13 Best Restaurants in Fort Lauderdale and Broward County, Florida

At this 12,000-square-foot oceanfront restaurant, second-floor stadium seating ensures all diners have ocean views while feasting on dishes from the scratch-made kitchen and wood-fired grill. You can't go wrong with the shucked-to-order oysters, the chef's choice fresh catch, or the cilantro key-lime chicken. Much of the second story seating is lounge style, allowing for an extra relaxed setting to enjoy the ocean breeze.

This fun-and-funky grease pit in Deerfield Beach is one of Broward County's favorite dives on the supercheap. Serving up massive beef burgers, chicken burgers, and veggie burgers piled high with unapologetically fattening toppings like candied bacon strips, haystack onion straws, hash browns, and blue cheese spread, this is the true diet nemesis. Grab a side of hand-cut sweet potato fries with your burger, wash it all down with a thick Key lime milk shake, and then seal the food coma deal with a dessert of fried Oreos fritters or The Carnie, fried Twinkies with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and powdered sugar.

This mid-century landmark whips up malts, shakes, and jumbo sundaes from ice cream that is made on site daily. Founder Monroe Udell's trademarked Kitchen Sink—a small sink full of ice cream, topped by sparklers—is a real hoot for parties. His daughter Linda is now the owner and operator. Don't have a sweet tooth? Jaxson's also serves salads, hot dogs, and hot sandwiches.

The crew at this seaside hole-in-the-wall puts on quite a show while assembling their sandwiches—locals rave that this indie chain has the best around. Fill up on the foot-long Monster (ham, turkey, roast beef, and cheese), Mama (turkey and Genoa salami), or hot meatballs marinara.

Locals can't get enough of OB House's commitment to quality; you'll find only fresh and organic ingredients here. Try cheesy grits, mega-pancakes with real Vermont maple syrup, or the free-range-egg omelets with wild-caught mahimahi. This intimate breakfast and lunch spot packs the house daily in an adaptive reuse of the old Fort Lauderdale post office.

Fresh, coastal-inspired dishes are enjoyed alfresco at this dockside restaurant, where each of the three bar areas and massive lounge get gorgeous Intracoastal views. Munch on the expected seaside starters like coconut shrimp, crispy calamari, and smoked fish dip before moving onto flatbreads, sushi, or one of the many entrées served at both lunch and dinner. The daily happy hour features half-price drinks and bites under $10. Arrive by boat or take advantage of the complimentary valet.

In the sports bar desert of South Florida, it's nice to know you can eat well while watching your team. American Social flaunts a seafood-mac-and-cheese skillet, shrimp-pesto flatbread, and a full spectrum of gourmet burgers with sides of Parmesan truffle fries or sweet-potato fries. The walls inside this space are adorned with magazine covers and library books, creating a setting that feels more like Boston than Fort Lauderdale.

Arrive early on weekends, as the restaurant quickly reaches capacity.

No matter the hour at this classic 24-hour diner, you can order no-nonsense breakfast favorites like oversize omelets with biscuits, toast, or English muffins. Good hangover eats abound, but don't expect anything exceptional besides the location and the low prices.

When heading out to the area's western reaches, this postage-stamp–size outpost can add down-home zing to your day—if you can find it, that is. Breakfast, which includes sausage gravy and biscuits, is served 7–11 am, but the big attraction is barbecue beef, pork, or chicken, on platters or in sandwiches for lunch and dinner. Other solid options include a spicy Brunswick stew and fried jumbo shrimp. There's apple, peach, cherry, and pecan pie, and a small-fry menu. Order takeout or eat at the counter, at wooden tables, or at a half dozen or so booths.

The sweet smell of waffle cones wafts into the Las Olas air from this old-fashioned confectionery chain that also sells hand-paddled fudge and scoops of homemade ice cream.

Despite molasses-slow service and an abundance of insects at sundown, this eatery is beloved by locals, and management seemed genuinely appalled when hordes of trend-seeking city slickers started jamming bar stools and tables after GQ and Oprah declared its thick, juicy Angus burgers the best around. Once a Sunoco gas station, this quirky waterside saloon has an enduring affection for claw-foot bathtubs; lunch will run you around $18 (burger $13.50; small fries $5).

The '90s are still alive and well at Lips. The hit restaurant and drag-show bar is a hot spot for groups celebrating birthdays, bachelorette parties, and other milestones requiring glitz and glamour. Watch extravagant performances while you eat, and be prepared for a few embarrassing moments—queens love to drag guests up on stage.

Locals go to Lips for Sunday's dragalicious Gospel Brunch, the only “church service" with bottomless mimosas (aka "holy water").