Maggie's Favorite Coffee and Bakeshop in Oakland Park offers a variety of custom-made cakes, Italian coffee and crepes, along with sandwiches. The cafe opened in January. (Magdalena Amaro / Courtesy)
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Maggie’s Favorite Coffee and Bakeshop, Oakland Park
Crepes, cupcakes, muffins, breakfast sandwiches — and plenty of Italian java — are the stars of this breakfast-lunch cafe, which soft-opened in mid-January on Oakland Park Boulevard. The bakery, owned by Magdalena “Maggie” Amaro and partner Milan Lazic, offers a chill menu to match its carnation-pink walls adorned in cursive “coffee” signs and floral murals. There are cakes by the slice and avocado toast, cinnamon rolls and acai bowls, prosciutto and fig jam and savory chicken bacon ranch crepes, and turkey pesto and barbecue pulled-pork sandwiches. Amaro tells the South Florida Sun Sentinel that a grand-opening party is planned for Feb. 18. 830 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Suite 101, Oakland Park; 954-282-1190; MaggiesFavorite.com
Napoli Now! Pizza Napoletana, Cooper City
This Neapolitan-style pizzeria from owners Gaetano and Guy Sperduto quietly debuted in early December In the Cooper Square plaza, across the street from Cooper City High School. The pizzeria dishes 14 pies topped with Italy-imported mortadella, salsiccia and nduja sausages, thin-sliced prosciutto, spicy pepperoni and broccoli rabe, along with housemade meatballs, five sandwiches and four salads. 9630 Stirling Road, No. 102, Cooper City; 754-888-9966; NapoliNow.com
Antonio Spadaro’s original namesake restaurant is in New Rochelle, N.Y., while the South Florida location is “more like a delicatessen,” he told the Sun Sentinel. “Our customer in New York also comes to ... this area and we wanted to bring a piece of Italy to Florida with our unique Italian specialty products.” Grand-opening activities are planned this month: a free sample buffet on Feb. 17 and a 50% discount on the entire menu. 1330 S. Federal Highway, Deerfield Beach; 954-596-5330; instagram.com/spadaro_dinein_takeout
The view of the Intracoastal and skyscrapers of downtown Fort Lauderdale from The Rooftop, a new bar crowning the Kimpton Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale Beach hotel. (Kimpton Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale / Courtesy)
The Rooftop at Kimpton Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort
Just a few blocks from the sands of The Strip on Fort Lauderdale beach, this hotel has been making lots of changes (including dropping “Goodland” from the name). Back in October, it closed the main restaurant Botanic, replacing it with La Fuga, a “coastal Italian cuisine” concept in a soft opening. Now La Fuga as well as the new Rooftop lounge scheduled a grand opening on Feb. 9. The Rooftop at Shorebreak will have its own menu, a Mediterranean tapas-style concept. 2900 Riomar St., Fort Lauderdale. 954-908-7301, ext. 3; shorebreakfortlauderdale.com/fort-lauderdale-restaurant/rooftop
Alpen Bakery Store, Pembroke Pines
Two married bakers hoping to provide a better life for their two daughters relocated from their native Chile to Cooper City and plan to open their new Austrian-Latin fusion bakery in Pembroke Pines sometime in February. The pastry shop, owned by Anja Frings Uribarri and Ruben Molina Lobos, specializes in fruit tartlets and chocolate muffins but also tantalizing exotic pastries, including Austrian-style sachertorte (a denser, chocolate-glazed chocolate cake layered with fruit jam), alfajores (dulce de leche sandwich cookies) and moka cake (topped with mocha buttercream). 8937 Taft St.; 954-646-7100; search for “Alpen Bakery Store” on Facebook.com
Rice Mediterranean Kitchen, Fort Lauderdale
This Miami-based boutique chain of fast-casuals has been serving up Eastern Mediterranean flavors since the early 2000s. There are seven locations in Miami-Dade County. The Fort Lauderdale location debuted on Feb. 1 (per social media) in the Bank of America Plaza at Las Olas City Centre, alongside other eateries such as Coyo Taco, Subway and Smoothie King. The extensive menu includes kabobs, wraps and falafel platters. There are also tenderloin, chicken, snapper and sirloin platters. 401 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; RiceKitchen.com
World of Beer Bar & Kitchen, Royal Palm Beach
This chain emporium of craft-beer suds, wine, cocktails and pub fare debuted its latest South Florida taproom on Feb. 4 on Southern Boulevard, roughly 3 miles west of the iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre. The beer hall touts a mind-numbing variety of draft and bottled brews (there are hundreds, from saisons and stouts to hard seltzers and mead), and its menu features soft-baked pretzels, chicken wings doused in eight sauces and dry rubs, salads and tacos, six styles of hamburgers and four flatbreads, and entrees including steak frites and grilled Atlantic salmon brushed with India Pale Ale glaze. 11121 Southern Blvd., Royal Palm Beach; WorldofBeer.com
Just Pizza & Wing Co., Coral Springs
After months-long permitting delays, this Buffalo, N.Y.-born franchise opened its first South Florida pizza-wing stop on Feb. 1 under local franchisee Noel Morreale. The eatery’s name, to be fair, sells short its sheer number of specialty configurations, such as the 3 Cheese Steak Pizza with a mozzarella-Swiss-white American blend atop thin-sliced sirloin steak, and wings with intriguing (bourbon whiskey, blackberry barbecue, Cajun honey) and scald-your-mouth-out flavors (“lethal hot” Buffalo style). 2359 N. University Drive, Coral Springs; 754-240-4887; JustPizzaUSA.com
The Spicy Shrimp Vodka Rigatoni at the new Isla & Co. in West Palm Beach. (Mike Stocker / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Isla & Co., West Palm Beach
An all-day cafe from New York’s Parched Hospitality Group, this 140-seater had a soft opening in early December next door to Grandview Public Market in West Palm Beach’s growing Warehouse District. On the menu are brunch and dinner dishes from “down under” — a nod to co-owners Barry Dry and and Tom Rowse’s Australian roots and the country’s melting pot of cultures, including flavors from England, the Mediterranean and southeast Asia. The two culinary pals also own The Sentry, Daintree, Ghost Burger and the Hole in The Wall restaurant concepts, in addition to the Isla & Co brand with locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan, as well as in Dallas, Atlanta and Fairfield, Conn. There are plans to open a second South Florida location of Isla & Co. in Miami Beach in 2023. 1401 Clare Ave., West Palm Beach; 323-304-6992; Isla-Co.com
New River Cafe and Bakery, Fort Lauderdale
Her tantalizing red-and-green velvet cake smeared in coquito cream cheese won Netflix’s “Sugar Rush Christmas,” and now Sabrina Courtemanche has opened her downtown Fort Lauderdale bakery in late January. Courtemanche, the executive pastry chef at Riverside Hotel, opened the shop in a retail space near the hotel, where she bakes confections such as snicker brownies, chocolate-chip sourdough loaves, cinnamon rolls and pumpkin tiramisu. 420 SE Sixth Ave., Fort Lauderdale; Facebook.com/NewRiverCafeBakery
Ramen Lab Eatery, West Boca Raton
Ramen Lab Eatery opened Jan. 30 at Boca Raton’s Mission Bay Plaza. But if you’re looking for something splashier, a grand opening event has been planned for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Feb. 9, with Japanese drummers and lion dancers, aerialists, a 360 photo-booth, fire dancers and sketch artists from artNEST. Known for handmade ramen noodles, hand-wrapped dumplings, Asian tapas and donburi (rice bowl), the restaurant is part of the Lemongrass Hospitality label, which also owns Lemongrass Asian Bistro, The Sea Kitchen, Ganzo and Eat District — all in Palm Beach County. This new Ramen Lab Eatery in West Boca Raton measures 1,900 square feet and has seating for 50 indoors and 20 outdoors. 20449 State Road 7, No. A5, Boca Raton; 561-617-1903; ramenlabeatery.com
Azzurro Cucina Italiana, Fort Lauderdale
Call it an Italian shuffle: A month after longtime staple Kitchenetta closed its doors on North Federal Highway, this kitchen helmed by Michael Dubrovsky and Sicilian native Paolo Accarpio (ex-DeVito South Beach) has opened in its place. If the name sounds familiar, Azzurro spent 10 years in Sunny Isles Beach before relocating down the street inside Trump International Beach Resort. That hotel partnership dissolved within nine months and Azzurro decamped to Fort Lauderdale. The restaurant, which debuted Jan. 20, strictly specializes in Italian classics, including tableside bucatini cacio e pepe, fried calamari, veal Milanese and frutti di mare. 2850 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale; 954-567-3333; Facebook.com/azzurrocucina or Instagram.com/azzurrocucinaitaliana
This Turkish Halal restaurant registered to owner Valentina Akyol debuted on Jan. 22 in Fort Lauderdale’s Middle River Terrace neighborhood. The corner shop specializes in round pizzas but also in “pide,” a boat-shaped, thick-dough flatbread stuffed with kashar cheese, “sujuk” (dried beef sausage), chicken gyro, feta or seasonal vegetables. Other Mediterranean staples include grilled chicken wings, lentil soup, baba ghanoush, hummus and gyro wraps. 1100 NE Fourth Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 754-223-4139; search for “Chickeatah’” on Facebook.com
This New York-spun franchise seizing on the build-your-own-bowl trend debuted its newest location on Jan. 31 in the Sea Ranch Village Shopping Center. The shop offers customizable bowl blends, along with specialty acai, green, pitaya and mango pineapple bowls filled with granola, strawberry, banana, blueberries and strawberries. There are also six varieties of smoothies. 4759 N. Ocean Blvd., Lauderdale-by-the-Sea; 954-678-2224, MySoBol.com
This detox juicery from Mariana and Diego Uribe debuted its first brick-and-mortar with a grand opening on Jan. 28 in Lighthouse Point’s Shoppes at Beacon Light. The shop began its life at the Alton Food Hall before migrating into the Yellow Green Farmers Market this summer. Jugo serves six cold-pressed juices including “Nut mylk” (raw almonds, cinnamon, vanilla bean, honey), along with immunity ginger shots, acai bowls and smoothies. 2438 N. Federal Highway, Lighthouse Point; 954-773-4300; JugoBossDetox.com
Poke Bros., a chain restaurant that serves Hawaiian-style poke bowls, started out in Ohio. (Poke Bros. / HANDOUT)
Replacing the storefront once occupied by ice creamery Twist Milkshake, this build-your-own-poke-bowl spot registered to owner Jinwang Chen debuted in mid-January inside the Harbor Shops on Southeast 17th Street. The Ohio-born chain offers six signature bowls of the traditional Hawaiian dish, such as the Johnny Utah (salmon, avocado, edamame, cucumber, “masago” and sriracha aioli) and The Duke (tuna, salmon, shrimp, seaweed salad, ponzu, among other ingredients), along with mochi ice cream for dessert. Future locations are planned for Coral Springs and Weston. 1909 Cordova Road, Fort Lauderdale; 754-259-1512; EatPokeBros.com
Billing itself as Wilton Manor’s “elite elixir bar,” Kava Jive debuted with a grand opening on Jan. 28 and offers a variety of specialty botanically infused teas and, of course, kava. Owners Anthony Kessler and Vincent Russo say Kava Jive is “an upscale bar conducive to productivity during the day ... where you can vibe and jive at night.” The space, located in the people-magnet Shoppes of Wilton Manors strip mall, features local art and live entertainment (bands, DJs, spoken word artists). 2242 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors; 754-206-3895, kavajive.com
Yet another sign that the wave of New York eateries migrating to South Florida is unrelenting, this Tuscan-style Italian restaurant and wine bar opened Jan. 19 on the ground floor of the 360 Rosemary office building inside The Square. The 3,000-square-foot eatery comes from founder Jacopo Giustiniani and SA Hospitality Group (which runs Sant Ambroeus, Casa Lever and other Felice locations), and employs 100 workers. For now, Felice offers a menu of imported cheeses and cured meats and entrees of oven-roasted Greek branzino, Italian sausage pappardelle, shaved black truffle gnocchi and a 16-ounce, bone-in NY strip steak, along with many wine varietals. 366 S. Rosemary Ave., West Palm Beach; 561-421-6036; FeliceNYC.com
Guaca Go, West Palm Beach
This Boynton Beach-born chain devoted to tortilla chips’ sidekick, guacamole, hosted the grand opening of its second location on Jan. 7 a few blocks south of Belvedere Road. The fast-casual eatery, founded by Carson Bennett and Amber Benjamin in 2016, serves its guac as a standalone dip or inside build-your-own rice bowls and tortilla wraps, topped with shrimp, chicken, pork, tuna and plant-based protein, plus sauces that include creamy cilantro lime, chipotle ranch, lemon vinaigrette and sour cream. 3073 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach; 561-247-7939; GuacaGo.com
The Pumphouse Pouratorium, West Palm Beach
What began as a Jupiter wholesaler roasting artisanal beans for coffee shop and brewery clients is now its own 8,000-square-foot cafe, roastery and “coffee lab,” which opened to the public in mid-January on the northern tip of West Palm Beach’s hip Warehouse District. Inspired by their father’s coffee farms in Jamaica’s Blue Mountains, brothers Christian and Alex Le Clainche first opened Pumphouse in 2016, naming their roaster after a sand transfer plant on Singer Island. After a stint at Grandview Public Market during the pandemic, the brothers migrated into a warehouse two blocks north, where they serve iced coffees (beans are imported from Guatemala, Colombia and Sumatra), specialty teas, smoothies and craft beers, along with a slim menu that includes salmon and avocado toasts, barbecue shredded-chicken tacos, and fork-and-knife breakfast burritos. 1016 Clare Ave., Suite 5A, West Palm Beach; 561-557-3118; PumphouseCoffee.com
IT’SUGAR has opened its ninth South Florida candy store at Dania Pointe in Dania Beach. (ITSUGAR / Courtesy)
All kinds of sweetness can be found at IT’SUGAR, a candy store chain that opened its ninth South Florida location at the sprawling shopping complex Dania Pointe. There’s hard-to-find international and throw-back candies as well as belly-loving brands such as Reese’s, Sour Patch Kids, Skittles, Starburst, Oreo and Nerds. This Dania Beach venue measures 3,500 square feet, but be on the lookout sometime this summer for a two-story, 16,000-square-foot candy department store in Miami’s Bayside Marketplace. 1815 Pointe Blvd., Suite 92, Dania Beach; 954-304-9730; ItSugar.com
DB’s Pizza, Deerfield Beach
This slice shop registered to owner Chris Wilber (of Canyon Southwest Cafe in Fort Lauderdale fame) replaces the former Michael’s Pizzeria inside the Cove Shopping Center, the Deerfield Beach landmark that’s halfway through its multimillion-dollar facelift. The menu is standard New York-style, with pepperonis as big as silver dollars and a slim non-pizza menu of three sandwiches (eggplant, meatball and chicken parms), spaghetti and fettuccine alfredo, along with tiramisu and cannolis. 1645 SE Third Court, Suite 103, Deerfield Beach; 754-227-7791; Facebook.com (search for “DB’s Pizza”)
Decor at the newly renovated Runway 84 in Fort Lauderdale. The 40-year-old restaurant was closed since May 2022. (John McCall)
Back in May, Anthony’s Runway 84 closed its doors in preparation for a $4 million makeover. On Jan. 24, the dining institution reopened — just in time to commemorate its 40th anniversary — as the rebranded Runway 84. The vibe is more of a modern Italian supper-club feel. In addition to a new look, Runway 84 unveiled a revitalized menu, a new beverage program and the addition of a private dining room. Owner Anthony Bruno (Andy’s Live Fire Grill & Bar) has partnered with fellow restaurateurs Pat Marzano (ex-owner of Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza) and Marc Falsetto (Handcrafted Hospitality restaurant group). 330 W. State Road 84, Fort Lauderdale; 954-467-8484; Runway-84.com
Fresh-baked ciabatta, familiar Italian entrees and Napoli-style pizza fired in Marra Forni brick ovens are on the menu at this new restaurant, which debuted Dec. 20 inside the Delray Square Shopping Center. The eatery serves pizza and pasta, including mafaldine bolognese and tagliatelle carbonara, along with entrees of meatball lasagna, chicken milanese, jumbo shrimp scampi and salmon piccata. 4957 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; 561-330-4449; ZimiItalian.com; Facebook.com/Zimi.Italian
A-One Noodle & Dumpling, Pembroke Pines
Chinese-style dumplings, Japanese ramen and other trendy pan-Asian comfort food distinguishes this restaurant, which debuted in late December in the Regal Westfork Plaza from owners Jun Chuan Zhang and Jia Chen. Stir-fried noodles, pan-fried pork bao buns, unagi donburi (barbecued eel over rice with eel sauce) and takoyaki (deep-fried tempura balls of octopus) are highlights of the menu, as are its Thai-style doughnuts, boba milk teas, taro smoothies and six styles of cake pops. 15973 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines; 954-589-0167; AOneNoodle.com
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, Oakland Park
The Nevada-born franchise with 30 locations in 11 states dropped its latest outpost on Jan. 16 in the Northridge Shopping Center, replacing the former Char-Hut. Diners will find fast-casual fare here, including dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) and spanakopita (spinach and feta inside phyllo-dough triangles), along with gyros, falafel pitas and steak souvlaki. But don’t expect traditional entrees (moussaka, pastitsio or giouvetsi, for example) common at higher-end Greek restaurants. The Oakland Park storefront joins other South Florida locations in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens, and a soon-to-open outpost in Boca Raton. 753 E. Commercial Blvd., Oakland Park; 754-206-4798; TheGreatGreekGrill.com
La Salchipaperia D.C., Wilton Manors
At first blush, salchipapas resemble the typical kid’s meal served at many fast-casual restaurants: french fries and sliced, pan-fried hot dogs doused in ketchup. But this South American street food is elevated at La Salchipaperia D.C., which opened in early January on Oakland Park Boulevard, next to Primanti Bros. This is the first U.S. location of the Colombia-born chain, and is registered to Tatiana and Edna Sierra and Marcela Molina. It takes over the former Bar-B-Q Jack’s (which briefly became a Greek takeout named Gyro Express during the pandemic). Most dishes are plated with a savory coleslaw on the side, and dressed with toppings ranging from aji, chili pepper and olive sauces to a boiled egg. 500 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Wilton Manors; Instagram.com/lasalchipaperiadc
Coppola’s Bistro Ristorante, Fort Lauderdale
This Doral-based Italian chain owned by Hugo Ricardo Alonso has taken over the former Rossini Bar & Grill (and before that, Spatch Peri-Peri Chicken), next door to the Fresh Market. Coppola’s touts 16 styles of antipasto and salads and a mostly old-school slate of chicken parmigiana, veal marsala, porcini risotto and 16-ounce New York strips. Keto-friendly options include cauliflower risotto and spaghetti squash. Later in 2023, another Coppola’s is planned on North University Drive in Coral Springs. 3848 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale; 754-779-7645; CoppolasBistro.com
Chill-N Nitrogen Ice Cream, Plantation
Plantation Walk’s third restaurant to open (after Frank Pepe’s and Tacocraft) is this growing sweets franchise, which debuted its latest storefront on Jan. 14 with new franchisee Gerardo Rocha, a Chilean investor and former airline pilot. The Miami-born brand’s flash-frozen-on-the-spot treats begin with a base of milk, yogurt or alt-milk (coconut, almond, oat), followed by toppings. Orders are frozen in a split second using liquid nitrogen at -320 degrees Fahrenheit, yielding a rich and creamy scoop. 341 N. University Drive, Suite S1-700, Plantation; ChillN.com
Chill-N Nitrogen Ice Cream is the third eatery within the Plantation Walk mega-shopping complex. (Chill-N Nitrogen Ice Cream/ Courtesy)
Lotus Chinese Kitchen, Fort Lauderdale
On Jan. 18, this neighborhood spot relocated from its longtime perch on Northeast 26th Street and reopened as a 2,400-square-foot takeout kitchen on North Federal Highway. The move was prompted by a lease dispute with the owner of Lotus’ shopping plaza, owner John Yang told the South Florida Sun Sentinel in December. One of Wilton Manors’ oldest restaurants, Lotus since 1975 had served Americanized Chinese staples such as General Tso’s and Kung Pao chicken, Mongolian beef and lo mein. None of that has changed in the new Fort Lauderdale space, although Yang had planned to cull 5% to 10% of Lotus’ menu in preparation for the move. 3020 N. Federal Highway, Suite 1, Fort Lauderdale; 954-566-5565; LotusChineseKitchen.com
The Hollywood Donut Factory, Fort Lauderdale
As the name says, this sweet spot is in Hollywood — but a second location debuted Jan. 9 on Fort Lauderdale’s vibrant Las Olas Boulevard. Brother-and-sister owners Kat and Bobby Palushaj purchased what was formerly Dandee Donuts in 2019 and changed the name, updated the menu and tweaked some of the recipes. While the Hollywood shop offers breakfast and lunch, the Las Olas shop serves solely donuts and beverages. The plan is to have specialty donuts exclusive to the Fort Lauderdale location. 610 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; TheHollywoodDonutFactory.com
Una Bakery, Lake Worth Beach
Sprinkled with flavors from owner Azra Nahic’s native Bosnia, this scratch European bakery debuted on downtown Lake Avenue in November. After nearly 20 years in the medical field, Nahic left the industry to bake pastries, serving them at farmers markets in Lake Worth Beach and Loxahatchee with her husband, Armin. At Una, Nahic serves breads baked with European flour, French and Belgian chocolates, plus tarts, cakes and cupcakes. (Yes, there are vegan and gluten-free versions.) Nahic also bakes Balkan pastries such as kifle (picture a saltier, smaller croissant), and burek (a filo dough pastry stuffed with a pocket of ground beef and onions or spinach and feta). 513 Lake Ave., Lake Worth Beach; 727-330-0401; Instagram.com/UnaBakeryPalmBeach
I Heart Mac & Cheese, Fort Lauderdale
The Fort Lauderdale-born restaurant that made its name elevating elbow macaroni from side dish to gooey main course opened its newest location on Jan. 11 in the Cypress Creek Station plaza under South Florida franchisees Paige and Whitney Dutton. This is the franchise’s first return to the city since its Southeast 17th Street location shuttered back in December 2019. As with its other roster of eateries, customers can customize their mac-and-cheese bowls and grilled-cheese sandwiches in assembly-line fashion. Bowls begin with a base of pasta, broccoli, cauliflower or quinoa, followed by a choice of vegetables, cheeses (vegan included) and proteins including short rib, chicken parmesan, Buffalo chicken and lobster and white truffle. 6317 N. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 754-206-3080, IHeartMacAndCheese.com
Jeremiah’s Italian Ice, Palm Beach Gardens
This Orlando-based Italian ice franchise opened its ninth South Florida sweet shop off PGA Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens on Jan. 10. The 26-year-old Jeremiah’s scoops gelato, soft-serve ice cream and 40 flavors of Italian ice, ranging from horchata and pumpkin pie to gingerbread and spicy hot chocolate. Another Jeremiah’s location will follow in Stuart in early 2023. 11602 U.S. Highway 1, Palm Beach Gardens; JeremiahsIce.com
Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza, Fort Lauderdale
Chef Renato Viola’s fast-growing pizzeria empire debuted its latest storefront on Jan. 3 within Flagler Village, adding to a blitz of recent openings in Pembroke Pines and Boca Raton. Delivery is expected to become available by Jan. 24. The name, for the uninitiated, is derived from Viola’s O-1 visa, granted to individuals who show what the U.S. government sees as “extraordinary ability or achievement.” Mister O1, which began its life in a sign-less, nondescript office building in Miami Beach, specializes in 13-inch, star-shaped shareable pies with a pouch of ricotta in each of the eight points. Styles include the Coffee Paolo, topped with Italian tomato sauce, mozzarella, gorgonzola blue cheese, honey, espresso and spicy salami calabrese. 415 NE Fourth St., Fort Lauderdale; 754-253-5785; Mistero1.com
Nevs Barbecue, Palm Beach Gardens
This Texas-style smokehouse from pitmaster Tommy Nevill (once of III Forks Prime Steakhouse, which closed in 2021) debuted in early December inside the Promenade plaza, a slight jog north of Northlake Boulevard. Here, Nevill roasts his prime brisket and pork butts overnight inside an oak wood-fired rotisserie smoker. Sides and sauces are likewise scratch-made, including coleslaw, potato salad, mac ‘n’ cheese, baked beans and chili, and sauces range from maple-pumpkin seed vinaigrette to green onion-peppercorn dressing. 9910 Alternate A1A, Unit 709, Palm Beach Gardens; 561-437-6387; NevsBarbecue.com
Vinyl Fish Club, West Palm Beach
Billed as “South Florida’s first NFT membership restaurant” (that’s Non-Fungible Token), this chic social hub officially opened the week before Christmas. As a club member, you invest in ownership via an NFT. Vinyl Fish Club is owned by nightlife impresario Mykel Stevens, restaurateur Uthman “Moose” Yamusenor and Jaclyn Milford, founder of the Women of Wall Street organization. 340 Clematis St., West Palm Beach; 561-619-6121; VinylFishClub.com
Little Mike’s Pizzeria, Pembroke Pines
This New York-style slice shop owned by Michael Temchuk debuted Jan. 2 in Pembroke Pines’ Palm Square plaza, across the street from City Center. Little Mike’s, which opened its North Lauderdale flagship two years ago, offers pizzeria staples — garlic knots, chicken wings, pasta dishes and pies with 17 different toppings — as well as specialties such as Caesar salad served in bread bowls, pepperoni pinwheels, chicken parmesan paninis and deep-fried Oreos. 9843 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines; 954-613-3604; LittleMikes.net
Big in Japan, Boca Raton
Formerly named Mr. Goode’s Chinese Takeout, this rebranded eatery from chef Eric Baker (Rebel House) and chef-partner David Bouhadana (Sushi By Bou) replaces its Americanized Chinese concept with something way more ubiquitous in Boca: sushi handrolls. Its 18 classic and signature handrolls include barbecue eel, Wagyu beef tartar, bacon and quail egg, and crab cake with yuzu kosho aioli. For the sushi-averse, Big in Japan’s kitchen serves hot fried chicken tossed in yuzu ranch, honey miso and togarashi (a red pepper spice blend); hibachi fried rice with Wagyu beef, soft poached egg and yum yum sauce; and spare ribs in yuzu, sesame and lime. Baker also operates a nearby Japanese izakaya, AlleyCat, with Bouhadana. 1159 S. Federal Highway, Boca Raton; 561-931-2131; ToastTab.com
Cucina Caruso, the longtime pizzeria and Italian bakery owned by Domenico Caruso and Ana Cordoves, has been sold to new owner Agnes Evangelista, who rebranded the restaurant in early December as Da Gianni. Much of the menu remains the same: Italian cold-cut subs, pizza including Sicilian and Grandma styles, chicken wings, calzones (and smaller, sauce-filled panzerotti), strombolis and main courses such as veal shank over saffron risotto. 4165 N. Dixie Highway, Oakland Park; 954-765-6496; DaGianniMenu.com
This omakase experience, which charges $150 for 17 to 18 courses, debuted in mid-December on the ever-bustling Atlantic Avenue drag a block east of Federal Highway, replacing the former Boru Poke & Boba. The chef’s choice sushi counter, which is registered to four owners, prepares a changing menu of seafood and meat plates on the spot (crab, unagi, Wagyu) using ingredients sourced from Japan and New Zealand. A sister Taki sushi counter is expected to open in 2023 at 1658 N. Federal Highway in Boca Raton. 632 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; 561-759-7362; TakiOmakase.com
Mr. Chen’s Hunan Palace, Delray Beach
A favorite of retirees orbiting the Kings Point condo community, this reliable eatery serving Chinese-American staples permanently closed in late January after 35 years in the Palm Court Plaza medical-office complex on Linton Boulevard. Though multiple proprietors ran Mr. Chen’s over the decades, its most-recent owners, Dewei Liang and Lina Budiman, took over the restaurant in 2019, upgrading the dining room and introducing dim sum like shumai and shrimp-and-pork fun guo, until foot traffic slumped during the pandemic. Later this spring, the space will become a sister location for Florida chain 5th Element Indian Grill. 5130 Linton Blvd., Unit E1, Delray Beach; 561-498-4703
Holy Mackerel Small Batch Beers closed after almost three years in Wilton Manors. (Phillip Valys / Courtesy)
Holy Mackerel Small Batch Beers, Wilton Manors
The signs are down and the phone line is disconnected at this brewpub near Five Points Plaza that abruptly closed without fanfare in late January after nearly three years in Wilton Manors. Owner Frank Barecich told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the brewery, which closed to make way for a new condo development, plans to relocate this year, although no new lease has been signed. Holy Mackerel, which began its life in 2008 under brewer Bobby Gordash, opened its first taproom in 2017 in a Pompano Beach warehouse. Then it migrated in 2020 to Wilton Manors under new owner Frank Barecich, who bought the naming rights and recipes from Gordash. Despite the many stainless-steel tanks adorning this brewhouse, the (sometimes controversial) brewery did not brew beer on premises, instead outsourcing its suds to South Carolina’s Thomas Creek Brewery, which made Holy Mackerel recipes including Special Golden Ale, Panic Attack and Café Cubano. 1414 NE 26th St., Wilton Manors; HolyMackerelBeers.com
This steampunk-inspired cider house founded by brothers David and Daniel Verdugo served its final pints on Jan. 29, lasting about six years inside a quiet office park in Pompano Beach. Broski, which won multiple U.S. Cider Open medals, blamed the decision to close on “many factors post-COVID” on social media. Despite the nondescript digs, Broski always touted a rainbow of whimsical flavors: horchata and hibiscus, coquito and butterscotch, banana fluffernutter and strawberry creamsicle, to say nothing of its mango and passionfruit staples. 1465 SW Sixth Court, Pompano Beach; BroskiCiderworks.com
Since 2019, Ovlo Eats — from owners Steve Stolberg and Josh Bernstein — had touted a “fast-fine” menu with made-from-scratch dishes served out of the kitchen within 10 minutes of ordering. But on Jan. 2, Ovlo Eats suddenly posted online: “Thank you for the journey, Plantation. We appreciate you adopting Ovlo Eats into your community and are incredibly appreciative of the support over the years. While this isn’t how we were hoping to end things, we’re so happy to have had the opportunity to share our fresh, clean, and delicious eats with all of you.” 7626 Peters Road, Plantation; OvloEats.com
The Butcher Shop Beer Garden & Grill, West Palm Beach
This hybrid meat market and restaurant owned by father-son duo Igor and Fred Niznik has closed its doors after five years in downtown West Palm Beach. A sibling to the Wynwood-born restaurant (which closed in January 2022), Butcher Shop smoked, ground and cut their meats in-house and prepared their own pierogis and sausages. The popular eatery off Flagler Drive also served chicken, brisket, ribs, meatloaf and pork shoulder, and offered a beer garden where live music, cornhole tournaments and dog-friendly gatherings took place. 209 Sixth St., West Palm Beach; Facebook.com/butchershopwpb