Hi everyone! I hope you’ve all had a great weekend, and that you enjoyed my latest post about my favourite things to see and do in Palm Beach. As usual, I had to follow that post up with a second travel guide, featuring my best recommendations for places to eat in this glamorous oceanside town. As I’d mentioned previously, we didn’t have a ton of time to spend in Palm Beach, so this will be a rather short list. Palm Beach is home to so many iconic restaurants that we didn’t get to visit (but wish we did): from Italian favourite Bice to legendary hotspot Ta-Boo to retro classic Green’s. All the more reason(s) to plan another trip back! Until then, here’s a short but sweet list of my favourite eateries we visited in Palm Beach.
Swifty’s at The Colony – This pretty-in-pink building is home to one of Palm Beach’s most famous luxury hotels. It was built in 1947 during the town’s post-WWII construction boom, and has hosted a veritable ‘who’s who’ of guests, from Frank Sinatra to Sophia Loren. In 2014, the then-owners commissioned maximalist designer Carleton Varney (of Dorothy Draper fame) to do a $9 million refurbishment, which included wallpapering the hallways in Draper’s leafy Brazilliance pattern and painting the exterior its now-iconic pastel pink shade. Then in 2017, the current owners announced another renovation-slash-restoration in partnership with renowned interior designers Mimi McMakin and Celerie Kemble of Kemble Interiors. The hotel is absolutely stunning – just look at the lobby! We decided to treat ourselves to brunch at Swifty’s, the Colony’s glam poolside restaurant. If you’re looking for the quintessential Palm Beach dining experience, I can’t recommend this restaurant enough. I had the cereal-crusted French toast, served with pecan maple syrup and topped with caramelized bananas, and Tania went savory and had a classic club sandwich with fries. Everything was delicious and each detail was done to perfection, from the pats of butter stamped with the hotel logo to the pineapple-shaped salt and pepper shakers.
Sloan’s Ice Cream – With its colourful exterior and retro branding, this quirky ice cream parlour is hard to miss. They have two locations in West Palm Beach, one in The Square on South Rosemary Avenue, and the other on Clematis Street (we visited the Clematis location.) The whimsical décor continues into the interior: think hot pink striped walls, rainbow chandeliers, and a cherubic ceiling fresco. I enjoyed a cup of carrot cake ice cream (made with pieces of real carrot cake, cream cheese frosting and walnuts) under the striped awning of their fancifully decorated patio. Going to Sloan’s feels like visiting a life-sized dollhouse – this is what I imagine the patio of Barbie’s Dream House would look like! And the ice cream was amazing – carrot cake is one of my favourite desserts and so is ice cream, so to marry the two? Pure genius.
Piccolo Gelato – I know, I know, another ice cream shop… but it was too good not to include. This adorable gelateria is located on Via Mizner (off Worth Avenue) just in case you need a dessert break from your afternoon of window shopping. Piccolo sells authentic, freshly made Italian gelato in a variety of unique flavours, from red velvet to salted caramel. We decided to try the watermelon flavour, which was so good! It was sweet, fruity and so refreshing; the perfect treat to cool us off in the middle of a hot Florida afternoon.
The Circle and HMF at The Breakers – As I mentioned in my previous post, we didn’t stay at The Breakers (a girl can only dream!) but we did stop by to do some shopping there. The Breakers is well-known for their restaurants, which are open to hotel guests and non-guests alike. We didn’t eat at The Breakers so I can’t vouch for the food, but we did sneak a peek at a couple of the restaurants while we were there, and I had to include them on this list for the ambience alone – if the food is half as amazing as the interiors, you’re in for a five-star experience! The Circle features 30-foot frescoed ceilings, murals depicting Renaissance landscapes, and tall arched windows boasting stunning oceanfront views. They offer a famous Sunday brunch buffet which includes gourmet delicacies such as caviar and Maine lobster. Then there’s HMF, a fine dining restaurant and social club named after hotel founder Henry Morrison Flagler, which transports visitors back to the glamour of a bygone era. The Breakers has an impressive ten restaurants to choose from – visit their website to see a full list.
Benny’s on the Beach – This restaurant is actually in Lake Worth, which is about 10 miles south of West Palm Beach. However, I wanted to include it here because if you’re doing a day or weekend trip from Miami to Palm Beach – like we did – it’ll be on your way back to the city. Located atop of the Lake Worth Pier, this beachfront bistro is famous for its panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean. Founded in 1986, it’s a popular waterfront dining spot for locals and tourists alike. Their motto is “where every day is a vacation” and between the beach views, fresh seafood, frozen cocktails and live entertainment, it’s easy to see why. I enjoyed a pina colada (I promise I DO like other cocktails…this is just my go-to vacation drink!) and Tania and I shared two dishes: the crispy cauliflower and the fried green tomatoes. These fried green tomatoes were the fanciest ones I’ve ever eaten: they were fried to perfection and beautifully presented, served with a side of burrata, arugula and tomatoes. After your meal, you can kick off your shoes and take a scenic stroll under the Lake Worth Pier.
I hope you enjoyed this short but sweet list of my favourite Palm Beach eats! Next week I’ll be back to business as usual, sharing some fun things to do right here in Ontario. Whether you’re planning a getaway of your own or looking for fun closer to home, I hope that this blog has been a helpful resource for you. As always, if you have any questions about any of the places I’ve visited, or if there’s anything in particular you’d like me to write about, please leave a comment or send me an email and let me know – I always love hearing from y’all!
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