Restaurants in Hallandale Beach

The chefs at Julio's Natural Foods Restaurant concoct fresh, vitamin-packed dishes from healthy ingredients. They boil up pots of organic brown rice and quinoa to accompany grilled organic tofu and fish fillets, and they pack their turkey burgers and zero-fat tuna sandwiches with fistfuls of sprouts, alfalfa, carrots, and other veggies. Signature dishes include Julio's special quesadilla, a popular plate of tortilla, cheese, tomatoes, spinach, and secret sauce. Fresh squeezed juices and complex smoothies wash down these feel-good foods and make guilt-free filling for water balloons.

15th Street Fisheries illustrates a key facet of the circle of life: you feed the fish, and the fish feed you. Every evening, guests head to the edge of the docks to feed schools of giant tarpon—fish that can grow up to 8 feet long—with shrimp from the nearby store. It's a feat made possible by the restaurant's location on the Lauderdale Marina, a hub for pedestrians and boats alike on the Intracoastal Waterway.

Floating above the silvery tarpon, yachts, fishing boats, and other charters pass in view of the upstairs dining room. The space resembles an upscale boathouse with eclectic seafood entrees to match. Start with a bowl of Bahamian-style conch chowder or shrimp and grits, then choose from an impressive list of prepared fish, including miso-glazed Chilean sea bass and pan-roasted black grouper. The Maine lobsters on the menu weigh 2 to 3 pounds, depending on how often they crawled ashore to go to the gym, but you can also order a spiny lobster tail with baby bok choy. Downstairs, the dockside café offers more casual fare and live music on weekends.

Umbrella-covered tables stretch along a waterfront patio splashed in sparkling lights, which mirror the romantic glow emanating from the dining room’s paper chandeliers as it plays off sleek bamboo plants and large, green-bordered windows. The chic atmosphere of Wild East Asian Bistro sets the stage for its chefs’ theatrical flourishes in the open kitchen, where diners can watch them craft dishes brimming with piquant spices, crisp vegetables, and fresh seafood. Medleys of Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Chinese morsels politely acquaint themselves atop each plate, attempting to remember their high-school language lessons before servers parade them to tables and awaiting appetites.

The Big Easy Bar and Grille has been showered with praise from local newspapers for its atmosphere, entertainment, and American fare infused with Cajun spices. New Orleans melodies add their spice to meals during live jazz and blues sets staged Wednesday–Sunday against a neon-lit backdrop of exposed brick. On Sunday afternoons, bands serenade brunchers, who may take their midday repast onto the outdoor patio. When the tunes die down inside, flat-screen TVs pick up the slack, and sports announcers pepper the latest games with their spice-themed metaphors.

A belly dancer deftly balances a sword on her head as her hips shimmy expertly to the beat of live Greek music on the patio of Mythos Greek Taverna. Shouts of “Opa!” rise from the doorway as black-clad wait staff usher in flaming plates of saganaki, the luscious cheese going gooey at the touch of the fire. The lively atmosphere is mirrored by equally lively cuisine crafted by Chef Christina Lempesi, who emigrated from Athens in 2007. Along with her tea, the chef whips up traditional Greek cuisine from scratch, without the help of a traditional Greek kitchen minotaur. Her platters of lamb and lemon-drizzled chicken, grilled kebabs, and charbroiled seafood arrive to tables surrounded by hanging plants and faux brick and stucco walls. Outside, umbrellas in classic Greek blue shield white-clothed tables from the spray of the fountain as diners enjoy a breezy meal.

In the bygone era of the saloon, few cowboys got to munch on endives stuffed with crabmeat and cilantro. And though The Lost & Found Saloon bears old-fashioned decor—a long wooden bar, rustic tables, and a wagon wheel converted into a ceiling light—visitors aren't confined to period eats. Instead, they bite into marinated eggplant with three melted cheeses or grilled shrimp with sage and thyme. Chipotle is a favorite seasoning, flavoring burgers, salads, mahi mahi, and even tofu melts. For breakfast, diners enjoy scrambles and omelets made with eggs from free-roaming hens. The rest of the day, sips of cold beer offset the heat from dabs of various hot sauces, including a house blend made with real chunks of house.