Looking for the best restaurants in Hollywood? On Florida’s Gold Coast between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, Hollywood offers a laid-back beach-town dining scene with strong Latin flavors. This local food guide covers what the Hollywood dining scene is known for, the best neighborhoods to eat in, signature dishes to try, and how to find where locals actually eat right now.

What Hollywood’s food scene is known for

Hollywood, Florida’s scene centers on its famous Broadwalk and downtown — beachfront and waterfront restaurants, fresh seafood, and a rich mix of Latin American, Caribbean, and (notably) Argentine and Colombian food reflecting its diverse community. It’s more relaxed and local-feeling than its flashier neighbors.

Best neighborhoods for dining in Hollywood

The Hollywood Beach Broadwalk is lined with oceanfront restaurants and cafes; historic Downtown Hollywood around Harrison Street and Hollywood Boulevard offers a walkable strip of independent and international spots; and the surrounding neighborhoods hold authentic Latin eateries. For more on each area, see our guide to the best neighborhoods in Hollywood.

Signature dishes & cuisines to try in Hollywood

Come for fresh Florida seafood, ceviche, and a standout range of South American food — Argentine steakhouses and empanadas, Colombian arepas, and Cuban classics — plus casual beachfront dining.

What to know about eating out in Hollywood

The Broadwalk and downtown are walkable; elsewhere plan to drive. Beachfront spots are busiest on weekends and in season. Downtown Hollywood is the local, independent-leaning alternative to the beach.

Where Hollywood locals actually eat

Menus, hours, and favorites change constantly — the freshest, most honest picks come from people who eat here every week. On Neighborhood Nurturers’ Hollywood community, real Hollywood neighbors share the spots they genuinely love (and the overhyped ones to skip). Planning a visit or a night out? See our guide to the best things to do in Hollywood too. Join your Hollywood neighbors free and get real local restaurant recommendations →

Fitting it into a day in Hollywood

The strongest restaurants here are tied to their neighborhoods, and locals tend to have strong, specific opinions. What sets Hollywood apart is how close everything sits together. Start near the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk, work in one of the spots from this guide, and you are minutes from ArtsPark at Young Circle if you want to keep going. Locals often round out a memorable meal with a detour to North Beach Park or a quieter stop at the historic downtown. Because the distances are short, you can improvise as you go rather than lock the whole day down in advance.

Where to eat in Hollywood, by area

Dining here sorts cleanly into three areas, and choosing the area first makes everything easier.

Hollywood Beach and the Broadwalk is the casual, view-first option: your table is on a 2.5-mile pink-brick promenade with the Atlantic in front of it. Mamacita’s Latin Bar & Grill at 591 N Broadwalk runs from 8am until midnight or later – one of the few genuine all-day options in the city – and Hollywood Brewery at 290 N Broadwalk is the brewpub on the sand, open daily 11am to midnight and dog-friendly inside and out. Our Broadwalk guide walks the whole stretch.

North Ocean Drive, a block back from the promenade, is where the two heavyweight names sit – see below.

Downtown Hollywood, centred on Hollywood Boulevard, Harrison Street and ArtsPark at Young Circle, is the walkable district with the independents: outdoor cafes, galleries, murals and a food scene that runs from Cuban to Haitian – the most genuinely local eating in the city and the part visitors most often miss.

The two names everyone searches for

★ Billy’s Stone Crab, 400 N Ocean Dr is the most-searched restaurant in Hollywood, open daily 12pm to 10pm, and the town’s signature meal. ★★ The thing to know: Florida stone crab season runs 15 October to 1 May. Inside those dates the claws are fresh; outside them they are flash-frozen. There is also a seafood market at the same address if you want claws without the restaurant bill. Honest note: reviewers rate the crab and the service highly and a consistent minority say it is expensive – both are true.

GG’s Waterfront, 606 N Ocean Dr faces the Intracoastal Waterway, so you eat watching boats rather than surf. Open Monday to Friday 11am to 10pm and weekends from 10:30am, with well over 2,000 reviews – the most popular sit-down waterfront room in the city, and a legitimate weekend brunch option. Both are covered properly in our seafood guide.

Cuban, Latin and Caribbean food

This is what makes eating in Hollywood different from eating in a generic beach town, and it is concentrated downtown and inland rather than on the sand. Hollywood Boulevard runs from Cuban to Haitian, and the surrounding neighbourhoods – Boulevard Heights in particular – carry a dense concentration of Latin American restaurants that rarely appear in visitor guides.

What to order if it is new to you: a cubano sandwich, ropa vieja, tostones or maduros on the side, and a cafecito to finish – which will be far smaller and far stronger than you expect. For Haitian food, look for griot with pikliz. The best single introduction to the range is not a restaurant at all but the Yellow Green Farmers Market, whose 200-plus food and drink stalls cover cuisines from across the Americas – open weekends 10am to 6:30pm, and free to park after 5pm.

Steak and fine dining

Council Oak Steaks & Seafood, inside the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino at One Seminole Way, is where Hollywood does an occasion dinner – an open kitchen, an in-house butcher shop, a dry-aging room walled in pink Himalayan salt and a glass-enclosed wine room with more than 400 labels. JWB Prime Steak & Seafood is the other high-end steak-and-seafood name locally.

Italian, Mexican and the rest

Beyond seafood and Latin, the city covers the basics well without being a destination for any of them. Italian and Mexican both have a real local following, and Taco Beach Shack draws consistent search interest on the beach side. Other names that come up regularly in local conversation include Tiki Tiki, The Hen and the Hog, Newts Crab Trap, The Mermaid Queen, Common Room and Oaxaka. We name these without street numbers rather than publish addresses we could not confirm.

⚠️ One out-of-date recommendation to disregard: Toucan’s Oceanside Bar & Grill at 500 N Broadwalk has closed, though it still appears on current beachfront lists. Turnover on the beach is fast – the community feed is more current than any published list, this one included.

What eating out costs here

Hollywood is noticeably cheaper than Fort Lauderdale or Miami Beach, and that is one of its genuine advantages. A casual dinner for two with a drink each runs about $60 to $100. A Broadwalk or waterfront dinner lands $90 to $150. Stone crab at Billy’s is priced by the day and sits well above a normal seafood dinner. Council Oak starts around $200 for two before wine. And the value end – Latin counters and the market food stalls – feeds two very well for under $40.

Ways to spend less: eat lunch rather than dinner, eat downtown or inland rather than on the sand, use the market, and come in the quieter May-to-October off-season. Our cost of living guide has the wider picture.

Practical notes

High season is November through April – book weekends ahead, and note it overlaps almost exactly with stone crab season. Beach parking is paid and fills early, roughly $3 to $4 an hour; arrive before 10am or after 4pm, or eat downtown where parking is easier. Dress is casual nearly everywhere. Summer thunderstorms clear outdoor tables in minutes, so keep an indoor fallback between June and October.

More Hollywood guides

Hollywood rewards people who dig a little deeper. These related guides map the same neighborhoods from different starting points: Brunch in Hollywood, Bars & nightlife in Hollywood, Date ideas in Hollywood — enough to plan a whole day or two.

Get a local’s take

Guides are a starting point; the current, on-the-ground details come from people who live in Hollywood. Hours shift, favorites change, and residents always know what is genuinely worth it now. Ask Hollywood neighbors directly or join your town community free to hear from real locals.

Frequently asked questions

What food is Hollywood, Florida known for?

Laid-back beachfront dining, fresh Florida seafood, and a strong South American and Caribbean scene — Argentine, Colombian, and Cuban food among the highlights.

Where is the best food in Hollywood, FL?

The Hollywood Beach Broadwalk for oceanfront dining and Downtown Hollywood around Harrison Street for walkable independent and international spots.

Where do locals eat in Hollywood, FL?

Locals favor downtown independents and authentic Latin eateries over the busiest beach blocks — Hollywood neighbors share their current picks in our community.