16 September 24-30, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES TASTE 2026 | FALL FOOD PREVIEW A fter a summer that tested even Fort Lauder- dale’s most established restaurants, fall is ar- riving with caviar, coastal cuisine, Lebanese feasts, and a rather groovy trip back to the ’70s, y’all. I have lived in Broward for roughly a decade, long enough to watch Flagler Village mature from a Bohe- mian utopia to absolutely unrecognizable and Las Olas cycle through an ungodly amount of Italian restaurants. What is unfolding now, however, has the makings of the city’s most consequential restaurant season in years. In details shared exclusively with New Times, the first major arrival will be Caviar Club, where Marc Fal- setto will hold a members-only VIP opening party Oct. 5. An initial reservation period for members and VIPs will follow, with reservations opening to the general public Tuesday, Oct. 27. Despite its name, Caviar Club is neither strictly a caviar bar nor an exclusively members-only operation. “We are a retro-glam American steakhouse inspired by the excess and decadence and unapologetic luxury of the 1980s,” Falsetto tells New Times. Its two-room setup includes a bar room opening daily at 4 p.m. with martinis, cocktails, caviar bites, a limited dry-aged burger, and Wagyu French dip. The main dining room will focus on dry-aged and Wagyu steaks, tableside Dover sole and plenty of indulgence. Reservations will be offered exclusively through Caviar Club’s website, dropping daily at 9 a.m. for dates 30 days out. Falsetto says it will accommodate a limited number of early-evening walk-ins. Demand is already evident: Its first 100 founding memberships sold out in three weeks, followed by another 50. “This is probably the most exciting time here in the last 10 or 20 years for downtown Fort Lauderdale, especially Las Olas,” Falsetto says. “We’re having a renaissance.” That renaissance will be especially visible at South- east Ninth Avenue and Las Olas Boulevard. Caviar Club and another highly anticipated restaurant will trans- form the same corner within days of each other. Directly across the street, The Restaurant People founder Tim Petrillo tells New Times that NAIA, his group’s forthcoming Mediterranean restaurant, is tar- geting the weekend of Oct. 18, pending final inspec- tions. Staff training begins in late September. The location has been in the making for a decade. Petrillo’s team set the building back 25 feet, creating a broad sidewalk and an outward-facing bar intended to make the intersection a natural gathering point. “We have this very expansive sidewalk, and we put a bar that pokes out onto the sidewalk,” Petrillo says. “Now it’s going to be a signature corner and a great gathering space.” NAIA plans to begin with dinner, then add lunch about one to two weeks later and brunch within two to three weeks. That timing puts its opening directly ahead of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the annual late-October crush that effectively sounds the starting gun for high season. “Our season in Fort Lauderdale is pre-boat show and post-boat show,” Petrillo says. “That’s the real marker of season kickoff.” The Laudy activity extends well beyond one inter- section. Sweetwaters will welcome its first diners Oct. 12 at 58 East Las Olas Boulevard inside the reworked Huizenga Park. Developed by the family-owned hospitality group behind Miami’s Rusty Pelican, the nearly 300-seat water- front restaurant will debut with dinner, coastal cuisine, cocktails, outdoor patios and sweeping New River views. Lunch and a morning café experience are expected later. Farther east, Amal Las Olas is slated for fall at 500 East Las Olas Boulevard. The Lebanese restaurant from To- ronto- and Miami-based INK Entertainment Group follows locations in Coconut Grove and Toronto, bringing share- able Middle Eastern dishes, boutique Lebanese wines and a Mediterranean-inspired dining room to downtown. Then there is Good Night John Boy, replacing Howl at the Moon on Southeast Second Street. The disco- driven bar and restaurant promises shag carpeting, retro living-room décor, and basically a playlist built for anyone who has ever wished “Boogie Wonderland” lasted until closing time. Petrillo sees the dining boom as a response to the city growing around it, mentioning that Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale is open, St. Regis is coming, and luxury residential towers are reshaping downtown. Both he and I can go on and on, but alas, I’ve only been given so much space here, and surely our social media warriors will chime in with, “How could you for- get this new place?” I haven’t forgotten them. There is just too much goodness happening, people. What it has occasionally lacked is a collective restaurant scene willing to match the 305’s ever-feisty ambitions. Well, this fall, the city has written its own menu, and combined with our existing stellar restaurant scene, it’s something truly special. DUE NORTH Fort Lauderdale’s restaurant scene is booming. by Jesse Scott there will be an actual storefront. Prepare for lines. 2979 McFarlane Road, Miami; levainbakery.com. Opening date TBD. Queen Chicken at Genghis Cohen Genghis Cohen, the Los Angeles in- stitution that inspired Seinfeld’s “The Chinese Restaurant” episode, is opening its first location outside LA in Sunset Harbour later this year. Its signature queen chicken features crispy chicken coated in a sweet, tangy, slightly spicy sauce and fin- ished with scallions. The Miami menu will also bring over longtime favorites including oversized egg rolls and crab rangoon. 1801 Purdy Ave., Miami Beach; genghiscohen. com. Opening late 2026. Pumpkin Ravioli & Crab at STK Steakhouse STK Steakhouse’s annual Pumpkin Season menu, available for a limited time this fall, puts the ingredient to work in savory dishes, with Pump- kin Ravioli & Crab as its centerpiece. The ravioli combines pumpkin and crab with sage butter, champagne- confit mushrooms, pecorino, and pine nuts. It is rich, very fall-coded, and far more interesting than an- other pumpkin-spice latte. 2305 Col- lins Ave., Miami Beach; 19505 Biscayne Blvd., Aventura; stksteak- house.com. A5 “Philly Cheesesteak” at Bazaar Meat José Andrés is bringing Bazaar back to Miami on October 8 — this time, in the form of Bazaar Meat at the An- daz Miami Beach. The A5 “Philly Cheesesteak,” one of the most recog- nizable bites from the former Bazaar at the SLS, is also returning. The dish tops crisp, hollow airbread filled with cheddar and thinly sliced Wa- gyu beef, giving Miami diners an- other chance to order an old favorite. 4041 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; the- bazaar.com. Opens October 2026. “This is the most exciting time here in the last 10 or 20 years for downtown Fort Lauderdale,” says Marc Falsetto. Provided by Falsetto Hospitality The A5 “Philly Cheesesteak,” one of the most recognizable bites from the former Bazaar at the SLS, is also returning. Something to chew on from p14
