The best restaurants in Palm Beach, Florida, make the island’s appeal tangible: a courtyard tucked off Worth Avenue, a seafood lunch overlooking the Atlantic, or an imaginative dinner that gives familiar ingredients a new personality. This guide brings together 15 standouts on Palm Beach island, from the Royal Poinciana area to the oceanfront hotels and the southern stretch around the Par 3 course. West Palm Beach is a separate dining destination across the Intracoastal and is outside this list. The selection leans toward special-occasion restaurants because that is a defining strength of the island, while still offering choices for a relaxed pasta dinner or a meal with a view. Below, you will find why each restaurant earns its place, what to order, and three details that distinguish it.
The countdown runs from #15 to #1. Dishes and wines illustrate each restaurant’s cooking and selection; menus change, so check availability when booking.
Price guide: Approximate dinner cost per person, excluding drinks, tax, and tip:
- $ – under $25
- $$ – $25–$49
- $$$ – $50–$99
- $$$$ – $100+
#15 Al Fresco
Cuisine: Italian
Neighborhood: South Ocean Boulevard / Palm Beach Par 3
Price: $$
Best For: A relaxed Italian meal with golf-course and water views
Must Order: Al Fresco ravioli or a thin-crust brick-oven pizza
Why It Made the List:
Al Fresco gives the island a dining option where an open-air setting and a familiar Italian menu do most of the work. The restaurant is especially appealing when the goal is an easy meal with a view rather than a heavily staged evening. It earns its place for making Palm Beach’s outdoor character part of an accessible restaurant experience, with enough pasta, seafood, and pizza choices to suit a varied table.
Known For:
- A public restaurant at the Palm Beach Par 3 course
- Views toward the Atlantic and Intracoastal
- Thin-crust pizzas from a gas-fired brick oven
#14 Imoto
Cuisine: Japanese-inspired and Asian small plates
Neighborhood: Midtown / South County Road
Price: $$$
Best For: An intimate dinner that moves between sushi and inventive cooked plates
Must Order: Hamachi crispy rice and lobster potstickers
Why It Made the List:
Imoto provides a more intimate way to explore the inventive side of Palm Beach dining. Its menu moves between raw fish and cooked small plates, allowing two diners to build a meal with contrast rather than commit to a single large entrée. It stands out for that flexibility and for the sense of a restaurant with a focused personality, particularly when the plan calls for a compact, food-centered evening.
Known For:
- Lobster potstickers and hamachi crispy rice
- Peking duck tacos
- Sushi and nigiri alongside Asian-inspired sharing dishes
#13 Sant Ambroeus
Cuisine: Milanese Italian
Neighborhood: Royal Poinciana Plaza
Price: $$$
Best For: An Italian meal that can end with exceptional attention to dessert
Must Order: Fettuccine alla Bolognese followed by a slice of gianduia cake
Why It Made the List:
Sant Ambroeus brings the versatility of an Italian café-restaurant to Palm Beach, making it useful for different kinds of dining plans. The menu has enough substance for dinner, but the pastry and coffee traditions encourage a less hurried finish. It earns its place for diners who enjoy a meal with a clear Italian identity and appreciate the pleasure of treating the final course as something worth planning around.
Known For:
- A design inspired by the grand cafés of 1950s Italy
- Pastries, cakes, and cookies made on the premises
- An espresso bar and handmade gelato selection
#12 Henry’s Palm Beach
Cuisine: American comfort food
Neighborhood: Royal Poinciana / Via Flagler
Price: $$$
Best For: A polished comfort-food dinner with broad appeal
Must Order: Chicken pot pie or butter-crumb Dover sole
Why It Made the List:
Henry’s gives familiar American comfort food the kind of setting that makes it suitable for more than a quick supper. The range of dishes allows a mixed group to find its own level of indulgence, from a straightforward favorite to a more substantial special-occasion order. It belongs on the list because that flexibility is useful on an island where many dinner plans otherwise lean strongly toward formality or a single cuisine.
Known For:
- Pot pie among its American comfort dishes
- Pigs in a pretzel-dough blanket
- Beef Wellington offered on Friday and Saturday
#11 Seafood Bar
Cuisine: Coastal seafood
Neighborhood: The Breakers / Oceanfront
Price: $$$
Best For: A seafood meal with a direct connection to the oceanfront setting
Must Order: Pecan-crusted grouper with mango slaw and coconut-lime sauce
Why It Made the List:
Seafood Bar offers one of the island’s clearest combinations of setting and menu: seafood served beside the Atlantic in a room designed to make the water part of the experience. The choices range from chilled shellfish to more substantial cooked dishes, so the meal can match the appetite rather than a fixed format. It earns its place for diners who want the coastal side of Palm Beach to be visible throughout the meal.
Known For:
- An aquarium built into the bar
- Ocean views at The Breakers
- Raw-bar seafood and elaborate shellfish selections
#10 Swifty’s
Cuisine: American and Continental comfort food
Neighborhood: Midtown / The Colony
Price: $$$
Best For: A poolside dinner with the character of a Palm Beach hotel gathering
Must Order: Jumbo lump Maryland crab cakes or bacon-wrapped wagyu meatloaf
Why It Made the List:
Swifty’s makes the setting of a Palm Beach hotel feel like the main ingredient of a relaxed evening out. The menu’s comfortable, substantial dishes suit the poolside surroundings, giving diners a way to enjoy the scene without turning dinner into a formal exercise. It belongs here for the combination of recognizable food and a distinctly local style of sociability, particularly when the occasion calls for atmosphere as much as culinary novelty.
Known For:
- Poolside dining at The Colony
- Gluten-free jalapeño and cheddar cornbread muffins
- A mixed grill designed for two diners
#9 Meat Market
Cuisine: Contemporary steakhouse
Neighborhood: Royal Poinciana area / Bradley Place
Price: $$$
Best For: A lively steak dinner with plenty of choices beyond beef
Must Order: Filet mignon with a shared vegetable side
Why It Made the List:
Meat Market gives a steak dinner a more expansive menu and a more social rhythm than the traditional steakhouse formula might suggest. Seafood, sushi, and varied cuts allow a group to build different versions of the same evening without losing the restaurant’s central identity. It earns its place for celebrations where the table wants energy, choice, and a substantial meal rather than a quiet, narrowly focused dinner.
Known For:
- A broad selection of steak cuts and reserve beef
- Wagyu empanadas and raw-bar choices
- Roasted bone marrow with truffle gnocchi and Wagyu beef cheek
#8 Palm Beach Grill
Cuisine: Classic American
Neighborhood: Royal Poinciana Plaza
Price: $$$
Best For: A comfortable American dinner with the energy of an open kitchen
Must Order: USDA Prime filet or the restaurant’s crab cakes
Why It Made the List:
Palm Beach Grill earns its place by making an uncomplicated American dinner feel like a dependable occasion. The menu is easy to navigate, but the combination of familiar dishes, an active kitchen, and a carefully considered room gives it broader appeal than a simple fallback. It works especially well for a small table that wants a satisfying evening without building the whole plan around a tasting menu.
Known For:
- Prime steaks alongside seafood and American grill classics
- The Silver-Service Kosher Hot Dog
- An art collection and open display kitchen
#7 Le Bilboquet
Cuisine: French bistro
Neighborhood: Worth Avenue / Via Encantada
Price: $$$
Best For: A stylish courtyard dinner with a social French-bistro mood
Must Order: The signature Cajun chicken
Why It Made the List:
Le Bilboquet captures a particular Palm Beach pleasure: stepping away from a busy shopping street into a restaurant that feels like its own little world. French bistro cooking gives the experience a recognizable center, while the planted courtyard and bar make it easy to imagine an evening extending beyond the main course. It belongs on the list for diners who value atmosphere and a social sense of occasion alongside a familiar signature dish.
Known For:
- A courtyard filled with palms and climbing jasmine
- An imported pewter-topped bar
- Philippe Delgrange’s signature Cajun chicken
#6 Renato’s
Cuisine: Italian and Continental
Neighborhood: Worth Avenue / Via Mizner
Price: $$$
Best For: A romantic Italian dinner in a sheltered courtyard
Must Order: Mushroom ravioli with cognac-truffle cream
Why It Made the List:
Renato’s turns a dinner off Worth Avenue into an occasion through the combination of its courtyard and a menu built for lingering. The cooking offers a reassuring Italian foundation with richer Continental choices for diners who want to make the evening more elaborate. It earns its place as a restaurant where the setting supports the meal rather than requiring diners to invent a reason to stay.
Known For:
- A Via Mizner courtyard framed by Mediterranean-style architecture
- Mushroom ravioli and zucchini blossoms
- Osso buco with saffron risotto
#5 Café L’Europe
Cuisine: French and European fine dining
Neighborhood: Midtown / South County Road
Price: $$$
Best For: A traditional Palm Beach celebration with a substantial wine selection
Must Order: Lobster pot pie or Dover sole
Why It Made the List:
Café L’Europe gives the island’s longstanding dining traditions a convincing place in a contemporary shortlist. Its appeal is the completeness of a classic restaurant evening, with substantial European dishes and a wine program that invites diners to settle in. It is particularly suited to a celebration where the pleasure comes from familiar rituals, careful choices, and the feeling of making time for dinner.
Known For:
- Candlelit banquettes surrounding a 24-seat grand bar
- A large wine cellar and extensive by-the-glass selection
- Lobster pot pie and classic Dover sole preparations
#4 La Goulue
Cuisine: French bistro
Neighborhood: Midtown / South County Road
Price: $$$
Best For: A classic French dinner with a lively bistro atmosphere
Must Order: Cheese soufflé followed by trout amandine or duck confit
Why It Made the List:
La Goulue makes the familiar pleasures of a French bistro feel like a complete evening out. The menu has enough range to support a simple fish dinner or a richer succession of classic dishes, while the room gives the meal an unmistakably social character. It belongs here for diners who enjoy a restaurant with a clear tradition and want that tradition delivered with Palm Beach polish.
Known For:
- Gruyère and Parmesan soufflé with white truffle oil
- French onion soup and escargots
- A wine program with a strong French identity
#3 Café Boulud
Cuisine: Contemporary French
Neighborhood: Midtown / The Brazilian Court
Price: $$$
Best For: A refined French dinner in a secluded hotel courtyard setting
Must Order: Heritage chicken or the seasonal tasting menu
Why It Made the List:
Café Boulud offers a composed French dining experience that feels well matched to Palm Beach’s quieter side. The menu balances recognizable preparations with seasonal detail, giving diners a comfortable entry point into a more elaborate evening. Its appeal lies in that balance of culinary discipline and ease, especially for an anniversary or a dinner where conversation deserves as much attention as the plates.
Known For:
- Heritage chicken with zucchini and chanterelle jus
- The Brazilian Court’s intimate courtyard setting
- Chef Daniel Boulud’s French culinary tradition, interpreted with seasonal South Florida ingredients
#2 Florie’s
Cuisine: Mediterranean-inspired coastal fine dining
Neighborhood: South Ocean Boulevard / Four Seasons
Price: $$$
Best For: An oceanfront dinner with a strong focus on vegetables and seafood
Must Order: Swordfish Milanese or lobster risotto from the seasonal menu
Why It Made the List:
At Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach, Florie’s brings a thoughtful Mediterranean sensibility to an oceanfront setting that invites a leisurely dinner. Mauro Colagreco’s approach gives vegetables, seafood, and cooking over fire a clear role, making the restaurant feel connected to its coastal surroundings. It earns its place for diners who want a polished resort meal with enough culinary direction to make the food as memorable as the view.
Known For:
- Mauro Colagreco’s garden-inspired culinary approach
- Cooking that draws on live-fire techniques
- Black truffle pasta alongside coastal seafood dishes
#1 Buccan
Cuisine: Contemporary American small plates
Neighborhood: Midtown / South County Road
Price: $$$
Best For: An energetic dinner built around inventive plates to share
Must Order: Sweet corn agnolotti with ricotta, bacon, and espelette butter
Why It Made the List:
Buccan earns the top spot by giving Palm Beach dining a sense of movement and curiosity without making the meal feel formal. Clay Conley’s menu encourages a table to try different textures, temperatures, and influences, so the evening can develop around the conversation rather than a prescribed sequence. It is a strong all-around choice for diners who want the food to be the occasion while keeping the atmosphere lively.
Known For:
- Sweet-corn agnolotti offered in half and full portions
- Short-rib empanadas served individually
- Squid ink orecchiette with sausage and conch
How we chose
We selected these restaurants for distinctive cooking, a convincing setting, and the overall experience they offer diners. Research drew on restaurant websites, current linked menus, direct ordering pages, and venue information from property owners, reviewed in September 2026. This is an editorial ranking rather than a points-based comparison. All 15 restaurants are on Palm Beach island; restaurants in West Palm Beach, North Palm Beach, and Palm Beach Gardens are outside this guide. Price estimates use a representative food order per person, dividing shared dishes between diners. Online ordering prices are identified as a proxy when a complete current dine-in menu is unavailable; a chef’s Michelin awards elsewhere are not attributed to this location.
