The local table
The Palm Beaches eat like a coastal Florida city with a taste for the good life. Seafood is the foundation: grouper, snapper, mahi-mahi, shrimp and spiny lobster all appear on menus, usually grilled, blackened or served in a sandwich. Stone crab claws, a South Florida specialty, are in season from mid-October to early May, and are traditionally served chilled with mustard sauce. Beyond seafood, you find Cuban sandwiches, Caribbean and Latin American flavors, farm-to-table cooking and a deep bench of Italian and Mediterranean restaurants. Key lime pie is the dessert to try at least once.
Downtown West Palm Beach
Downtown is the center of the dining scene. Clematis Street and the surrounding blocks offer everything from casual cafes to ambitious chef-driven kitchens, with outdoor tables on pleasant evenings. Rosemary Square has more restaurants and a cinema, and Antique Row along Dixie Highway has cafes tucked among the design shops. Grandview Public Market in the Grandview Heights neighborhood brings food stalls and a bar together in a lively space. A guided food tour is an efficient way to sample several kitchens in an afternoon and gather recommendations for dinner.
Palm Beach island
On the island, dining tends toward the polished. Worth Avenue and the vias have cafes and restaurants in courtyards, and the big hotels run multiple kitchens. Lunch is a better value than dinner, and many restaurants have terraces for people-watching. Dress is smart casual at most places, with some preferring jackets for men in the evening. Reservations are wise in winter and spring. If you want a splurge, a tea service at one of the historic buildings is a pleasant alternative to dinner.
Markets and casual bites
A seasonal waterfront green market in West Palm Beach brings together local produce, flowers, baked goods and prepared foods, typically on weekend mornings in the cooler months. Check the current schedule before you go. Throughout the county you find fish shacks, taco counters, bakeries and Cuban cafeterias where a coffee and pastry cost very little. Jupiter has a strong casual seafood scene along the inlet, with outdoor tables where boats pass by. These are the places locals go for an unfussy meal.
Drinks
Craft cocktail bars and breweries have grown steadily downtown, and many hotels have rooftop or lobby bars. A sunset drink on a boat or waterfront terrace is one of the area's great pleasures. Sunset cruises often allow you to bring drinks or offer a bar, so check the policy. Remember Florida's heat; alternate cocktails with water and avoid alcohol before water activities such as parasailing or snorkeling.
Special diets
Most restaurants can accommodate vegetarian, gluten-free and allergy needs with notice, and many menus mark options. Seafood-heavy menus can be challenging for those avoiding shellfish, but chefs are used to adjusting. Food tours can accommodate diets if you tell the operator when you reserve. If you keep kosher or halal, ask your hotel concierge for current recommendations, since the area has a large and varied community.
Budget tips
Eating well here does not require a large budget. Lunch menus, happy hours and early dinners lower costs, and casual counters serve excellent food at modest prices. Share starters, order the daily fish, and look for fixed-price menus in the shoulder seasons. Many hotels offer breakfast packages, but local cafes are often better value. Remember that tips are customary, and a service charge is sometimes added for larger groups.
Planning your meals
Book popular restaurants in winter and spring, especially on weekends. Build meals around your activities: a late breakfast before a boat tour, a seafood lunch after Jupiter's lighthouse, a light dinner after a sunset cruise. If you are traveling in summer, many restaurants offer special menus and the lines are shorter. And save space for dessert.
One last tip
Ask locals. Hotel staff, boat captains, guides and shopkeepers all have favorite places that rarely appear in glossy lists, from a bakery that opens early to a fish counter near the inlet. Try one new place each day, mix casual and special meals, and note what you loved. Eating is one of the easiest ways to feel the character of the Palm Beaches, from the polished courtyards of the island to the easygoing waterfront tables of Jupiter.