Historic Downtowner Saloon

Put it this way: if you moved to Fort Lauderdale, and nobody told you about this place, you need new friends. The historic Downtowner is a Fort Lauderdale institution meeting traditionalist, utilitarian needs: Friday's the fish fry night, Monday is steak night, Tuesdays it's ribs, etc. The Sunday brunch stays a longtime favorite draw, crammed with loyal locals. During the week the Downtowner pulls in lawyers, prosecutors, even defendants (it's the closest place to buy a beer after getting out of jail, you know). Lots of great above-par bar food fills the menu, but favorite items include a big, cheesy French dip, the portobello/mozerella-packed Stranahan salad, and the New River salad with seared tuna on top The draft beer list sports all the regulars and a few unusual gate-crashers. If you're cruising the New River, the Downtowner is water taxi stop #10. Lots of downtown bars throw a bunch of kitschy stuff on the walls and ceiling for the sake of memorabilia: most of the Downtowner's kitchy stuff is Fort Lauderdale-related, and some of it's damn old.