Restaurants in Riviera Beach

The chefs at Moran’s Italian Burger Bistro build each burger from the ground up by hand according to blueprints laid out by each customer. Diners decorate a range of patties, from fresh ground beef to portobello mushroom to alligator, with their choice of cheese and rich sauces, including bacon béarnaise and lemon-caper aioli. More convenient than keeping a dragon on retainer, Moran's brick oven crisps the dough on specialty pizzas, such as the margherita with fresh basil and mozzarella, and personalized pies made with a choice of crust, sauce, and toppings that include spicy salami, roasted fennel, and pork belly.

Two walls of windows fill the dining room with bright rays of natural light. The Tuscan ambience is highlighted by a stone-framed counter and distressed-wood tables reminiscent of an Old World tavern or the apartment Romulus and Remus shared before building Rome.

During his more than 25 years as a culinary wizard, Andreas Kotsifos has prepared dishes in Paris, Florence, and Manhattan. But as executive chef of The Palm Beach Steak House, he draws from the cuisine of another country altogether: Greece. Though his menu isn't lacking in steak-house staples—filet mignon cooked at 1,600 degrees, Black Angus prime rib slow-roasted in a blend of special spices—there's also no shortage of classic Greek entrees. Moussaka saturates ground lamb and beef with béchamel sauce, and the dolmades entree wraps rice, beef, and herbs in grape leaves. Diners can even indulge in baklava for dessert or giant Greek lima beans for tricking uncles into thinking they're shrinking.

With its white linens and mood lighting, The Palm Beach Steak House blends elements of a trendy lounge with an upscale neighborhood bistro. Patrons typically arrive dressed in attire ranging from resort-casual slacks and shirts to highly formal penguin costumes.

The blue-and-white banquettes, bright-white drapery, and faux shuttered windows fall right in line with Taverna Opa’s Greek theme, but it is the food, cocktails, and entertainment that really bring the eatery to life. At the restaurant, rated good to very good across the board by Zagat, smoky aromas waft from a wood-fire grill and swirl through the air as servers cart around dishes of lamb chops, gyros, and traditional Greek meze that earned accolades from Gayot.

Greek tunes and live DJ beats keep the atmosphere festive, as do dancing staffers who break out into a Zorba dance throughout the night. A belly dancer also weaves between tables, mesmerizing diners with her abdominal precision and occasionally tossing napkins to alert management that someone fell happily asleep in their moussaka.

Aromas of roasted garlic and basil waft from the warm ovens at Cafe Centro as chefs prepare a menu of Northern Italian seafood specialties. Beneath the dining area's rustic timber ceiling, servers deliver plates of fettuccine crowned with lobster and brandy cream sauce or fillets of grilled salmon, yellowtail snapper, and branzino. Other dishes include crusty calzones with soft, melting interiors and housemade desserts such as tiramisu. Wrought-iron chandeliers cast a warm glow over racks of bottles filled with fine wines and rolled parchment notes from the pirate who lives in the cellar.

When former Canadian restaurateur Chris Papas set about creating a Greek taverna, he decided to serve simple, healthy Greek dishes that follow the Mayo Clinic diet––less salt, more fresh herbs, and heart-healthy oils. Below the iron curves of hanging lights, tables hold specialty dishes such as Greek lasagna and aunt Geri's family recipe moussaka. Shrimp and lamb souvlaki platters marinate in special Greek-imported spices in the kitchen before they're brought out to pair with more than 20 wines by the glass and 30 by the bottle. After taking a final bite out of their gyro, guests can try homemade desserts to replace the ones perpetually stolen from their windowsills by teams of sparrows.