The Ten Best Greater Fort Lauderdale Restaurant Month Deals

Greater Fort Lauderdale Restaurant Month is on. The annual dining promotion, formerly known as Crave GFL, has expanded to two months. Diners have until September 30 to visit Broward County's hottest tables for three-course meals priced from $35 to $45.

“Our dining scene is extraordinary, and this is the perfect time to experience local authentic flavors and innovative culinary creations in new restaurants, waterfront restaurants, and casual bistros,” says Stacy Ritter, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, which launched the initiative in 2007.

Of the more than 50 restaurants participating in the promotion, the following ten are the ones to check out. (Find the full list of participating restaurants here.)

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House-made lemon ricotta

Photo courtesy of Burlock Coast

This oceanfront eatery, inside the Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale, is offering a bevy of South Florida-sourced fare during Restaurant Month. In a dining room designed to evoke the Prohibition Era, begin your discounted meal with a choice of grilled cauliflower with tahini sauce, smoked fish dip with pickled hot peppers and flatbread, or house-made lemon ricotta with heirloom tomatoes and toasted pine nuts. Follow with seafood-centric specialties like beer-battered fish and chips with smashed potato or roasted swordfish with carrot purée, or opt for Lake Meadow half-chicken with sweet corn succotash and creamy polenta. End on a sweet note with a helping of Nutella chocolate flourless cake, Florida key lime pie, or pink velvet berry shortcake. Offered for dinner Sunday through Thursday.

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Casa Sensei

Photo by Gyorgy Papp

Overlooking the Himmarshee Canal in downtown Fort Lauderdale, Casa Sensei offers a unique marriage of Pan-Asian and Latin American flavors, highlighted in appetizers like Casa fish tacos with tuna, salmon, Mexican salsa, sushi rice, and corn taco shells; chargrilled octopus served with tropical papaya-mango salad; and salt-and-pepper prawns with cayenne pepper. For your main course, choose from Mongolian Peking duck, Korean steak chimichurri with white rice and maduros, or lobster curry curl in red curry sauce. Green tea crème brûlée and Thai donuts round out the meal. Offered for lunch and dinner Sunday through Thursday.

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Prime grilled skirt steak

Photo by Nick Garcia

The restaurant's Dive in Dune three-course menu is priced at $45 per person with an optional $25 wine pairing. Highlights are starters of yellowfin tuna crudo with kimchi, avocado, and hearts of palm, and crab spaetzle with cherry tomatoes and chili flake. For entrées, chef Edgar Beas's offerings include charred roasted half-chicken and prime grilled skirt steak, along with Faroe Island wild salmon. Dessert choices of coconut ice cream with mango and puffed wild rice or Valrhona chocolate cake with hazelnut gelato sweeten the deal. Offered for dinner Monday through Thursday.

Skirt steak with wasabi chimichurri

Photo courtesy of Etaru

Treat yourself to a four-course meal of Japanese cuisine at Etaru Hallandale and Etaru Las Olas. For Restaurant Month, the eatery is featuring dishes from its three kitchens, starting with appetizer options of sashimi platter of tuna, salmon, and yellowtail or burrata with cherry tomatoes, shiso pesto, and crispy wild rice. Choices of raw salmon roll, panko-breaded fried prawns, or pork dumplings follow, along with main courses of skirt steak with wasabi chimichurri or teriyaki salmon filet. End your meal with a chef’s dessert platter and exotic fruit. Wine and sake pairings are offered for a $35 upcharge per person. Offered for dinner Sunday through Thursday.

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Sicilian fisherman seafood

Photo courtesy of B Ocean Resort

At his seafood concept inside the B Ocean Resort in Fort Lauderdale, chef David Morales offers a special promotional menu packed with flavor. The appetizer section includes options like mare seafood ceviche with flounder fillet, clams, and Peruvian spices, and buttermilk fried oysters served with tamarind sauce. Standout entrées are Sicilian fisherman seafood with shrimp, clams, and mussels and veal osso buco agnolotti with San Marzano tomatoes and wild mushrooms. From the list of sweets, order lemon tart with limoncello cream or Belgian chocolate mousse with vanilla gelato and macaron. Offered for dinner Sunday through Thursday.

Head to this steakhouse for a feast of meat and seafood from the bounty of executive chef Johan Svennson. At dinner, the menu starts with edamame ravioli with truffle mushroom cream or lobster bisque with chives. Mains include pan-roasted Wagyu top sirloin with roasted fingerlings and baby beets, pistachio-crusted Chilean seabass with parmesan and roasted Romanesque, and risotto with shaved mushrooms and onion caramel. Desserts include s’mores ice cream sandwich with toasted marshmallow or gluten-free vanilla bean cheesecake with oat almond crust and seasonal fruit. Offered for dinner Sunday through Thursday.

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Whole baked snapper

Sonesta Fort Lauderdale Beach

The newly opened Steelpan at Sonesta Fort Lauderdale Beach showcases Jamaican chef Kevin Baker's Floribbean menu of bright, complex, and flavorful dishes. Caribbean and American cuisines blend in starters like Caribbean jerk wings with mangos and jicama slaw, ahi tuna poke enhanced with mandarin sesame ginger dressing, and crab and corn chowder with coconut curry broth. Entrée options are as creative as the appetizers: Jamaican chicken and potato dumplings with fragrant curry pineapple relish and baked banana leaf-wrapped snapper with vegetables. There's also a grilled skirt steak, complemented with crispy yuca fries, and asparagus and calypso shrimp pasta in a light habanero tomato sauce. Save room for sweet comfort of pineapple rum cake, key lime pie, or lava chocolate fantasy with house-made coconut ice cream. Offered for dinner daily.

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Roasted chicken breast with spinach gnocchi

The Dalmar

Head to this fine dining restaurant at The Dalmar to sate your cravings for contemporary American fare, served here with an Italian spin. Start with an appetizer of deviled eggs with Marie Rose sauce and smoked paprika, tuile steamed mussels in white wine or burrata salad with heirloom tomatoes. For main course options, feast on the likes of roasted chicken breast with spinach gnocchi and fresh Idaho trout with crushed marble potatoes and summer vegetables. Sweet endings are warm cookies with vanilla ice cream tiramisu and white espresso gelato. Offered for dinner Sunday through Thursday.

Vienna Cafe / Facebook

Like a cozy, quaint Austrian cottage in the middle of Davie, Vienna Wine Bar transports diners to Europe with a rotating $37 three-course dinner. Begin with smoked house fish dip accompanied by capers and pickled vegetables, or chilled asparagus salad with fresh basil and sliced prosciutto. Continue your culinary journey with prime skirt steak with mushroom demi-glace, roasted shallot, and potato hash, Florida swordfish with saffron cream and basmati rice, or a vegetarian option of mushroom and orecchiette pasta with spinach cream. And then there's dessert, vanilla bean crème brûlée served with fresh berries and warm apple strudel with raisins that are perfect to share. Offered for dinner offered daily.

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Warm stuffed beets

Wild Thyme Oceanside Eatery

If you're dining out with a group of eaters with diverse tastes, this oceanfront eatery is the way to go. The promotional menu lists appetizers includes coconut conch fritters with Caribbean dip, warm stuffed beets with arugula pesto and cheese fondue, and tacos with Korean barbecue short rib, avocado mousse, and power salad. Entrée choices include whole roasted cauliflower with pistachio and turmeric honey tahini; crispy seafood box with mussels, shrimp, calamari and fries; and a butcher’s tasting meat board with short rib and hanger steak. End the meal with an Oreo key lime tart, a slice of caramel and chocolate mudslide pie, or a signature wild shake for two.

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