Restaurants in Ives Estates

Recently opened Poolhouse Grill regales guests with juicy burgers and ocean-fresh seafood amid an upbeat club-inspired atmosphere. Framed by multicolored beams of light and waving palms, the restaurant's façade draws visitors in to celebrate DJ-fueled dancefests on weekends, or rock 'n' roll–powered discussions about Robert M. Pirsig with bikers on Wednesdays. Sports fans belly up to the bar to watch their favorite sports legends on the arsenal of flat-screen TVs, and occasional beer-pong tournaments prepare amateurs for the rigors of professional ping-pong chucking.

Drawing inspiration from South American cuisine, the cooks at Che, Pibe Argentinean Grill roast hearty meats such as new york strip steaks, short ribs, and pork kebabs over an open flame. The Sun Sentinel also praised their "light and flaky" empanadas for "devilishly generous portions of shredded chicken or ground beef" in a 2007 review. But the chefs have even more tricks up their sleeves—they incorporate Italian influences into dishes such as marinara-sauced pastas and homemade tiramisu.

In the casual dining room, waiters pass these and other menu items onto tables illuminated by cylindrical pendant lamps. Opposite the seating, a countertop dominates the space with its polished granite surface and constant demands that staffers shine its mosaic tiles.

Dedicated to upholding the casual ambiance and meticulously presented cuisine found in the bistros of Paris, Bistro 1902’s team of chefs channels French culinary traditions as they assemble Gallic dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With an eagle eye refined during 25 years spent forging fare in four- and five-star establishments across France–including the The Jules Vernes restaurant at the Eiffel Tower in France–the head chef inspects each dish for aesthetic quality and likelihood of revealing secrets before it leaves the kitchen. Culinary gurus bustle about the restaurant galley architecting traditional noshes such as crepes, escargots, and tarte tatins alongside updated classics such as a filet mignon and a foie gras burger.

Reviewed by The Miami Herald, it praised the house-made olive butter and the french onion soup. Creative burgers and fresh scallops also made The Sun Sentinel take notice, along with the chef's meticulous eye to tableside detail. Amid the dining room’s exposed-brick walls laden with Parisian-themed art prints, affable servers wend in and out of tan-colored booths and sleek black tables to ensure that hungers remain sated and thirsts quenched. Meanwhile, staffers keep patrons hydrated as they refill goblets with selections from the extensive wine list, ensuring the perfectly paired washing down of decadent bites and the rinsing of hands after finger-painting re-creations of Monet's Water Lily Pond on the tablecloth.

Bagel Hut’s simple menu of breakfast and lunch dishes catalogs comforting American dishes and Jewish deli fare. In the morning, eggs made any way—including via a scalding-hot PC hard drive—accompany kielbasa and potatoes or cradle bacon in an omelet. Bagel Hut’s eponymous bread rings sport fillings of cream cheese or clasp nova salmon, tomato, and cucumber in a deluxe morning sandwich. At lunch, the eatery's overstuffed deli sandwiches quiver under the weight of pastrami, fresh-carved turkey breast, or corned beef. Not to be outdone, club sandwiches pair turkey, egg salad, and chicken salad with crispy bacon.

The choreographed heels of Spanish dancers click in time to flamenco music during live performances punctuated by the clatter of patrons sharing steaming portions of seafood paella, pitchers of sangria, and tapas. High-top black tables hold small plates of gambas al ajillo—shrimp sautéed with garlic and virgin olive oil—and golden empanadas gallegas, turnovers stuffed with tuna or chicken. On walls painted crimson like a rebellious bull’s guitar, Spanish flags hang near paintings of whirling flamenco dancers. The adjacent full bar is stacked with wooden racks of red wine and softly lit with twinkling chandeliers.

At Pita Paradise Cafe, pitas dress as they please in albacore tuna, fresh lamb, or a warm slathering of hummus, before leaping into guests' mouths. After sopping up the last of the tabbouleh, guests can enjoy flavored hookah smoke or chew on subtly mint-flavored tablecloths.