#00 Saloon opens in Himmarshee.
Rising from a parking lot that once was home to Fort Lauderdale’s first filling station, the #00 Saloon quietly opened this month in Himmarshee Village. There is nothing low-key about the mammoth, two-story structure at 301 SW Second St., which seems as big as Texas. The newly built restaurant and country-music venue features six bars, indoor and outdoor performance areas, and American cuisine that will be served from 11 a.m. until the wee hours (closing time is 4 a.m.).
“We’re going for the country crowd, trying to bring something a little different to the Himmarshee area,” owner Eric Magid says.
From the street, passers-by might mistake the name as double-D saloon, but Magid says the name is pronounced “double O” or “double-zero” saloon. (The hashtag symbol is silent, added so that he could copyright the name). He says he drew inspiration for the name from James Bond (“agent 007, licensed to kill anyone, anytime, for any reason”) and the final zeros of a scoreboard clock in a sporting contest (“game over,” he says).
The lively hub of bars and restaurants in the Himmarshee district has undergone some upheaval in recent months, with the shuttering of Tarpon Bend in May after 19 years and the closing of Bull Market earlier in the year.
The #00 Saloon opened June 7 with a limited menu and little fanfare, Magid says, so operators could work out kinks. The restaurant has 216 seats and total capacity of 520. Live music and line dancing will soon launch. The venue also features two DJ stations.
“We’re looking to book some big artists,” Magid says, with an emphasis on country and country-rock.
The restaurant will offer brunch, lunch, dinner and late-night menus, Magid says, including soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, steaks and fish.