A cocktail bar with summer camp-inspired drinks. A Thai chicken shack from the ramen gurus behind GoBistro. A Caribbean-Italian-Asian fusion eatery whose chef has cooked for Miami Heat-ex Hassan Whiteside and rapper Rick Ross.
Downtown Hollywood’s charming restaurant rows are glitzier these days, transformed by a fresh wave of nine cocktail bars and eateries that have popped up along Hollywood Boulevard and Harrison Street since spring.
This isn’t the Hollyweird of yore, marked by odd characters, stiff drinks (Mickey Byrne’s, PRL Euro Café) and aging-but-reliable eateries (Mauro’s Pizza, Tipsy Boar). Anyone who’s ignored Hollywood’s sleeker-than-ever downtown for the past year may notice dramatic changes afoot: A spruced-up Young Circle anchored by the posh Circ Hotel; under-construction landscaping and bike paths stretching along Hollywood Boulevard from City Hall east to Dixie Highway; and free electric shuttle rides hailed with a smartphone app, replacing the city’s old trolley system.
“It’s taken years to see the fruits of our labor, but it’s finally happening,” says Jorge Camejo, executive director of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency. “We’ve added new lights, landscaping, clean sidewalks. People want more nightlife: less shopping and more food and entertainment.”
What’s fueling Hollywood’s dining growth? New downtown condo and apartment high-rises are driving young professionals to the area, Camejo says. Also luring restaurateurs: Hollywood’s grant programs, such as the Property Improvement Program, which gives owners up to $50,000 in reimbursements for building upgrades.
Cesar Cifuentes says a CRA grant helped him move his Mexican-Asian fusion eatery Oaxaka from Yellow-Green Farmers Market to a storefront on Harrison Street.
“Downtown Hollywood needed a catalyst to help jump-start the mom-and-pops,” Cifuentes says. “It only helps me when 10 successful restaurants are next to mine. I want all these quirky crowds and young creatives and tourists on Hollywood Beach to find it easier to get downtown.”
Before you take your crawl of downtown Hollywood’s new food and drink, take our tour of the city’s newest hot spots.
Merci Restaurant
2050 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood; 954-391-8508
Who they are: Owner Aram Avagyan opened this clubby, bright Mediterranean eatery in April on the western edge of the downtown restaurant row, cooking up traditional shish kebabs ($16-$28), lamb chops ($28) and grilled sturgeon ($27) on a barbecue charcoal grill. “Since we opened, we get as many people dancing as eating,” says the Armenian-born restaurateur, who paid $50,000 to install a marble dance floor for live music in Russian, Spanish and Armenian on Friday and Saturday nights. Hookah rentals cost $25-$30, and Avagyam plans to add a karaoke night on Wednesdays in August.
Hours: 2 p.m.-2 a.m. Tuesday-Sunday
El Bayú de wela Sara
1917 Hollywood Blvd.; 954-367-2706 or Facebook.com
Who they are: This restaurant can make anyone feel like they’re eating a home-cooked meal. El Bayú de wela Sara, Puerto Rican slang for Grandma Sara’s Party, serves grandma’s recipes. Literally. Chef-owner Iram Ayala promised his grandmother, now deceased, that he would open a restaurant in her name. “He promised her that he would […] share her food with the world,” says manager Ramy Gomez. Abuela’s famous mofongo ($16-$25), empanada ($8) and alcapurria ($6-$10) dishes can all be found here. It also serves Medella light, a Puerto Rican beer ($4.50). The restaurant features live salsa at 8 p.m. Fridays and 2 p.m. Sundays.
Hours: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday and 2-11 p.m. Sunday
K.O.N.A. Kitchen and Bar
1900 Harrison St.; 954-534-9972 or Kona-Kitchen-Bar.business.site
Who they are: This new Caribbean fusion spot on Harrison Street combines Jamaican recipes from owners Kerwayne Clough and Oreth Smith with Italian-Asian dishes from ex-Navy chef Marvin Sanders. “We’re in this new age of foodies, so it’s become trendy to combine all these flavors together,” says Sanders, a former private chef for ex-Miami Heat player Hassan Whiteside and rappers the Game and Rick Ross. Guests can pick a cuisine or combine them all by trying dishes such as the Jumbo Curry Shrimp ($16) or Jerk Salmon ($20). Brunch is 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays and wells and select appetizers are half-off during K.O.N.A.’s 4-7 p.m. daily happy hour.
Hours: 3-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 3 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday-Saturday and 2 p.m.-midnight Sunday
GoGai
2051 Hollywood Blvd.; 954-589-1249 or Instagram.com/EatGoGai
Who they are: Andrew Gong and Niti Masintapan’s latest notch in their rising Go restaurant empire is GoGai, a Thai street food spot three doors down from their lauded Japanese ramen hub GoBistro. The eatery’s short menu – 21 items – is inspired by the larb gai ($6) and chicken-and-rice bowls ($9-$10) found on Bangkok street corners. “The chicken is brined, then it’s boiled, and we use chicken stock to flavor the rice,” says Gong, whose 2-month-old shack is decorated in cheeky chicken-themed puns. (One example: “Bok, bok, b*tches” is scrawled in yellow neon lights above the entrance.) Daily specials, which include panang chicken and chicken sticky rice, cost $7.99. Next up: GoPho, a pho concept opening in Broward by year’s end.
Hours: Noon-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Rossini by Pesce Pasta
2022 Hollywood Blvd.; 954-399-8552 or Facebook.com
Who they are: The former Pesce and Pasta has a new owner, Leonardo Ramirez, along with new décor and cuisine at this sit-down Italian-Latin fusion restaurant. Manager Francheska Vasquez says the eatery kept its former moniker (and several of its predecessor’s Italian dishes) because “Pesce was already established in the area, and excited customers kept asking for it,” she says. New are Latin specials such as mofongo and sancocho, plus a $7.99 pasta special and half-priced cocktails during Rossini’s daily 4-7 p.m. happy hour. A $29.99 prix-fixe dinner includes appetizer, salad, main course and glass of wine.
Hours: Noon-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, noon-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, noon-10 p.m. Sunday
Oaxaka
2033 Harrison St.; 954-745-4750 or EatOaxaka.com
Who they are: Oaxaka, opening in late July, is no stranger to Hollywood. The 815-square-foot Mexican-Asian fusion restaurant called the Yellow Green Farmers Market on Sheridan Street its home for four years before owner Cesar Cifuentes moved to this permanent spot. Featuring classic dishes including the Tuna Tower ($15) and Beef Short Rib Tacos ($5 per taco), the restaurant plans to add 10 more menu items and cocktails, including raw oysters and Prosecco Popsicles. Happy hour will be 4-7 p.m. Tuesday-Friday with $2 select tacos and $4 beers.
Hours: 4-10 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Thursdays, 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Fridays and 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturdays.
SideLines Sports Bar II
1832 Harrison St.; 954-589-2467 or SidelinesSportsBarII.com
Who they are: Calling all sports fans: SideLines Sports Bar II is the newest place to cheer on your team. (SideLines Sports Bar I closed in Wilton Manors in 2015.) Guests can watch football, basketball or soccer on one of the restaurant’s 26 TVs. During halftime, patrons can take to the dart boards or pool tables to keep the competition going. The menu features typical sports bar food, including the Tampa Bay Shuffle burger ($12.50), complete with a fried egg and avocado, and Red Zone Chicken Wings (12 for $13). The restaurant also serves Sunday brunch until 3:30 p.m. for $14.95.
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-2 a.m. daily
Camp Cocktail Bar and Grill
2051-B Hollywood Blvd.; 754-263-1175 or CampCocktailBar.com
Who they are: It’s summer camp year-round at this new cocktail hangout opening in early August from brothers John and Matthew Wiltsey. Fishing poles and canoe paddles are mounted on log cabin-inspired walls and bartenders are dressed like camp counselors. “Short khakis, Converse sneakers and tall socks,” says John Wiltsey, of Sunny Isles Beach, describing the bar’s dress code with a laugh. The 1,350-square-foot haunt, inspired by the brothers’ childhood camp excursions in the Adirondacks, will feature 10 camp-inspired cocktails ($10-$15), including S’mores Martini. Brunch and bar grub (hamburgers, French fries, chicken wings) will launch after Labor Day. Happy hour is 4-7 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Hours: 11 a.m.-midnight Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Friday and Saturday
Sidecar Speakeasy
2032 Harrison St., inside Hotsy Totsy Bar and Grill; 954-544-2381 or HotsyTotsyBarandGrill.com
Who they are: After debuting their charming bistro Hotsy Totsy Bar and Grill in November inside the former Lola’s on Harrison, restaurant vets Valeria and Clayton Chelley added their Prohibition-themed cocktail haunt, Sidecar Speakeasy, in May. The nostalgia-soaked Sidecar operates with a gimmick: a “secret door code” gained by calling the bar or scanning Hotsy Totsy’s social media. Cocktails ($9-$12) include the Bee’s Knees with Hayman’s London Dry Gin, honey and lavender; and the Boulevardier with three-barrel rye, sweet vermouth and cappelletti. Wines, cocktails and beers are 30 percent off during its 5-7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday happy hour.
Hours: 7 p.m.-1 p.m. Thursday-Saturday
