needs to find some good but low-cost eats, they'll find it in Fort Lauderdale. In Fort Lauderdale, there are numerous top seafood restaurants, steakhouses and cafes. Around the city of Fort Lauderdale, diners will find some of the best oyster bars, sushi bars and fish markets. Their menus include casual dishes like fish tacos and fried shrimp as well as less common seafood recipes like grilled octopus, caviar and fried alligator. Diners looking for a romantic ambiance or to celebrate a special occasion will enjoy dining at one of Fort Lauderdale's waterfront restaurants. There are also several casual beachfront hangouts where diners can kick back in shorts and a t-shirt after a day of jet skiing, snorkeling or playing a little beach volleyball. Dress up and go out to one of Fort Lauderdale's posh restaurants where diners will be served by professional waiters and waitresses dressed in vests or tuxedo uniforms. Grab the kids and head to a restaurant that has a special kid's menu with child-friendly activities and fun foods like spaghetti, burgers, pizza, and macaroni and cheese. No matter the type of restaurant, the style of food or the budget for a meal, Fort Lauderdale has a restaurant that can meet your expectations. Its food scene will not disappoint.

Andy's Live Fire Grill

4.6

4.6 (826)

$30 and under

American

Poinciana Park

About the restaurant

Andy's Live Fire Grill is located in one of Fort Lauderdale's most iconic buildings. Its menu is centered around meats from its grill such as its portobello mushroom burger, cast iron chicken and creole snapper. Side dishes prepared on the grill such as blistered kale and appetizers like lollipop lamb chops are another specialty. At Andy's, diners can try a new dish from its featured daily specials. Some of its daily specials include chicken pot pie, oysters and fried chicken. During the week, the restaurant hosts a Happy Hour with drink and appetizer specials. Diners eating here can choose to eat in the dining room where they can look out on the water. There is also a bar area for casual dining and enjoying cocktails. Takeout and delivery is also available. Andy's Live Fire Grill is owned and managed by experienced restaurateurs. Its Executive Chef, Kyle "Big Dog” Dowgiewicz, is a Fort Lauderdale native with a passion for grill recipes. He even named a burger "the big dawg" after himself. Chef Big Dog has several YouTube videos that show off his grilling skills and give viewers a glimpse into dining at Andy's Live Fire Grill. This restaurant was established in 2018.

Top review

NadineFloyd

Dined on 1 Apr 2023

Always a great experience at Andy’s. This time we celebrated a birthday while watching the Final Four tournament game. We all had such an amazing experience!

Anthony's Clam House

4.7

4.7 (1240)

$31 to $50

Italian

Landings

About the restaurant

The chefs at Anthony's are professionally trained in Italian cooking. This restaurant serves both lunch and dinner and was established in 2019. There is also a weekday Happy Hour with daily drink and food specials. Its regular menu features a variety of seafood, pasta and grill items. Some of its most popular dishes include shrimp scampi, bruschetta, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken marsala, and salmon picatta. Freshly made pizza with a variety of toppings is another one of this restaurant's specialties. After dinner, diners can indulge in a sweet treat like ricotta cheesecake or one of its signature cocktails. The dining room at Anthony's is divided into sections (including a bar area) making for more intimate dining. Diners will also appreciate its sophisticated decor including a black and marble top bar, a decorative ceiling with backlighting, light wood floors, and mounted televisions on which diners can watch their favorite teams, like the Miami Dolphins and the Miami Heat, compete. Anthony's Clam House is conveniently located off of I-870 and I-1. Its chef, Walter Hernandez, is passionate about cooking with fresh, quality seafood.

Top review

SandiVIP

Dined 6 days ago

The Salmon Risotto was superb. The portion so large I took home for next day lunch and that was large too! My husbands veal Parmesan was huge too and delicious. The mussels before dinner were excellent!!

Discover more