Even Flagler Village in Fort Lauderdale, a trendy nightlife village branding itself the next Wynwood, is not immune to the growing pains and cycles of restaurant life.
Hipster beer den Beer Punx and art-splashed café Bean to Brew, two popular hangouts that debuted last year, are among Flagler’s first casualties, now shuttered and quiet inside the honeycomb of warehouses called the Hive. One block south, inside the MASS District warehouse row, poor foot traffic has claimed Tula Bistro and Garden, a café serving vegan fare plus “heathen” options for carnivores, and next-door Great Project FTL, a warren of mini-artist studios.
Of course, restaurants expire quickly in Fort Lauderdale –— just look at Las Olas — but South Florida loves shiny new experiences. Ambitious new muscle and buzzy celebrity chefs are already plotting to fill these vacancies. They’re all shuffling into Flagler Village’s three main hubs — The Hive, MASS District and Flagler Uptown — which hug the spine of Flagler Drive. To find these mural-splashed warehouses, simply follow Flagler Drive from Sistrunk Boulevard to Northeast Ninth Street, a block south of Sunrise Boulevard. If the Hive, MASS and Flagler Uptown names sound confusing — can’t it just be called Flagler Village? — don’t worry. They’re hard to miss and packed together within a half-mile radius.
New life includes Notorious Creamery, a frozen-treat shack co-owned by Grammy-nominated rapper Tory Lanez that opened in June at the Hive. Not to be outdone, former Salty Donut chef Max Santiago’s Batch, the Cookie Company will rise around the corner on Aug. 31, coinciding with the monthly FAT Village Art Walk. And in Flagler Uptown, Rank and File Social Club will sling craft cocktails starting Aug. 30 next door to Chops and Hops, a lumberjack-themed ax-throwing bar.
Given its recent closures, Flagler Village’s newest class of nightlife is crucial to Mark Hershkowitz, owner of Leaves and Roots Lounge, a kava tavern serving vegan “munchies” in the MASS District. Hershkowitz opened the 600-square-foot bar in June, drawn to the area’s eclectic vibe, uber-popular art walks and youthful urban pioneers crowding into the neighborhood’s midrise residential lofts. He’s counting on a fresh surge of foot traffic from a co-working space next door called the Hub Spark, opening next week.
“I’m not stepping on anyone’s toes with a kava bar, but we need people to come all the time, not just during art walks,” Hershkowitz says on a recent Tuesday behind the bar as a 20-something customer sips earthy kava from a metal shell. “Even though this place is up and coming, it’s still a risky investment. It’s all about making people feel comfortable enough to linger as long as possible.”
Further south along Flagler Drive, in Flagler Uptown, co-owner Stefano Barbagallo envisions Rank and File Social Club as a warm, unpretentious neighborhood lounge. “We’re a social club for the people,” he says, adding that his bar will be decorated with antique furniture and old war memorabilia.
Flagler Village feels like a Wynwood in its infancy, he says. “Some of the elements of the old neighborhood are on their way out, and now you see people walking dogs in the morning. One culture moves out, one culture moves in. It’s bittersweet, but we’re growing.”
We strolled Flagler Village this week to uncover the newest bars and restaurants breathing fresh life into the neighborhood. Keep scrolling to meet Fort Lauderdale’s new faces.
Rank and File Social Club
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704 NE First Ave.; 954-928-8794 or RankAndFileSocialClub.com
Opening: 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30
Who they are: A 3,000-square-foot cocktail bar and live-music venue from brothers Mark and Stefano Barbagallo, Rank and File wants to be your new neighborhood haunt. The exterior resembles an old war bunker, splashed with dark-gray paint and cracked brick. Inside, cozy antique chairs and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stocked with war memorabilia frame a 35-foot island bar. Craft cocktails ($11-$14), designed by mixologist Karl Lipscomb of Sweet Liberty Drinks and Supply Co. in Miami Beach, include the Handcrafted Huckleberry (Hennessey Black, blackberry puree, basil, Dolin dry) and Dad Bod (Maker’s Mark, cream, vanilla syrup, grated cinnamon). There will also be two pool tables and a dartboard.
Hours: 4 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 4 p.m.-2:30 a.m. Friday-Saturday, 2-10 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday-Tuesday, with discounted drinks during 4-7 p.m. Wednesday-Friday happy hour
Rec Room
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401 NE Eighth St.; 954-326-0370 or Facebook.com/RecRoomFTL
Who they are: The center of attraction at co-owner Sam Solomon’s Rec Room, which debuted this spring, is duckpin bowling, an old-fashioned pastime in Flagler’s trendy MASS District. Think of the century-old game as miniature bowling: Players take turns hurling grapefruit-size balls (they weigh about a pound) down two short, wooden lanes. The ball pummels a triangle of 10 pins, which clatter like startled geese. Bowling is free — visitors can reserve advance lanes by calling the bar – and so are the bar’s darts, shuffleboard and ring toss. Solomon says there’s live music on Thursdays and extended happy hour specials on Fridays.
Hours: 6 p.m.-2 a.m. Thursday-Friday, 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday, 2 p.m.-midnight Sunday.
Batch, the Cookie Company
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917 NE Fifth Ave.; Batch-Cookies.com
Opening: Saturday, Aug. 31
Who they are: Acclaimed pastry chef Max Santiago (of Salty Donut fame) is replacing over-the-top doughnuts for gourmet cookies at his 600-square-foot kitchen, owned with Fort Lauderdale business partners Adam August and Nik Hicks. There will be nine flavors ($4 for a 5-ounce cookie) such as Ooey Gooey Chocolate Chip with Valrhona dark chocolate and Maldon sea salt; and Pump Up the Jam with peanut-butter dough, local grape jam and crushed Butterfinger. There will also be three vegan and gluten-free cookies, a milk bar and a late-night pickup window.
Hours: Batch’s kitchen and pick-up window will be open 11:30 a.m.-midnight Monday-Wednesday and 11:30 a.m.-2 a.m. Thursday-Sunday.
Leaves and Roots Lounge
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822 NE Fourth Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 954-306-6404 or Facebook.com
Who they are: Vegan “munchies” are promised on the chalkboard sign outside owner Mark Hershkowitz’s 600-square-foot kava bar and vegan café, which opened in June. Indoor seating so far is scarce — fresh furniture is on the way, he says — but visitors dig the lounge’s vegan pizzas and spinach and mushroom empanadas. Also on the menu: kava shells and kratom, a type of plant-based tea that functions as a mood enhancer.
Hours: Noon-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, noon-midnight Friday-Sunday
Notorious Creamery
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908 N. Flagler Drive; 954-306-2584 or NotoriousCreamery.com
Who they are: This 700-square-foot ice creamery, which debuted June 15, technically comes from Toronto-born trap and R&B artist Tory Lanez. Not that Lanez has time to don an apron and pile scoops into your waffle cone — instead, co-owner Bobby Velez (Rhythm and Vine) handles the parlor’s day-to-day operations. The shop features 12 flavors ($4.75 for one scoop, $6.25 for two, $7 for three), including vegan (and non-vegan) toasted almond coconut fudge and the Cookie Monster, scoops of blue ice cream studded with Oreos and chocolate-chip pieces. There are also milkshakes ($9) and ice-cream sandwiches ($8).
Hours: 2-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, noon-midnight Fridays and Saturdays and noon-10 p.m. Sundays.
Poke Lolo
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922 N Flagler Drive, Fort Lauderdale; 954-870-7904 or ThePokeLoLo.com
Who they are: Vietnamese chef-owner Thuan Lam created this 800-square-foot poke joint after departing Phat Boy Sushi, the Japanese kitchen he created in 2016. The eatery, adorned with a faux-grass wall and surfboards, opened this spring and features build-your-own bowls ($14.99 and up). But chef Jay Barashari says the signature bowls — including the Pump Fit ($15.95, with brown rice, avocado, mango-jalapeno sauce) — are the most popular. “A good part of our business comes from the gyms around here,” Barashari says. Poke is also served in one of three house-made waffle cones: black activated charcoal, green tea and orange Togarashi, a spicy Japanese seasoning blend.
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday
Crates Tavern
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824 NE Fourth Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 754-264-4297 or CratesTavern.com and Instagram @cratestavern
Opening: End of September
Who they are: Owner Damian Davis says his lounge borrows its DNA from three Wynwood staples: the wood-accented cool of Wood Tavern, the clubby vibes of Brickhouse Tavern and Tap and the Latin music leanings of El Patio. “The city is dumping millions of dollars trying to turn the neighborhood into Wynwood, and my thing is, go where the gentrification happens,” says Davis,an events promoter from Parkland. Inside, the 1,300-square-foot bar is designed with 2,000 reclaimed wood pallets, while the 4,000-square-foot outside will include two 20-foot shipping-container bars serving tapas and hookahs. Draft beer ($4-$7) and liquor ($5-$6 shots, $8-$11 cocktails) will be served from paper or biodegradable plastic so drinkers have the freedom to wander from the bar, he says. Silent disco headphones will be available on live music nights.
Hours: 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Sunday-Thursday to start, eventually expanding to 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Sunday-Thursday and 5 p.m.-3 a.m. Friday-Saturday
Sistrunk Marketplace and Brewery
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115 NW Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale; 954-329-2551 or SistrunkMarketplace.com
Opening: First week of October
Who they are: A better question to ask here is, “What doesn’t Sistrunk Marketplace have?” The 40,000-square-foot lifestyle complex will occupy a pair of two-story, charcoal-gray warehouses on Sistrunk Boulevard across the street from Fort Lauderdale’s FAT Village. It’s a sprawling space, boasting a food hall with 14 food and drink stalls, including a butcher shop and a Japanese ramen joint, an Asian dessert shop and a coffeehouse. The project, from Society 8 project manager Steven Dapuzzo (Park & Ocean, Wild Thyme Oceanside Eatery), will also include a DJ academy, newly relocated Khoffner Brewery and – eventually – a small-batch distillery with vodka, rum, whiskey and bourbon.
Hours: 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m.-midnight Friday, 8 a.m.-midnight Saturday and 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday.
