Restaurants in Lake Worth

An extensive wine selection washes down elegant Italian meals at Saltimbocca Italian Bistro. Chefs slow-braise veal shank to craft the eatery’s signature osso buco entree, and fresh herbs such as basil and tarragon sprinkle plates of shrimp, scallops, and snapper. Steaks and chops don dapper dressings, including sautéed crimini mushrooms and a 25-year-old balsamic reduction still unsure of what to do with its liberal-arts degree.

Jimmy and Joe Castello, the father-son proprietors of Mamma’s Pizza Co., trace their culinary origins to 1969, when their family bought a small bakery. They commemorate this milestone by proudly displaying a black-and-white photo of their family posing in front of the shop’s quaint, striped awning. Today, they continue their journey by slinging traditional and sicilian pizzas that host toppings ranging from pepperoni and sausage to fresh basil and mozzarella. In addition to Italian-American favorites such as toasty subs and calzones and pasta dinners, they also whip up chicken wings slathered in mild, hot, or barbecue sauce.

Inside their cozy dining room, pale-yellow walls festooned with rolling pins and potted plants on the counter help maintain a cheerful atmosphere. The Castello family picture still stands watch over a few wooden tables, making sure that diners practice proper table manners and pizza-origami technique.

Eat Fresh’s menu of nutritious breakfasts and smoothies, crisp salads, and satisfying wraps and sandwiches combine delicious taste and healthy ingredients into satisfying deli-fare packages. Guests munch on mouthwatering paninis, hummus, or turkey burgers within the tidy café’s goldenrod-hued walls or lounge on the sun-filled patio to take in the open air and graciously allow their salads to photosynthesize. Complimentary WiFi signals supplement coffee-sipping sessions or lunch breaks, and a rotating cast of three different soups each day sends up savory wafts such as butternut squash, lobster bisque, and roasted tomato. Eat Fresh exemplifies its commitment to healthy eating with calorie counts on many of its menu items, as well as crafting many dishes from wholesome ingredients such as multigrain bread, quinoa, fresh fruit, and low-fat yogurt.

Bedecked with oversize armchairs, vintage Hollywood photos, and piles of classic board games, The Living Room merges a menu of updated comfort foods with homey surroundings. The dining area’s exposed ceiling and purple accents lend it a contemporary vibe, despite decor accents such as a vintage armoire stuffed with trinkets. Diners can linger to play games, sample craft beers, and chat on plush sofas and chairs, or attend events from trivia nights to group psychic readings.

In the kitchen, chefs dish up seafood, pub fare, and modern spins on classic comfort food, such as tomato bisque served inside a grilled-cheese bread bowl. The dessert menu’s eclectic endings include a peanut-butter pie praised by the New Times Broward-Palm Beach as “creamy and moist,” as well as roast-your-own s’mores, a baked milky-way bar wrapped in puff pastry, and a wine ice cream selected by sommeliers to pair well with good vibes.

Robert "Rocky" Telesca is as passionate about mixing beats as he is about mixing garlic and basil into his marinara sauce. At Rocky's Italian Cuisine and Steak House, he marries his love of DJing with his lifelong devotion to homestyle Italian fare. When Rocky himself isn't throwing down Motown and disco beats every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, Frank Sinatra’s crooning voice weaves in and out of the dining room's low hum of chatter like a silky-smooth Pac-Man. Amid this laid-back atmosphere, tables hoist plates piled high with pastas and entrees concocted from chicken, veal, and seafood. In addition to these saucy main courses, guests can sink their forks into house-made desserts, most of which are lovingly prepared by Rocky's mom.

Restaurateur Frank Reider began to delve into the ruby depths of wine at his friend's wine soirees while living in Rio de Janeiro. His growing ardor for South American vintages inspired him to open Gol!, a churrascaria with a wine list that earned the restaurant Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence for several years.

Gaucho waiters arrive at each chair offering up skewers of shrimp, salmon, and meat grilled rare in the traditional style. Patrons flip a disk between red and green to indicate whether they'd like more meat or to clear up traffic jams among the waitstaff. A salad bar remains stocked with fresh vegetables and soups as an alternative to the traditional barrage of meat.

Reider found a home for Gol! in a building erected circa 1925. It was originally dubbed the Arcade Building, gaining notoriety in the 1930s as the Arcade and Tap Room. Behind the fully restored façade, cypress-wood ceilings arch over tablecloths and floral displays. Bartenders work behind a bar carved in 1933 from trees whose grandparents were chopped down by George Washington himself. As bossa nova tunes play, the bartenders mix cocktails such as the citrusy caipirinha, which was featured in the Palm Beach Post.