Dining Information

The two main drags for eating and drinking in Fort Lauderdale are Las Olas and Sunrise boulevards. There are also some fun bars near the ocean, as well as a burgeoning restaurant district on West Broward Boulevard in the Old Town.

The Floridian 1410 E Las Olas Blvd, downtown tel 954/463-4041. Old Fort Lauderdale at its finest: formica furniture, peeling autographed pictures lining the walls and outstanding diner food at rock-bottom prices.

La Cantina 2870 E Sunrise Blvd tel 954/565-3839. The giant margaritas are $9, and enormous, cheap portions of authentic Mexican food make this a good stop on the beach.

Mark's Las Olas 1032 E Las Olas Blvd, downtown tel 954/463-1000. A top-notch dinner-only downtown restaurant, it serves contemporary south Floridian food - lots of sesame-crusted and pan-seared fish - at premium prices.

Nick's 3496 N Ocean Blvd, at the beach tel 954/563-6441. This low-key Italian restaurant serves fresh, hefty portions of pasta. Open until 4am, it's a scene by 1am when waiters from nearby restaurants descend for their own dinner.

Southport Raw Bar 1536 Cordova Rd tel 954/525-2526. South of downtown near Port Everglades, this boisterous local bar specializes in succulent crustaceans and well-prepared fish dishes.

Tom Jenkins' Bar-B-Q 1236 S Federal Highway (US-1), downtown tel 954/522-5046. Check out the outstanding barbecue and side dishes at inexpensive prices.