Nicole Danna| Special to the Palm Beach Post
One of Miami's most lauded local chefs brings his take on the Mediterranean-Italian mashup. A longtime north county market begins serving uber-fresh, seafood-focused fare. And the reboot of a Boca Raton haunt delivers a fresh take on French- and Nola-inspired fare.
It's no secret that the South Florida dining scene has grown tremendously over the last few years, with Palm Beach County expanding rapidly alongside Broward and Miami-Dade.
For us, summer heralds the year's halfway mark, a time when we revisit that familiar question: "What's new and noteworthy when it comes to dining out in Palm Beach County?"
While many of the restaurants on this list are less than six months old, they give us an idea of what's hot, new, and exciting in the area. If you've missed a few of the new dining destinations we've announced recently, here's our list of the best restaurant openings of the year — so far, that is.
Ara
Local restaurateur Steven Fondu is elevating the Jupiter dining scene with his three-month-old restaurant, Ara. The standalone building at the corner of Cypress Drive and A1A delivers an upscale ambiance with its lively u-shaped bar and sleek dining room overlooking a bustling open kitchen, while a menu of equally upscale Mediterranean fare reflects the restaurant's top-tier team.
Executive chef Kayla Casale presents a menu of globally inspired dishes that effortlessly roam from handmade pastas that frequently change shape and sauce, to locals' favorites like a charred octopus piled atop a creamy fava paste, or roasted chicken that arrives unbelievably tender beneath a crispy skin shell. In-house pastry chef Van Nguyen matches the savory experience with a rotating lineup of satisfyingly simple desserts that are as beautiful as they are crave-worthy.
1406 S. Cypress Dr., Jupiter, 561-730-5138, arajupiter.com
The Blue Door
When The Blue Door opened in January, it brought with it a new vibe of hospitality to West Palm Beach's growing Dixie corridor restaurant row. Former Palm Beach Post critic Liz Balmaseda described it as, "one of the most exciting restaurants to open this year…where chef Nano Crespo (also founding chef at The Drexel, Miami Beach, and formerly of Miami’s Quinto La Huella) is turning out a sensationally simple Mediterranean menu."
Beyond the appellative Blue Door diners are greeted with a roaming Agean-inspired indoor/outdoor space to match the menu's coastal Mediterranean cuisine. Expect an array of simple grilled meats and seafood to be expertly prepared, and accompanied by house-made breads, pastas, and even ice cream.
5700 S. Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach, 561-360-2064, thebluedoorwpb.com
Café Med
A family-run restaurant with Palm Beach roots, Café Med is an exciting new addition to the West Palm Beach dining scene. Husband-and-wife owners Raffaele and Janet Ruggeri work alongside their children at this charming eatery aimed at delivering a more casual take on Bice, their longstanding Italian restaurant. Here, a shortened menu spotlights homemade dishes from fresh pastas and gnocchi to a hearty vitello al marsala (veal chop with a marsala wine and mushroom sauce) and tender sous-vide pollo alla cacciatora.
6611 S. Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach, 561-855-8116, cafemedwpb.com
DeLuca's Chophouse
DeLuca's Chophouse quietly opened in Boca Raton in May. The new establishment comes from Connecticut transplant R.J. DeLuca and his father, Boca Raton resident, Ralph DeLuca, a father-and-son duo aiming to deliver their take on a sultry, modern steakhouse serving familiar Italian-American fare.
A lineup of weekday specials, live music on the weekends, and a lengthy wine list make for a high-energy vibe. Begin with a meatball salad (inspired by chef Steve Martorano and his clubby Fort Lauderdale Italian restaurant of the same name), or split a fried eggplant stack layered with homemade mozzarella, parmigiana, and a San Marzano tomato sauce. A list of pastas include homemade gnocchi and lobster ravioli, while classic Italian dishes spotlight either chicken or veal. The chophouse comes into focus with prime meats that include a bone-in tomahawk for two, an Australian wagyu New York strip, and a hearty 16-ounce veal chop.
499 S. Federal Hwy., Boca Raton, 561-325-8000, delucaschophouse.com
Masala Mantra
Street food-style Indian cuisine is the focus at Masala Mantra, which opened in Royal Palm Beach earlier this year. The family-run restaurant is the work of Krunalbhai Patel, his wife Purnima, and 10-year-old son Hridaan, who added his own décor touches.
Try street food-inspired fare like the chole kulche, a popular North Indian snack of boiled spiced chickpeas served with a fried bread. There's also pav bhaji, a hearty mix of mashed vegetables like potatoes, peas, and tomatoes, cooked with spices and butter, then sandwiched between two toasted and butterd wedges of pav (an Indian dinner roll). Or genie dosa, a savorystuffed crêpe with cabbage, carrot, green peppers, and grated cheese. A weekend brunch delivers a truly unique experience with dishes like savory scrambled eggs burji, masala-spiced French toast, or thin dosa crepes stuffed with chocolate and banana.
11051 Southern Blvd., #210, Royal Palm Beach, 561-328-7497, MasalaMantraRoyalPalmBeach.com
Mia Rosebud
Generous portions and century-old family recipes are the draw at Mia Rosebud, which opened the 10th location of the Chicago Italian restaurant in Boca Raton earlier this year. The restaurant, originally opened in 1976, serves class red sauce dishes that have stood the test of time, with options ranging from antipasti, salads, and pastas to prime steaks and Italian specialties.
Diners can opt for Mia's most famous dishes, including a square noodle pappardelle seved in a rich tomato-basil sauce, the classic veal Parmesan, or chicken Vesuvio (a Chicago-born roast chicken and potato dish in white wine sauce). Several items exclusive to the Boca Raton location include a frutti de mare of calamari, octopus, mussels, clams, shrimp, and local fish in a spicy tomato white wine sauce served over fettuccine, and a chicken braciole stuffed with sausage, basil, escarole, breadcrumbs, and mozzarella. Complementing the menu is a lineup of Italian wines and traditional Italian co*cktails given the restaurant's own signature twist.
150 E. Palmetto Park Rd., Boca Raton, 561-462-3000, rosebudrestaurants.com
NiMo
NiMo, a Coastal Mediterranean concept by Feal Hospitality, opened in February 2024 in Tequesta. The menu is inspired by Miami chef Niven Patel and his business partner, Mohamed “Mo” Alkassar, who combine their passion for Italian and Mediterranean-inspired fare. Known for meticulously sourcing fresh local ingredients (including produce from his own Homestead-based farm) and handmade pasta, Patel can often be found behind the line at his new Palm Beach County haunt.
While the menu changes often, you can always find dishes enjoyed by former Palm Beach Post critic, Liz Balmaseda, who gushed over the za’atar-spiced chicken wings served with tzatziki dipping sauce she described as "meaty and flavorful with herbaceous, tangy spices," and grilled Spanish-style lamb chops she deemed "ideal plate for sharing." During happy hour, don't skip the fire-roasted meatball, a single sphere of meat tender enough to eat with a spoon and served in a pool of warm tomato sauce alongside a dollop of whipped ricotta cheese and flame-licked sourdough bread.
157 US-1, Tequesta, 561-730-5112, nimoeats.com
Ona Coastal Cuisine
Ona Coastal Cuisine, the new dining destination within Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa, has reimagined the oceanfront restaurant into a Mediterranean mecca. Newly-appointed chef Ahin Bhattacharyya brings more than 20 years of experience, which included Michelin-rated restaurants aboard Cunard Line's QE2, such as the Queens Grill, and at La Scala in the Vienna Hilton, where Bhattacharyya earned the esteemed title of chef de cuisine. Open for breakfast, brunch, and all-day grazing, don't miss Ona favorites like the Floribbean twist on the classic lobster roll, served as a tempura-fried, butter-poached spiny lobster tail topped with pickled Fresno chili and served on a lettuce-lined brioche roll. For dessert, try one of the bar's fancy new libations like the pistachio key lime pie martini, a sweet and sour concoction that marries vanilla-flavored vodka, Fabrizia Crema Di Pistacchio, and Licor 43 with key lime nectar, and garnished with a pistachio dust rim.
3800 N. Ocean Dr., Riviera Beach, 561-340-1795, marriott.com
Outclaws Seafood Restaurant & Market
Considered one of the best new restaurants for outdoor dining in northern Palm Beach County, Outclaws offers fish camp vibes with a local seafood market to match. Owner Jason Brown expanded his retail and wholesale business in February, offering longtime patrons and locals a way to experience the bounty of the sea via a casual outdoor café. The recently-relocated Lake Park location, situated along the waterway off Northlake Boulevard, presents the ideal space to enjoy Outclaws famous fish dip alongside creative, chef-driven seafood dishes prepared by Matthew Candelaria, a former chef at popular Lake Worth Beach eatery, Oceano Kitchen.
Don't miss the house-made grouper cakes; a langoustine ceviche marinated in fresh, local citrus juice spiked with jalapeno, coriander, red onion, and fresno chili peppers; or the fresh catch en papillote, a fish fillet steamed in its own juices alongside vegetables like tomato, zucchini, and asparagus.
640 Northlake Blvd., North Palm Beach, 561-517-8707, outclawsseafood.com
Penelope
This latest restaurant from SubCulture Group opened in Boca Raton's Mizner Park in June, a pocket-sized restaurant that took over the space formerly occupied by Kapow! Noodle Bar. The new focus: a mix of French-forward and New Orleans inspired fare. A variety of each dot the menu, ranging from indulgent bone marrow-roasted escargots and an excellent anchovy-topped Caesar salad to a bouillabaisse that marries mussels and prawns with local fish. Simpler fare arrives in the form of handhelds like a take on the traditional Muffaletta sandwich, or the fried oyster po' boy prepared with a lemon-caper remoulade. Beignets, the only dessert on the menu, make for a proper sweet ending, arriving pillowy-soft and hot from the fryer.
431 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, 561-896-1038, penelopeofboca.com
Nicole Danna is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at nicoleadanna@gmail.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
