These Are the Greater Fort Lauderdale Restaurants That Should be in the Michelin Guide
Daniel’s
By Eric Barton | Feb. 4, 2025
Having lived in Fort Lauderdale for two decades, I can attest to one thing that’s just simply true: the feeling that this downright great city happens to be next to a city that’s just a bit bigger, a bit more well known, a bit more Pitbull-endorsed. Some in Fort Lauderdale will tell you that’s a good thing, to enjoy the spoils of Miami and then to head back north to the relative tranquility of Broward. Still, when Michelin arrived in Miami in 2022 and not Fort Lauderdale, it felt like a snub.
But today the Michelin Guide announced it’s expanding to three more Florida cities: St. Pete-Clearwater, The Palm Beaches, and Greater Fort Lauderdale. So, which Fort Lauderdale restaurants deserve to be in the Michelin Guide? Below are my picks for a few Fort Lauderdale restaurants that deserve either stars or Bib Gourmands (which represents good restaurants for a great value). Even if they don’t make it into the guide, these spots ought to be on your list of places to check out in Fort Lauderdale.
Daniel's, A Florida Steakhouse
620 S Federal Hwy | Website | Instagram
What is it: Daniel’s moved into the former Valentino/Canyon space in Rio Vista and wasted no time becoming Fort Lauderdale’s buzziest dining room. The reborn space has fancy supper-club vibes, plus a kitchen led by Daniel Ganem, the chef also behind Fiola in Coral Gables. While steak is the focus, the menu leans Florida-first, featuring locally sourced seafood, pasta, and a Key lime pie topped with a polished swirl of Italian meringue.
Why it should be in the guide: Daniel’s is the complete package of good food, good service, and a nice ambiance. There’s a great cocktail program and wine, which can be important to Michelin.
Although: A steakhouse theme might be a hard sell to a guide that seems to favor tasting menus and unique concepts.
What it deserves: One star
The Katherine
723 E Broward Blvd | Website | Instagram
What is it: After earning a reputation—and plenty of accolades—at Sugarcane in Miami, chef Timon Balloo shifted gears, opening this intimate neighborhood restaurant named for his wife, Marissa Katherine. The menu is a deeply personal mix of influences, drawing from his Chinese upbringing and his wife’s Colombian roots. That means dishes like heirloom tomatoes brightened with coconut vinaigrette and slow-braised Trini oxtail served with a fiery Haitian pikliz.
Why it should be in the guide: Michelin seems to love, for good reason, restaurants that tell a story about the chef’s background. At The Katherine, every plate feels like a page from Balloo’s food diary, a mix of bold flavors that somehow taste both nostalgic and entirely new.
Although: This is a modestly outfitted dining room that’s welcoming but maybe not fancy enough for fussy Michelin inspectors.
Prediction: One star
Larb Thai-Isan
6234 N Federal Hwy | Website | Instagram
What is it: There’s a good reason this strip mall spot is always downright packed with people. The food is authentic Thai that you just don’t find anywhere else in South Florida, dishes that are bright and flavorful. The move here is to come hungry and bring reinforcements, so you can cover the table with plates: larb (pork or chicken, you can’t go wrong), deeply savory fried rib meat, papaya salad with salted crab, and ground pork that brings the heat with chili and garlic. But the real standout? The duck salad, a perfect mix of sweet, spicy, and crispy, thanks to shards of fried duck skin.
Why it should be in the guide: Michelin seems to value folks doing the authentic foods of their home.
Although: The French tire folks can be snobbish toward strip malls.
Prediction: Bib Gourmand
Dune by Laurent Tourondel
2200 N Ocean Blvd | Website | Instagram
What is it: In the Auberge Beach Residences and Spa, Dune feels like a front-row seat to the Atlantic, with sweeping ocean views from every corner. The space is divided into three dining areas, all designed to make the most of the scenery. The menu leans heavily into seafood, so you’ll want to start with a bright, citrusy ceviche before moving on to the grilled branzino bathed in lemon broth. If you’re feeling indulgent, the lobster spaghettini fra diavolo delivers just the right mix of heat and decadence.
Why it should be in the guide: Dune feels like a special occasion, and the service and quality of the dishes match the space.
Although: It seems like Michelin favors spots with local chefs running the kitchen, rather than big-name folks from elsewhere coming in to design the menu.
Prediction: One star
MAASS
525 N Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd | Website | Instagram
What is it: Ryan Ratino, the Michelin-starred D.C. chef, has brought his high-wire approach to fine dining to Fort Lauderdale with Maass, his ambitious outpost inside the Four Seasons. The menu feels like a statement of intent, especially the $145 Seasonal Tasting Menu that just might be the 954’s most expensive night out.
Why it deserves to be in the guide: There’s no denying Maass is reaching for something rare in this city: a true fine-dining experience with serious culinary pedigree.
Although: Execution can be hit-or-miss—service wavers, and dishes don’t always arrive at ideal temperatures.
Prediction: One star
Pasta And
4990 W Atlantic Blvd | Website | Instagram
What is it: This charming and also downright elegant West Broward restaurant makes its pasta in house and sticks to a northern Italian menu that feels straight from the Old Country. The wine menu is no joke, with 500 on offer. Chefs Luigi and Esperanza Marenco make Pasta And feel more like dining in someone’s nicely decorated home than a restaurant in the ‘burbs.
Why it deserves to be in the guide: The attention put on simple dishes done right screams Michelin Guide.
Although: Call it a French bias, but Italian restaurants outside Italy just don’t land in the guide as often.
Prediction: Bib Gourmand
Al Salam
1816 N University Dr | Website | Instagram
What is it: West Broward is a veritable United Nations of food, where, drive a mile in any direction, and strip malls reveal what might be your new favorite Indian or Vietnamese spot. Al Salam Halal Mediterranean Restaurant and Market isn’t just a great Mediterranean restaurant—it’s also charming and welcoming, a spot that’s just as full of families enjoying tables packed with a feast on a Tuesday as it is a Saturday.
Why it deserves to be in the guide: Michelin has a knack for finding lesser-known spots that ought to get the recognition they’ve long deserved.
Although: There’s a lot to choose from in this category.
Prediction: Bib Gourmand
Cafe Martorano
3343 E Oakland Park Blvd | Website | Instagram
What is it: I took a friend who was visiting from out of town here years ago, and the next day he said: “It’s like they put crack in that pasta, because I can’t stop thinking about it.” Straight up, Martorano’s makes the best spaghetti and clams of my life. And also meatballs. And just about everything else. Yes, it’s expensive, and yes the DJ music can be way too loud late night. But seriously, I think there might be crack in the pasta.
Why it should be in the guide: The food here is just downright delicious, made with well-sourced ingredients and care.
Although: The South Philly vibe isn’t for everyone (including Madonna, who famously left after she was told to wait for a table like everybody else).
Prediction: One star
Heritage
903 NE 5th Ave | Website | Instagram
What is it: Chef Rino Cerbone, who moonlights as a rock band frontman, isn’t just slinging exceptional pies; his pastas and Italian-inspired dishes, like the baked razor clams, are just as worthy of an encore. All of that equals a restaurant that’s regularly booked up, thanks to a riotous vibe and dishes that you just might declare your favorite in Fort Lauderdale.
Why it deserves to be in the guide: Yes, Italian spots struggle getting into Michelin, but the fact that Cerbone is telling his own story, as a second-gen American pizzaiolo, makes this spot worthy.
Although: Servers can trend toward put-in-your-order-or-get-the-hell-out, so hopefully the Michelin inspectors get a good one.
Prediction: Bib Gourmand
Kaizen Sushi Bar
5640 N Federal Hwy | Website | Instagram
What is it: Kaizen delivers the kind of meticulously crafted sushi that feels like a quiet luxury—without the eye-watering price tag. The fish is pristine, the service unhurried, and the whole experience suggests a chef more interested in perfecting his craft than chasing trends.
Why it should be in the guide: There’s not a sushi spot in Fort Lauderdale that delivers at this level.
Although: The place has the feel of a quick strip-mall remodel that stayed on budget.
Prediction: Bib Gourmand
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