Restaurants near Holiday Inn Express Fort Lauderdale North - Executive Airport

My wife and I had dinner at Serafina last night and we certainly understand now the reasons behind the rave reviews. The food was excellent. We sat outdoors right on the water and the place had a very nice and relaxed ambience. The service was excellent as well. I could tell that every staff person was trying their best and hustling around. Staff was very attentive and sincere. My wife had pasta with a pear stuffing and pesto sauce. I had a generous serving of muscles in a garlic, white wine sauce and the whole branzino, which was perfectly deboned. It may not be in a fancy hotel or overlooking the Fort Lauderdale beaches, but this is a wonderful restsurant with great food, service, and ambience. . 

The ambiance is energetic, the food value is there in portion size, and the flavors are on point. It's not the place for a quiet, romantic meal, and the vibe definitely caters to a younger crowd but no complaints. It was very crowded (Valentine's Day), and a group of 5 waiting for a table decided to stand so close to our table that they might as well have joined us. I asked the server if she could perhaps ask them, politely, to move closer to the bar. She graciously asked a manager who came by a few minutes later and asked if they could clear the area for the servers. They moved away--the staff handled the matter deftly and we were quite pleased (Thank you!!). We'd certainly dine here again when visiting Ft Lauderdale (or elsewhere they're located).

Dune continues to provide an outstanding dining experience and remains my favorite high end restaurant in Ft Lauderdale. It is elegant in its contemporary design. The service is exceptional—gracious, unobtrusive, informative, friendly. The food is fitting for “foodies” yet robust enough for a broad range of tastes. Dune is wonderful for special celebrations or holidays like Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day especially when they have musicians like a harpist or saxophonist and singers who add to the ambience. I highly recommend Dune.

We were seated quicking and had a reservation. Beautiful waterfront dining on the intercoastal waterway. Our server Ashley was excellent, friendly and very attentive. We were not rushed although the place filled up quickly. Ordered the sushi as an appy then went with their their fresh fish entrees. truely fresh and delicious. Portions were generous. For dessert we had the cheescake and the 5 layer chocolate cake. We were told all desserts were baked on premises by their pastry chef and it showed. The chocolate cake was HUGE for $ 14 no way to even attempt to finish it. If I had to pick on one item, not their fault, the sunset was blocked by a high building acroos the waterway.

YOLO has always been recommended to me ever since I moved down to FLL this past August, so I was very excited to experience it for the first time. It did not disappoint!! The atmosphere, the service, the communication amongst the servers and management, the food quality, and creative menu made point for a wonderful dining experience. They had a DJ out on the front patio area, but it did not overwhelm the indoor dining area, so I could actually hear my colleague's voice. I will recommend this restaurant to all my clients and colleagues who are in town visiting!