Two Fort Lauderdale restaurants, one in Lake Worth Beach and another in Key West have been named among the best beachfront eateries in the Sunshine State.
But there was one big omission: Miami-Dade County.
A Sarasota-based travel site, Trips to Discover, just published its lineup of the “15 Best Beachfront Restaurants in Florida” and singled out Casablanca Cafe and S3 in Fort Lauderdale, Benny’s on the Beach in Lake Worth Beach and Salute! On The Beach in Key West. To our surprise, no oceanfront dining spots on the sands between Aventura and Homestead were deemed worthy enough.
A historic home built in 1927 and converted into a restaurant in 1995, Casablanca Cafe (3049 Alhambra St., Fort Lauderdale; 954-764-3500; CasablancaCafeOnline.com) is a Mediterranean Revival-style marvel, enduring even while luxe hotels sprout up around it. Of course, the Mediterranean menu matches the vibe, and the travel site highlights Casablanca’s Moroccan lamb shank, lime-cilantro fish tacos and blue crab crusted mahi mahi as must-orders, while also spotlighting its live music and cocktails such as the Beach Bonfire Old-Fashioned.
Casablanca Cafe in Fort Lauderdale, photographed in March 2020. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Upscale surf-and-turf spot S3 (505 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-523-7873; S3Restaurant.com) stands for Sun Surf Sand, but also for steak, seafood and sushi. The breezy restaurant on the ground floor of the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort comes from strong hospitality stock (The Restaurant People, known for Java & Jam, YOLO, the abovementioned Casablanca Cafe) and marked 10 years on the beach in May. The travel site salutes S3’s fresh catches, premium cuts of meat and its “one-of-a-kind sushi bar.”
