Best Neighborhood Gem Restaurants in Ft. Lauderdale

Wow! We really had no idea what to expect out of a Friday night dinner at DeLuca’a Chophouse having never been there before (and we are HUGE foodies), but I had been wanting to check it out. Granted, we arrived 5 minutes before our reservation and didn’t get seated until about 15 minutes later, but that was the ONLY downside to an incredible culinary experience. Let me start with the food. Phenomenal. Period. The service? Oh my god! Brian (our waiter) was probably the best waiter out there. Period. And he was supported by a busboy/busgirl staff that had been obviously trained to perfection. The ambience? Not sure where to begin. If you are looking to have a nice, quiet, dimly lit romantic dinner for two (and yes, we were celebrating our anniversary last night), this is NOT the place for that. Dawn (the emcee) was supporting a fantastic disc jockey who, together, got people up out of their seats - dancing beside their tables - to every great hit from the 70s, 80s and 90s. It was loud - in a really good way. It was like The Palm (in DC) had sex with Sammy’s Romanian (in NYC) and gave birth to DeLuca’s Chophouse (in Boca). The vibe was incredible. Lively as all hell. The entire experience was amazing!!!

My family of 6 had dinner here last night including 2 children under 10. I requested the best waiter they have and they had Monica take care of us. She was amazing… probably the best server I’ve ever had anywhere and I live in NY and Miami and eat out a minimum of 6 nights a week. She not only was a lovely person but she didn’t miss a beat. We’re a fussy group and she accommodated us all perfect, timely and NO ATTITUDE . The food was also perfect and delicious . Because of Monica we will be going back very soon… probably by next week. Very enjoyable dining experience for all of us.Special thanks to Monica for making our evening so pleasurable

My fiancé and I had such a lovely meal here. We enjoyed the meatball appetizer which was so flavorful! For entrees we got the Gnocchi and Linguine with clams. For dessert our server highly recommended the limoncello, which did not disappoint!

Amazing experience! Food as fast and service was friendly

We have been dining here since the restaurant opened nearly 30 years ago. The food is consistently great and the service and atmosphere are wonderful. This time we had our usual baked shrimp appetizer which is the best anywhere. This was followed by a shared Tomahawk ribeye which was tender and flavorful. The side of asparagus was also good. Will probably be back again next week.