Restaurants in Wellington

Housed in a two-story structure erected in 1926, Bizaare Ave Cafe pairs an eclectic menu of tapas and bistro meals with still more eclectic decor, earning the eatery Best Romantic Restaurant accolades from CityVoters in 2010. In the quirky downstairs dining area, coffee tables crowded with knickknacks host plates of tapas and glasses of wine. Diners in overstuffed armchairs tuck into dishes such as homemade pumpkin-stuffed ravioli or baked brie with raspberry sauce, a gift of rich, melty cheese that—like all good presents—is wrapped in puff pastry. Upstairs, things get more formal with a menu of bistro fare such as filet mignon, pork chops, and seared salmon. Aside from the fare, diners may purchase literally anything in the restaurant, including potted palms, decorative wall-mounted plates, and attractive fire extinguishers.

Chef Spiros Nerantzis may seem gruff, but—as his wife and partner, Jenna, explains—that's only because "his passion and his love all comes out in his food." Cooking since he was 15, Chef Spiros bounced around Europe until 2006, when he jumped across the pond to take over the then-24-year-old Olympia Cafe. Today, his kitchen expertly constructs traditional Greek fare, turning out plates of moussaka, gyros, and pastitsio, a Greek-style lasagna topped with béchamel sauce. A classically trained chef, Spiros is especially adept at fresh fish dishes, and concocts all his silky cream sauces from scratch rather than downloading them from the Internet.

If the kitchen is Spiros' domain, the rest of the restaurant is Jenna's. Jenna met Spiros six months into his tenure at Olympia Cafe, and a whirlwind romance saw them married before another six months was over. Friendly and personable, today she welcomes arriving guests into a dining room with white-and-blue-clothed tables and a bleached-brick bar. To further enhance the homey vibe, Jenna and her team adorned the space with authentic Greek trinkets, including painted platters, komboloi beads, and statues of titans arm-wrestling to decide who gets the bigger bedroom.

At The Gypsy's Horse Irish Pub & Restaurant, diners kick back with pints of Guinness and classic pub-fare dishes from across the pond. Servers ferry plates of irish breakfast with black and white pudding and pork sandwiches slathered in Guinness barbecue sauce. While sampling the pub's 18 beers on tap, patrons can hit the spacious outdoor patio or sit beside the brick fireplace, tantalizing the flames with wooden tables and chairs just outside of their longing grasp.

Beyond that sea of seating and kindling, wood barrels are enmeshed into one of the walls, further unifying the pub's beer and timber influences. Dartboards fleck another part of the wall-scape, and candle sconces imbue the interior with the ambience of an old tavern. Canteens and pots and pans fill out the shelves, and framed pictures give the decor an artful touch.

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.

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.