First, the spelling, because locals will correct you: it is the Broadwalk, not the boardwalk. Hollywood Beach’s oceanfront promenade is a 2.5-mile pink-brick path running between the sand and the beachfront buildings, and it is the single thing that defines this city. There are no wooden planks, which is exactly why the name is different – and Travel + Leisure has still voted it one of America’s best boardwalks regardless. If you searched for the boardwalk, you are in the right place; both spellings point at the same 2.5 miles.

This guide covers what is actually on the Broadwalk right now: which restaurants sit directly on it and which are a block off, where to park without circling for an hour, the dog rules, where the free live music is, and which end to start from. Everything below was verified before publishing – including one well-reviewed spot that has closed and still appears on other lists. For what changed this week, ask the Hollywood neighbors who walk it daily.

Where the Broadwalk starts and ends

The Broadwalk runs roughly 2.5 miles north to south along Hollywood Beach, with Hollywood North Beach Park at 3601 N Ocean Dr anchoring the northern end. That park alone is 56 acres with more than a mile of Atlantic shoreline, a 60-foot observation tower, pier fishing on the Intracoastal, a beachside cafe and an accessible raised boardwalk, and it opens 8am to 7:30pm daily.

The middle stretch, around Johnson Street, is the busiest and most developed section – this is where the hotels, the bandshell and most of the restaurants concentrate, and it is where you should aim if you only have an afternoon. The southern end quietens down considerably and is where residents walk rather than visitors.

The path is divided in practice between walkers and wheels. Cyclists, skaters and joggers use it constantly, and the unwritten rule is simple: keep left for strolling, and look before you drift. It gets genuinely crowded on winter weekends.

Restaurants directly on the Broadwalk

The appeal of eating here is specific: your table is on the promenade with the Atlantic a few metres away, and you can walk from one to the next without moving a car.

Mamacita’s Latin Bar & Grill – 591 N Broadwalk

The reliable all-day option and one of the latest-serving places on the beach. It opens at 8am every day and runs to midnight on Mondays, 1am Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, and 2am on Friday and Saturday – which makes it both a breakfast spot and a late-night one, a genuinely unusual combination on this stretch. Latin and Mexican cooking, strong drinks, and an outdoor section right on the promenade.

Hollywood Brewery – 290 N Broadwalk

The self-described “brewpub on the beach”, open daily 11am to midnight, brewing its own beer with an outdoor deck looking straight over the sand. It is dog-friendly inside and out, which matters more here than in most cities given the dog beach a short walk north.

Honest note on the reviews: it sits around 3.5 out of 5 across roughly 289 TripAdvisor reviews – decent rather than outstanding. What reviewers consistently praise is the view and the speed of service, with the coconut shrimp and the house beers getting specific mentions. Come for a beer on the deck with the ocean in front of you and it delivers exactly that; come expecting a destination restaurant and you may be disappointed.

The rest of the Broadwalk lineup

Several more places sit on or immediately beside the promenade and are worth knowing by name: Ocean Alley for Italian-leaning seafood, Broadwalk Restaurant & Grille, Nick’s Bar & Grill, The Mermaid Queen, 7 Tables on the Beach and Landshark, which trades on the view more than the menu. We have deliberately not published street numbers for these that we could not confirm – a wrong address is worse than no address.

⚠️ One correction worth making, because it appears on current “best of the Broadwalk” lists: Toucan’s Oceanside Bar & Grill at 500 N Broadwalk has closed. If you have seen it recommended, that recommendation is out of date. Beachfront turnover here is fast, which is the honest limitation of any published list including this one.

The two big names a block off the Broadwalk

Both sit on North Ocean Drive rather than on the promenade itself, and both are worth the extra minute’s walk.

★ Billy’s Stone Crab, 400 N Ocean Dr is the most-searched restaurant name in Hollywood and the town’s signature meal. Open daily 12pm to 10pm, with a seafood market at the same address if you would rather take claws home. ★★ The thing to know before you book: Florida stone crab season runs 15 October to 1 May. Inside those dates the claws are fresh, landed daily. Outside them – May through mid-October – Billy’s serves flash-frozen claws instead. They are still good, but if fresh stone crab is the entire reason for your visit, come in the season. On price, be warned that a recurring theme in its reviews is that it is expensive; the counterweight is equally consistent praise for the crab itself and the service.

GG’s Waterfront, 606 N Ocean Dr is the Intracoastal-facing option – so you get boats rather than surf – open Monday to Friday 11am to 10pm and weekends from 10:30am. It carries over 2,000 reviews and is the most popular sit-down waterfront room in the city.

Free live music at the Hollywood Beach Bandshell

One of the best free things in South Florida and badly under-publicised. The Hollywood Beach Bandshell at 320 Johnson St, an open-air theatre directly on the Broadwalk, runs free live performances Wednesday through Sunday, 7pm to 9pm. Bring a chair, buy dinner nearby, and you have an entire evening for the cost of a meal. Our Hollywood events guide covers the wider calendar.

Parking: the honest guide

Parking is the single biggest friction of a Broadwalk visit and the thing most worth planning. There is no free beachfront parking in the busy middle stretch, and on a winter weekend the lots fill by late morning.

What it costs: the Bandshell area runs about $3 per hour Monday through Thursday and $4 per hour Friday through Sunday, and other municipal lots and garages along the beach price similarly. Budget for it rather than hunting for a bargain.

What actually works: arrive before 10am or after 4pm and the problem mostly disappears. Park once in a garage rather than circling – the Broadwalk is walkable end to end, so a single space serves the whole visit. Consider parking at the quieter northern end near Hollywood North Beach Park and walking south into the busy section, which is usually easier than the reverse. And in high season, roughly November through April, treat a weekend midday arrival as a bad idea.

Bringing a dog

Hollywood is unusually generous here, and it is a real advantage over its neighbours. Dogs are permitted on Hollywood Beach between Pershing Street and Custer Street, and that stretch – the Hollywood Dog Beach – is free and open seven days a week from sunrise to sunset, with hours sometimes extended depending on lifeguard staffing.

For comparison: Fort Lauderdale’s equivalent, Canine Beach, is open Fridays to Sundays only, for four to six hours in the afternoon. Hollywood gives you seven days and all daylight hours. If you are travelling with a dog, that difference alone is a reason to base yourself here.

The rules are enforced: owners are legally responsible for their dogs at all times, waste must be cleaned up, aggressive dogs are not tolerated, and park rangers and lifeguards are authorised to require any person or dog to leave. Stay inside the Pershing-to-Custer stretch; dogs are not permitted on the rest of the beach. More in our dog-friendly Hollywood guide.

When to go, and when to avoid it

Early morning is the Broadwalk at its best – joggers, cyclists, sunrise over the Atlantic, and cafes opening. Sunset onward is the second-best window, especially Wednesday to Sunday when the Bandshell is running.

Avoid midday from roughly April through October. There is very little shade on the promenade and the heat is genuinely punishing. Summer also brings fast afternoon thunderstorms that clear the whole beach in minutes.

High season is November through April, when the Broadwalk is at its busiest, the restaurants need reservations and the parking is at its worst. Summer is hot but quiet, cheap, and belongs to residents.

When the Broadwalk is the wrong answer

Being straight about this is more useful than boosterism. The Broadwalk is not where you go for fine dining – the cooking here is casual beach food and you are paying partly for the view. It is not a quiet beach; the northern end and the parks are far calmer. And it is not the place for a serious nature outing – for that, Hollywood has genuinely excellent options inland, covered in our parks guide: T.Y. Park at 3300 N Park Rd is free Monday to Friday, and Anne Kolb Nature Center at 751 Sheridan St protects a huge mangrove system and is also free on weekdays.

A perfect day on the Broadwalk

Morning: park at the northern end near Hollywood North Beach Park, walk or cycle south along the promenade before the heat arrives. Breakfast at Mamacita’s, which opens at 8am.

Midday: beach time in the shade, or escape inland to Anne Kolb or T.Y. Park while the sun is at its worst.

Late afternoon: a beer on the deck at Hollywood Brewery, then walk the middle stretch as it cools.

Evening: stone crab at Billy’s if you are here between October and May, or GG’s Waterfront for the Intracoastal view – then the free Bandshell show at 7pm if it is Wednesday through Sunday.

More Hollywood guides

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Frequently asked questions about the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

Is it the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk or boardwalk?

Officially and locally it is the Broadwalk, spelled without the “oar”. Hollywood Beach’s promenade is a 2.5-mile pink-brick path rather than a wooden boardwalk, which is where the distinct name comes from, and residents will correct you on it. Many visitors search for “boardwalk” and end up in the right place anyway – both refer to the same 2.5 miles along Hollywood Beach.

How long is the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk?

About 2.5 miles, running north to south along Hollywood Beach. Hollywood North Beach Park at 3601 N Ocean Dr anchors the northern end, the busiest and most developed section is around Johnson Street where the bandshell and most restaurants are, and the southern end is quieter and more residential. It is comfortably walkable end to end, which is why parking once and walking beats moving your car.

What are the best restaurants on the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk?

Directly on the promenade, Mamacita’s Latin Bar & Grill at 591 N Broadwalk is the reliable all-day choice, open from 8am until midnight or later, and Hollywood Brewery at 290 N Broadwalk is the brewpub on the beach with its own beers and a deck over the sand. A block off the Broadwalk on North Ocean Drive, Billy’s Stone Crab at 400 N Ocean Dr is the signature meal in town and GG’s Waterfront at 606 N Ocean Dr is the Intracoastal-facing option.

When is stone crab season in Hollywood, Florida?

Florida stone crab season runs from 15 October to 1 May. During those months the claws at Billy’s Stone Crab, 400 N Ocean Dr, are fresh and landed daily. From May through mid-October the season is closed and Billy’s serves flash-frozen claws instead – still good, but worth knowing if fresh stone crab is the reason for your trip.

Where do you park for the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk?

There is no free beachfront parking in the busy middle section. Municipal lots and garages near the Bandshell run roughly $3 per hour Monday to Thursday and $4 per hour Friday to Sunday. The reliable tactics are to arrive before 10am or after 4pm, park once in a garage rather than circling, and consider the quieter northern end near Hollywood North Beach Park and walking south. On winter weekends the lots fill by late morning.

Are dogs allowed on the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk?

Dogs are permitted on Hollywood Beach only between Pershing Street and Custer Street, an area known as the Hollywood Dog Beach. It is free and open seven days a week from sunrise to sunset, with hours sometimes extended depending on lifeguard staffing. Owners are legally responsible for their dogs, must clean up after them, and aggressive dogs are not tolerated. This is notably more generous than Fort Lauderdale’s Canine Beach, which opens Fridays to Sundays only for a few afternoon hours.

Is there free music on Hollywood Beach?

Yes. The Hollywood Beach Bandshell at 320 Johnson St is an open-air theatre directly on the Broadwalk running free live performances Wednesday through Sunday from 7pm to 9pm. Bring a chair and pair it with dinner nearby for an evening that costs only what you eat.

What is the best time of day to visit the Broadwalk?

Early morning is the Broadwalk at its best – cooler, quieter, with sunrise over the Atlantic and cafes opening. Sunset onward is the next best, particularly Wednesday to Sunday when the Bandshell is running. Avoid midday from roughly April through October, because there is very little shade on the promenade and the heat is punishing, and summer afternoons bring fast thunderstorms that clear the beach in minutes.