South Florida Restaurant Openings and Closings

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NOW OPEN OR OPENING

Cafe Landwer
9858 Clint Moore Road, Boca Raton; landwercafe.com

This Mediterranean chain with more than 80 locations around the world — including one in Hallandale Beach — has a history stretching all the way back to 1919 in Berlin, Germany. That legacy includes becoming one of Israel’s first coffee roasting houses in 1933. The new Boca Raton location, which opened on June 2, offers signature menu items such as schnitzel, shakshuka, hummus plates and house-made Rosalach pastries. “Bringing Cafe Landwer to Boca Raton is a meaningful step for us,” said cofounder Nir Caspi in a news release. “This community values great food, strong connections and a welcoming atmosphere, which is everything our brand stands for.”

Leo Diaz

Mr. Seas
1000 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; 561-665-4800; seagatedelray.com

This beachside restaurant in the recently renovated Beach Club at The Seagate resort opened to the general public on May 15. The lunch and dinner menus include options such as lobster rolls, poke bowls, fresh oysters and truffle fries, as well as globally influenced salads and grilled entrees. “Opening Mr. Seas to the public is an exciting milestone for us,” said Alex Schnoeller, managing director of The Seagate, in a statement. “From its roots as a beloved gathering place for local writers in the 1930s to present-day, we are proud to carry on that legacy, now as a vibrant destination for great food, drinks and lively conversation.”

Bad Parrot Café
601 Silks Run, Suite 1480, Hallandale Beach; 954-454-7000, gulfstreampark.com/bad-parrot

This new eatery in the shopping/dining/entertainment area at Gulfstream Park had a soft opening on April 17. The menu includes empanadas, egg bites, croissant sandwiches, a chicken Caesar wrap and a pesto chicken sandwich, as well as pastries such as pain au chocolat and brioche cinnamon rolls. Bad Parrot uses Italian coffee brand Hausbrandt for its espresso, macchiato, cappuccino, latte and matcha drinks.

Leaves & Roots Lounge
445 N Andrews Ave., Space 1, Fort Lauderdale; Instagram.com/leavesandrootslounge

Leaves & Roots Lounge used to bill itself as Florida’s “only all-vegan kava and kratom bar.” That’s when it was in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village (kind of behind what was Searstown) before moving to the Northeast 13th Street neighborhood in 2022. That location closed in December, according to social media posts, and Leaves & Roots Lounge has relocated to the opposite side of Flagler Village (next to the in-the-middle-of-being-rebuilt FAT Village) at Avenue Lofts apartments. This happened in May, according to an Instagram post by the lounge.

Jeff’s Bagel Run
9774 Glades Road, Suite A-2, Boca Raton; 561-617-5354, JeffsBagelRun.com

Inspired by the boiled-never-toasted New York bagels of his youth, cofounder Jeff Perera’s pandemic-born Central Florida franchise has exploded in recent years, growing to more than 20 locations. The latest debuted on May 23 in the Westwinds of Boca plaza and features 15 styles of chewy-soft bagels from cacio e pepe and asiago everything to cinnamon sugar and rosemary salt, alongside creative spreads (cookies and cream, cannoli, cake batter), coffees and lattes and uncommon treats such as red velvet doughnuts and egg waffle sandwiches. More locations are planned for later this year, according to the website, including in Coconut Creek and Plantation.

Poblano South
600 N. Congress Ave., Suite 160, Delray Beach; 561-632-9333; PoblanoSouth.com

What began as a buzzy food truck hub for award-winning smash burgers has now morphed into Marty Schecht’s first brick-and-mortar location, which quietly debuted on April 9 in the back of the Lake Ida Plaza strip mall. Its signature offering is the Rizo Smash Burger, the 2021 “Best Bite” winner at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. It’s a double stack of house-ground brisket, chuck and pork chorizo patty topped with American cheese, bread and butter pickles, caramelized onions and gochujang on a buttered, griddled potato bun. Poblano’s slim menu, refined over years in the food truck and as a Delray Beach GreenMarket vendor, also includes a breakfast sando and spicy street mac ‘n’ cheese.

Chip City
921 SE 17th St., Suite B-1, Fort Lauderdale; ChipCity.com

Yet another cookie monster has set its sugary sights on South Florida, and its newest location hosted a grand opening on May 23 on the 17th Street Causeway, joining other recently opened shacks in Delray Beach, Aventura and Miami. Founded by childhood friends Peter Phillips and Teddy Gailas in 2017, Chip City has been on a Florida tear in recent years after a $10 million investment by Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer. Their chunky 5 1/2-ounce cookie menu includes dairy-free chocolate chip made with oat milk and coconut oil, oatmeal apple pie, chocolate peanut butter, blueberry cheesecake, plus seasonal outliers such as hot honey cornbread and cannoli (stuffed with toasted pistachios, cannoli shells and cream).

Fat Boyz Barbecue
706 S. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale; FatBoyzBarbecue.com

Fat Boyz is growing yet again — this time with its first location south of Fort Lauderdale’s New River, which soft-opened March 28 across the street from Phat Boy Sushi, roughly a half-mile north of barbecue stronghold Tom Jenkins BBQ. Pitmaster Jarael Holston-Jones announced his new ‘cue shack in a social-media post. Longtime Fat Boyz fans have watched his smoky empire of meats expand and shrink over the past decade, but this new location will join outposts in Deerfield Beach, Coral Springs and another in Fort Lauderdale. It specializes in dry-rubbed St. Louis spare ribs kissed with hickory and spice, Texas-style brisket, smoked lean pastrami and its Big Daddy sandwich, a combo of pulled pork, chopped brisket and mac ‘n’ cheese on a Kaiser roll.

Voodoo Brewing Co.
3492 NE 12th Ave., Oakland Park; 954-395-8179; www.VoodooBrewery.com

This Pennsylvania-born beer franchise is the latest to bewitch the drink-happy Oakland Park Culinary Arts District, whose cup runneth over with three breweries, a distillery, a meadery, an arcade bar and a wine bar. Voodoo threw its grand opening on April 15. The brewery operates 26 other locations nationwide, and Oakland Park joins four Florida franchises in Fort Myers, St. Petersburg, Jacksonville and Valrico. Brews include Lacto-Kooler (a Berliner Weisse), Good Vibes (a West Coast IPA) Empty Calories (American lager) and Where Our Secrets Go (an imperial stout), paired with a gastropub-style menu of burgers, chicken wings and mac ‘n’ cheese.

The Char Bar
1701 S. Federal Highway, Delray Beach; 561-431-5601; PepesPizzeria.com

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, the Connecticut-born apizza icon known for its char-blistered pies has debuted its first full-liquor bar to mark the brand’s 100th birthday, The Char Bar, which opened in early April inside the Delray Beach location, is the first bar in any Frank Pepe location and features cocktails inspired by the eatery’s century in business. They include the Wooster Sour, named after its original New Haven spot, and Maiori Spritz, a nod to founder Frank Pepe’s birthplace in Italy. There are also Old Fashioneds, wines, draft beers and daily happy hour specials.

Dave’s Hot Chicken
320 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach; DavesHotChicken.com

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