Howl at the Moon returning to Fort Lauderdale; Paris Baguette bringing trendy pastries to Delray
When it comes to food, South Florida is a great place to be. So many new restaurants open nearly every day. Here’s what’s coming soon to a city near you.
Howl at the Moon, Fort Lauderdale, 600 SE Second Court; 754-356-4695; HowlattheMoon.com:
In a bygone Fort Lauderdale party era, dueling-piano bars tickled the ivories into the wee hours of the morning at Beach Place. Now one of those singalong nightspots, Howl at the Moon, is staging a comeback with a 5,000-square-foot venue off Las Olas Boulevard, behind Big City Tavern. It is slated to open in October. As with the other 12 national locations, this new piano-bar will sling cocktails, shots and beers, no doubt to loosen your tongue for belting out “Don’t Stop Believin’” for the 50th time. Meanwhile, performers will face each other across black baby-grand pianos, taking song requests for tips while inviting customers onstage.
Paris Baguette, Delray Beach, 1911 S. Federal Highway; ParisBaguette. com:
It has roots far from the City of Lights — South Korea, to be exact — but this fast-growing, bakery-cafe chain devoted to baked breads, pastries and caffeine is South Florida-bound, with its first location opening in April at the Delray Market plaza. The store brands itself a hub for trendy pastries, touting creations such as berry-crowned danishes, sugar-sprinkled mochi doughnuts and cocoa-dusted tiramisu tarts, along with red bean bread loaves, garlic croissants and curry-filled croquettes. There are also cake slices, turkeymozzarella paninis, caprese baguette sandwiches, salads, and hot and cold Lavazza coffees.
Mitch’s Downtown Bagel Cafe, Hallandale Beach, 601 N. Federal Highway, Suite 112; MitchsDowntown.com:
A self-avowed “old-school” New York-style deli with a website that cheekily proclaims ”bagels don’t count as carbs,” Mitch’s is in expansion mode, with its third location debuting this April within Hallandale Beach’s mega-shopping complex, Atlantic Village. The new bakery joins sister bagel shops in Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village and in Weston, and is operated by fatherand-son Mitch and Adam Shidlofsky. Mitch’s offers a variety of handhelds, including a rainbow bagel, as well as deli sandwiches, avocado toast, all-day breakfast sandwiches, matzo ball soup and java from Fort Lauderdale-based roaster Wells Coffee Co.
Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza, Miramar 1 Main St.; mistero1.com:
Renato Viola’s pizzeria is expected to open this fall at the new Manor at Miramar, an eight-story, mixed-use development right in the heart of the southern Broward County city. Known for star-shaped, Neapolitanstyle pizzas, Mister O1 has multiple South Florida locations, including in Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, Aventura and South Beach.
Bondi Sushi, Oakland Park, 3333 N. Federal Highway; BondiSushi.com:
This beachy, Big Apple-born, sushi-bar chain is expanding with its first Broward outpost, which expects to debut this summer at Oaklyn, a new sky-high tower giving Oakland Park a jolt of big-city appeal. The 2,100-square-foot kitchen comes from founderpartners David Hess, Aiden Carty and Justin Hauser, and will occupy space next to soon-to-open burger joint La Birra Bar and the motorcyclethemed Imperial Moto Café. The dining room will be distinguished by a Japanesestyle cocktail bar and a sweets shop called Icebergs, which will serve Japanese ice cream, rice-cake desserts, sodas and candy. Bondi, which also operates a Miami Beach outpost, will serve king salmon and yellowtail jalapeno sashimi, 12 kinds of handrolls (from lobster and toro to A5 Wagyu and truffle avocado), 14 types of nigiri (sea scallop, seared albacore), crispy rice and shishito pepper appetizers.
Celis Juice Bar, Delray Beach, 335 E. Linton Blvd., Suite B-12; celisjuicebar. com:
This health-conscious eatery (make sure you check out their running club) will open its newest location in May, joining the original brick-and-mortar in West Palm Beach that opened in 2015 and the Palm Beach venue that followed a couple of years later. The quick-service restaurant offers fresh-pressed juices, smoothies, acai bowls and made-to-order breakfast and lunch. The boutiquechain is owned by the Celis brothers — Alex, Camilo and Felipe — and Taki Kastanis, who is also CEO of Yolk restaurants.
Juliana’s Pizza, West Palm Beach, 905 N. Railroad Ave., West Palm Beach; JulianasPizza.com:
For most pizza lovers, the arrival of Juliana’s to West Palm Beach’s rising NORA district heralds yet another New York-born pie shop sowing new roots in South Florida. But to folks fascinated with the Empire State’s very long and winding pizza wars saga, Juliana’s represents a slice of Big Apple royalty. The short version: Juliana’s was founded by restaurateur Patsy Grimaldi, who at various times ran Patsy’s and Grimaldi’s and traces his bona fides back to the original Lombardi’s, and has been selling pies in Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighborhood since 1990. (Juliana’s is named after Grimaldi’s late mother.) The history gets more convoluted from there, but Juliana’s has racked up countless accolades, topping best-pizzeria lists from TripAdvisor and USA Today to Cosmopolitan. The man most directly responsible for its South Florida expansion is cofounder Matthew Grogan, an ex-Wall Street executive and current Palm Beacher, who will bring Juliana’s menu of coal-fired pies with thin, crackerlike crusts, egg creams, meatballs and seltzer to West Palm in early 2025.
Drunken Dragon, Hallandale Beach, 601 N. Federal Highway; DrunkenDragon.com:
What happens when a Korean barbecue spot touting tiki-themed cocktails, Asian tapas and DIY grilling uproots from flashy Miami Beach? In Hallandale Beach, at least, enter the Drunken Dragon. The restaurant called it quits after 10 years on Alton Road with a Dec. 31 farewell party ahead of a planned late-2024 opening at Atlantic Village, a sprawling live-shopping complex. The move from cofounder Angel Febres and his Homecookin’ Hospitality Group (Rácket in Wynwood, Foxhole in Miami Beach) has been in the works since 2021. Drunken Dragon’s new 300-seat eatery is a rebranding of the barbecue house into what it calls a “craft-cocktail supper club,” with 37 communal grilling tables, a “Dragon Lounge” and live entertainment.
Limani Grille, Boca Raton, 6000 Glades Road; simon. com/mall:
This seafoodfocused eatery inside Town Center at Boca Raton promises Mediterranean dishes with a focus on Greek cuisines when it opens next spring. This will be the third location for the brand, which can also be found in Commack, N.Y., and Boston.