LEGENDARY DINING: Palm Beach Restaurants That Have Stood the Test of Time

April 10, 2025
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

The restaurant scene in Palm Beach, Florida, has a history as rich as the region itself. The area has been a sought-after dining destination since the 1890s, when industrialist Henry Flagler first laid eyes on the then-isolated locale around Lake Worth and decided to construct the Royal Poinciana Hotel in 1894, followed by the Palm Beach Inn (soon to become known as The Breakers) two years later.

Despite burning to the ground twice in its early years, The Breakers – like the mythical Phoenix – majestically rose from the ashes each time. After the hotel’s resurrection in 1926, The Circle restaurant was added in 1928 to accommodate guests more comfortably at dinner. Considered one of the most picturesque dining rooms in the world, The Circle (thebreakers.com/dining/the-circle) boasts soaring 30-foot frescoed ceilings and eight oval murals depicting Renaissance landscapes, including the Villa Medici near Florence and the famous Tivoli Gardens south of Rome. Today, The Circle serves up an elaborate, artfully crafted breakfast buffet daily – but the real draw is the not-to-be-missed Sunday brunch.

On an October day in 1947, another iconic South Florida dining establishment was born when Ralph and Norma Lewis decided to establish what was then known as the Okeechobee Drive-In on a once-remote, wooded site west of downtown West Palm Beach. The naysayers had doubts, but diners flocked to the place off the beaten path where you could pull up, order a steak dinner and a beer or cocktail, and it would be delivered to your car window. In 1974, Ralph’s son Curtis changed the name to Okeechobee Steakhouse (okeesteakhouse.com), and today the fine-dining restaurant – now under the proprietorship of Ralph’s grandson (also Ralph) – proudly holds the title of Florida’s oldest steakhouse. The stars of the impressive menu remain the steaks, dry-aged for 70 days using the same process the family patriarch invented in the 1930s.

Bringing European sophistication and fabulous food to Palm Beach’s popular Worth Avenue in 1980, Café L’Europe (cafeleurope.com) moved into larger premises in 1995, and still maintains its chic dining flair and reputation as one of the area’s most revered fine-dining institutions to this day. The vibrant French bistro and piano bar’s delectable menu is overseen by executive chefs Benoît Delos and Alain Krauss, an 18-year veteran of the now-shuttered Chez Jean-Pierre.

If it’s more casual legendary South Florida fare you’re searching for, you won’t be disappointed. The historic Howley’s diner (sub-culture.org/locations/howleys) opened in West Palm Beach back in 1950 and went through a renovation in 2004 that saw key elements like the terrazzo floors and tin ceilings fully restored and the menu modernized. Maintaining its “Cooked in Sight, Must be Right” (there’s no microwave on the premises), this is the place to go for traditional diner food, breakfast any time of the day or even a spiked milkshake late at night.

For a real blast from the past, check out Green’s Pharmacy Luncheonette (greenspb.com) in Palm Beach, founded in 1938. Enjoy tasty diner food and sip on milkshakes while sitting at the 82-seat classic soda fountain (and perhaps waiting for your prescription to be filled).

A short drive south of Palm Beach is the Old Key Lime House (oldkeylimehouse1.com) in Lantana – Florida’s oldest restaurant, established in 1889. It’s on the waterfront, has the largest tiki bar in South Florida, and serves up locally caught seafood and award-winning key lime pie. What’s not to like?

Though it may not hold the same time-honored appeal as the other restaurants featured here, it could be argued that Buccan (buccanpalmbeach.com) in Palm Beach has also rightfully earned “legendary” status. According to the Miami New Times, Chef Clay Conley “forever changed the Palm Beach dining scene” when he opened this modern and innovate American bistro in 2011. Still wildly popular, Buccan’s “small plate, big flavor” creations undoubtedly will continue to resonate with diners for years to come.

Photos courtesy of The Breakers/The Circle, Howley’s, Green’s Pharmacy Luncheonette and Buccan.

Written by Barbara Toombs