The Best Restaurants On Las Olas

Las Olas is a historic street in Fort Lauderdale with walkable sidewalks, views of canals, and art galleries showing hyperrealistic paintings of predatory cats. It’s lovely on a pretty day. But it is, sadly, not where the best restaurants in Fort Lauderdale live. As is often the case on touristy streets like this, the food on Las Olas can be overpriced and underwhelming. But there are some not-so-awful options in the area to know about in case you get dragged by a friend in town or a parent who insists on having dinner within walking distance of the Broward Center, lest you be late for Wicked.

THE SPOTS

7.8

Louie Bossi

$$$$Perfect For:Dinner with the ParentsBig GroupsSitting Outside

Louie Bossi is a crowd pleaser. The huge Italian restaurant has tons of seating, including a back patio with a small forest of vines. As for the food, expect mostly satisfying, uncomplicated pizzas and pastas served in big portions. This is a great place to bring your family for pies topped with dollops of ricotta, or strozzapreti with crumbles of Italian sausage that's filling enough for your dad who has been bragging about the miles his phone told him he walked today. Just make a reservation ahead of time, because Louie Bossi is perpetually busy. And we all know how dad hates waiting when his feet hurt.

8.3

The Katherine

$$$$Perfect For:Date NightsEating At The BarGetting Out Of Town

We’re going to cheat by recommending a spot just off Las Olas by a couple of blocks. Because The Katherine justifies a small rule stretch. This is where you want to be if exciting food is your priority. The menu has its creative flourishes—like truffle morcilla rice and clam chowder fries—but also enough straightforward American plates to make a non-adventurous eater feel comfortable. (Namely, supremely crunchy wings and an unfussy double cheeseburger that understands you’ve been craving a cheeseburger for the last week.) Unlike most Las Olas options, we like this for a date night thanks to the narrow space and the restaurant’s upbeat but not screamy energy.

7.4

Chima Steakhouse

$$$$Perfect For:Special Occasions

At Chima, $63 gets you a meal that feels like a beef tornado. Like a lot of Brazilian steakhouses, the meat comes to you. Once seated in the big dining room full of high school dates and parents celebrating anniversaries, servers approach the table offering various cuts off a metal rod. There’s a strategy here. Don’t fill up on the pretty average salad bar (which has more cheese and sliced meat than actual salad). Be patient and hold out for the picanha or filet mignon. But try a bit of everything, too. Once you find something you love, tell your server, and she’ll nudge the carrier of your preferred meat over to the table while you sip a very good caipirinha

7.5

Bombay Darbar Fort Lauderdale

$$$$Perfect For:Casual Dinners

Bombay Darbar, which also has a location in Miami, is a reliable place to get familiar Indian dishes in a dining room with nightclub lighting and a passion for crystal chandeliers. This might not be the best Indian food you’ve ever tasted, but you will happily finish the aloo gobi, chicken tikka masala, and various forms of lamb encountered here. Invest in some naan on the side to wipe your plate clean with.

7.6

Nanou French Bakery & Café

$$$$Perfect For:Serious Takeout OperationLunchBreakfast

For a quick, casual breakfast or lunch on Las Olas, go to this small French bakery. We like the jambon beurre that comes on a crunchy baguette, but there are plenty of egg dishes and various viennoiserie (including some pretty great croissants). If it’s nice outside, skip the unremarkable dining room and walk your sandwich or pain au chocolat two blocks east to eat on the sand of Fort Lauderdale beach while you try to ignore the mayhem happening across the street at Elbo Room.

6.9

Sushi By Bou

$$$$Perfect For:Unique Dining Experiences

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This omakase spot has locations around the country that all stick to the same basic business model: good enough sushi served at a breakneck pace for a price that makes it hard to get mad at some of the meal’s shortcomings (like gummy rice and spotty service). Fort Lauderdale’s Sushi By Bou doesn’t deviate from that plot. It’s located in a small private room above Salt7, and you’ll sit at a counter with about 10 other people between a kaleidoscope of disco balls and pop art. Go for the $60 12-course option, which won’t stuff you to the gills, but will leave you satisfied and with enough energy to go bar hopping after you’re done (your meal should take almost exactly one hour).

The Floridian Restaurant

$$$$Perfect For:Classic EstablishmentLate Nights

The Floridian is the oldest restaurant on Las Olas and one of the oldest in all of Fort Lauderdale. Another edge it has over the competition: it stays open 24/7. Other than that, what you’ll find here is a standard diner-adjacent menu with food that tastes great at 3am and totally fine any other time. You can get pretty much every form of egg as well as burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs, and more things between bread. The walls are cluttered with news clippings and photos of famous Floridians. And they’ve got a full bar, too. You won't be surprised to learn that the people-watching gets a lot more interesting as the night (or morning) goes on.