What’s open, closed, coming soon
Got a tip for this weekly check on what’s happening in South Florida’s dining scene? Email Arlene Borenstein-Zuluaga at aborenstein@sunsentinel.com.
Stay up to date with the South Florida dining news: Sign up for our twiceweekly Eat Beat newsletter, filled with restaurant news, guides and recipes. Go to SunSentinel.com/newsletters to sign up.
Join our Let’s Eat, South Florida Facebook group.
Now open
Dvash Mediterranean Fusion, Boca Raton
The family behind Falafel Bistro & Wine Bar in Coral Springs has opened Dvash Mediterranean Fusion in Lakeside Centre. Dvash is Hebrew for honey, which figures not only into the design of the restaurant but also in the cuisine that uses honey as a natural sweetener. The menu has some of the same dishes as Falafel Bistro, but the Dvash kitchen also reflects the family’s love of sharing plates, tapas style. 8208 Glades Road; DvashBoca. com
Cucina Ristorante, Pizza & Bar, Dania Beach
A fast-casual Italian restaurant with a mammoth menu, Cucina debuted in August inside the ever-expanding Dania Pointe shopping village, and is registered to Lirim Jacobi (who previously owned City Pizza in West Palm Beach). Along with meatball and steamed clam appetizers and 23 Italian entrees, there are 16 pizza styles, hot subs, gyros and falafel, chicken wings and burgers. 17 S. Pointe Drive; 754-432-3238, CucinaDP. com
CrabHolic Seafood Boil and Bar, Davie
Another fast-casual crab shack that has scuttled into the Cajun seafood boil trend, CrabHolic, which debuted in August, comes from partners Hung D. Bach, Phong Nguyen and Tranh T. Tran. While crawfish buckets, po’boys and fried seafood baskets pad the menu, the main attraction is Cajunstyle boils, where clams, mussels, lobster and snow crab legs are combined in a clear, steaming plastic bag filled with garlicky sauces and Cajun spices. 4599 S. University Drive; 954-4504627, CrabHolic.com
Mama Hank’s Speakeasy & Kitchen, Fort Lauderdale
Behind a 400-pound bulletproof vault door at Chops + Hops Axe Throwing Lodge lies Mama Hank’s, a new Flagler Village kitchen and full-liquor speakeasy lounge opening Sept. 23. The 1,000-square-foot Mama Hank’s has 30 seats, an island bar and warehouse bay door that rolls up for alfresco drinking, and will share its kitchen with Chops & Hops. The food and cocktail menu — not unlike the vibe — is hushhush, and owner Ryan Lavernia doesn’t plan to advertise it, but customers can now book timed-seating reservations on its website. 704 NE First Ave.; 954-769-1881, MamaHanks. com
Oasis Emporium, Fort Lauderdale
Get your Brazilian fix with options like feijoada (black bean stew with beef and pork and lighter add-ins like veggies or oranges) or Copacabana coxinhas. The strip mall café also offers graband-go options including sandwiches, smoothies and coffee. 4350 N. Federal Highway, 754-262-0125.
Mama Bella, West Palm Beach
Described as a 3,750square culinary emporium, Mama Bella is a market, a café and an al fresco patio. The market area offers gourmet foods, spices, imported artisanal cuisine, wines and ingredients. You can take your pick of carryout options including cured meats and salumi, artisan cheeses, seafood,
chicken, as well as salad and soup options, homemade pasta and desserts. The café offers breakfast options including vanilla brioche French toast as well as lunch or dinner including chicken Kiev or beef stroganoff. 518 S. Dixie Highway, mamabellacafe. com; 561-599-5500
Jeremiah’s Italian Ice, Boynton Beach
For lovers of sweets who are indecisive, the shop offers 40 different flavors of Italian ice including lemon basil, mango or Bahama freeze. You can also get a combo of Italian ice swirled into homemade soft ice cream. 1760 N. Congress Ave., Suite 100, 561-286-3370; jeremiahsice. com
Lady Baker, Pembroke Pines
What began during the pandemic as a delivery-only bakery with kitchens in Weston and Doral has evolved into baker Paula Marsola’s new storefront, which opened late August in the Shops of Pembroke Gardens. Inventive creations like Nutella and banana bread pudding, zucchini quiches, marble cinnamon rolls and vegan croissants are on the menu, along with dailybaked artisanal breads (challah, brioche, chocolate sourdough). 14545 SW Fifth St.; 954-610-6370; LadyBaker.us
Rebel Wine Bar, Oakland Park
Part of the sleek lifestyle village gradually (OK, very gradually) taking shape along the spine of Dixie Highway, Rebel, from owner Larissa Castelluber, touts 200 rare bottles of Italian, California and other whites and reds, plus 150 vintages by-the-glass, cheese and charcuterie plates. The wine bar, which opened Sept. 8, will host nightly wine and beer tastings during its opening week. 3520 NE 12th Ave.; 954-338-3004, RebelWineBar.com
Amar Bakery and Market, Boynton Beach
Za’atar croissants, baklava cheesecake and tahini-chocolate cake are
typical mashups inside Nicolas and Susanna Kurban’s Mediterranean bakery, a new grab-and-go offshoot of the couple’s Lebanese bistro on Delray’s Atlantic Avenue. Replacing the old Del Sol Bakery, Amar’s menu also leans savory, offering hummus, taboulehs, baba ghanouj and breakfast sandwiches. The Kurbans next intend to debut a second Amar Bakery this year a few doors down from their Delray bistro. 1600 N. Federal Highway, No. 15; 561-806-6726, Amar-Bakery.com
Peach Pit Juice Bar, Boca Raton
Not a Beverly Hills 90210-themed restaurant, but a health-conscious eatery, founded in New York City, offering sweet and savory favorites. Most options are served in a bowl you can customize including their Protein Power Bowl Special with acai, mixed berries, spinach, kale, vegan vanilla protein and almond milk blended. Then topped with walnuts, blackberry, strawberry, almond butter and cacao nibs. 2240 NW 19th St.; 561-931-2202
Papa Duke’s Deli, Wilton Manors
Now open next to the Dairy Queen on Wilton Drive, Papa Duke’s offers grab-and-go sandwiches of house-made roast beef, turkey, chicken, ham, corned beef and pastrami. There will be 10 outdoor seats if you want to linger. 1952 Wilton Drive; 954-530-4914, PapaDukesWM.com.
Marco’s Top Burgers, Pompano Beach
Marco and Ana Paula’s sandwich food truck has graduated into its first storefront in Pompano Beach’s Whispering Lakes office park, taking over the space once occupied by Cuban restaurant It’s a Cubano B. The restaurant specializes in Brazilian-style Angus burgers topped with old standards (bacon, sunny-side up eggs) but also catupiry (Brazilian soft cheese) and prato (a gouda-style cow’s milk cheese). 3350 NW 22nd Terrace, #400b, Pompano Beach; 561-5623925, MarcosTopBurgers. com
La Costa Olas, Fort Lauderdale
Touting pan-Latin dishes with heavy Honduran flourishes, La Costa debuted in July from owners Carolina and Jesus Trundle where Las Olas Boulevard meets Fort Lauderdale beach. Along with Mexican street tacos and Argentinian-style steak, there is Honduran sopa de caracol (Caribbean conch soup) and baleadas (Honduran tortillas). 2915 E. Las Olas; 954-306-3294, LaCostaOlas.com
Arun’s Indian Kitchen, Boca Raton
The third location of owner-chef Arun Sareen’s family-run, no-frills and mostly takeout Indian kitchen opened in Boca Raton’s Fifth Avenue Shops plaza in late August. Sareen, often working alongside his wife, Anu, and son, Yesh, turn out some of the tenderest tandoori dishes around, from butter chicken blended with cashew paste and ghee to roti tacos stuffed with chicken tikka masala. Arun’s, for what it’s worth, happens to be one of those restaurants the Yelp algorithm really likes, racking up over 1,000 five-star reviews on the platform. 1930 NE Fifth Ave., Boca Raton; 561-672-7138, ArunsIndianKitchen.com
Rosewater Rooftop, Delray Beach
City height restrictions limit to four stories, but this 22,000-squarefoot restaurant and pool bar is now open atop the boutique Ray Hotel Delray Beach, one of two eateries here helmed by executive chef Joe Zanelli. Rosewater is adorned with bamboo columns and trellises, a tree canopy, a glass-enclosed cube event space, and a menu of cocktails and seafood-forward eats such as snapper ceviche and yellowtail sushi. 233 NE Second Ave.; 561-865-7066, RosewaterDelray.com
Ember Grill, Delray Beach
This neighborhood American grill is inside the new boutique Ray Hotel Delray Beach, which debuted on Sept.
1 in the city’s Pineapple Grove district and is one of two restaurants here helmed by executive chef Joe Zanelli. Menu dishes range from Peking duck to Angus burgers to porterhouse steak, many of which are fired on Ember’s wood-burning Josper grill imported from Barcelona, Spain. 233 NE Second Ave.; 561-865-7066, EmberGrillDelray.com
Local Seoul Asian Kitchen, Boca Raton
Gary Rack’s newest venture aims to take you on “a walk through Asia” in east Boca Raton. The 1,100-square-foot restaurant has a 22-seat dining room surrounding an exposed kitchen. The concept is chef-driven with health-conscious ingredients similar to Rack’s other restaurants, such as Farmhouse Boca. 1159 S. Federal Highway.
Villa Romana, Hollywood
This Italian and Romanian restaurant showcases contemporary and traditional fare. Romanian specialties include mititei, a dish of mincemeat rolls made from beef and served with fries and mustard ($17.95) and Sarmalute in Foi de Varza, a prime mix of minced pork, seasoned and rolled in a large white cabbage leaf, then simmered in vegetable stock with herbs, served with polenta and sour cream ($15.95). Karaoke is Tuesdays during ladies’ night. Wine specials are offered on Wednesdays. 1909 Hollywood Boulevard, 954-251-3698; VillaRomanaRestaurant.com
Gelato-go, Hollywood Beach
This Miami-born gelateria franchise, created by two brothers from Milan, has opened its 17th location on the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk. The sweet shop scoops popular Italian flavors like Nutella, tiramisu, limoncello and stracchiatella, as well as gelato studded with imported Piedmont hazelnuts and Sicilian pistachios. A Hallandale Beach outpost also will debut this fall. 707 N. Broadwalk, #14; 305-702-1037, Gelatogo.net
Los Bocados, Boca Raton
Robby Bushman and Anthony Hoff ’s former gas-station taqueria specializing in barbecue brisket tostadas and burritos opened its first storefront in April in Parkland, and has expanded again. Los Bocados’ second outpost opened Aug. 23 (walk-ins only for now) in a Boca Raton office park. 980 N. Federal Highway,
Boca Raton; 7031 N. State Road 7, Parkland; 954-6374984, LosBocados.com
Point Break Poke House and Blue Wave Sushi, West Palm Beach
The double concept restaurant stall comes from ‘Big Brother’ star Memphis Garrett. It’s an addition to the Grandview Public Market, which features a dozen vendors, live music and a full bar. This is Garrett’s second location for both concepts, however a Plantation outpost is also on the way.1401 Clare Ave., garretthospitalitygroup.com. Playa Bowls, Davie
Get your dose of super fruits in a bowl at this new location and the fifth in Florida. Customers have the option of choosing pure acai berry, pitaya fruit, chia seeds, coconuts, kale, bananas, and topping that with fresh fruit, seeds, nuts, granola, dried berries, and nut butters. 2471 S. University Dr., 954-514-7999; playabowls. com
Deck on 13th, Fort Lauderdale
Quirky and funky inside, tropical and chill outside, the just-opened Deck on 13th should have a place on your list of favorite Fort Lauderdale bars. Located north of downtown on an up-and-coming stretch of 13th Street in Lake Ridge. 545 NE 13th St., 954-3066070, facebook.com/ thedeckon13
Sabor Latino, Boynton Beach
This is the third location celebrating Latin American dishes from Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Spain, Peru and Argentina. The 6,300 square foot space is a new addition to Compson Place at Renaissance Commons. 1880 N. Congress Avenue, saborlatinorestaurants. com.
Bodega Taqueria + Tequila, Aventura
This South Beach-born hotspot — equal parts fast-casual taco eatery and late-night speakeasy lounge — opened its third outpost in early August. A party palace for Mexican street food, Bodega serves burritos, bowls, tacos, craft cocktails, churros and paletas. A West Palm Beach Bodega will next open at 118 S. Clematis St. later this fall. 19129 Biscayne Blvd.; 305-7043670, BodegaTaqueria.com
Boston Beef by the Sea, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
Like cheesesteaks in Philadelphia, the humble North Shore-style roast beef sandwich is Boston’s regional specialty: a handheld piled high with thin-sliced top- or bottomround, topped with some variation of cheese, barbecue sauce and mayo on a soft hoagie roll. Owned by