4 Best Restaurants in Fort Lauderdale and Broward County, Florida

Cap's Place Island Restaurant

$$$

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.

Seafood Dinner Dessert $$$ Family
2765 N.E. 28th Ct., Pompano Beach, Florida, 33064, USA
954-941–0418
www.capsplace.com
Known For
  • clams and oysters shucked to order
  • tangy key lime pie
  • an impressive backstory
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues. No lunch

Oceans 234

$$$$
With breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean, this oceanfront restaurant has a massive menu full of seafood, from raw bar selections to miso salmon and Yucatan mahi. The restaurant is located on the sand, making it easy for guests to take a postmeal walk along the beach or down the neighboring Deerfield Beach International Fishing Pier. Expect plenty of seasonal flavors and fresh veggies as well as an award-winning wine list.

Rustic Inn Crabhouse

$$$

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.

Recommended Fodor's Video

The Whale's Rib Raw Bar

$$

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.