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Fort Lauderdale’s is getting into the high-end Italian train, just like its neighbor to the south. Barchetta, a 3,000-square-foot restaurant built around handmade pastas, premium seafood, and Italian steakhouse cuts, is opening this fall. It’ll open at the waterfront plaza next to the Omni Fort Lauderdale, overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway.
Barchetta is the final restaurant to open at the Omni Fort Lauderdale, which officially opened on December 18. It joins Reef 76 Kitchen & Bar for Caribbean coastal fare, the Topgolf-equipped sports bar Fair Ketch, and the Panther Coffee partner Leeward Market. Plus, the hotel is home to the lobby bar Hidden Key, the tenth-floor poolside High Tide, and the 29th-floor Ibis Sky Lounge.
Fort Lauderdale native helms the kitchen
The culinary program is the work of executive chef Cristian Mosquera, a Fort Lauderdale native and Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef. Prior to this venture, he helped open Omni Louisville and Omni Barton Creek before coming home to build all seven venues at Barchetta.
The menu is inspired by both coastal Italy and coastal Florida. Therefore, expect fresh fish, chophouse classics, and pasta made in-house. “Barchetta is our interpretation of Italy’s waterways through the lens of Fort Lauderdale,” says Ted Cushman, director of food and beverage at Omni Fort Lauderdale. “Both destinations are shaped by life on the water. That became the starting point for the menu and restaurant design.”
Interiors inspired by a vintage sports car
The restaurant’s name is Italian for “little boat.” It’s a nod to the mid-century Barchetta sports car, a convertible named for its minimalist shape. The room goes with that automotive history, hanging a red vintage motorcycle above the back bar. Rust-velvet banquettes curve through the dining room under a glowing plaid ceiling panel, set against powder-blue chairs, marble café tables, and herringbone floors.
Art Deco fashion illustrations line the walls and a draped classical statue anchors the center of the room. Plus, a glass-front wine wall runs along one side. The hotel anchors a $1.3 billion public-private redevelopment tied to the expansion of the Broward County Convention Center.
Barchetta. 1850 SE 17th St., Fort Lauderdale; omnihotels.com. Opening fall 2026.