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Tin Roof, Fort Lauderdale
This Nashville-spawned, music-minded, bar-food chain with a popular location on Delray’s glitzy Atlantic Avenue has moseyed south to downtown Fort Lauderdale, quietly opening on St. Patrick’s Day inside the former Township bar, according to its social media. CEO Bob Franklin told the South Florida Sun Sentinel last spring that Tin Roof will feature nightly live music acts and a menu different than that of its Delray Beach outpost: Nashville hot chicken, fried pickles, burgers, hot dogs, funnel cakes, cheese fries and salad bowls. 219 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 954-654-7330; TinRoofFortLauderdale.com
Pick-ITA-Up, Fort Lauderdale
Replacing the former Bowlicious on Commercial Boulevard is this clunkily named Italian restaurant whose slogan is “Italian fast food where fast means good.” (Only good? But we digress.) The restaurant opened to the public on March 16, per social media, and the majority of entrees are $12 (save cauliflower pizza, which is $15). They include five types of paninis such as boscaiola, a crisp handheld of pork sausage, caramelized onion, mushrooms, roasted red peppers and arugula; and 12 pastas from linguini and middleneck clams to rigatoni with basil garlic pesto and creamy burrata. Lentil soup, pasta fagioli, fresh burrata and six pizza styles round out the offerings. 1823 E. Commercial Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-900-3621; Facebook.com/pickitaup
The Hampton Social, Delray Beach
This Chicago-spun restaurant and bar that leans strongly into the phrase “Rosé All Day” is bringing a pair of locations to South Florida, the first of which debuted March 15 at the new Atlantic Crossing shopping village. Its menu touts mostly trendy seafood fare, including colossal crab cakes and grilled octopus in creamy herb sauce, olives and pistachios, along with oysters and avocado corn pizzas, lobster rolls and smash burgers. Entrees include honey-glazed salmon and short rib atop a bed of creamy polenta. On social media, the 308-seat restaurant is a whole vibe: Instagrammable walls dripping with faux ivy, coastal decor, walls of rosé bottles, chair swings and market lights, and messages like “Let your dreams set sail” written in cursive neon. The project comes from Chicago’s Parker Hospitality, which plans to open another outpost in Miami’s Mary Brickell Village later this spring or summer. 40 NE Seventh Ave., Suite 100, Delray Beach; TheHamptonSocial.com
SoFresh, Fort Lauderdale
This Tampa-based, build-your-own-bowl chain is opening new Florida locations, and the Fort Lauderdale one debuted in early March on the ground floor of the Wells Fargo building on North Federal Highway. Bowls, salads, wraps and quesadillas begin with a base of kale, spinach, brown rice or cauliflower, and include proteins (garlic-herb chicken, salmon, ahi tuna), mix-ins and sauces. The chain also serves smoothies, pressed juices and lemonade. 506 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale; LoveSoFresh.com
5th Element Indian Grill, Delray Beach
Coming in hotter than red curry is this Florida-born Indian chain, which debuted Feb. 22 inside the Palm Court Plaza storefront once occupied by Mr. Chen’s Hunan Palace (which abruptly closed in January). The restaurant, registered to Vijaya Kumar Indhupuru, serves tandoor-baked chicken tikka and lamb kebabs, paneer, chicken curry and goat masala. 5th Element’s Delray location joins sister stores in Pompano Beach, Sanford, Daytona Beach, Palm Coast and Jacksonville. 5130 Linton Blvd., Unit E1, Delray Beach; My5thElement.com
The Bite Eatery, Pompano Beach
After three-plus years of pandemic and supply-chain delays, nine food vendors and one cocktail bar have finally shuffled into this food hall in the tony Harbor Village Plaza near the Intracoastal Waterway. The 9,000-square-foot space carries a dizzying swarm of dishes — from ropa vieja and housemade pasta to lobster rolls and half-pound Reubens — from the following vendors: Deli Shack, Mama Mia Pasta & More, Abuelita’s Cuban Bistro, Captain Lobstar, Ceviche Time, Beef Boyz, Moop Gelato, Taco Vibez, Papa’s Pizzeria. The Bite Bar, with a breezy island motif, serves craft cocktails. Jessica Gollel, one of the Bite Eatery’s developers, says the 200-seat food hall will throw a grand-opening party on March 27. 2715 E. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach; 954-361-7702; TheBiteEatery.com
Belladukes, Boca Raton
Belladukes‘ owners — Lisa Mullen and Lisa Klepper — say the gourmet market and coffee bar features a weekly rotating menu, bespoke grab-and-go meals, charcuterie specials and sweet treats, as well as craft beer and fine wines by the glass or bottle. There are three generations of friendships behind Belladukes. In addition to being childhood friends, both women’s parents were friends and now their children are pals too. By the way, the name comes from each family’s dog, Duke for the Mullens and Bella for the Kleppers. Free parking is available in the Tower 155 Garage and metered parking on the street. 155 E. Boca Raton Road, Boca Raton; 561-990-1516; belladukes.com
Red Pine Restaurant & Lounge, Boca Raton
Pricey traditional Chinese cuisine from high-end restaurateurs is having a moment in Palm Beach County, and the latest example is this eatery from Farmer’s Table owner Mitchell Robbins, which soft-opened March 8 inside the One Town Center building a wok’s throw from the Town Center mall. The menu touts wok entrees, dim sum, housemade egg rolls and steamed xiao long bao (savory bone broth soup pork dumplings) from chefs Chi K. Chan (formerly of Mastro’s) and Michael Schenk. The idea is “to bring traditional Chinese cuisine to a fine-dining environment, the side of Chinese cuisine that kind of got lost being Americanized for so long,” manager Charles Eisenhart says. The restaurant offers communal-style seating, and its red marble-topped bar slings 10 craft cocktails and mocktails. 1 Town Center Road, Boca Raton; 561-826-7595; RedPineBoca.com; OpenTable for reservations
Bariloche Gourmet, Fort Lauderdale
Gourmet fast-food is the concept for this new restaurant that opened on Feb. 17 three blocks from Fort Lauderdale beach. The name of the eatery refers to San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina. “Yes, I lived in Bariloche for a long time,” says Valeria F. Camporro, the owner along with husband Juan M. Delutault. “Bariloche is an amazing tourist city in Argentina [known] for its incredible natural landscapes and, of course, the food as well.” The signature dishes are sandwiches de miga, empanadas, pizzas, pastries and desserts. The new restaurant can seat 32 people indoors and outdoors. The couple also has a Bariloche Gourmet in Miami. 2915 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-918-8312; Instagram.com/barilochegourmet
Double Roads Tavern, Jupiter
Nightly jam sessions, a righteous vinyl shop and smoky barbecue are the norm at owner Vince Flora’s live-music tavern, which reopened after a two-year hiatus in late January. After pandemic troubles shuttered his original Double Roads in April 2021, Flora, a jazz player and blues rocker, revived it up the street out a former Outback Steakhouse. On the menu are smoked hamburgers, IPA beer-steamed shrimp, pulled-pork frittatas, arepa hush puppies, Nashville-hot mahi mahi and a barbecue-Cuban sandwich mashup stuffed with pulled pork, swiss cheese, pickles, brisket and mustard barbecue sauce. 103 U.S. Hwy 1; 561-437-3348, DoubleRoadsTavern.com
Brewlihan, Oakland Park
John and Stacey Hoolihan’s buzzworthy hive of mead — better known as honey wine — opened its brewhouse in August and its long-awaited public tasting room in late February, adding to the city’s growing cluster of craft-beer bars, breweries and distilleries perched along North Dixie Highway. The 1,700-square-foot mead house, decorated with science flasks and honeycomb motifs, has 16 taps and sources its honey from Florida beekeepers and fruits from farmers in the Pacific Northwest and New York. 3472 NE Fifth Ave., Unit 1, Oakland Park; Brewlihan.com
Maple and Cream Restaurant, Plantation
This new brunch restaurant specializing in coffee and prodigious latte art quietly opened in late February by the old Fashion Mall, a slight jog north of the Plantation Walk hullabaloo. The restaurant, registered to manager-partner David Gonzalez, offers diner fare such as biscuits and maple sausage gravy, croissant french toast and a shaved ribeye skillet mixed with eggs, potatoes, peppers, onions and smashed avocado. For lunch, there are so-called “light eats” — including roasted beet hummus, avocado toast and panzanella salad — but also comfort items such as fried cinnamon rolls and tempura chicken thighs plated with cornbread and broccolini. 375 N. University Drive, Plantation; MapleandCream.com
Moxies, Fort Lauderdale
The second South Florida entry of this popular Canadian restaurant chain is massive, fitting 366 seats and a pair of indoor-outdoor bars across two stories at the new-ish Main Las Olas building. After several months of delays, the restaurant finally soft-opened on March 1 with American and global cuisine, from hamburgers and N.Y. strip steaks to miso ramen bowls and beef vindaloo. The menu, created by chef Brandon Thordarson, also includes pot stickers, Thai chili chicken, French onion soup, baby back ribs and short-rib bolognese. Its two-story dining room and mezzanine is adorned in elegant white crossbeams, faux-grass walls, marble-topped tables and indoor palm trees. 201 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-666-6861; Moxies.com
Cluckin Hot Chicks, Dania Beach
Yet another new chicken franchise has landed in South Florida: Cluckin Hot Chicks had its soft-opening on Feb. 25 on South Federal Highway, replacing a former Checkers fast-food restaurant. Registered to owners Ahshan Latif and David Shaw, this fast-casual spot leans into Nashville-style hot chicken and every other poultry configuration imaginable: wings, tenders, quarters, sandwiches, waffles and tacos. Chicken is doused in 10 different sauces, from honey-cinnamon “Sweet Heat” to “What the Cluck.” (The menu is, of course, pun-heavy.) Sides include fries, coleslaw and mac ‘n’ cheese. A grand-opening party is planned for March 10. 645 S. Federal Highway, Dania Beach; 754-777-7901; CluckinHotChicks.com
Point Break, Plantation
With a name like Point Break, you might expect Keanu to show up at the restaurant and nod approvingly at your choice of healthy lunch. But no, the name is really a rechristening of Poke House, a lunch-only poke shop from local restaurateur Memphis Garrett (Fort Lauderdale’s Ya Mas! Taverna, No Man’s Land) that opened without fanfare a year ago. The 1,300-square-foot storefront is in the Shoppes at Cleary plaza. Now that Point Break is a fast-casual eatery serving pan-Asian street food for lunch and dinner, Garrett ditched half the poke menu in favor of tuna tacos, Hawaiian fried rice, tonkotsu ramen, poke gyoza, coconut shrimp and chicken karaage. 8970 Cleary Blvd., Plantation; 954-999-5758; EatPointBreak.com
Buccan Sandwich Shop, West Palm Beach
Clay Conley, arguably one of Palm Beach County’s most-decorated chefs (and a multiple James Beard Award nominee), has quietly created the Buccan Sandwich Shop takeout window into the side of Grato, his elegant Italian eatery in the Flamingo Park neighborhood. The sandwich counter is a spinoff of the lunchtime menu at Buccan, his small-plates bistro in Palm Beach, where fresh-sliced hot and cold meats are served on long rolls, along with soups and salads. There are handhelds stuffed with Grato’s meatballs, plus corned beef Reuben, prime N.Y. strip cheesesteak, Buffalo chicken, turkey club, falafel pita and double-cheeseburgers topped with remoulade. The takeout window (look for the giant pink flamingo on Buccan’s Kanuga Drive side) opened for delivery-only this week, with plans to debut the full takeout window experience by mid-March. 1901 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach; BuccanSandwichShop.com
Maggie’s Favorite Coffee and Bakeshop, Oakland Park
Crepes, cupcakes, muffins, breakfast sandwiches — and plenty of Italian java — are the stars of this breakfast-lunch cafe, which soft-opened in mid-January on Oakland Park Boulevard. The bakery, owned by Magdalena “Maggie” Amaro and partner Milan Lazic, offers a chill menu to match its carnation-pink walls adorned in cursive “coffee” signs and floral murals. There are cakes by the slice and avocado toast, cinnamon rolls and acai bowls, prosciutto and fig jam and savory chicken bacon ranch crepes, and turkey pesto and barbecue pulled-pork sandwiches. 830 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Suite 101, Oakland Park; 954-282-1190; MaggiesFavorite.com
Bagels With Deli, Delray Beach
A sister location to its flagship New York-style deli on Linton Boulevard, this bakery registered to owners Robert and Dawn Bloom debuted Feb. 5 on West Atlantic Avenue, sharing a strip mall with Joseph’s Classic Market. Along with noodle kugel and potato latkes, there are appetizing cases selling spreads and salads by the half-pound (including hummus, macaroni, Greek orzo, chicken and tuna), plus 14 fresh-baked bagel flavors, bialys and flagels (aka flat bagels). The breakfast-lunch menu also offers housemade corned beef hash, egg sandwiches, LEO omelets, wraps, salads bowls and 14 deli sandwiches filled with everything from hot pastrami to honey almond chicken. 8854 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; BagelsWithDeli.com
Smoke Shack BBQ & Burgers, Royal Palm Beach
Born in New Jersey, Timothy Jensen and Greg Stouffer’s smokehouse pub debuted its first South Florida outpost in early February in the Cobblestone Village plaza. The sports-themed restaurant serves barbecue sandwiches, footlong hotdogs, beef brisket and baby back ribs by the pound, along with 10 styles of hamburgers on brioche. But Smoke Shack’s bestsellers are its specialty sandwiches like Three Little Pigs, packing roughly a pound of 14-hour smoked pulled pork, 4-hour smoked pork belly and whole-hog bacon into a brioche bun, somehow managing to save room for lettuce, tomato and onion on top. A second location is planned for Delray Beach, at 13900 Jog Road, sometime in April. 10233 Okeechobee Blvd., Royal Palm Beach; 561-437-1121; SmokeShackBBQandBurgers.com
Le Colonial, Delray Beach
This luxe time capsule to 1920s French Colonial Vietnam, under restaurateurs Rick Wahlstedt and Joe King, soft-opened on Feb. 15 within the new Atlantic Crossing shopping village. At 7,500 square feet, this restaurant-bar is accented with tropical furnishings, breezy verandas, leather banquettes, mahogany millwork and framed period photographs. Its classic Vietnamese menu, by chefs Nicole Routhier and Hassan Obaye, offers crunchy green papaya salad dressed in tangy nuoc cham (a sweet-sour-spicy dipping sauce), moist dumplings garnished with ginger, half roasted duck and suon nuong, or lemongrass-marinated baby back ribs. Wahlstedt and King — who operate other locations in Chicago, Houston, Atlanta and Lake Forest, Ill. — are planning another Le Colonial in Naples later in 2023. 601 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; LeColonial.com
Bubbakoo’s Burritos, Miramar
Customizable Nashville hot chicken burritos, barbecue shredded pork quesadillas and General Tso’s crispy chicken tacos are on the menu at this fast-casual Tex-Mex franchise born on the Jersey Shore, which debuted Feb. 10 in the Miramar Park Place plaza. The location, operated by franchisee Suresh Patel, offers build-your-own burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas, nachos and something called a “chiwawa” (basically panko-breaded, fried rice balls topped with nacho cheese plus other burrito add-ons). This is the third Bubbakoo’s location in South Florida, joining outposts in Deerfield Beach and Coral Springs. 11225 Miramar Parkway, Suite 230; 954-589-0737; Bubbakoos.com
Napoli Now! Pizza Napoletana, Cooper City
This Neapolitan-style pizzeria from owners Gaetano and Guy Sperduto quietly debuted in early December In the Cooper Square plaza, across the street from Cooper City High School. The pizzeria dishes 14 pies topped with Italy-imported mortadella, salsiccia and nduja sausages, thin-sliced prosciutto, spicy pepperoni and broccoli rabe, along with housemade meatballs, five sandwiches and four salads. 9630 Stirling Road, No. 102, Cooper City; 754-888-9966; NapoliNow.com
Cookiehead Bakery, Coral Springs
If you remember Bagelmania, then you might want to know that the Schwartzberg family is back in the bakery biz. Their new sweet shop, Cookiehead Bakery, had a soft opening Jan. 26 in Coral Spring’s Royal Eagle Plaza. Owners Margie and Gary Schwartzberg decided to open their latest venture at the behest of their grandchildren who — during the pandemic shutdown — wanted to see two generations of recipes (Gary’s father was also a baker starting in the 1930s) get some props. Margie and Gary themselves are bakery veterans with 52-plus years of experience. Back in 1978, they moved Bagelmania down to SoFlo from Brooklyn, N.Y. With Cookiehead, the crowd favorites so far are the “traditional 1931 Chocolate Chip recipe originated by my dad,” says Gary, before adding that other popular cookies include “the Strawberry Cheesecake and Fiona’s Buttercream Funfetti Sugar Cookie. Yum!” 9162 Wiles Road, Coral Springs; 754-225-5858; cookieheadbakery.com
Rosalia’s Kitchen, Miramar
This Mediterranean-Italian fusion restaurant registered to owner Rafael Brazon-Di Fatta opened in late January in the Miramar Square plaza. The uncommon mashup results in dishes such as Bolognese arancini balls and roasted eggplant ravioli, as well as gnocchi cheese alfredo. There is also a variety of hummus platters, spanakopita, Greek salads, vegan chickpea sambusak and Israeli crispy chicken sliders. For dessert, there’s Israeli cheesecake with butter cookie crumble and a tower of cream puffs drizzled with bourbon caramel and chocolate sauces. 12130 Miramar Parkway; 954-589-2411; RosaliasKitchen.com
Effe Cafe, Cooper City
More than a year after Nunzio Fuschillo and Patty Lopez’s pop-up bakery ran out its lease at a Cooper City Marathon gas station, the husband-and-wife duo are heading back to their old stomping grounds. Fuschillo and Lopez, both chefs who cut their teeth at a two-star Michelin restaurant in Italy’s Tuscany region, officially reopened Effe on Feb. 16, the couple announced on Instagram this week. Fuschillo and Lopez started Effe in 2020 after getting laid off from Michael Beltran’s Nave in Coconut Grove. The plan is for the resurrected Effe storefront to revisit all its old dishes, and eaters should expect more mojo pork sandwiches, parigiana puff-pastry pizzas, lobster rolls, Cuban sandwich croissants, quiches and cafes con leche from the cult-favorite cafe. 10295 Stirling Road, Cooper City; Instagram.com/effe.cafe or Facebook.com/effe.cafe
The Rooftop at Kimpton Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort
Just a few blocks from the sands of The Strip on Fort Lauderdale beach, this hotel has been making lots of changes (including dropping “Goodland” from the name). Back in October, it closed the main restaurant Botanic, replacing it with La Fuga, a “coastal Italian cuisine” concept in a soft opening. Now, La Fuga as well as the new Rooftop lounge had a grand opening earlier this month. The Rooftop at Shorebreak has its own menu, a Mediterranean tapas-style concept. 2900 Riomar St., Fort Lauderdale. 954-908-7301, ext. 3; shorebreakfortlauderdale.com/fort-lauderdale-restaurant/rooftop
Alpen Bakery Store, Pembroke Pines
Two married bakers hoping to provide a better life for their two daughters relocated from their native Chile to Cooper City and plan to open their new Austrian-Latin fusion bakery in Pembroke Pines sometime in February. The pastry shop, owned by Anja Frings Uribarri and Ruben Molina Lobos, specializes in fruit tartlets and chocolate muffins but also tantalizing exotic pastries, including Austrian-style sachertorte (a denser, chocolate-glazed chocolate cake layered with fruit jam), alfajores (dulce de leche sandwich cookies) and moka cake (topped with mocha buttercream). 8937 Taft St., Pembroke Pines; 954-646-7100; Facebook.com (search for “Alpen Bakery Store”)
Rice Mediterranean Kitchen, Fort Lauderdale
This Miami-based boutique chain of fast-casuals has been serving up Eastern Mediterranean flavors since the early 2000s. There are seven locations in Miami-Dade County. The Fort Lauderdale location debuted on Feb. 1 (per social media) in the Bank of America Plaza at Las Olas City Centre, alongside other eateries such as Coyo Taco, Subway and Smoothie King. The extensive menu includes kabobs, wraps and falafel platters. There are also tenderloin, chicken, snapper and sirloin platters. 401 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; RiceKitchen.com
World of Beer Bar & Kitchen, Royal Palm Beach
This chain emporium of craft-beer suds, wine, cocktails and pub fare debuted its latest South Florida taproom on Feb. 4 on Southern Boulevard, roughly 3 miles west of the iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre. The beer hall touts a mind-numbing variety of draft and bottled brews (there are hundreds, from saisons and stouts to hard seltzers and mead), and its menu features soft-baked pretzels, chicken wings doused in eight sauces and dry rubs, salads and tacos, six styles of hamburgers and four flatbreads, and entrées including steak frites and grilled Atlantic salmon brushed with India Pale Ale glaze. 11121 Southern Blvd., Royal Palm Beach; WorldofBeer.com
Just Pizza & Wing Co., Coral Springs
After months-long permitting delays, this Buffalo, N.Y.-born franchise opened its first South Florida pizza-wing stop on Feb. 1 under local franchisee Noel Morreale. The eatery’s name, to be fair, sells short its sheer number of specialty configurations, such as the 3 Cheese Steak Pizza with a mozzarella-Swiss-white American blend atop thin-sliced sirloin steak, and wings with intriguing (bourbon whiskey, blackberry barbecue, Cajun honey) and scald-your-mouth-out flavors (“lethal hot” Buffalo style). 2359 N. University Drive, Coral Springs; 754-240-4887; JustPizzaUSA.com
Chickeatah’, Fort Lauderdale
This Turkish Halal restaurant registered to owner Valentina Akyol debuted on Jan. 22 in Fort Lauderdale’s Middle River Terrace neighborhood. The corner shop specializes in round pizzas but also in “pide,” a boat-shaped, thick-dough flatbread stuffed with kashar cheese, “sujuk” (dried beef sausage), chicken gyro, feta or seasonal vegetables. Other Mediterranean staples include grilled chicken wings, lentil soup, baba ghanoush, hummus and gyro wraps. 1100 NE Fourth Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 754-223-4139; search for “Chickeatah'” on Facebook.com
Jugo Boss, Lighthouse Point
This detox juicery from Mariana and Diego Uribe debuted its first brick-and-mortar with a grand opening on Jan. 28 in Lighthouse Point’s Shoppes at Beacon Light. The shop began its life at the Alton Food Hall before migrating into the Yellow Green Farmers Market this summer. Jugo serves six cold-pressed juices including “Nut mylk” (raw almonds, cinnamon, vanilla bean, honey), along with immunity ginger shots, acai bowls and smoothies. 2438 N. Federal Highway, Lighthouse Point; 954-773-4300; JugoBossDetox.com
Poke Bros., Fort Lauderdale
Replacing the storefront once occupied by ice creamery Twist Milkshake, this build-your-own-poke-bowl spot registered to owner Jinwang Chen debuted in mid-January inside the Harbor Shops on Southeast 17th Street. The Ohio-born chain offers six signature bowls of the traditional Hawaiian dish, such as the Johnny Utah (salmon, avocado, edamame, cucumber, “masago” and sriracha aioli) and The Duke (tuna, salmon, shrimp, seaweed salad, ponzu, among other ingredients), along with mochi ice cream for dessert. Future locations are planned for Coral Springs and Weston. 1909 Cordova Road, Fort Lauderdale; 754-259-1512; EatPokeBros.com
Kava Jive, Wilton Manors
Billing itself as Wilton Manor’s “elite elixir bar,” Kava Jive debuted with a grand opening on Jan. 28 and offers a variety of specialty botanically infused teas and, of course, kava. Owners Anthony Kessler and Vincent Russo say Kava Jive is “an upscale bar conducive to productivity during the day … where you can vibe and jive at night.” The space, located in the people-magnet Shoppes of Wilton Manors strip mall, features local art and live entertainment (bands, DJs, spoken word artists). 2242 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors; 754-206-3895, kavajive.com
Closed
Vampire Penguin, Fort Lauderdale
This frozen desserts shop across the street from The Galleria mall lasted a few weeks short of a year. Franchise co-owner Sharon Rinaudo was first introduced to Vampire Penguin — a California-based brand known for shaved ice sweets — when her sister opened a location in Aiken, S.C. The corporate office did not respond to the Sun Sentinel’s questions regarding any additional plans for the South Florida market. 2585 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 754-223-5148; vampirepenguin.com
Thai Thyme & Sushi Bar, Plantation
This 6-year-old Japanese-Thai eatery in the Plantation Centre West plaza permanently closed on Feb. 28. Co-owner Iwan Saputra told the Sun Sentinel that the restaurant has been sold to new owners. Thai Thyme specialized in pan-Asian fare including bento boxes, shoyu ramen and tom kha soup, along with sushi, poke bowls and curried dishes. 7039 W. Broward Blvd., Plantation; 954-990-7110; ThaiThymeFL.com
Blue Moon Diner, Cooper City
This suburban strip-mall hub for down-home classics — bacon-stuffed omelets, tuna cheese melts, bison hamburgers — has closed in the Pine Lake Plaza on Griffin Road after 13 years. The eatery abruptly shut in mid-January without fanfare or social-media updates, and its phone number and website have been taken down. Last year, the diner was renovated by new owners Shaune and Sarah Walter, who took over Blue Moon in 2021. The diner was also known for its collision of high-end and low-end dishes, such as breakfast burritos, lobster quiche, avocado egg rolls and Atlantic salmon. 10076 Griffin Road, Cooper City
