10 Best Restaurants in Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast, Florida

It's tucked away in a strip mall and has only 50 seats inside (counting the bar) and a handful out on the sidewalk, but everything down to the condiments is made in house here. Rabbit sausage and noodles or lamb meatball risotto are examples on the seasonal one-page menus the chef puts together daily. When there's fish on the menu from local waters, go for it. At the open kitchen in the warm, modern space, you can banter with the chefs if you sit at the bar.

This laid-back food hall and community-centric market complete with colorful murals is a crowd pleaser. There's plenty to taste, with 12 vendors selling everything from tacos to fried chicken to rolled ice cream. There's also a unique event space and weekly curated programming for all ages. Check out the small farmers' market on the weekend and live jazz that accompanies brunch, along with community yoga and kids activities. Standouts include shrimp po' boys from Roux Cajun Cuisine, bowls of ramen from Ramen Lab Eatery, and cold brew from Pumphouse Coffee. A full bar serving wine, beer, and cocktails is also available.

This hole-in-the-wall Middle Eastern bakery, deli, and market is packed at lunchtime with regulars who are on a first-name basis with the staff behind the counter. From the nondescript parking lot the place doesn't look like much, but inside, delicious hot and cold Mediterranean treats await the takeout crowd. Choose from traditional gyro sandwiches and lamb salads with sides of grape leaves, tabbouleh, and couscous.

This trendy restaurant mingles the personalities and flavors of a New England oyster bar, a modern sushi eatery, an eclectic seafood grill, and an award-winning dessert bakery to create a can't-miss foodie haven in the heart of Delray's bustling Atlantic Avenue. Dishes like the oyster bisque, New Orleans–style shrimp and crab gumbo, tuna crudo, and lobster fried rice are simply sublime. The restaurant's colossal bakery adds an unexpected element of carb bliss with a full roster of homemade breads and desserts, including seasonal pies and an insanely divine pecan pie in a glass. Pastas, too, are made in house. On the downside, the place can be so busy and noisy that you can't hear your dining companions, especially in high season.

Decorated with vintage travel posters of its namesake city, this two-level restaurant serves authentic Cuban specialties on the cheap, including great Cubanos (pressed roast pork sandwiches), arroz con pollo, and ropa vieja. The friendly place attracts a late-night crowd at its popular walk-up window. Get strong Cuban coffee (often awarded the best in Palm Beach County), sugary fried churros, and fruit juices in exotic flavors like mamey, mango, papaya, guava, and guanabana.

Since 1950, this diner's eat-in counter and "cooked in sight, it must be right" motto have made it a congenial setting for meeting old friends and making new ones. Nowadays, Howley's prides itself on its kitsch factor and old-school eats like turkey pot pie and a traditional Thanksgiving feast, as well as its retro-redux dishes like a potato-and-brisket burrito. Forgo the counter for the retro tables or sit out on the covered patio. The café attracts a loyal clientele into the wee hours (it's open weekdays until midnight and weekends until 2 am and has a full bar).

This local favorite is not much to look at and a bit tricky to find, but well worth the search. The fried-food standards you might expect at such a casual, small place that uses plastic utensils are not found on the menu; instead there are fried tuna rolls with basil and panko-crusted fried oysters with spicy fruit salad. A variety of beers are fun to pair with the creatively prepared seafood dishes that include wahoo, mahimahi, and snapper, all of which are locally sourced. Wait for your table next door at Maxi's Lineup—also under Moir's ownership—during the busy winter season when lines are long.

The hidden-garden setting is the secret to the success of this European-style pizzeria, where you can dine under a canopy of century-old banyans in an intimate courtyard. Specialties are 12-inch hand-tossed brick-oven pizzas with toppings such as prosciutto, arugula, and caviar. There's even a carbonara breakfast pizza (part of a small morning menu) and a Nutella dessert pizza. Piping-hot calzones, salads, and baked pastas round out the choices. Next to the patio, look for the grave markers of Addison Mizner's beloved pet monkey, Johnnie Brown, and Rose Sachs's dog, Laddie (she and husband Morton bought Mizner's villa and lived there for 47 years). Delivery is available at night.

This lively waterfront restaurant overlooking Peanut Island is a great place to chill out after a long day of mansion gawking, boating, or beach lounging. Choose a table in the dining room or under an umbrella on the terrace and enjoy mainstays like conch chowder and coconut shrimp. More upscale entrées—this, after all, is still Palm Beach County—include Florida lobster tail and sautéed yellowtail snapper. Breakfast is a winner here, too. Kids like to spot the lobsters and starfish that hang out around the docks, and it's a local favorite for happy-hour drinks. A weekly art-and-crafts show sets up on the dock Thursday night. Sportfishing charters are available at the Sailfish store, and the Water Taxi stops here. There are also motel rooms for rent.

This Old Florida landmark, which has been in business since 1941, attracts Worth Avenue shoppers looking for a two-hour lunch or weekend brunch and a dinner crowd ranging from tuxed and sequined theatergoers to polo-shirted trust funders on school break. Fillet of sea bass with ginger-soy glaze, snow peas, and jasmine rice and a char-broiled pork chop with crispy artichoke hearts are popular entrées from a changing menu. Don't miss the signature Ta-boo Lust, a coconut-cream pie with a walnut-cookie crust. The Palm Beach martini is the drink to order—with passion fruit and peach nectar and, of course, champagne. Drop in late at night in season when the music is playing, and you'll probably spot a celebrity or two.