West Palm Beach is packed with stunning restaurants that not only provide the perfect setting for romance, but also throw in award-winning cuisine, world-class wines, impeccable hospitality and service, and possibly even a celeb or two. For an unforgettable dining experience like no other, head to Renato’s or Café Boulud; for superb Italian and Mediterranean cuisine, check out Il Bellagio; or take the pooch on your date and head to Darbster for natural, organic and vegetarian-friendly cuisine which can be enjoyed o the dog-friendly waterside deck. Here are some of West Palm Beach’s best options for celebrating your love.
Kitchen
Owned by husband-and-wife team Aliza and Matthew Byrne, Kitchen defines the difference between eating and dining. Located in the city's El Cid neighbourhood, the reservation-only restaurant exudes the ambiance of a modern American brasserie and serves a menu to match with favorites that have stood the test of time such as Kathryn’s Meatloaf, Charred Filet of Beef, Simple Chicken with Crushed Truffles, and Salmon in Paper with fennel and leeks. The softly-lit, cozy bistro is famous for their decadent desserts like the from-scratch lemon coconut cake draped in coconut-encrusted lemon curd icing. Kitchen is open for dinner only, seven nights a week.
319 Belvedere Road, West Palm Beach, Phone: 561-249-2281
Avocado Grill
Located on Datura Street in the heart of the downtown district, Avocado Grill is a breezy, retro hangout and self-proclaimed ‘foodie paradise’ that serves an array of seasonal small plates, freshly prepared specialty sushi, and other offerings from a raw bar, along with signature cocktails and fine wines. Priding themselves on serving farm-to-table fare made with organic, locally sourced ingredients, Avocado Grill is an excellent spot for an intimate dinner for two or with friends, boasting a classy dining room and a lovely outdoor patio with views over the Intracoastal Waterway. Avocado Grill is open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week.
125 Datura St, West Palm Beach, FL 33401, Phone: 561-623-0822
Buccan
Buccan is a hip, high-end bistro with a buzzing bar set in a tile-roofed storefront that serves imaginative global fare in a casual, laid-back atmosphere. Located in the heart of Palm Beach, the restaurant, bar, and lounge was opened by highly acclaimed Miami Chef Clay Conley and is named after the wooden grill used to cook food over an open fire in the Caribbean. It serves a creative menu of progressive American cuisine ranging from small sharing plates to sophisticated entrées. Guests can enjoy drinks and light meals at the buzzing bar, relax over cocktails and fine wines in the elegant lounge or settle in the beautifully appointed dining room for a leisurely and romantic dinner. Buccan is open for dinner, seven nights a week.
350 S County Rd, Palm Beach, FL 33480, Phone: 561-833-3450
Ristorante Santucci
Located on West Palm's Clematis, Ristorante Santucci is a stylish and sophisticated Italian restaurant with popular sidewalk seating that serves authentic Mediterranean fare and handcrafted cocktails. Owned by Sicilian-born Chef Emilio, the restaurant brings his passion for the culinary art of authentic cuisine to the table with a creative menu of delectable dishes. The menu features innovative plates of fresh seafood, prime meat and chicken dishes, handmade pasta and sauces, and crisp salads and vegetables. The full-service bar offers a variety of wines from around the world, craft beers on tap and by the bottle, high-end spirits, and classic cocktails. Ristorante Santucci is open for dinner only, Monday through Saturday.
610 Clematis St #1, West Palm Beach, FL 33401, Phone: 561-337-2532
Cafe Boulud
Located in the Brazilian Court Hotel & Beach Club, Cafe Boulud is a stunning, contemporary-designed French-American restaurant owned by Daniel Boulud that offers an unforgettable dining experience. Boasting an exquisite terrace with spectacular views and a comfortably revamped bar, the café serves a seasonal menu of upscale French cuisine including Spanish tapas platters and smoked salmon with herbed salads for starters, followed by entrées like veal ravioli and squab tartine with mushroom duxelles. Desserts to die for include pear strudel with cinnamon ice cream and an extensive wine list offers a selection of vintages to pair with each dish. Café Boulud is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week.
301 Australian Ave, Palm Beach, FL 33480, Phone: 561-655-6060
Darbster
Vegans, vegetarians, and health-nuts will love Darbster, which is a unique plant-based bistro that serves creative natural, organic, and vegetarian-friendly cuisine. Named after owner’s 17-year poodle, Darby, the airy and inviting restaurant welcomes all and has a dog-friendly patio and waterside deck with charming water views for guests with four-legged friends. The menu features both old-time classics and innovations, all of which are prepared using fresh, locally sourced ingredients from regional farmers and producers. Darbster is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday and weekend brunch and lunch.
8020 S Dixie Hwy, West Palm Beach, FL 33405, Phone: 561-586-2622
Il Bellagio
Located at the base of the historic cultural arts center in City Place on Rosemary Square, Il Bellagio is a traditional Italian restaurant that offers an authentic, piazza-style dining experience. Boasting beautiful interiors with cherry wood accents, Trompe I’oeil ceiling murals, a cypress pergola, a deep emerald granite bar, and lovely views of the courtyards fountains, the restaurant is an excellent spot for a quiet, romantic dinner for two. The menu features favorites such as antipasti platters, freshly baked bread and dips, fresh seafood platters, chicken and veal dishes, fresh salads, and decadent desserts, along with casual wines from Italy and imported spirits. Il Bellagio has two intimate dining rooms for private parties and functions, and the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, daily.
600 S Rosemary Ave #170, West Palm Beach, FL 33401, Phone: 561-659-6160
Malakor Thai Cafe
Take a culinary journey to Thailand without leaving your seat at the bright and cheery Malakor Thai Cafe . The colorful eatery has comfortable dining and patio, boasts a laid-back and relaxed ambiance, and serves a menu of authentic Thai cuisine and freshly-made sushi. Located on 25th Street in Northwood Village with eclectic, Thai-inspired décor and murals, the restaurant is named after the Thai word for ‘papaya,’ a Thai kitchen staple. The menu features standard Thai favorites like miso soup, tom yum shrimp, pad thai, and a variety of chicken, fish and noodle dishes, as well as specialties like Lobster Pad Thai, Thai Crispy Duck, Sea Scallop Garlic Delight, and Seared Jumbo Sea Scallops. Malakor Thai Café is open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week.
425 25th St, West Palm Beach, FL 33407, Phone: 561-762-9070
Bice
Bougainvillea-laden trellises set the scene at the main entrance of Bice, a mini-chain Italian eatery on Peruvian Way that serves sublime Milanese cuisine in an elegant, see-and-be-seen setting. Popular with the stylish Palm Beach society and ladies-who-lunch crowd, the restaurant has a gorgeous dining and room and bar, which is usually heaving in high season and an outdoor terrace where "walking models" showcase designer apparel and jewelry from nearby boutiques. The menu features fresh seafood, salads, light pasta such as pappardelle al telefono, and delectable meat dishes like the roast beef tenderloin with spätzle, along with mouth-watering desserts like ricotta cheesecake. Bice is open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week.
313 Worth Ave, Palm Beach, FL 33480, Phone: 561-835-1600
Cafe Sapori
Cafe Sapori brings Italy to West Palm Beach with a blend of traditional and modern Italian cuisine. Featuring a warm and welcoming atmosphere decorated in cherry wood and granite accents with a spacious, wrap-around bar, the restaurant offers an assortment of tastes and flavors from Northern and Southern Italy, including Carpaccio of Zucchini, Polipo, and Beef, Salmon Tartar, Panelle al Caprino, Casonnse I alla Bergamasca, and Taglioni with Polypus. The bar boasts an extensive collection of wines by the glass and bottle, as well as craft beers, and handcrafted cocktails and a private room is available for special celebrations. Cafe Sapori is open for dinner seven days a week.
205 Southern Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL 33405, Phone: 561-805-7313
Leila Restaurant
Blending fine Mediterranean cuisine, Middle Eastern entertainment, Leila Restaurant is a unique restaurant that provides an unrivaled dining experience. Focusing on using locally sourced and organic ingredients where possible, Leila evokes the senses with creative cuisine such as appetizers of hummus, dolmades, falafel, muhammara, Sambusik (meat pie), and tabbouleh. Family-style entrées feature chicken and beef dishes, and grilled vegetables rice and couscous, followed by desserts of baklava, kneffe, and Leila’s signature dessert of sokseh and Turkish coffee. Friday and Saturday nights offer live music, and belly dancing and guests can relax with traditional centuries-old rite-of-passage of smoking the argileh, an Old-World hookah. Leila is open for lunch and dinner, Monday through Friday and dinner only on the weekends.
120 S Dixie Hwy#101, West Palm Beach, FL 33401, Phone: 561-659-7373
Maison Carlos
Based in a strip mall in the El Cid neighborhood, Maison Carlos is a continental restaurant that serves refined French and Italian cuisine. Opened by Carlos and Lanie Farias in 2002, the intimate and minimally decorated eatery has only eleven tables and is open for dinner only, serving a seasonal menu of classic dishes such as Soufflé de Fromage, Crispy Pork Belly, Snails in a Pail, Baked Goat Cheese ‘Caprese,’ Clams Casino, and Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs. The menu also offers a range of seafood, beef and chicken dishes, burgers, pizza, and pasta, along with sparkling wines and Champagne, and casual wines from around the world. Maison Carlos is open for dinner only, seven nights a week.
3010 S Dixie Hwy, West Palm Beach, FL 33405, Phone: 561-659-6524
Okeechobee Steak House
Established in 1947, Okeechobee Steak House is a traditional steakhouse with a meat-centric menu and an extensive wine list that draws a crowd to enjoy exceptional cuisine in a relaxed, yet elegant setting. The family-friendly eatery features forest green walls, rich cherry woodwork, and designer booth tabletops, and serves a menu of well-seasoned and cooked-to-perfection premium steaks, fresh seafood and salads, hearty sides of vegetables and golden fries and in-house made sauces. The full-service bar offers a variety of wines from around the world, craft beers on tap and by the bottle, high-end spirits, and classic cocktails. Okeechobee Steak House is open for lunch and dinner, Monday through Friday and dinner only on the weekends.
2854 Okeechobee Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL 33409, Phone: 561-683-5151
PB CATCH Seafood & Raw Bar
PB CATCH Seafood & Raw Bar is a sophisticated seafood-centric eatery with sleek nautical décor that focuses on serving local and sustainable seafood. Boasting stylish white leather banquettes and gleaming mahogany walls, PB Catch Seafood & Raw Bar serves a seasonal menu that matches the refined décor, featuring daily-changing shareable-size small plates of appetizers, salads and vegetarian options, entrées of fresh catch-of-the-day, oysters on the half-shell, and freshly-made sushi from the expansive raw bar. The full-service bar offers a variety of wines from around the world, craft beers on tap and by the bottle, high-end spirits, and classic cocktails. PB CATCH Seafood & Raw Bar is open for dinner only, seven nights a week.
251 Sunrise Ave, Palm Beach, FL 33480, Phone: 561-655-5558
Pistache French Bistro
Pistache French Bistro is a Parisian-style French bistro with beautiful interior Art Nouveau décor that reflects the brasseries and bistros 1920s Paris. Featuring red leather banquettes, giant antique mirrors, a full bar, and retro-modern and sophisticated ambiance, the quaint bistro is the perfect spot for a quiet dinner for two or a romantic celebration. Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner; the charming bistro serves a menu of classic French fare with a Mediterranean twist with dishes like Moules Frites ‘Mariniere,’ Grilled Atlantic Salmon, Signature Ratatouille, Grilled Mahi Mahi, Grilled Chicken Paillard, Coq au Vin, and Australian Lamb Loin. Guests can enjoy their food and wine on an outdoor patio with an awning that boasts beautiful views over the Centennial Park, the Fountains and the Intracoastal Waterway.
101 N Clematis St, West Palm Beach, FL 33401, Phone: 561-833-5090
Renato's
Tucked away in Via Mizner beside a charming, flower-bedecked courtyard on Worth Avenue, Renato's offers an elegant and upscale dining experience in an intimate and romantic setting. Exuding the grace and charm of a bygone era, the exquisite restaurant is decorated in soft pastel tones with white clothed tables adorned with pink roses and a white grand piano. The pretty courtyard with a fountain is the perfect spot for dining under the stars, where diners can linger over sublime cuisine like sauteed veal scaloppini, mushroom pappardelle, seared diver scallops, and honey-glazed salmon. The continental menu is accompanied by a range of fine wines from around the world, and signature cocktails made with high-end spirits. Renato's is open for lunch and dinner, every day except Sunday when only dinner is served.
87 Via Mizner, Palm Beach, FL 33480, Phone: 561-655-9752
City Cellar Wine Bar & Grill
City Cellar Wine Bar & Grill is a New American eatery set within a modern dining space with a striking floor-to-ceiling glass-enclosed wine cellar that serves a seasonal menu of fresh seafood, prime steaks, wood-fired brick-oven pizzas. Opened in 1999, the restaurant is one of the city’s landmark dining destination, and offers a small plates menu featuring freshly baked flatbread, daily specials like lobster mac ‘n cheese, and a rotating menu of artisanal cheeses. The wine cellars feature over 500 labels of well-known and rare vintages, which guests can enjoy by the glass and the bottle and the full-service bar offers a wide range of craft beers on tap and by the bottle and high-end spirits for cocktails. City Cellar Wine Bar & Grill is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and dinner only on the weekends.
700 S Rosemary Ave, West Palm Beach, FL, Phone: 516-693-5400
