It’s been a long while since we could all happily enjoy a restaurant meal without thinking long and hard about the coronavirus pandemic and the apparent risks when eating out.
But when we do go out and make the most of the new found freedom that should occur in the coming weeks and months, we are sure to congregate in all the best eateries we can, especially in South Florida.
Restrictions, guidelines and hesitancy has led to a decreased presence in restaurants in the state, even among those that are open for business.
The vaccine rollout should lead to a better 2021 than 2020 and to help you find out where best to make the most of great food, as well as an excellently laid out and designed restaurant space, we’ve come up with three places you simply must check out!
Shooters Waterfront
This Fort Lauderdale institution, which has been in this location since 1982, is always a pleasure to visit. Bright and friendly during the day and hip and happening every evening, this classily designed restaurant is a feast for the eyes and the stomach.
Clearly seafood is something that goes down well in South Florida and Shooters know how to make it exceedingly tasty, in whatever form you’d like it. Among our favorite dishes we’d recommend the likes of the baked seafood pasta, the cashew-crusted mahi and the unforgettable grilled soy-ginger glazed salmon.
Their drinks menu is also off the charts and every visit to Shooters delivers on all fronts from the stylish design to the excellent carefree service.
As well as a great venue for drinking and eating, Shooters also offers an array of other activities, including yoga classes, sushi making sessions and fashion shows. It really is a one-stop shop for all things stylish.
Juniper on the Water
This great waterfront restaurant is a real joy to experience, both due to their gorgeous menu as well as their stylish dining set-up.
A very high-end eatery with some of the best seafood in the area, you can get a great ocean view and take in the sights from the patio. Their wood chairs are ideal for a restaurant of this caliber.
Their cocktail menu is something else and can be enjoyed the maximum during their happy hour, 4-7 from Monday to Friday. Another reason to check out this Hallandale Beach venue is their superb weekend brunches. A real jewel in the South Floridian culinary crown.
The Cook and the Cork
We absolutely love the design and feel of this Coral Springs restaurant, which offers amazing food and even more amazing wine. A real treat for the senses, both inside and out, where diners can now make the most of the patio, which is even more suitable given the current COVID-19 climate.
The food is a nice mix of flavors, of which our top choice would have to be their dry-aged, prime NY steak, which comes alongside a dreamy warm mushroom-horseradish salad that is hard to beat.
The Cook and the Cork has been a hugely popular attraction in the area ever since it opened back in 2014 and their ‘New American’ menu is a nice mixture of tried and tested fayre offered with a nice twist to liven up the senses.
Dune
Another great waterfront restaurant and one that has a great mix of seating arrangements and mood, whether that be when entertaining on the oceanfront terrace or in a private dining room. Each setting is perfectly designed and fit to the standards and ambience of this long-running Fort Lauderdale location.
Their website cleverly, and astutely, states they offer a ‘superb yet uncomplicated’ menu and that’s precisely what they provide. Whether it’s their day boat scallops or their Key West shrimp, you know what you are getting is the highest range.
This place lacks the pretensions of some top restaurants and that’s down to their confidence they have garnered from consistently pleasing their countless visitors, they’ve done fine dining down to a fine art and you’d be a fool to miss out on what they have to offer and might we suggest you take special notice of their Kurobuta pork chops!
These four excellent eateries are just a small sample of the great restaurants you should check out the next time you want to have your senses dazzled by delightful design and great cuisine.
