20 Best Restaurants in Fort Lauderdale and Broward County, Florida

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.

Village Tavern is truly a neighborhood hub for those who love good food, good wine and cocktails, and great company. The bar scene is always fun, especially on Wine Wednesday, when all the wines (even the premium labels) are half-price by the glass. As the bar fills up, the patio is a great option for drinking and dining; however, it's really hard to find a seat outside in the summer. Dogs are more than welcome to join on the terrace, and the servers are extra hospitable. The eclectic and well-rounded menu is rooted in fresh ingredients, and everything is made from scratch.

This casual Weston outpost is one of chef Angelo Elia's popular Tuscan-inspired restaurants in Broward County. Affordable small plates, salads, ceviches, and pizzas are neighborhood favorites. Kids of all ages love the rotating selection of homemade gelatos.

This casual beachfront eatery is arguably Lauderdale-by-the-Sea's most famous restaurant. Aruba Beach serves Caribbean-American cuisine, with standouts like conch chowder and conch fritters. Fresh tropical salads, sandwiches, and seafood are also available, but the café is famous for its Bimini bread with Aruba glaze (think challah with doughnut glaze). There's always live music, and the Sunday breakfast buffet starts at 9 am.

A must-visit Las Olas landmark, Big City Tavern mingles Asian entrées like shrimp pad Thai with Italian four-cheese ravioli and an American grilled-chicken Cobb salad. The crispy flatbread changes every day.

Big City is open late for drinks, with a special late-night food menu.

Inside this magical enclave, a Southwestern fusion of Central and South American flavors and a twist of Asian influence are on the menu. Pair the fresh seafood or wild game with a robust selection of tequilas, a few mezcals, or a bottle from the decent wine list. Cocktail lovers should start with the signature prickly-pear margarita.

On an island that was once a bootlegger's haunt, this ramshackle seafood spot reached by launch has served the famous as well as the infamous, including the likes of Winston Churchill, FDR, JFK, and Al Capone. Cap was Captain Theodore Knight, born in 1871, who, with partner-in-crime Al Hasis, floated a derelict barge to the area in the '20s. Broward's oldest restaurant, built on the barge, is run by Hasis's descendants. Sesame-crusted mahimahi is served with soy-ginger sauce, flaky rolls are baked fresh, and tangy lime pie is a great finale. Clams and oysters are shucked to order, and the hearts of palm salad is made from local Okeechobee harvest.

The menu at this piano bar and restaurant offers a global hodgepodge of American, Mediterranean, and Asian flavors, with a specific focus on eclectic preparations of Florida fish. The food isn't particularly good, but the atmosphere at this historic home is excellent. Prepare for long waits to sit outside—it's incredibly popular for the direct views of the ocean.

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.

Grampa's Bakery and Restaurant provides a cheery, homey fix of comfort foods from the charbroiler, fryer, and grill. You won't go hungry ordering Grampa's chili with cheese, lox, eggs, or biscuits and gravy. Check out the sweets at the bakery counter up front or head next door to Jaxson's for some ice cream.

Come for the breakfast food, and skip the dinner menu.

Most days, the Italian sandwiches, specialty breads, and pastries sell out before noon at this aptly named bakery ("large oven" in Italian). Customers line up in the morning to get Gran Forno's hot artisanal breads like ciabatta (800 loaves are made a day), returning later for the decadent desserts. The eatery's second outpost (called Gran Forno Pronto) is five blocks east on Las Olas and offers a full-service menu.

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.

The late Wayne McDonald started with a cozy one-room roadhouse in 1955 when this stretch of Dania Beach was a remote service road just west of the little airport. The still-rustic place brags that it's "still crackin'." The huge menu features garlic crabs (patrons bang crabs open with mallets on tables covered with newspapers) and peel-and-eat shrimp (either with garlic and butter or spiced and steamed). Finish off your meal with Key lime pie made from a family recipe.

S3 stands for the fabulous trio of sun, surf, and sand, paying homage to its prime beachfront location. The menu features a variety of Japanese-inspired raw dishes, sushi rolls, and dishes with a New American focus. Located on the ground floor of the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, S3 flaunts a fun and fresh swagger. On any given night, you’ll find a mix of locals and tourists loving life while enjoying nightly themes, such as Wine Wednesday.

It's not just the steaks that impress at Stephen Starr's superstar spot inside the W Fort Lauderdale, the seafood selections shine, too. Order as many dishes as possible, like the lobster and crab-coconut ceviche, the red snapper tiradito, and the Colorado lamb chops. Fancy a side of tater tots? The hyperbolic tater comes in pancake form, stuffed with sour cream. There are sweeping views of the ocean and an intimate atmosphere in the dining room. Sunday brunch is busy, so arrive early for the best views. If you have to wait for a table, at least there's a giant aquarium with a smack of bioluminescent jellyfish.

Stork's Café stands out as a friendly coffeehouse and café for gourmet sandwiches and salads. In addition to brewing eight types of coffee, Stork's has excellent baked goods that range from croissants, tortes, cakes, and pies to "monster cookies," including gingersnaps and snickerdoodles. It's open until midnight every night of the week.

For a casual, almost funky, nautical experience near the beach, look no further than this raw bar featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. If you want to blend in, order a fish special with whale fries—thinly sliced potatoes that look like hot potato chips. (People come from near and far for these famous fries!) Those with smaller appetites can choose from salads and raw-bar favorites like steamed Ipswich clams.

In the heart of Las Olas at the Riverside Hotel, this seafood restaurant and bar keeps things simple with a small menu focused on a beautiful raw bar and ever-changing preparations of diverse catches from Florida, Hawaiian, and New England waters.