If there’s one thing I learned from 15 years living in Fort Lauderdale, it’s that Lauderdalians relish not being in Miami. Up here in the 954, traffic is slightly less daunting, things largely run on time, everybody’s got a canal in their backyard and you can probably walk into your favorite restaurant tonight without a reservation.
That last point can be a bit trickier if we’re talking about the best restaurants in Fort Lauderdale, which you’ll find in Time Out’s deeply researched and freshly updated guide below. Here in the Venice of America, the best restaurants (mostly) don’t have DJs or bathroom attendants or bottle service in roped-off areas for the cool kids.
What the restaurants in Fort Lauderdale do have are chefs doing creative things with menus that would kill in Miami, and beloved Old Florida joints you just don’t see many of these days. There are also some downright amazing Thai, Jewish, meat-pocket subs, and, well, you’ll see on this list below of Fort Lauderdale’s best restaurants.
July 2025: There’ve been a couple of notable casualties since we last updated this guide to Fort Lauderdale’s dining scene: the long-running Southwestern staple Canyon, and Dune by Laurent Tourondel at the Auberge. In their stead, fresh spots like Evelyn’s at the Four Seasons have been slotted in, along with the newly reopened Mai-Kai, a historic Polynesian restaurant and show that underwent a multi-year restoration. Beyond the general housekeeping, we’ve cut this list down from 30 entries to just 12 and streamlined the entire guide to include the most up-to-date info and scintillating insider tips—all so you can make the most of your next meal out at the best restaurants in Fort Lauderdale.
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