Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Coming soon: Vote for Pedro cantina
When it comes to food, South Florida is a great place to be. So many new places open up every day. Here’s what’s coming soon to a city near you.
Vote for Pedro, Boca Raton
This Mexican-American cantina from restaurateur Anthony Monticello is the answer to the never-asked question: What happens if I mash up “Napoleon Dynamite” and tacos? Expected to open this fall in The Shoppes at Village Pointe, it will replace the former The D in Delicious chocolate shop. If the name sounds familiar, Monticello’s Where Hospitality originally brought his taco stand from Manhattan to Delray Beach Market in 2021 but left a year later amid rising rents and a rebranding of the food hall. The new shop will serve tacos de birria, along with Mexican street foods in a sports bar-style setting. 6018 SW 18th St.,
Suite C9, Boca Raton; VoteforPedroNYC.com
Playa Bowls, Jupiter
Started as a Jersey
Shore pop-up food stand back in 2014, Playa Bowls already has eight eateries in Broward and Palm Beach counties, as well as more than 150 locations nationwide. After developing a Stuart location, franchisees Jenna and Michael Zorn say they next expect to open another in Jupiter’s Concourse Village this summer. The brand’s concept, started by New Jersey natives and avid surfers Rob Giuliani (no relation to Rudy) and Abby Taylor, uses mostly plant-based ingredients, especially acai and fruit. They’re also known for being serious about sustainability with 50% reclaimed building materials, LED lighting, partnerships with recycling efforts, and recycled/ biodegradable bowls, spoons and lids. 75 E. Indiantown Road, Jupiter; PlayaBowls.com
Sushi by Bou, West Palm Beach
This omakase experience is scheduled to open inside West Palm Beach’s Vinyl Fish Club on Friday, May 26. Omakase, by the way, is a Japanese service that is more of a curated chef ’s choice than your more familiar a la carte way of ordering sushi. Sushi by Boū — named after sushi master David Bouhadana, a Boca Raton native — will offer an hourlong meal of 12 courses for $60 per person or 17 courses for $100 per person. Patrons may also order regular a la carte specialties and seasonal mochi ice cream for dessert. Next up will be a Sushi by Boū freestanding restaurant in east Boca Raton, slated to open in June. Sushi by Boū first landed in SoFlo in Miami Beach at the former Versace Mansion before moving over to the SLS Brickell Hotel, where it remains today. In Broward County, the concept debuted during the summer of 2021 at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Pompano Beach before decamping to Salt7 Fort Lauderdale in early 2022, where it remains still. 340 W. Clematis St., West Palm Beach; sushibybou.com
Capital Tacos, Tamarac
This Tampa-based, Tex-Mex, fast-casual franchise is slated to open its first South Florida location on June 2, according to a news statement. Launched in 2013, it has already expanded to eight restaurants in other parts of Florida, with growth into Georgia, North Carolina and Colorado in the works. “We’ve had folks visiting from South Florida for years, asking time and again when they can expect the concept to expand into nearer markets,” says cofounder Josh Luger. “That wait is finally over. We’re very excited and humbled to be opening our first brickand-mortar location in Tamarac.” The menu spotlights different taco flavors that you can also get as a burrito or bowl. The menu includes quesadillas, nachos, loaded fries, salads, kids’ meals and desserts such as mini churros and traditional Mexican cheesecake. 5707 N. University Drive, Tamarac; capitaltacos.com
Berry Fresh Cafe, Palm Beach Gardens
Mitch and Michael Timoteo are the fatherand-son duo behind this farm-to-table breakfast-lunch cafe that will open its fourth location this summer in the Oakbrook Square Shopping Center in Palm Beach Gardens. The menu is loaded with whimsical scratch dishes including Captain Crunch challah French toast, Irish eggs benedict and Nashville hot chicken hash for breakfast, as well as birria beef and chicken pesto sandwiches for lunch. For brunch, there are shrimp-and-crabcake goat cheese omelets and baked quiche. The new location will join three Florida outposts, in Jupiter, Port St. Lucie and Stuart. 11658 U.S. Highway 1, Suite 18, Palm Beach Gardens; BerryFresh.Cafe
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, Delray Beach
Now that this beloved export from Wooster Street in New Haven, Conn., has delivered its char-blistered pies to Plantation, Frank Pepe has set its sights on Delray Beach. The “apizza” icon is planning to open on June 5 within The
Fresh Market plaza on the corner of Linton Boulevard and Federal Highway. Frank Pepe, which has a rabid following among South Florida’s snowbirds and Northeastern transplants, fires its coalfired apizza (pronounced “ah-beets”) at a super-hot 600 degrees Fahrenheit for a few minutes, yielding its trademark crispy-chewy thin crust. 1701 S. Federal Highway, Delray Beach; PepesPizzeria.com
Papamigos, Delray Beach
Somehow-still-trendy birria is served in not one but five configurations (ramen, nachos, mac ‘n’ cheese, tacos and burritos) at this so-called “Mexi-Crasian” (Mexican-Asian fusion) eatery from Lauren Grosso and Brian Faeth, which is expected to open another location this summer in the South Delray Shopping Center. Papamigos, which replaces Las Catrinas Mexican and Tequila Bar, slings Mexican-style street food such as chicken tortilla soup, taco salad and elote, but also sushi tacos, tuna nachos and oysters on the half-shell. This is Papamigos’ third venture, joining a Coconut Creek storefront and a food truck in Pompano Beach. 3035 S. Federal Highway, Delray Beach; Papamigos.com
Livia Bar & Grill, Fort Lauderdale
This Southern Italian restaurant expects to open in Fort Lauderdale’s exploding Flagler Village nabe this fall, in time for the NFL’s season kickoff. The 150-seat Livia, which is registered to Daniel Mendoza, will serve Neapolitan-style pies, linguine and clams, chicken parmesan, beer and craft cocktails, and feature plenty of flat-screen TVs for sports games. 500 N. Andrews Ave., Unit 106, Fort Lauderdale
Ya Mas! Taverna, West Palm Beach
More than a year after hospitality honcho and “Big Brother” star Memphis Garrett (No Man’s Land, Point Break) brought his first Greek restaurant to tony Las Olas Boulevard, Ya Mas! will expand into its first sister taverna on West Palm Beach’s bustling Clematis Street restaurant row. Expected to open in late 2023, the new Ya Mas! will dish an identical menu of modern and classic fare, such as dolmades and muhammara, bechamel short rib, and loukaniko with melted leek and pepperoncini. 216 Clematis St., West Palm Beach; YaMasTaverna.com
Topgolf, Pompano Beach
This three-level golfing attraction touting a restaurant-bar, rooftop terrace, patio and 102 climate-controlled hitting bays will anchor a new 223-acre project being built near the former Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park. Topgolf, slated to open in late 2023, hasn’t unveiled its Pompano Beach menu yet, but its Miami Gardens location serves American pub fare: burgers and buttermilk fried-chicken sandwiches, chicken wings and nachos, meat lover’s flatbreads and injectable, cinnamon-dusted doughnut holes for dessert. Intersection of Powerline Boulevard and Race Track Road; TopGolf.com
Gregory’s,
West Palm Beach
Miami-chic Greek eats, south of downtown West Palm Beach? That would be Gregory’s, co-owner Max Ricci and entrepreneur Michael Katzenberg’s restaurant opening sometime in early summer in the city’s so-called SoSo (south of Southern) neighborhood on South Dixie Highway. An offshoot of Ricci’s acclaimed Mandolin Aegean Bistro in Miami’s Design District, Gregory’s will serve coastal Greek and Mediterranean, although a full menu is not yet available. 5700 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach
Maggie McFly’s Local Craft Eatery & Bar, Boca Raton
Touchdown probably won’t be until October for this concept flying into SoFlo out of Connecticut. Celebrating its 30th anniversary with this first foray into Florida, Maggie MacFly’s is doing a total down-to-the-studs makeover of a space inside Town Center at Boca Raton mall (where Rex Baron once stood). The Maggie McFly’s menu has more than 180 items including burgers, pizzas, sandwiches, street foods (tacos, gyros, sliders), pastas, chicken dishes, salads, seafood, steaks and ribs, house specialties (such as Shepherd’s Pie, Pot Roast, Cajun Jambalaya), appetizers, snacks and desserts. “We will do seasonal specials that will be much more focused on Florida and Boca, more fresh fish,” says founder and owner Ray Harper, a snowbird in Palm Beach Gardens. The company also touts the use of locally sourced products, both in the kitchen and the bar. 6000 Glades Road, Boca Raton; maggiemcflys.com
Whiskey Neat, Plantation
This classy, 2,500-square-foot den dedicated to brown liquor will be attached to an existing Quarterdeck seafood pub across the street from the Sawgrass Mills mall when it debuts this spring, co-owner James Flanigan says. The lounge — a sister location of the original Whiskey Neat on Southeast 17th Street — comes from Old School Hospitality, which operates five Quarterdecks in South Florida. The centerpiece of the bar will be a multicolored liquor wall stocked with hundreds of rare whiskeys. Patrons will be able to order food directly from Quarterdeck’s next-door kitchen. “There’s no good craft-cocktail bar out west,” Flanigan told the South Florida Sun Sentinel last December. “And I know we can capture a lot of customers from Sawgrass and FLA Live Arena.” 12310 W. Sunrise Blvd., Plantation; WhiskeyNeatBar.com
Rock N Roll Sushi, Palm Beach County
Founded in Mobile,
Ala., in 2010, Rock N Roll Sushi has big plans for South Florida. First up will be Palm Beach County sometime in 2023, with a group of food-and-beverage investors scouting potential locations as well as other franchisees who are interested in spreading the fast-casual eatery with rock music-themed sushi and hibachi dishes through the rest of SoFlo. This new ownership group — called Rock N Development — recently announced plans to roll out (get it?) 35 Rock N Roll Sushi locations in central and southwest Florida. “Boca is a good area,” says John “JD” Weissfisch, one of the partners with Rock N Development. “[Palm Beach] Gardens going north, even Wellington and Boynton Beach. I think those areas are great for the brand … which caters to the families. It’s Americanized sushi for people who are intimidated by sushi or never tried it. I think in those areas, we would have a great customer base.” Though home is now just outside of Orlando, Weissfisch’s Argentine family lived for years in Miami, where he was an auto industry executive before becoming a multi-unit restaurant owner and operator of Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Island Wing Co. Multiple locations; rocknrollsushi.com
Harry’s, West Palm Beach
If you’ve been anywhere near the Wall Street crowd in New York City, then you’ve probably heard of Harry’s, a mainstay in the financial district of Manhattan for a half-century. For the first time ever, the brand is expanding outside of the Big Apple, bringing its classic cuisine to the … um … Big Orange. Think Beef Wellington; 28-day, in-house, dry-aged steaks; house-made smoked Canadian bacon; Caesar salad and steak tartare. Harry’s is expected to debut in May as the anchor restaurant at the 360 Rosemary office building — fittingly, a financial hub itself — in downtown West Palm Beach. A sister restaurant, Adrienne’s Pizzabar (known for square pizzas), recently opened, and when Harry’s opens sometime in late May, both will share a combined 11,000-square-foot indoor and outdoor space where patrons can intermingle and order from both. 360 S. Rosemary Ave., West Palm Beach; harrysnyc.com
Fiolina Pasta House, Boca Raton
Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning chef Fabio Trabocchi is coming to Boca Raton. Not only is he opening Fiolina at the highly-anticipated Restaurant Row this fall, but Trabocchi is also moving his family to Boca Raton, where he and his wife first met. Fiolina will occupy the venue’s largest space at 7,000 square feet and, in addition to the main dining room, will feature a lounge, pasta room, show kitchen (with counter dining), private dining room, outdoor terrace and an open Mozzarella Bar Kitchen (with charcuterie station and wine room). “While memorable food and exceptional service will be the core draw, Fiolina Pasta House will be much, much more,” Trabocchi says. “It will be the place where you will always find a sense of community, and everyday life celebrations happen.” Trabocchi already has Fiola in Coral Gables, and his Washington, D.C.,based restaurant group includes Del Mar and Sfoglina Pasta House. 5355 Town Center Road, Boca Raton; fabiotrabocchi.com
Saiko-i Sushi Lounge & Hibachi, Plantation
The restaurateur husband-and-wife team of chef Jason Zheng and Tina Wang are planning a second Saiko-i at the Shops at Broward shopping center (on the other side of Perimeter Road from Broward Mall) later this year. The menu will be the same as that of the original Boca Raton location, but inside the decor will be more modern and able to seat 180 to 200 people. The dynamic duo also own Yakitori Sake House in Boca Raton, Coco Sushi Lounge & Bar in Delray Beach, and Koi Japanese Cuisine & Sushi Bar in
Fort Lauderdale. 8160 W. Broward Blvd., Plantation; saikoiboca.com
The Soulful Steep, Pompano Beach
Billed as a new teahouse, salt cave and emporium, this groovy nook designed to help channel one’s “inner hippie” plans to shuffle into Pompano Beach’s arty Old Town district this spring. The menu at this cozy shop, registered to owners Christina and John Abresch, features a bevy of teas blended by local herbalists, along with vegan and gluten-free baked goods and light bites. The 40-seat shop will also be accented by a therapeutic salt cave and the sale of art and furniture made by locals. 122 N. Flagler Ave., Pompano Beach; TheSoulfulSteep.com
The Baked Bear, Dania Beach
The Baked Bear plans to open its second South Florida location sometime this winter at Dania Pointe, the sprawling al fresco mall and entertainment enclave in Dania Beach. As with the other location in Sawgrass Mills, this new novelty dessert shop will feature 13 baked-from-scratch-daily cookies and 13 premium craft ice cream flavors. You will also be able to mix and match two cookie flavors and choose an ice cream flavor for the filling, thus creating your own customized ice cream sandwich. Additionally, The Baked Bear will serve pints, sundaes and Bear Bowls (a warm cookie and brownie served with a scoop of ice cream). There are two more shops planned for Miami-Dade County. 139 S. Compass Way, Dania Beach; thebakedbear.com and daniapointe.com
Chip City, Pompano Beach and beyond
The latest New Yorkborn restaurant to bet its chips on South Florida is this growing cookie monster, which is scheduled to open five new storefronts in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties by fall 2023. The sweet shack founded by childhood friends Peter Phillips and Teddy Gailas in 2017 has 17 spots in New York and New Jersey, but a $10 million investment by Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer spurred the South Florida move. Their chunky five-and-ahalf-ounce cookie menu includes dairy-free chocolate chip made with oat milk and coconut oil, chocolate peanut butter, blueberry cheesecake, and seasonal outliers such as hot honey cornbread and cannoli (stuffed with toasted pistachios, cannoli shells and cream). A Miami Beach outpost is expected to debut this spring, followed by spots in Pompano Beach, Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami’s MIMO District.