Coming Soon: Exciting New Restaurants in South Florida
Naked Farmer
111 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; EatNakedFarmer.com
This casual American restaurant, which changes its menu with the seasons, plans to open in March on upscale restaurant row Las Olas Boulevard. A farm-to-fork brand born in Tampa, Naked Farmer created its own protein and produce supply chain with Florida farms, including Natalie’s Orchid in Fort Pierce and Pacific Tomato Growers in Palmetto, per its website. The sit-down specializes in build-your-own-harvest-bowls, with options such as rosemary-roasted chicken, Faroe Island salmon and grass-fed beef. Bowls also include sides such as chilled beets and feta, roasted sweet potatoes and carrots with lemon gremolata. The mini-chain also operates local outposts in Sunrise, Coral Gables, and Miami.
Elysium Immersive Dining
3128 N. Federal Highway, Lighthouse Point; 754-444-4151; ElysiumImmersiveDining.com
Want video projections of Europe and Asia paired with your steak and wine? That’s the eye-catching novelty behind Elysium, which is scheduled to debut Saturday, March 1, and is billed as a “unique, one of a kind dining experience” on its website. Picture a six-course omakase-style (chef’s choice) meal on a communal round table, where video projections of global landmarks and piped-in audio fill the room. Elysium, which takes over a former Legends Tavern & Grille space, comes from owner Telmo “Tommy” Pires and features themed menus that change frequently, mood-setting music, and decorative props.
Parlor Doughnuts
9 Plaza Real S., Suite 108, Boca Raton
444 NE Seventh St., Unit 1B, Fort Lauderdale; parlordoughnuts.com
This Indiana-based eatery, known for its signature layered doughnuts, will pop up in two South Florida spots. First, a franchise owned by Ed and Desirae Valentin is opening in Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village. Then, a Boca Raton location – from partners Corey Elwell, Craig Young, and Ben Boulet – is planned for late May or early June. The decor for both will mix modern with vintage Americana, evoking “parlor” rooms of 1900s Victorian homes, hence the name. In addition to its traditional doughnuts, it offers vegan, gluten-free, and keto-friendly options that feature a cake-like texture, as well as artisanal breakfast treats and specialty coffees.
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, expected to debut sometime in early spring 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.
Earls Kitchen + Bar
1002 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; Earls.ca/locations/las-olas
This Canadian steak-and-seafood chain with 70 locations will open its latest sit-down on Wednesday, March 5, filling a 9,500-square-foot perch with a global menu tailored by “world travelers.” Executive chef Del Diseko, a self-described explorer, told the Sun Sentinel in October that he scours the world with creative teams in search of trendy cuisine, adding fresh items constantly. Along with Tomahawk maple-glazed pork chops and Cajun blackened steak, new menu additions will include sticky Korean ribs, spicy Calabrian pasta, an ahi tuna poke bowl, and bourbon pecan pie. Based on a recent stop in Waikiki, for example, Diseko’s team decided to add miso-glazed Chilean sea bass to the Earls menu. “These dishes are approachable, they check so many boxes, and they can be bold and addictive,” Diseko says. “This is really a restaurant for everyone’s palates.”
Keke’s Breakfast Cafe
1712 S. Congress Ave., Palm Springs; Kekes.com
Keke’s Breakfast Cafe is coming to Greenwood Shopping Centre sometime in 2025, joining other South Florida locations in Wellington, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and Boynton Beach. There’s also a Parkland Keke’s in the works for the company created in Orlando back in 2006 by brothers Keith and Kevin Mahen (hence the first syllable of each name in the title, get it?). The brand, acquired by Denny’s in 2022, says they eschew microwaves in favor of homey flourishes such as “coffee ground in-house, hand-cracked eggs, fresh fruit cut to order, and yes, real butter and whipped cream” – all the better to evoke the breakfast stops the Mahen Bros. enjoyed growing up in Philadelphia. The breakfast menus include stuffed French toasts, omelets, and bowls, while lunch offers paninis, sandwiches, wraps, and salads.
Sixty Vines
800 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; SixtyVines.com
Cabernet-infused burgers and many wines – 60 of them, in fact – are on tap at this Texas-raised chain, which is set to debut Monday, March 3, inside the former Cuba Libre space. CEO Jeff Carcara says the name refers to its number of wines on tap, a sustainable measure designed to reduce waste and evoke the experience of drinking straight from vineyard barrels. Expect communal-style seating for up to 280 guests in the 10,000-square-foot space, which will feature white-oak farmhouse tables, a second-floor mezzanine lounge, and a menu leaning into items such as charcuterie boards, wood-grilled flank steak, and fried chicken. “These are meant to be unpretentious, pinkies-down sharing sessions,” Carcara, a former Broward County resident who worked at Seasons 52 and Mark’s Las Olas, told the Sun Sentinel in October. “There’s great value and memories in having shared-plates experiences. You throw some pizzas and charcuterie down, or a sliced-up pork chop, and you have a really good night.”
Geronimo Tequila Bar and Southwest Grill
105 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; GeronimoBarandGrill.com
Sangria, margaritas, and mojitos by the pitcher, Navajo frybread (yes, really), frito pie, and other Santa Fe-spun dishes are standard fare at this Connecticut-born mini-chain, now under construction in the former Cabana El Rey space ahead of a mid-2025 opening. Touting ingredients sourced “directly from New Mexico,” per Geronimo’s website, the menu will offer pork burritos braised with Chimayó chiles, guajillo-braised short rib, tableside guacamole punched with chicharron and pomegranate, spaghetti squash burrito bowls, quinoa chile rellenos, and handmade corn tortillas with eight meats, from birria to cauliflower al pastor. Meanwhile, spirits will include agave flights and craft cocktails. The 5,000-square-foot location – its first in Florida – comes from Robert Bolduc and Marc Knight, who created Geronimo in 2007 after being taken with Santa Fe cuisine. “The cuisine offers flavors, aromas, and spices I had never seen anywhere before,” Knight says, adding it “truly does not exist outside of this region of the United States.”
Lily’s Handmade Ice Cream
3400-3800 block of Woolbright Road, Boynton Beach; LilysHandmadeIceCream.com
This acclaimed scoop shop – crowned in July for having South Florida’s best ice cream, according to readers who participated in the Sun Sentinel’s Best of South Florida Dining contest – is expanding with a second location. Sometime this year, it is expected to pop up in the KC Market plaza, where Woolbright Road meets South Military Trail. The Gilinsky family – Ronen and his sons, Tal and Ori – run Lily’s with kosher-certified flavors rich in 16% butterfat and cream sourced from a dairy outside St. Petersburg. The man with the dessert know-how is “executive ice cream chef” Ori Gilinsky, a former dessert/pastry chef in the Israeli Air Force who opened Lily’s Delray Beach flagship in September 2020. His inventive flavors include SoFlo Swamp (Belgian milk chocolate-infused Oreos, chocolate chips), Kinderella (Nutella, Kinder Bueno, brownie chunks), Fairy Floss (cotton candy base, frosted animal crackers) and Dusty Monkey (Biscoff cookies, ripe banana, brown sugar). The shop also offers vegan flavors, ice cream cakes, pies, and fruit sorbets.
Ela Curry & Cocktails and Mango Mercado
632 Hibiscus St., West Palm Beach; ElaCurryandCocktails.com and MangoMercado.com
After conquering the golfing paradise of Palm Beach Gardens with boundary-pushing Indian cuisine, chef Pushkar Marathe is coming for the rest of Palm Beach County. The 2023 James Beard semifinal
