VIBE

This storied restaurant on Worth Avenue has been a focal point of the Palm Beach scene since the 1940s. Famous former patrons range from JFK and Frank Sinatra to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and the juicy legends that such famous clientele left behind are oft repeated at Palm Beach cocktail parties. The elegant, Spanish-style building is furnished with quintessential Palm Beach classics like wicker furniture, snowy linens, and a tinkling piano. The restaurant draws the society lunch set and a sceney dinner crowd posing over plates of bistro classics.

CROWD

The cream of Palm Beach. It’s a more mature crowd.

WHAT WE WOULD WEAR

Upscale casual. If you want to run with the ladies who lunch, go for a crisp, tailored look, while if you’re here to scope the evening scene or cut loose at the bar, a drapey little dress and sexy heels would be a good choice.

GO HERE WITH

A date; yourself - to eavesdrop at the bar; friends - for people watching; family

WHY WE LIKE IT

The juicy history–you can feel it in the air as you dine. (We especially have a crush on the plates with the classic Ta-boo logo.) The location is super convenient for lunch if we’re out shopping on Worth Avenue, and the dinner scene is an experience. We were also pleasantly surprised by the friendly, unpretentious service.

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE

The food is decent but a bit overpriced for what it is.

GOOD TO KNOW

The table in the front (by the front window) is the “it” table because you can watch everyone come in and pass by on the street–you’ll know you’ve made it on the Palm Beach scene if you can score a reservation for it. Happy Hour from 4:00pm-6:30pm Sunday through Thursday and 9:00pm-close on Friday and Saturday features half price wines by the glass, well cocktails and martinis, and a selection of half priced pizzas and small bites. Complimentary valet parking is available.

CLOSEST COMPS

Michael R. McCarty’s (Palm Beach); The Ivy (Los Angeles)

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