The longtime Sunrise resident died on Sunday evening after a brief battle with stage 4 esophageal cancer, his surviving children confirmed. He was 75.

Public services are planned for noon to 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 18, at Menorah Gardens & Funeral Chapels, 21100 Griffin Road, Southwest Ranches, followed by a private reception that will include hot dogs.

A native of East Flatbush, Brooklyn, Garber opened Coney Island Joe’s at 6401 Sheridan St., and for 27 years his blue and mustard-yellow stand on Seminole tribal land became a no-frills shrine to New York grilled and boiled “dirty water dogs” topped with red onions and sauerkraut, ingredients he sourced direct from the Empire State.

Joe’s became a noshing must-stop for Brooklynites, or anyone craving a moist, flavorful dog with a signature snap on a fluffy white bun, the same type found on New York street corners from Gramercy Park to Coney Island. Its all-caps “Sabrett” logo and weathered signboard-on-wheels — “Hot Corned Beef, Hot Pastrami” — beckoned for miles around.

Two of Garber’s children, Tiffany Jara and Cheyanne Alba, on Wednesday remembered their dad as a Disney diehard and hot rod racing lover when he wasn’t serving comfort food under a tent in 100-degree heat. Jara and Alba each worked their father’s stand through middle and high school.

“It was many years of being paid under the table in hot dogs and knishes,” said Jara, 36. “I’m still addicted to Cheetos and Sabretts because of that man.”

The devoted father often took his children out for subs at Publix, toys at Walmart and back-to-school shopping at Sawgrass Mills mall.

“He loved taking us to Disney World so much,” Jara said. “He’d call us up in this high-pitched Mickey Mouse voice and go, ‘This is Mickey calling!’ and we’re like, ‘Dad, c’mon.’ He always made sure to hug us when we came and hug us when we left.”

And despite being a true-blue Brooklynite, Garber refused to turn away customers who ordered ketchup on their hot dogs, Alba added. Or worse: mayonnaise.

“Dad would go, ‘Ugh, what is that? What are you doing to it?’ ” Alba, 38, recalled with a laugh. “But he carried the condiments to give the public what they wanted. As long as they were stepping foot in his shop to try his hot dogs, he was there for it.”

In a Facebook post on Monday, friend Bert Stephens spoke of Garber’s ever-present happy face and warm greetings under the Sabrett tent.

“My heart is broken tonight as I say goodbye to my very dear friend,” he wrote. “If you never got to eat one of his hot dogs, or my favorite, the meatball Parmigiana, you only missed part of the incredible visit to the Hollywood Seminole reservation. Go fly high my friend, your work here is done!”

Pat Conlon, 71, called his close friend of 20 years a tireless worker, quick-witted with an easy laugh and unafraid to keep things lighthearted — even toward the end, when chemotherapy treatments made him too weak to work the stand.

“A few months ago, when he wasn’t feeling well, people asked which hospital he went to, and he said he went to the Broward Animal Clinic,” Conlon said, chuckling. “He’d say anything to get you laughing.”

Conlon and Garber bonded quickly over the drag-racing circuit — Garber drove “funny cars” professionally in the late ’60s — and several times the duo road-tripped to Gainesville for the drag-racing event Gatornationals. One weekend three years ago, driving up in Garber’s Jeep, the engine began leaking oil and billowing black smoke. A Gainesville mechanic confirmed the leak, but rather than fix it in North Florida, Garber insisted on driving it home, arguing the repair would force him to keep the hot dog stand closed too long.

“So we’d stop every 30, 40 miles and add seven quarts of oil just to get it home,” Conlon said with a laugh. “We must’ve put 48 quarts of oil in that thing. We limped it up there and limped it back but, boy, Elliott was determined to get back to work.”

Garber is survived by his widow, Debbie Ayers, his four children — Tiffany Jara, Cheyanne Alba, Shannon Cardinali and Brian Garber — and five grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, donations to cover funeral expenses may be made via Zelle at 954-829-9892. For information, go to dignitymemorial.com.

When it debuts in December, this new coastal Italian bistro from husband-and-wife restaurateurs Eddie and Christina Pozzuoli will take over the longtime Tavolino space in Coral Springs, the couple tell the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

The Pozzuolis, who once owned Tavolino, want to transform their space into something new and swanky while also paying tribute to the past.

The new family-run restaurant, named after their children, Eddie, 6, and Vinny, 3, promises to be a seafood-forward Italian sit-down touting fresh daily catches, olive-oil carts with bread service, wine lockers and a 10-seat “pasta room,” where chefs hand-roll pasta shapes by day.

After a long career of giving other acclaimed South Florida restaurants like Prezzo and Corvina Seafood Grill a jolt of youthful ambition, the Pozzuolis say Eddie & Vinny’s, for once, is entirely their own.

“We want to light something on fire and go after it,” Eddie Pozzuoli says. “This is completely us from scratch.”

It is not, Eddie Pozzuoli adds, a comeback for Tavolino, the highly regarded Italian bistro that closed in April after 17 years, amid the growing legal and financial woes of its most recent owner, Sidharth Sethi, he says. The Pozzuoli family has owned the Tavolino building on West Sample Road since 2007 but sold the restaurant to Sethi in 2019. Then last fall, Tavolino’s chef of 15 years, Bruno Silva, exited the restaurant to open his own farm-to-table Italian eatery, Livello, also in Coral Springs.

“Bruno was what was keeping [Tavolino] together, so we wanted to turn the page and do something new,” Pozzuoli says.

Eddie & Vinny’s will carry traces of its predecessor’s DNA, starting with the name, a nod to Tavolino founder and Eddie’s father, Ed Pozzuoli Sr., and Christina’s father, Vinny. The menu, still unfinished, will pay homage to Tavolino’s classic Italian fare (veal Parmigiana and chicken Milanese, for example) while offering dishes such as blue crab bruschetta, Florida rock shrimp with broccoli puree and shellfish nage, and lobster linguine fra diavolo created by chef Jeff Tunks (Boca Raton’s Corvina Seafood Grill).

“This project connects our sons and our dads because we had so many good memories here,” Christina Pozzuoli says. “Our customers kindled relationships here. They had baby showers, bat mitzvahs.”

The 30-something power couple behind Eddie & Vinny’s rose up the culinary ranks by taking over Burt Rapoport’s rebooted Boca Raton Italian joint Prezzo in 2020, and expanding the trattoria to Palm Beach Gardens in 2021. Last spring, the Pozzuolis also became managing partners of Corvina Seafood Grill through their P Hospitality banner, and have since refreshed its cocktail program, introduced glasses of welcome cava for diners and added a “land” section of the menu for non-seafood eaters.

Christina Pozzuoli sees similarities between Corvina and Eddie & Vinny’s, describing the latter as Corvina’s “cool older brother.”

The Eddie & Vinny’s menu will carry “maybe 60% seafood and 40% Italian classics,” adds Eddie Pozzuoli. Other dishes will include steamed Prince Edward Island mussels with garlic, shallots, sun-dried tomatoes, thyme-limoncello cream and grilled crostini, and yellowtail livornese with Gaeta olives, capers and tomato. For carnivores, there’s a Tuscan cowboy ribeye steak topped with rosemary and balsamic glazed cippolini onions.

The Pozzuolis say they’re awaiting construction permits to start revamping the dining room, hopefully by September. The sumptuous vibe, which Christina Pozzuoli describes as “darker, intimate and more nightlife-y,” will come alive with dark navy and caramel-wood tones, and brassy gold barstools and banquettes. Gold pendant lighting will be fixed within black exposed ceilings, while a live-music stage will carry five-piece jazz bands and DJ sets.

Happy hour and lunch service will launch roughly a month after opening, Eddie Pozzuoli says, but craft cocktails and an Italian-leaning wine list will be available on opening night. Eddie & Vinny’s will also offer wine memberships, in which customers buy bulk wines at discount and store them inside chilled wine lockers to pair with meals on future visits without paying corkage fees.

“Because of Tavolino, we have a pretty good idea of what the clientele likes out here,” he says. “We don’t want to completely move away from the classics, and I don’t want to alienate what made us very popular, what made us near and dear to everyone’s hearts. There’s got to be something for everyone.”

Eddie & Vinny’s, at 10181 W. Sample Road, Coral Springs, is expected to open in December 2024.

Staff writer Phillip Valys can be reached at pvalys@sunsentinel.com. Follow him on Instagram @p.v.guide and X/Twitter @PhilValys.

Here’s what’s coming soon to a city near you. Please note: Opening dates are subject to change.

La Birra Bar

2031 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Oakland Park; LaBirraBarUSA.com

Its Golden burger — with two 4-ounce patties, American cheese, red onion and “secret mayo” — gleamed at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival’s Burger Bash in 2022. Now Daniel Cocchia’s burger franchise is heading to Broward County, with the first of two locations set to throw a grand opening on Aug. 21 inside a former Wendy’s on Oakland Park Boulevard. Cocchia, whose family opened 15 locations in Argentina before expanding to the United States (specifically, Miami’s Wynwood) in 2021, offers a menu of 26 burgers. For example, the Onlyfans burger comes with American cheese, bacon, thick-cut provolone, crispy onions and a so-called “stalker sauce.” There are also hot dogs and sides of french fries, onion rings and Spinach dip nachos, along with draft beer and Argentine red and white wines. A Weston outpost is expected to debut later this year.

Lola’s Tuscan Steak House by Todd English 

717 Lake Ave., Lake Worth Beach; lolastuscansteakhouse.com

Celebrity chef Todd English’s love affair with Palm Beach County is unyielding, even if the county doesn’t always love him. His short-lived West Palm Beach restaurant Todd’s closed in 2020, following runs of his wood-fired oven pizzeria Figs inside The Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens and Mediterranean sit-down Wild Olives in Boca Raton. Now the four-time James Beard Award winner and TV host (PBS’ “Food Trip with Todd English”) is making another go of it, with a new spot in downtown Lake Worth Beach set to replace the former Callaro’s Steak House. There’s no menu available yet, but the the plan is to open Lola’s before the end of 2024.

Johnny’s Hungry Hoagies

790 E. Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; johnnyshungry.com 

Ever since signs went up at the soon-to-come space in the plaza of the Laureat apartment building, near the oh-so-busy intersection of Broward Boulevard and U.S. Highway 1, there’s been anticipation buzz about this fast-casual eatery. “We looked for a growth area with a large residential population and great visibility in a key section of downtown,” owner John “Johnny” Wiggins told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Wiggins would know. His career has been in commercial development and upscale home building. Why hoagies now? “There are a lot of generic hoagie sandwich shops,” the self-described foodie and lifelong Fort Lauderdale resident said. “We’ve created a very unique and craveable line of sandwiches based on the highest quality meats and cheeses, along with chef-inspired recipes that will differentiate us from other chains.” There will be indoor seating for 20 guests, and details are still being worked out on possible plaza seating. This first location is expected to debut in late October or early November, with plans for a second location to be announced soon.

BrickTop’s 

12 NE Fifth Ave., Delray Beach; Bricktops.com

Touting jumbo lump crab cakes, prime sirloin meatloaf and ribeyes, this Nashville-born, steak-and-seafood chain is moving into the ground floor of a two-story retail building one block north of Atlantic Avenue. The 4,420-square-foot sit-down will debut in summer 2025, per its website, joining 10 U.S. locations including Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens (named The River House). The menu also features chicken Milanese, lobster bisque, steak frites, tavern burgers, grilled trout and cedarwood-planked salmon, along with N.Y. strips and filet mignon. And, of course, there will be cocktails, craft beers and wine by the glass and bottle.

Puya Urban Cantina

2750 Griffin Road, Dania Beach

Sometime this October, Dania Beach will gain its first kosher Mexican restaurant, in the ground floor of the just-opened Koosh Living at Griffin luxury apartments. Puya is registered to Guy Levintin, whose company BSD Capital developed the complex where the 120-seat restaurant will reside. The fast-casual eatery will feature an outdoor bar and a menu, still being finalized, that will include 20 types of margaritas.

Kapow Noodle Bar

32 SE Second Ave., Delray Beach; KapowNoodleBar.com

The clubby hot spot Salt 7 on buzzy restaurant row Atlantic Avenue closed on June 30, and this sumptuous noodle nook is taking its place. Kapow, from veteran restaurateurs Vaughan Dugan and Rodney Mayo, plans to open its third location sometime before the end of 2024, joining locations in West Palm Beach and its dramatically reinvented flagship in Boca Raton’s Mizner Park. The trendy Asian-themed restaurant will carry a vibe (mural-splashed walls, dark bamboo furniture) and menu similar to its sisters. Think short-rib gyoza tacos, Wagyu beef and shrimp shumai dumplings, KFC chicken bao buns, sweet potato poke bowls, salads and entrees such as Pekin duck and whole North Atlantic lobster lo mein with garlic butter, sweet soy, red pepper, carrots and scallions.

Parlor Doughnuts
444 NE Seventh St., Fort Lauderdale; parlordoughnuts.com/fort-lauderdale-fl 

Set to open in August, this sweet newcomer to Flagler Village will offer signature layered doughnuts as well as vegan, gluten-free and keto-friendly options that feature a cake-like texture. There will also be a full coffee bar, plus special Pawler Dog Doughnuts available for your furry friends. The decor will mix modern with vintage Americana, evoking “parlor” rooms of 1900s Victorian homes. This marks Parlor Doughnuts’ first foray into Broward County, with future plans to open three more locations in the region.

Crema Gourmet Espresso Bar 

222 Commercial Blvd., Lauderdale-by-the-Sea; cremagourmet.com 

Just a few steps from the beach in L-B-T-S, Crema is opening a 2,000-square-foot space with what they describe as an “industrial cafe-bistro vibe” in the next two or three months. Boasting locations throughout South Florida, Crema serves housemade breakfast fare, pressed juices, pastas, handcrafted sandwiches, salads, wine and beer. Its most popular dishes include the Open Face Breakfast Sandwich, Chicken Club Sandwich and Salmon Bowl.

Gabriella’s Modern Italian

40 NE Seventh Ave., Suite 160, Delray Beach; gabriellasfl.com

This new eatery just off buzzy-busy East Atlantic Boulevard is an offshoot of Gabriella’s Italian Steakhouse in downtown Red Bank, New Jersey. The Delray Beach version is expected to open this fall, according to a news release. The dinner menu in The Garden State original includes raw and chilled seafood, starters such as Shrimp Arrabiata and Truffle Ricotta, pastas, steaks and desserts ranging from Affogato Granita to Bombalonis.

Through The Vine
444 NE Seventh St., Suite 1A, Fort Lauderdale; Instagram.com/throughthevineftl 

This wine bar plans to debut in Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village, nestled at EON Squared apartments, sometime this winter. In addition to the vino — curated by sommelier Jason Javens — oenophiles will be able to enjoy a menu of shareable plates and gourmet tapas with highlights such as charcuterie boards, Sweet Figs Truffle Honey Burrata Cheese Flatbread, Bloody Mary Oyster Shooters, and Watermelon and Cucumber Ceviche. The project is from a triumvirate of entrepreneurs and hospitality execs: Troy Cabrera, Isaac Benharoche and Eli Goldshtein.

Cannoli Kitchen Pizza

9180 Glades Road, Boca Raton; cannolikitchen.com

This pizzeria is expanding with locations coming to Boca Raton in October, then to Coral Springs and Coconut Creek in the second half of 2025. But that’s not all: The Boca Raton-based company that started in 1996 has its eyes on expansion to Orlando, as well as outside Florida to Alabama, Michigan and Georgia. “It’s rare to cultivate a restaurant brand with a mom-and-pop vibe that’s consistent across multiple locations, but that’s exactly what we are doing with this pizza franchise,” company president Austin Titus said. South Florida currently has four Cannoli Kitchen Pizza eateries: in Boca Raton, Pompano Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Deerfield Beach.

Man Ray
522 Lucerne Ave., Lake Worth Beach; Sub-Culture.org

Named after the iconic painter and photographer subversive who straddled two art movements — Dada and Surrealism — this restaurant is expected to open later this year on Lucerne Avenue in downtown Lake Worth Beach, replacing the former C.W.S. Bar + Kitchen. Billed as a spinoff of Dada in Delray Beach, the eclectic sit-down comes from Palm Beach restaurant impresario Rodney Mayo (Kapow!, Sassafras, Hullaballoo, the recently opened El Segundo) and features no menu yet.

Pura Vida
6 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach; puravidamiami.com

This Miami-based, health-conscious chain is quickly expanding throughout SoFlo with a particular focus on Palm Beach County. The new Pura Vida Delray Beach will overlook the ocean when the 4,000 square-foot space opens on Sept. 5. Founded by Omer and Jennifer Horev in 2012, the fast-casual keeps an eye on food allergies and dietary restrictions, offering dishes such as pasture-raised egg sandwiches, salads, raw acai bowls, wraps and gluten-free vegan sweets. “Our aim has always been to foster spaces where individuals can come together to enjoy not just great food, but a lifestyle centered around health and wellness,” Omer Horev says. There are already 26 eateries.

3Natives
Multiple locations; 3Natives.com

This South Florida-blended franchise is on a tear, with plans to debut multiple outposts later this summer in Broward and Palm Beach counties. The fast-casual smoothie and acai-bowl bar, started by Tequesta’s Anthony Bambino in 2013, has already opened 10 locations, most recently on Fort Lauderdale’s 17th Street Causeway (April 24) and Boynton Beach’s Jog Road (March 27). Locations on the way, per the 3Natives website, include: Coral Springs (1211 N. University Drive), Weston (292 Indian Trace, Suite 2), Lake Worth Beach (8764 Lantana Road, Suite B-114) and Loxahatchee (5070 Seminole Pratt Whitney Road). The juicery has eight signature acai bowls, from the Estes Bowl (granola, peanut butter, strawberry, green apple) to the Tequesta Dragon (dragonfruit, blueberry, raspberry), along with salads, wraps, bagels and avocado toast.

Bondi Sushi
3333 N. Federal Highway, Oakland Park; BondiSushi.com

This beachy, Big Apple-born, sushi-bar chain is expanding with its first Broward outpost, which expects to debut this summer at Oaklyn, a new sky-high tower giving Oakland Park a jolt of big-city appeal. The 2,100-square-foot kitchen comes from founder-partners David Hess, Aiden Carty and Justin Hauser. The dining room will be distinguished by a Japanese-style cocktail bar and a sweets shop called Icebergs, which will serve Japanese ice cream, rice-cake desserts, sodas and candy. Bondi, which also operates a Miami Beach outpost, will serve king salmon and yellowtail jalapeno sashimi, 12 kinds of handrolls (from lobster and toro to A5 Wagyu and truffle avocado), 14 types of nigiri (sea scallop, seared albacore), crispy rice and shishito pepper appetizers.

Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar

1840 Sawgrass Mills Circle, No. 4100, Sunrise; TommyBahama.com

This tropical-chic restaurant-retail mashup known for serving ahi poke bowls next to Polo shirts will debut at Sawgrass Mills mall in 2025, a Marlin Bar spokesperson told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. In South Florida, it will join Tommy Bahama restaurant/Marlin Bar outposts in Dania Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter. At 8,500 square feet, the new Marlin Bar will be accented with tropical-print wallpaper, display men’s and women’s swimwear, sportswear and home decor, and include an outdoor patio. The shareable menu has a similar dash of island flavor, with entrees of coconut shrimp, blackened Mahi-mahi tacos, Kona coffee-crusted ribeye, grilled chicken and mango salad and, for dessert, piña colada cake.

Embarcadero 41
350 SE Second St., Suite 2, Fort Lauderdale; embarcadero41.us 

Expected to open in December, Embarcadero 41 — also called E41 — is the creation of the Vidal family, who came here from Peru in 2018 and created the boutique eatery brand that serves a menu mix of Peruvian fusion and Nikkei cuisine. Husband-and-wife dynamic duo Jorge (who worked with brewer SABMiller for 24 years) and Patricia, along with daughter Rafaella and son Rodrigo, opened their first restaurant in Sunrise in 2020 and now have three other locations: in Pembroke Pines, Coral Springs and Boca Raton. The menu includes ceviche and tiraditos; hot and cold appetizers such as pulpo anticuchero (octopus), conchitas a la Parmesana; rice and risottos, pastas, makis (sushi) and chef’s specials. This new location will have a full indoor-outdoor bar with a menu of signature cocktails, some made with pisco and Peruvian ingredients, and a wide and exclusive wine list. The new E41 will have three distinct areas — dining room, lounge bar and terrace — encompassing 3,600 square feet to accommodate 150 patrons.

Tropical Smokehouse

524 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; EatTropical.com

“Florida-style barbecue,” what 2023 James Beard semifinalist chef Rick Mace dubs his marriage of smoked meats and SoFlo soul, is expanding south to Delray Beach. Sometime later this year, Tropical will open on West Atlantic Avenue inside a mural-splashed building recently occupied by cocktail hub Pour & Famous. It’ll technically be the third smokehouse from Mace and business partner Jason Lakow, who opened their flagship West Palm Beach pit-stop in 2021 and a smaller fast-casual spinoff, Tropical BBQ Market, two years later. By all accounts, the menu will mirror the original, which serves low-and-slow, mojo-spiced pork shoulder and jerk turkey breast, medianoche hot dogs, DemKota prime brisket, barbecued jackfruit, and black bean and plantain rice bowls. The 800-square-foot building includes an expansive wraparound patio.

Ah-Beetz New Haven Pizza
Multiple locations; Ah-Beetz.com

Ah-beetz, for the uninformed, is the only proper way to pronounce “apizza” in New Haven, Connecticut — locals say it loudly and emphatically, like “achoo!” — which should tell you something about the authenticity of the pies served there. After debuting in Delray Beach in 2022 and in West Palm Beach in June, the pizzeria is adding two more franchises, which will bow in Royal Palm Beach (11051 Southern Blvd.) and in Lake Park (9475 A1A Alternate). Founded by Kassondra Frantz and Nick Laudano Jr., the restaurant touts Connecticut favorites such as white clam ah-beetz, “mootz” (or mozzarella) pies with toppings, plus calzones, wings, salads and grinders.

Ocean Prime
171 Las Olas Circle, Fort Lauderdale; Ocean-Prime.com

This upscale surf-and-turf chain already has a mighty presence across 17 major cities, and now the steakhouse plans to open its latest sit-down on Las Olas Marina in spring 2025. At 15,000 square feet, the eatery from Ohio hospitality outfit Cameron Mitchell Restaurants will devote half its 400 seats for patio dining. It will be perched beside the Las Olas Bridge, and diners may use the marina’s 68 public boat slips for access, chief operating officer David Miller says in a statement. “Our fifth Ocean Prime location in Florida marks another significant milestone in our expansion in the state,” Miller says. Ocean Prime — which also has outposts in Tampa, Orlando, Naples and Sarasota — will offer oysters on the half-shell, Dutch Harbor King Crab legs and chilled whole Maine lobster on ice, sushi rolls, lobster bisque soup and, for entrees, sea scallops and blackened snapper with corn spoon bread and Swiss chard in a corn emulsion. Carnivores, meanwhile, can carve into filets, New York strips and ribeyes with optional Bearnaise sauce, black truffle butter and bleu cheese crust, along with Berkshire pork in a sherry reduction and double-bone lamb chops in roasted garlic-thyme jus. The menu also includes cocktails and brunch.

Howl at the Moon
600 SE Second Court, Fort Lauderdale; 754-356-4695; HowlattheMoon.com

In a bygone Fort Lauderdale party era, dueling-piano bars tickled the ivories into the wee hours of the morning at Beach Place. Now one of those singalong nightspots, Howl at the Moon, is staging a comeback with a 5,000-square-foot venue off Las Olas Boulevard, behind Big City Tavern. It is slated to open in October. As with the other 12 national locations, this new piano-bar will sling cocktails, shots and beers, no doubt to loosen your tongue for belting out “Don’t Stop Believin’” for the 50th time. Meanwhile, performers will face each other across black baby-grand pianos, taking song requests for tips while inviting customers onstage.

Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza

1 Main St., Miramar; mistero1.com

Renato Viola’s pizzeria is expected to open this fall at the new Manor at Miramar, an eight-story, mixed-use development right in the heart of the southern Broward County city. Known for star-shaped, Neapolitan-style pizzas, Mister O1 has multiple South Florida locations, including in Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, Aventura and South Beach.

Part grown-up game den and part pie shop, the black-walled space caters to millennials and Gen-Xers seeking the type of retro distractions only a symphony of bells, chimes and ricocheting silver balls can satisfy.

Owner Dwight Slamp quietly opened Satellite in late June as an offshoot of Glitch Bar, his other clubby arcade in Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village, with one key difference between the two: Satellite is a “way more nostalgic, mature experience,” he tells the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

“Let’s be honest: I’m a passionate pinball player, and I opened this business because I wanted to play pinball,” Slamp says. “It’s more sophisticated here than Glitch. And I’m obsessed with ‘Robocop’ and ‘Alien’ and old movies, so I just wanted to populate this place with cool stuff.”

Satellite is one of several new eateries that have shuffled into Oakland Park’s so-called Culinary Arts District, a warehouse row north of Oakland Park Boulevard along the spine of North Dixie Highway.

Slamp’s 2,500-square-foot lounge occupies two side-by-side warehouses facing North Dixie and has two entrances — one labeled “Pizza,” another “Pinball” — representing the lounge’s two halves. Yellow, peach and red horizontal stripes lead indoors, where no wall is spared the multicolored splash of vintage decor: rows of 1970s Telecasters, skull banners and comic-book illustrations awash in warm amber hues.

Behind the central bar, neon signs and a nook of notorious monster masks — from the Night King on “Game of Thrones” to Iron Maiden mascot Eddie — frame a copper backsplash where 12 craft-beer taps are mounted.

Basically, Slamp says with a laugh, the lounge resembles a mashup of his high-school bedroom and a mall arcade in Houston, Texas, where he often filled his after-school hours growing up. Lining the walls are 19 machines from movie franchises, including “The Avengers,” “Godzilla” and “Guardians of the Galaxy,” and rock bands such as Led Zeppelin, Foo Fighters and Rush.

Care to play? A change machine on-site will convert $1 bills into a single arcade token, the cost of a pinball game.

Slamp, 45, is under no delusion that South Florida’s pinball-loving demographic is massive. Which is why pizza, calzones and alcohol are Satellite’s primary moneymakers, he says.

Moon Pizza Pie, his pizzeria in the lounge, serves nine signature pies ($18 to $23) and four calzones ($16 to $23), along with build-your-own pizza ($15). By far the most popular is Eclipse, topped with sausage and cup-and-char pepperoni, ricotta and fresh basil with an optional drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey.

Sides include meatballs ($9) and Loaded Comet Fries ($12), a supreme nacho-style concoction where ground beef, mozzarella and cheddar cheese, pickled onions and jalapeños, ranch and ketchup top a mound of waffle-cut fries.

A self-taught piemaker, Slamp says he perfected his recipe after experimenting and buying pizzamaking books on Amazon. At Satellite, his brick-lined Marsal gas oven fires pizzas at 700 to 800 degrees for two minutes using a blend of 00 flour and King Arthur bread flour. Pies are then finished at a lower temperature “to tighten the crisp and achieve that leopard-spot crust,” he says.

In the month since Satellite opened, Slamp says serious pinball-heads have already hit the machines. He’s started a Mondays-only pinball league, which is sanctioned by the International Flipper Pinball Association, and hosts monthly pinball tournaments.

“I didn’t exactly design the place to optimize foot traffic,” Slamp says with a laugh. “My only regret is not taking seating out of the pizzeria so I can put in more pinball machines.”

The vibe, he says, stands in stark contrast to the full-liquor Glitch Bar, which debuted in 2016 and offers free arcade play with the purchase of drinks. Glitch doesn’t carry pinball machines because they have tiny, expensive parts, and party crowds are casually aggressive with the equipment, he says.

“At Glitch, where it’s free, I only have arcade machines with joysticks and buttons that can handle the abuse of people slapping it around,” he explains. “The pinball games at Satellite are pay-to-play, and that gives you emotional investment. If you put money into a game each time, you’re going to commit to that game.”

Satellite Pinball Lounge is located at 3501 N. Dixie Highway, Oakland Park. Visit Instagram.com/SatellitePinballLounge or call 954-728-0659.

Satellite’s neighbors

Satellite Pinball Lounge is next door to three new Oakland Park restaurants that are also crowding onto North Dixie Highway. Here’s a brief rundown of Satellite’s neighbors.

BMC Smash Burgers
3499 N. Dixie Highway, Oakland Park; Instagram.com/Eat.BMC

Opening sometime in mid-August is Jason “Jay Rok” Smith’s new smashburger shop, a brick-and-mortar version of his cult-favorite Eat BMC food truck that’s a fixture at Fort Lauderdale bars LauderAle, Orchestrated Minds Brewing and Laser Wolf. The menu, he says, will be as barebones as his 1,000-square-foot, open-kitchen storefront: patties smashed on the flattop using a chuck-brisket-short rib blend atop a challah kaiser roll, crinkle-cut french fries, tater tots, and a combination of craft beer and domestics in cans and bottles. “I’m just finishing up painting the bar,” says Smith, a Hialeah-raised native. “I love making people happy and making super-crispy burgers, and Oakland Park is an up-and-coming place with a great vibe.”

Meat N’ Bone
3553 N. Dixie Highway, Oakland Park; MeatNBone.com

This is the fifth brick-and-mortar eatery for the online butcher shop cofounded by meatheads Luis Mata and Gabriel Llaurado in 2018. It joins locations in Wellington, Coral Springs and Miami. Mata and Llaurado are also behind steakhouses The Wagyu Bar on Coral Way and the upcoming Wagyu House in Hallandale Beach. The boutique butcher shop, which soft-opened this month, sells a variety of prime meat and poultry cuts along with seafood.

The Oasis Garden & Eats
3555 N. Dixie Highway, Oakland Park; 305-904-1670; TheOasisGardenEats.com

Replacing the former Prison Pals Brewing Co., which closed in June, is this healthy-eats bar operated by Get the Cook, the event-planning side business of Meat N’ Bone. Run by professional caterers Caron Cole and Suzanne Pallot, the restaurant is scheduled to host its grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 10. The Oasis is situated next to Meat N’ Bone and will feature a slim menu of build-your-own protein bowls, along with Wagyu beef carpaccio, tuna tataki, smoothies, alcohol-infused ice cream, and beer and wine by the glass and bottle. There’s also an expansive artificial-grass patio in the rear.

These “gold-star” restaurants and food trucks made the July 2024 list of perfect inspections because not one violation — minor, intermediate or high-priority — was red-flagged at the time of the surprise visit from Florida safety and sanitation inspectors.

Last month, 51 spots in Broward County and 42 in Palm Beach County earned perfect scores.

Eateries typically are inspected at random every six months to a year, and they’re not required to display their results for the public. That’s where we come in: The Sun Sentinel has tallied them up in an easy-to-read format below.

Note: All restaurants and food trucks listed below have been sorted by city, and those without physical addresses on their inspection reports have been trimmed from the list. Food and drink concessionaires, professional caterers, event planners — any purveyor that’s not a restaurant, food truck, flea market stall or food hall vendor — are also excluded from the roundup.

If your city isn’t listed, either no restaurants were inspected that month, or none earned perfect scores.

Under everyone’s nose, downtown Delray Beach is becoming a more urbane oasis of fine food and drink — and the latest proof is the wave of seven new restaurants and bars about to shuffle around the Atlantic Avenue drag.

Lefkes Estiatorio, the first of these swanky restaurants, soft-opened on Friday, Aug. 2, as a modern Greek kitchen and sushi-sashimi bar inside the four-story Delray Beach Market. At 5,000 square feet, the sit-down looks as sumptuous as it sounds, with terra-cotta flooring, blue and white accents, earthy champagne walls and a state-of-the-art sound system set to pump out European music every Thursday through Saturday, when it converts into a nightclub for DJs, violin and saxophone players.

Georgia Dumas, Lefkes’ managing partner, calls downtown Delray Beach a “beautiful up-and-coming place” that blossoms at night, which fits the Lefkes vibe perfectly. This is Lefkes’ fifth location, opening after a year of permitting delays inside the Delray Beach Market, which recently underwent a face-lift to attract higher-end restaurants.

“Delray is craving something extra, so I thought, ‘Let me bring a bit of Greek nightlife here,’” Dumas tells the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “We wanted to be different so you never get bored. People are happy dancing to Italian and Israeli music here.”

The 240-seat restaurant (180 indoors, 60 on corner patio) will serve meze that includes spreads of tarama (fish roe), skordalia (a garlic-potato-crushed almond puree) and tirokafteri (a roasted red pepper-feta dip), along with chargrilled Spanish octopus and veal meatballs with tomato sauce and feta crumbles. There’s also a full-service sushi-sashimi bar planned, run by sushi chef Raymond Chan.

Some entrees, under Lefkes Delray executive chef Gregory Simpson, blend traditional Greek dishes with modern preparations both obvious and subtle. Many signature dishes add high-end seafood, such as oven-baked Atlantic cod served over potatoes stewed in tomato sauce, and lobster moussaka, a rich lasagna of Maine lobster, braised beef ragu, eggplant, potatoes and bechamel. Others, like the wood-fired lamb shank slow-braised in red wine, are served over pasta and vegetable mirepoix instead of classic orzo.

“Growing up, I would never think of putting lobster and moussaka in the same dish,” says Dumas, who was born in Kavala, a seaport city in northern Greece. “But here, it comes out wonderful and amazing.”

Dumas’ restaurant mini-chain began its life 20 years ago when her cousin, Anastasios Ntoumas, opened two Lefkes locations in Athens, later expanding to the island of Santorini before hopping across the pond to Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, in 2018.

For now, Dumas says, Lefkes plans to launch its happy hour in mid-August, with weekend brunch to follow sometime in September.

Like Lefkes Estiatorio, other new upscale restaurants are blooming around the tony Atlantic Avenue drag over the next six months. Below, find a half-dozen that are coming up.

Gabriella’s Modern Italian
40 NE Seventh Ave., Delray Beach; GabriellasFL.com

Another export from New Jersey, co-owner Frankie Brusco’s classy surf-and-turf steakhouse expects to open this fall in the trendy Atlantic Crossing shopping village, next door to The Hampton Social. With a dining room tastefully appointed in yellow and royal-blue banquettes, chandeliers, warm wood accents and a fully-stocked liquor wall, Gabriella’s will offer a menu similar to its Jersey original. Meals here trend more Italian than steakhouse, such as rigatoni in spicy vodka sauce and firecracker shrimp, although there are total splurges, too, like caviar bumps and bistecca alla fiorentina, which is a 40-ounce, 45-day dry-aged porterhouse with steak fries, garlic confit, preserved lemon, bone marrow and parsley salad.

Tropical Smokehouse
524 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; EatTropical.com

“Florida-style barbecue,” what 2023 James Beard semifinalist chef Rick Mace calls his marriage of smoked meats and SoFlo soul, will be smoking up Delray Beach. Sometime before December, Tropical is expected to open inside a mural-splashed building recently occupied by cocktail hub Pour & Famous. It’ll technically be the third smokehouse from Mace and business partner Jason Lakow, who opened their flagship West Palm Beach pit-stop in 2021 and a smaller fast-casual spinoff, Tropical BBQ Market, two years later. The menu will emphasize low-and-slow Duroc pork spare ribs and ground brisket-short rib blend burgers, along with mojo-spiced pork shoulder, jerk turkey breast and barbecued jackfruit. The 800-square-foot building will feature an expansive wraparound patio.

Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina
1000 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; 561-665-4800; MichaelMina.net

The Delray Beach cut of Michael Mina’s globetrotting steakhouse brand will mark the chef-restaurateur’s first foray into Palm Beach County when it debuts this December inside The Seagate Hotel & Spa. Running the kitchens of the 6,000-square-foot, 310-seat restaurant, resplendent in gold and hunter-green accents, will be executive chef Dmitriy Kakuschke (ex-Bourbon Steak Nashville). The menu traffics in high-end excess: slow-poached Japanese A5 Wagyu, dry-aged or wood-fired steaks, Maine lobster pot pies and pastrami-spiced short rib — paired with rich dipping sauces. Black truffle mac and cheese and duck-fat french fries are among the highlights.

Good Night John Boy
33 SE Third Ave.; GoodnightJB.com

Sometimes you need “Funkytown” and sometimes you need “Disco Inferno,” but you’ll find both at Good Night John Boy, a ’70s-themed discotheque strutting in platform shoes to the Delray Beach Market in early 2025. This chain dive bar — named, of course, after the famous sign-off on the 1970s drama “The Waltons” — touts groovy cocktails (names include Mood Ring, Chevy to the Levee, Dirty Ashtray) and so-called Dad beers (Miller High Life), along with mirror balls, bell-bottoms, trucker hats, wood-paneled walls and other nostalgic slices of retro decor. This is the bar’s fifth boogie wonderland, and the second in Florida, after one hustled into St. Petersburg in 2023.

Geronimo Tequila Bar & Southwest Grill
105 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; GeronimoBarandGrill.com

Navajo fry bread on Atlantic Avenue? Believe it: Replacing the old Cabana El Rey on the western edge of the Atlantic Avenue restaurant row is this Connecticut-based mini-chain set to open in early 2025. Touting ingredients sourced “directly from New Mexico,” per Geronimo’s website, the menu will offer pork burritos braised with Chimayó chiles, guajillo-braised short rib, frito pies, buffalo steak chile, quinoa chile rellenos and handmade corn tortillas with eight meats, from birria to cauliflower al pastor. Sangria, margaritas and mojitos will be served by the glass or pitcher, plus expect agave flights and craft cocktails.

Roka Hula
270 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; RokaHula.com/Delray-Beach

This Polynesian fusion restaurant-bar, described as a “modern Asian tiki” speakeasy on its website, is plotting a 2025 opening inside the former Taverna Opa space. It will become Roka’s second location after West Palm Beach hospitality outfit True Grit (Calaveras Cantina, Voodoo Bayou) opened its flagship inside a Voodoo Bayou in Orlando. It will tout a menu of pork belly baos prepared four ways — classic, Thai chili, Vietnamese and Korean — along with seared miso-glazed striped bass, sashimi, rolls and an A5 kobe beef omakase. And, of course, it will serve 14 tiki cocktails (like Psycho Starlett and Saigon Suzy) and a lengthy rum, tequila, mezcal, shochu and Japanese whisky list.

Diners seeking deep discounts this summer will be spoiled for choice during Dine Out Lauderdale and Miami Spice, with a record number of restaurants participating in both movable feasts.

The promotions, running Aug. 1 through Sept. 30, offer diners passports to scores of deeply discounted multi-course lunches and dinners at top eateries.

For Dine Out Lauderdale, there are 174 restaurants offering multi-course lunches and dinners ranging in price from $35 to $75 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. This matches the cost of Dine Out’s 2023 promotion, and the number of participating restaurants has more than tripled since 2022 (which had 48). We recommend skipping those $75 splurges, though, and instead opting for $45 and $55 deals that won’t obliterate your wallet.

Meanwhile, Miami Spice has prix-fixe lunches for $30 to $35 and dinners for $45 to $60, which also mirror’s 2023’s deals — and many participating eateries happen to be Michelin-starred.

As usual, the big bargain blitz is designed to prop up sluggish summer sales. And the timing, perhaps, may offer some foot-traffic relief after dozens of legacy mom-and-pop restaurants and longtime chains called it quits in recent months.

Stacy Ritter, president and CEO of Visit Lauderdale, which promotes Dine Out Lauderdale, says an aggressive marketing strategy and new hires at the county’s tourism arm have boosted the number of participating restaurants to record levels this year.

“This is the time of year when restaurants need the most help,” Ritter says. “And I think more restaurants than ever have seen the value this program brings and want to get involved.”

Most participating Dine Out restaurants are in Fort Lauderdale or east of Interstate 95, although plenty exist in the ‘burbs, including The Cook & The Cork in Coral Springs, Vienna Cafe & Bistro in Cooper City and Tacocraft in Plantation. Three participants are food halls, including the new Block 40 in Hollywood, offering a $35 passport-style prix-fixe in which customers pick eight menu items from a lineup of 11 vendors.

A note to first-timers: Not every deal saves bundles of money, and it helps to compare each restaurant’s year-round menu against their advertised dine-out prices. Chima Steakhouse in Fort Lauderdale, for example, offers its all-you-can-eat Brazilian meat and salad bar (normally $63.90) for $55 — a $9 savings. Compare that with Le Bistro in Lighthouse Point, which will be serving a three-course, beef Wellington-centric meal for $75, when it normally goes for $130.

Here are five restaurants serving up some of the best deals this summer during Dine Out Lauderdale and Miami Spice.

BROWARD COUNTY

J&C Oyster
2035 Harrison St., Hollywood; 954-300-1007; JandCOyster.com

Miami-Dade County’s loss became Broward’s gain when chef Raheem Sealey (Drinking Pig BBQ, KYU) decamped to Hollywood last spring, and now his oyster bar’s Dine Out deal is further proof. Its $55 multicourse, omakase-style “experience” includes a raw oyster trio, fish dip, cucumber salad, cauliflower, pork belly, mussels and a choice of cornbread or s’mores cake. Craving fried chicken, too? Then splurge on J&C’s $75 experience, featuring a half-dozen raw and broiled oysters, avocado and crab salad, mussels, Thai crab curry and the aforementioned bird, plus a choice of the same desserts. The discount is offered Wednesday-Sunday.

Eatapas
4140 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale; 754-779-7554; EatapasFL.com

There are two Dine Out Lauderdale paths worth taking at Filomeno and Kremena Giannino’s snazzy Spanish tapas kitchen, home to platters of sizzling paella, tableside sangria and hand-carved Iberico ham. Diners with lighter appetites can order five tapas for $30 daily (normally $6 to $17 apiece). Feeling hungrier? Eatapa’s $55 dinner menu, offered Thursday to Sunday only, serves three courses. We recommend starting with fried calamari or Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp in a garlic brandy sauce, dusted with red pepper flakes), followed by paella, which serves two. Conclude with Crema Catalana (Spanish crème brûlée ) or Tarta de Santiago con Helado (almond cake crowned with ice cream).

MAASS
525 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-256-0000; MaassFTL.com

Chef Ryan Ratino’s open-fire American sit-down inside the Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale, which quietly opened in December, touts one of the strongest Dine Out deals. Its $55 three-course menu begins with tomato salad topped with black garlic, raspberry and Thai basil. For the second course, order striped bass in a coconut broth spiced with vadouvan and lemongrass, and for dessert, snag a raspberry mochi taco filled with yuzu curd for a $26 savings off the year-round price. For the indulgent, MAASS’s $75 four-course menu dishes a better bargain: Start with appetizers of foie gras macaron, truffle popcorn and peach-burrata salad, followed by an entree of smoked potato ravioli with red wine-glazed beef, maitake and watercress, and finish off with a dark chocolate, coffee and dulcey cake, for a whopping $42 savings. Both deals are offered daily.

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY

Blue Collar
6789 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-756-0366; BlueCollarMiami.com

It’s hard to match the impressive three-course deal offered by this acclaimed comfort-food staple, which will charge a flat fee ($35 for lunch, $45 for dinner) for any appetizer, entree and dessert on its lunch (Mondays through Fridays only) or dinner (daily) menu. Better still, Danny Serfer’s spot gained a full bar when it relocated into larger digs across the street last April. The mix-and-match option means sharp discounts for savvy diners who order, say, Blue Collar’s Corben sandwich ($29, with slow-braised brisket and Dijon on Portuguese muffins and latkes, dipping jus and applesauce) or spicy oxtail ($35, with scotch bonnet and mashed potatoes on ciabatta). Pair that with an appetizer ($21 wild royal red shrimp and grits) and dessert ($9 Heath bar and butterscotch bread pudding), and the value far exceeds the $45 price tag.

Cafe La Trova
971 SW Eighth St., Miami; 786-615-4379; CafeLaTrova.com

As the effortlessly charming host of “Check, Please! South Florida,” tastemaker Michelle Bernstein crowns culinary excellence across the region. But there’s plenty of excellent food worth having at the star-chef’s modern Cuban cafe-retro cocktail bar in Little Havana, which is dishing a $45 three-course dinner. (It’s even Michelin-blessed, if recommendations from a French tire company are your thing.) Start with Cuban sandwich empanadas stuffed with mojo-marinated lechon, ham, Swiss, yellow mustard and pickles. Continue with skirt steak ropa vieja, plated with rice, black beans, tostones and avocado cream (or update to a three-piece rack of lamb for $18). Finish with Michy’s bread pudding, a decadent dessert soaked in Cuban rum raisins, chocolate and an orange rind (and splurge an extra $4 for bourbon-soaked cherries and whipped cream). The deal is offered Mondays through Thursdays and Sundays.

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NOW OPEN OR OPENING

The Kebab Shop, Coral Springs

1289 N. University Drive; 754-241-2261, TheKebabShop.com

This Lebanese Halal chain based in San Diego debuted June 18 in the Ramblewood Square plaza on University Drive with a build-your-own-kebab menu. The Mediterranean chain, founded in 2007 by Tony Farmand, AJ Akbar and Wally Sadat, offers a choice of chicken and lamb-beef doner, grilled saffron chicken, falafel, grilled steak and beef kofta. Proteins are offered in wrap, plate or box form, smothered in sauces (garlic yogurt, dill yogurt, cilantro jalapeno and fire chili) and served with sides ranging from saffron rice and chickpea salad to hummus and fries. The Coral Springs outpost marks the second South Florida location of Kebab, joining a Miramar outpost that opened in February and 40 more locations in California and Texas. A Boynton Beach location (1780 N. Congress Ave., Suite #300) is also forthcoming.

Skillets

13860 Wellington Trace, Wellington; 561-660-8304; skilletsrestaurants.com.

Skillets just opened its third Palm Beach County restaurant in Wellington (the other two are in Boca Raton and Delray Beach). At the July 9 grand opening the throwback homestyle diner that serves breakfast and lunch from a scratch kitchen donated $1,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County. “As we expand in Palm Beach County, the Wellington area is an ideal fit,” explains Joe DiGangi, CEO of Skillets Restaurants. “This equestrian and family-centric area has many early risers looking for a quality breakfast experience. Wellington will fall in love with our great breakfast and lunch food choices and seasonal menu.” Owners Ross and Noreen Edlund started the brand in Naples and now there are 16 locations throughout the state. The new Wellington restaurant can seat 195 guests in over 4,500 square feet.

Macamochi

115 NW Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale; 954-637-3306; macamochi.com and sistrunkmarketplace.com/maca-mochi.

This dessert destination just had a soft opening last month with a second location in Sistrunk Marketplace and Brewery. The original, which opened in 2023, is in Hollywood’s Yellow Green Farmers Market. As the name suggests, Macamochi makes gluten-free macarons and never-frozen mochi, with lots of vegan options — all baked fresh daily. “We minimize sugar in recipes to make sure nothing is covering (the) original taste,” says Dzmitry Balashevich, who co-owns the brand with Iryna Balashevich. “Pistachio Macaron and Fresh Raspberry Mochi are our top bestsellers.”

IT Italian Trattoria

349 Johnson St., Hollywood; 954-466-8824; it-trattoria.com.

Finally there’s an IT Italian Trattoria in Broward County. The family-founded, fast-casual restaurant has two locations in Miami Beach, one in New York City and more than 70 across Europe. “We’ve had remarkable success with our first three U.S. restaurants and are thrilled to announce the opening of our first Broward County location,” Edoardo Paredi, an IT Trattoria partner overseeing the U.S. expansion, says in a company statement. “We love the vibrant atmosphere of Hollywood Beach and are excited to establish the restaurant as a must-visit destination for locals and visitors.” Founded in 2014 by Calabrian brothers Renato and Gio Iera, the brand’s newest location is next to Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort and spans 3,500 square feet with 150 seats, including indoor seating and outdoor tables with beachfront views. Inspired by the recipes of their Uncle Romolo and Grandma Rosina, the brothers have made sure that the menu includes signature dishes such as Radiatore Del Capo with Sicilian cherry tomatoes and spianata calabrese; Rigatoni Tartufo with truffle cream and mushrooms; Pizza Regina topped with mozzarella, mushrooms, prosciutto cotto, arugula as well as house-made pastas, pizza, salads, paninis, cannoli, tiramisu and flavored croissants.

The Food Republic

1910 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-302-2300; ordergreatfood.com.

Chef Nikol Zarbalas has expanded her empire with this new eatery in Gateway Shopping Center, in the space formerly Tipico Cafe. She also has the Culinary Republic catering company and Hellenic Republic, which Guy Fieri summed up with, “hands down, the best Greek food” he’d ever had when the Coral Springs hotspot was featured on the Food Network superstar’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” in 2022. This past April, The Mayor of Flavortown had her compete in his “Guy’s Grocery Games” show. In her latest project, Zarbalas says her culinary concept is a mix on the menu. “The Food Republic is an eclectic dining experience,” she told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “The things on the menu are things that I execute really, really well. They are things that I love to eat, the things that I enjoy cooking. When you come here, I want you to feel good. I want you to feel welcome. I want you to sit down, enjoy yourself and feel like you’re at a friend’s house and that I’m cooking for you.” Foodie faves so far include Fried Chicken, Shrimp & Grits, Skirt Steak Sandwich and Pasta Carbonara.

Carrot Express

1818 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; 954-628-5558; carrotexpress.com.

The veggie-centric, fast-casual chain opened in Hollywood on June 28 with its signature salads, bowls, veggie burgers, made-to-order wraps, ciabatta sandwiches, smoothies and grab-and-go juices. “Hollywood is one of the fastest-growing cities in Florida and as it’s going through a major resurgence,” owner Mario Laufer said in a statement. “We wanted to make sure our doors were open for the community. As health is taken more serious than ever, it’s no longer seen as a fad or a trend … now the residents and visitors of Hollywood can fuel their bodies with food that’s not only healthy but, delicious too.” Carrot Express, which started in a Miami Beach gas station on Alton Road back in 1993, offers options for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The Blind Monk

655 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach; TheBlindMonk.com

After warning customers for a year about a pending move, wine bar and hip tapas hotspot The Blind Monk shut its Evernia Street location after 13 years last December — and migrated in mid-April into the chic AKA Hotel, also in vibey downtown West Palm Beach. The Blind Monk debuted in 2010 under the auspices of former U.S. Marine Capt. Ben Lubin, who’s also a graduate of the French Culinary Institute and a certified sommelier. The new location — triple the size of its OG perch on Evernia — lets Blind Monk leap from wine bar to tastefully appointed bistro, with new covered terrace seating on the patio and new craft cocktails. The all-day menu (also new) features items such as sour cream pancakes, shakshouka, chicken liver mousse, and grilled swordfish skewers with black lentils.

Coast to Coast Pizza Co.

656 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale; 954-368-5443; CoasttoCoastPizzaCompany.com

We have an embarrassment of slice-shop riches in SoFlo, so you’d be forgiven for giving this Victoria Park pizzeria a double-take and thinking, “Wait, wasn’t this already here?” Answer: Nope. The space used to be Flagler Pizza & Pasta, and before that Anthony’s Pronto Kitchen, an Italian grab-and-go from Anthony Bruno of Anthony’s Runway 84 fame. Now it’s Coast to Coast, which opened in late April from owners Omar and Nicole Maldonado, and serves N.Y.-style pies from Margherita to the 7.7 Cheese Pie, named after its one-bite review score from Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy. The recipes come from Philadelphia-raised manager Anthony Ludovici-DeBrigida, pried away from a career as a dolphin trainer at Dolphin Research Center on Grassy Key to cook pies at Coast to Coast’s Marathon flagship. (Fort Lauderdale is the second location.) There are also Detroit-style pies, salads, garlic knots and steak calzones.

Masala Mantra

11051 Southern Blvd., Royal Palm Beach; 561-328-7497; masalamantraroyalpalmbeach.com 

This recently opened Indian restaurant serves entrees such as Jini Dosa (stuffed crepe), Biryani (mixed rice), Chicken Lollipops and Stuffed Mushrooms. There are also dessert options like the Chocolate Samosa and crafted cocktails. Hridaan Patel, son of founders Purnima and Krunalbhai Patel, used the video game Minecraft to help come up with the restaurant’s design, evoking the vibrancy of India’s streets. “This is an immersive journey into the essence of Indian street food, re-envisioned through a contemporary lens,” Krunalbhai Patel said. “Each dish is crafted to narrate a story, blending tradition with innovation in a manner designed to surprise and delight our patrons and their palates.”

The Modern Rose

4300 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; 954-967-0444; themodernrose.com 

Emilio and Jimena Dominguez opened their third location of the boutique brand The Modern Rose in early March with business partners Ida and Ray Passaro and UFC commentator/former fighter Din Thomas. The menu is the same: avocado toast, egg sammies, breakfast dishes, mixed greens salads, a wide selection of coffees, teas and entree options ranging from panini and hummus to shrimp scramble and bruschettas. Commenting on the menu, Emilio Dominguez said, “No notable changes, except here we offer full table service and will have bottomless mimosas on weekends soon.” He described the decor as “Victorian vibes with a vintage aesthetic.”

Bedda Mia Ristorante & Pizzette

427 S. Federal Highway, Pompano Beach; 954-943-5387; beddamiaristorante.com

Serving “Sicilian/Italian dishes with a kick from New Jersey,” this restaurant has everything from pinwheel knots to lasagna to eggplant parmigiana. There are burgers (even a Pizza Burger!), Sicilian-style pizzas (of course!) and Sfincione pizzas that have more than 8 pounds of seafood and feed eight to 10 people. Partners Maria Santini and master chef Ettore Maestoso officially opened the eatery on March 1 after being on the New Jersey restaurant scene for decades. “This is our passion and our dream,” Santini said. “Ettore is beyond talented in the kitchen. There honestly is no other way to describe it. Everything that he prepares is full of flavor and can nevr be duplicated. He is meticulous and the blends of everything is unforgettable.”

Ona Coastal Cuisine

3800 N. Ocean Drive, Singer Island; 561-340-1795; onacoastalcuisine.com 

Ona Coastal Cuisine is the new flagship restaurant at the Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa, replacing the former 3800 Ocean Restaurant & Lounge in early May. The lunch, dinner and all-day lounge menus offer modern coastal cuisine with dishes such as Pistachio Baked Clams, Truffle and Gratitude Mushrooms Flatbread, Tangerine-Glazed Faroe Island Salmon, Potato Gnocchi Sorrentina (house-made), Coconut Panna Cotta, Sticky Toffee Pudding and Lemon Pavlova. Tropical cocktails include the Pistachio Key Lime and the Pineapple and Sweet Corn Margarita.

511 Bar & Lounge

511 NE Third Ave, Fort Lauderdale; 954-401-0450; Instagram.com/511bar_/ 

On April Fools’ Day, this venue took over the space that was Aqui Bar & Kitchens in Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village neighborhood. Billed as a cocktail and live music venue (with a rotating list of food trucks), 511 Bar & Lounge is owned by Digby Nothard and Trenton O’Connor. Also, 511 boasts a bunch of rare bourbons. The space can accommodate 78 people inside and about the same number outside, on the shaded outdoor patio.

Fresh Mangos

10300 Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 2000, Wellington; 561-847-4504; myfreshmangos.com

This addition to The Mall at Wellington Green’s food scene offers fresh fruit smoothies, boba drinks and teas, natural juices as well as acai bowls, sandwiches, salads, snacks and the newest menu item, made-to-order Avocado Toast topped with sliced tomatoes and hard-boiled eggs — all with clean-label ingredients and virtually no artificial flavors. In 2018, Carlos and Jessica Tafur opened their first Fresh Mangos at what is now Tanger Outlets Palm Beach in West Palm Beach. Now there are kiosks in Broward Mall, Boynton Beach Mall and Coral Square Mall. This latest one opened on April 1.

Kool Runnings Café

1036 Royal Palm Beach Blvd., Royal Palm Beach; Facebook.com 

This ice cream eatery in the Village of Royal Palm Beach’s Veterans Park opened on May 31 and is owned and operated by the Brennan family: Kathy, Sean and their daughter, Autumn. “What makes us unique is our small batch options,” Sean Brennan said. “This keeps the product incredibly fresh and allows us to offer some unusual flavor choices … flavors like soursop, mantecado, mango and coconut. Many people are not familiar with them in ice cream form and have to give them a try.”

Cake Daddy’s

2047 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors; 954-361-1239; CakeDaddys.com

Cuban-born baker Victor Calderon is the culinary muscle behind this new Wilton Drive bake shop — emphasis on the muscle. Branding on social media depicts the tattooed and shirtless Calderon sporting an apron, triumphantly hoisting a 9-inch cake. The bakery debuted in mid-April. Calderon, who immigrated to the states in 2012, says in a GoFundMe post that he originally baked and sold cakes to support himself and his mother while funding his way out of Cuba.

Just Salad

780 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach; 866-673-3757; justsalad.com 

This NYC-based, fast-casual restaurant chain opened its sixth Palm Beach County location, and 18th overall in the state, in late April. Menu highlights include wraps, warm bowls, soups, smoothies and — of course — 15 chef-designed salads, including fan faves such as the Crispy Chicken Poblano, Thai Chicken Crunch and Tokyo Supergreens.

Tap 42 Craft Kitchen & Bar 

3101 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens; 561-725-0100; tap42.com 

This is the 10th Tap 42 in SoFlo and its largest location in the area at 8,000-square-foot spread out on the second level of The Gardens Mall’s east wing. It can handle 270 guests, and the menu has all of the brand’s fan favorites such as Truffle Street Corn Guacamole, Barbecue Baby Back Ribs and Grilled Salmon Zen Bowl. The location opened May 10. “We’ve always seen northern Palm Beach County as a perfect fit for Tap 42,” said vice president and Tap 42 partner Alex Rudolph. “The Gardens Mall is an iconic location to expand our elevated cuisine and hospitality.”

Tin Fish Boca

9101 Lake Ridge Blvd., Boca Raton; 561-987-0088; tinfishboca.com 

Tin Fish Boca is more upscale than the fast-casual Tin Fish Sunrise, both helmed by chef Joseph Melluso. The Palm Beach County iteration’s menu features a full raw bar with a wide variety of oysters and clams as well as sushi hand-rolled by their classically trained sushi chef. Since opening in March, popular dishes include the namesake Tin Fish Roll (scallop dynamite topped with shrimp, salmon, avocado and tempura flakes in a house-made Fuji sauce) and the Sloppy Fish (lightly-breaded cod on house-made slaw topped with signature tartar, hot and kaboom sauces). Co-owners Alan Annichiarico and Tracy Newmark have restaurant/hospitality business experience across seven states. Tin Fish Boca can seat 60 guests in the dining room, 45 people at the bar and 28 on the patio.

Guaca Go

5064 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; 561-501-5861, GuacaGo.com

This guacamole-obsessed kitchen leans fast-casual in the same way, say, that SoFresh serves chicken or Rice Mediterranean Kitchen does grains: with build-your-own bowls cobbled with lean protein and leafy greens. What is now a tried-and-familiar business template started as a catering company in 2016 by cofounders Carson Bennett and Amber Benjamin, who planted their first storefront on Boynton Beach’s Ocean Avenue in the summer of 2020. Their third location, which opened June 5 in Delray Commons, sits beside a Sprouts Farmers Market in a tasteful bright space the color of ripe avocados. There are five savory bowls swimming in your choice of chicken, steak, sweet chili shrimp, roasted pork or falafel, then topped with an acidic punch of dressings from pineapple jalapeño to creamy cilantro lime. The same proteins are offered in salad and wrap forms.

Mango Mercado
4650 Donald Ross Road, Suite 110, Palm Beach Gardens; MangoMercado.com

Chef Pushkar Marathe is not above pushing boundaries with Indian cuisine in incongruous neighborhoods. Take Stage Kitchen & Bar in the golfing mecca of Palm Beach Gardens, a global kitchen that dared to mash up Spanish octopus with chutneys and naan — and earned Marathe, for his boldness, a 2023 James Beard semifinalist nod. Or take Ela Curry & Cocktail, his take on street food like vada pav (deep-fried potato fritters in bread buns) alongside thali-style platters of chutneys, pickles, rice, seafood and meats. Mango Mercado, by contrast, fits deceptively on Donald Ross Road like a golf ball on the back nine, his breakfast-lunch counter blending in with the city’s many cafes. The restaurant, which Marathe opened May 28 with partner Andy Dugard, shares its storefront with Ela. At first blush, it’s a slim, subway-tiled space with cosmopolitan flourishes and grab-and-go breakfast, lunch and dinner items. But look closer, and … are those jars of butter-chicken sauce and pickled vegetables over the counter? And there, next to ham-and-cheese croissants and buckwheat pancakes, is breakfast congee, a Chinese rice porridge of egg, bacon, kimchi, mushrooms and chili crunch. Sandwich-focused lunches are served on Italian hoagies or piadinas, flatbreads (baked by West Palm Beach’s Aioli bakery) that here are stuffed with Marathe’s take on curried chicken salad and beef carpaccio (with fried capers and sherry shallot vinaigrette). There are even Cuban handhelds, always welcome anywhere in Palm Beach County.

Clean Eatz 
4800 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Suite A10, Coconut Creek; 954-420-9559; CleanEatz.com

You’ll find no vegan options at this healthy-eats franchise, which instead leans into keto-friendly, high-protein wraps, bowls, burgers, smoothies and flatbreads under 500 calories. The Coconut Creek cafe, owned by franchisee Robert Dolce, debuted in May in the Westcreek Plaza, joining locations in 23 states. (Storefronts in Boynton Beach and West Palm Beach have also recently opened.) Customers can select prepackaged meals from grab-and-go cases or order at the counter. There’s barbecue brisket pizza, bourbon chicken mac ‘n’ cheese, pumpkin ravioli and whole-grain wheat pasta with boneless chicken-wing bites dressed in one of six house-made sauces, from sweet-spicy Thai chili to Green Goddess with shredded kale and lemon.

Ah-Beetz New Haven Pizza
Multiple locations; Ah-Beetz.com

Ah-beetz, for the uninformed, is the only proper way to pronounce “apizza” in New Haven, Connecticut — locals say it loudly and emphatically, like “achoo!” — which should tell you something about the authenticity of the pies served there. After debuting in Delray Beach in 2022, the pizzeria is adding three more franchises, the first of which bowed June 4 (per social media) in West Palm Beach (2600 Broadway Ave.), in funky-chic restaurant row Northwood Village, 2 miles north of downtown. The other two are expected to open this year in Royal Palm Beach (11051 Southern Blvd.) and Lake Park (9475 A1A Alternate). Founded by Kassondra Frantz and Nick Laudano Jr., the restaurant touts Connecticut favorites such as white clam ah-beetz, “mootz” (or mozzarella) pies with toppings, plus calzones, wings, salads and grinders.

Block 40 Food Hall
1818 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; Block40FoodHall.com

On land that once included the Great Southern Hotel sits South Florida’s newest food hall, a 10-kiosk dining hub and central bar that opened to the public on June 7 on the ground floor of the 1818 Park residential tower. Block 40, whose sidewalk patio will overlook Hollywood’s tony ArtsPark at Young Circle, comes from Society 8 Hospitality, which knows a few things about running food halls. Vendors include: Donut Cream; DalMoros Fresh Pasta to Go (offers pasta in a box); Von Asia Kitchen (Jamaican-Asian mashup with robata-grilled jerk chicken); Catch Seafood Market (kosher whole fish, filets and whole-catch dishes); Hangry Joe’s (a hot chicken sandwich franchise), Cho:Tu (Indian street food), PhastBreak Cheesesteaks; Ocho Loco (street tacos and other Mexican dishes); C.L.A.S.S. Lux Burger (a burger joint from the same owners behind C.L.A.S.S. Soiree Steakhouse in downtown Hollywood); and Hollywood Creamery (housemade ice cream and ice-cream sandwiches).

Volare Italian Cuisine, Pizza & Wine Bar
1823 E. Commercial Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-900-3621; VolareFL.com

Maybe it seemed inevitable that the owners behind Italian fast-food joint Pick-ITA-Up would crave a different name, if not price point. Owners Kremena and Filomeno Giannino (Dal Contadino Trattoria) have revamped their year-old space on East Commercial Boulevard into a higher-end restaurant and pizzeria, which formally debuted as Volare with a grand opening on June 11,. No longer will every Italian entree be $12, as it was under the Pick-ITA-Up moniker. Instead, the expanded menu of dishes (now $7-$32) includes starters such as seafood croquettes and baby back ribs; lunch-only handhelds like La Bomba (salami, mortadella, provolone on ciabatta); and, for entrees, spaghetti and meatballs and linguine alle vongole. There are also 21 signature red-sauce and white pies from Nuccio’s Pizza (confit cherry tomatoes, baked onions, guanciale, ricotta, crumbled Taralli crackers) to Volare (a star-shaped pizza with mozzarella, speck, pesto burrata, shaved Parmesan). Expect a variety of beers, proseccos, white and red wines.

Piu Argentinian Ice Cream
6310 Griffin Road, Unit B-101, Davie

This frozen treat shop registered to owner Mauricio Bastidas Castillo debuted at the end of May at the University Pointe apartment complex, next to Pho Bar Vietnamese Kitchen and Taco Love. The shop specializes in Argentinian “helado,” a delicious middle ground that marries the density of Italian gelato with the soft, creamy texture of traditional ice cream, without quite tasting like either.

Wiseguy Pizza 
401 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-284-0630; wiseguypizza.com 

Wiseguy Pizza joined the booming dining scene in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s business district at the Bank of America Financial Center in early May. The fast-casual eatery bills itself as “old-school,” cooking pizza on a stone deck oven (no pizza screens; your pizza bakes directly on the stones). “We are ecstatic to introduce our award-winning pizza slices and pies to the vibrant neighborhood of Las Olas,” said Alex Berentzen, COO of Thompson Hospitality. “We are very much looking forward to this community experiencing Wiseguy’s iconic New York style pizza and unparalleled quality as we make our grand entrance into the region.” The cheese comes from Wisconsin. The tomato sauce comes from California. The extra virgin olive oil and parmigiano-reggiano are from Italy. The sauces and dressings are made in-house. Along with the classics, Wiseguy Pizza has a rotating menu of specials including vegan and vegetarian pies, as well as Korean Chicken, Paneer Tikka and Mushroom Truffle. There’s also a cauliflower gluten-free pie. This concept is part of the stable of brands under the Thompson Restaurants group. The company’s president, Warren Thompson, is a part-time Fort Lauderdale resident with a home in Harbor Beach.

CLOSED

Carlos & Pepe’s

1302 SE 17th St, Fort Lauderdale

After 45 years, the revered Mexican cantina on Fort Lauderdale’s 17th Street Causeway suddenly closed in mid July. Paula and Richard Ehmke, who bought the restaurant in June 2023, said a combination of high rents and food costs, sluggish foot traffic last spring, and about $72,000 in outstanding property taxes and repairs forced them to close. Over the years, the restaurant acquired a rabid following for menu items such as its Super Nachos, tuna dip and deep-fried ice cream.

Top Round

35 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale; ftlauderdale@eattopround.com; eattopround.com/fortlauderdalefl.

This California-based restaurant chain specializing in deli sandwiches opened here in SoFlo back in January 2020, the first on the East Coast. That location — in Palm Court Pavilion on the edge of Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village at the corner of Broward Boulevard and Federal Highway — suddenly closed with no notice sometime in late May/early June. Husband-and-wife David and Stacey Chesal own the SoFlo franchise and David told the South Florida Sun Sentinel via an email that they are “…looking for a new location.”

Duck Donuts

5030 Champion Blvd., Boca Raton; 561-277-0687; DuckDonuts.com

One door closes and another opens: Two months after a new Duck Donut franchise bowed in Miramar, its 6-year-old counterpart in Boca Raton’s Polo Club Shops plaza has closed. No explanation was given by franchisees Majid and Sara Khan and Andrea Streeter, who’ve operated their fried-to-order shop since 2018. A since-deleted Facebook account included this post: “Thank you to all of our guests who have supported the shop over the years and the sweet memories.” Their pastry shop, at one point the only South Florida location of the North Carolina-born franchise, served vanilla cake rings deep-fried in soybean oil in front of customers, before being glazed *blueberry, lemon, maple), topped (chopped bacon, Oreo cookies) and drizzled (hot fudge, raspberry). There were also breakfast sandwiches built with halved doughnuts, along with milkshakes and sundaes.

Dino’s Subs & More

6057 NW 31st Ave., Fort Lauderdale 

The worst-kept secret of this strip-mall sandwicherie was that owner Scott “Dino” Cohen is actually the grandson of Wolfie Cohen, whose pastrami-scented empire of Rascal House delis (seen on “Miami Vice” and “Golden Girls”) reigned across South Florida for decades. Savvy customers who caught on early flooded the sub shop shortly after it debuted in November, eager for the same over-seasoned corned beef and pastrami that lingered in their memories — until foot traffic waned in springtime. After seven months in business, Dino’s closed June 4, writing on the Sun Sentinel’s “Let’s Eat, South Florida” Facebook group, “Despite our best efforts, we have reached a point where continuing our operations is no longer sustainable. We will cherish the memories and the friendships that have formed within these walls.”

Prison Pals

3553-3555 N. Dixie Highway, Oakland Park; PrisionPals.com

At first, it seemed this Oakland Park taproom had nailed the beer recipe for long-term survival at its two-warehouse taproom on North Dixie Highway: smoothie sours cold and thick enough to subdue any Florida swelter, hazy IPAs and refreshing light lagers in frequent rotation, and a 2,000-square-foot taproom strung out with festive market lights, bands and food trucks. But after two years, Prison Pals — named for three Argentinian friends and beermakers who said they escaped political corruption in their home country — closed on June 8, owners confirmed on Instagram. “We want to thank you for all your support through (these) last 2 years,” the taproom posted last week. “We had a wonderful time hosting you.” The closing of the 20-tap drinking den marks the second time in three years that a beer bar has shuttered in this space. Prison Pals’ flagship brewery and taproom in Doral remains open.

The restaurants, Maryland Fried Chicken and MBS Caribbean Restaurant & Bakery, occupy the same strip mall on East Sample Road.

The South Florida Sun Sentinel typically highlights restaurant inspections conducted by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation in Broward and Palm Beach counties. We cull through inspections that happen weekly and spotlight places ordered shut for “high-priority violations,” such as improper food temperatures or dead cockroaches.

Any restaurant that fails a state inspection must stay closed until it passes a follow-up. If you spotted a possible violation and wish to file a complaint, contact Florida DBPR. (But please don’t contact us: The Sun Sentinel doesn’t inspect restaurants.)

Maryland Fried Chicken
1821 E. Sample Road, Pompano Beach

Ordered shut: July 10; reopened July 11

Why: 15 violations (three high-priority), including seven live flies “in dry storage area” and “around cook line in kitchen,” as well as 15 rodent droppings “on utensil and single-serve food utensil storage rack in dry storage area.”

There was also a “dead rodent present” in the dry storage area.

The state also spotted multiple food storage issues such as:

• “Cutting boards stored on the floor next to washing machine in kitchen”
• “Clean glasses, cups, bowls, plates, pots and pans not stored inverted or in a protected manner”
• “Employee personal beverages stored on food prep tables and on cleaned utensil storage rack”
• A “package of cigarettes stored on food prep table opposite cook line”
• “Soiled wiping cloth stored at the fryer in the kitchen”
• “Wet mop not stored in a manner to allow the mop to dry”

The state reopened the fried chicken restaurant the next day after a follow-up visit found just two basic violations.

MBS Caribbean Restaurant & Bakery
1825 E. Sample Road, Pompano Beach

Ordered shut: July 11; reopened July 12

Why: 21 violations (four high-priority), including “approximately 150 rodent droppings observed on packaged single-serve items, inside food utensils,” on napkins, storage shelves, canned food packaging and “underneath hand sink and storage racks in storage area adjacent to kitchen.”

The restaurant was ordered to stop selling and trash cooked items such as chicken, pork, vegetables and beef, as well as lalo and rice, that were in a walk-in cooler because the “walk-in cooler door [is] damaged, will not properly open or close.”

Food storage issues included:

• “Bagged onions stored on floor in walk-in cooler”
• “In-use tongs stored on oven door handle between uses”
• “Soiled wet wiping cloth stored by mixer”
• “Bleach, degreaser, and can of Hot Shot stored next to cleaned pots and pans”

The state also cited the restaurant because a covered waste receptacle was not provided in the women’s restroom.

A next-day inspection found one high-priority violation and seven intermediate and basic violations, but the restaurant was cleared to reopen.

The upscale restaurant, under new ownership since June 2023, made no announcement on social media, nor through its website. Instead, North Palm Beach-based Sunshine Auction Services on Tuesday announced plans for a next-day sale to liquidate the restaurant’s “complete contents,” 203 lots in all. The auction website, which mentioned Carlos & Pepe’s name and address, listed everything from ceiling chandeliers and flatscreen TVs to back-of-house dinner plates and stainless-steel prep tables for sale online and in person at the restaurant, 1302 SE 17th St.

“Short notice sale! Short notice sale! Added at last minute, we are selling the complete contents of this upscale, like-new Mexican restaurant located in the heart of the causeway!” the company posted on Facebook.

On Wednesday, as the auction was taking place, owners Paula and Richard Ehmke confirmed the closing to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

“It breaks our hearts,” Paula Ehmke said, sobbing. “We put our life savings into this place. We definitely tried. People loved the renovations. We got it right. But the stake through the heart was the air-conditioning system.”

Carlo’s & Pepe’s had been shut since July 1, after initially posting a “Closed for HVAC maintenance” sign on its front door along with a note describing the shutdown as temporary.

“We will be closing … until further notice,” the message read, adding that a Carlos & Pepe’s food truck would offer to-go orders “as an alternative option.”

The Ehmkes said they scrambled to save Carlos & Pepe’s by seeking last-minute buyers, but every deal fell through. Ultimately, a combination of high rents and food costs, sluggish foot traffic last spring, and about $72,000 in outstanding property taxes and repairs forced them to close.

The couple said they “inherited” about $35,000 in property taxes and a $37,000 bill to replace the iconic restaurant’s aging air-conditioning units. (Carlos & Pepe’s landlord Chapter Two Investments LLC confirmed these numbers in a separate interview.)

Rich Ehmke said Carlos & Pepe’s grew revenues by 62% after a year of ownership, but that the looming tax bill and A/C repairs erased those gains.

“We had customers walking out because of the temperature in the restaurant,” he said. “I can’t pay rent and fix the air conditioning, and I’d hoped the landlords would give us a rent break.”

Charlie Ladd and Steve Hudson, real estate developers who in 2021 bought the South Harbor Plaza where Carlos & Pepe’s sits, said in a phone interview Wednesday that it’s the responsibility of tenants to replace the restaurant’s air conditioning. They also said the property taxes were charged by the county, adding that they gave the Ehmkes a “rent break” from July to October 2023. (The restaurant was closed for renovations that August.)

“The [Ehmkes] asked for our help,” Ladd said. “Most landlords would say, ‘We’re not going to give you a break,’ so that was a nice thing for Steve [Hudson] to do.”

Richard Ehmke said they did receive “a little help, but it wasn’t a full rent break,” as there were still some fees and sales tax on the rent.

For his part, Hudson insists his company “bent over backwards to help.”

“The [Ehmkes] weren’t capitalized properly and the renovations weren’t significant enough to change people’s perceptions,” he said. “Nobody’s happy about something like this. I used to grow up eating at Carlos & Pepe’s all the time. Unfortunately, it’s a brutal business.”

Dave Alderman, a restaurateur and surfer from California, founded the cantina with restaurateurs Burt Rapoport and Dennis Max in 1979. Rapoport and Max left the partnership after a few months, but Alderman remained until 2017, when he sold Carlos & Pepe’s to longtime employee Roberto Martinez and locals John and Sandy Benz.

Over the years, the restaurant acquired a rabid following for menu items such as its Super Nachos, tuna dip and deep-fried ice cream.

Paula Ehmke, a California and Fort Lauderdale restaurateur (Café Maxx, Bistro Mezzaluna and Valentina Cucina Italiana), bought an existing 10-year lease in June 2023 with the mission, she said at the time, to “bring this restaurant back to its luster” with a refreshed decor and menu.

Menu changes last summer prompted near-instant backlash and negative reviews from customers who complained about new food items, inconsistent quality and wobbly service. Others complained about the removal of classic Carlos & Pepe’s items, including its brown sauce. In response, the Ehmkes posted a mea culpa on Facebook, promising to earn “back [customers’] trust.”

“We’re not lily-white. We made mistakes,” Richard Ehmke recalled. “We had issues, some learning curves, and we hired some general managers and chefs who didn’t work out, but we eventually made it right.”

Paula Ehmke said negative online reviews, which have “pretty much disappeared now,” played no role in slow foot traffic during the springtime. But the restaurant’s rising food costs didn’t help, she added.

“When you’re giving away free salsa and chips, and tomatoes are $40 a case, when the guacamole and the crab are going up, it hurts us,” she said. “Everything is going up. We put our hearts and tears into this place, and I think we made it extra-special.”