The Lake Worth (Florida) Restaurants We Love

The restaurants in Lake Worth, Florida, that we love aren’t all fancy or even brick-and-mortar establishments, but they are delicious, diverse, and reflective of the cultural community in Southeast Florida. These are our favorite places to eat when we visit Lake Worth (aka Lake Worth Beach).

Lake Worth Beach may be located in Palm Beach County, on southeast Florida’s coast, but it never quite achieved the name recognition of its neighbor cities to the north, Palm Beach and West Palm Beach. And that’s not a bad thing—particularly on the food front. You might go to West Palm to shop, but you’d do well to eat in Lake Worth.

This under-the-radar city (which was just known as “Lake Worth” before 2019) is about an hour’s drive north of Miami, but it’s worth exploring on its own thanks to all the great Mexican, Caribbean, Central American, Haitian, Indian, and Floridian restaurants and local breweries we’ve come to know and love from our annual visits over the years.

The restaurant scene can be overwhelming, however, in a whole different way than a big city is overwhelming. In Lake Worth, there are a lot of strip malls. So. Many. Strip. Malls. And lots of them conceal great eats. It definitely helps to know where to go.

Here’s a guide to some of our favorite restaurants in and around Lake Worth Beach.

Pelican Restaurant

This unassuming diner, located a mile from the beach, is our favorite restaurant in downtown Lake Worth. It’s not just any old diner. The Pelican Restaurant is best-loved for its Indian food and East-West fusion breakfasts, a not-so-secret menu developed years ago by former chef-owner Tara Sami, who was born and raised in Karachi and lived in Delhi prior to emigrating to Florida in 1985. Think aloo gobi and lamb keema omelets, bowls of dal with your eggs, and a terrific dish called eggs Nissa, a spicy scramble with curry, tomato, chiles, feta, and ginger.

Incredibly, even the traditional nihari “morning curry” pictured above is still available at the Pelican since ownership changed hands—Gizelle Brüggemann is the new owner and chef. And despite Brüggemann hailing from Brazil, she’s ensured that the Pakistani and Indian breakfasts, and even Indian lunches, that have long made this place special remain on the menu. We can attest to their steadfast deliciousness. We also noticed some fresh dishes on the menu, including some fantastic smoothies and juices, salads, bowls, and even cocktails. We loved our Matchbox bowl, with cumin rice, grilled chicken, avocado, mango, cucumber, crispy shallots, jalapeños, and chopped walnuts. Do not miss this special place! 610 Lake Ave., map

 

Two Cuban bakeries 

Lake Worth Beach may be 60-plus miles north of Little Havana, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find good Cuban eats around here—even in the most unexpected of places. Established in 2003, Delicias Cuban Bakery is located inside an Exxon Mobil gas station convenience store on Lake Worth Rd. (there are two other branches, too, in Lake Worth and West Palm Beach).

Along one wall you’ll find all manner of pastries (try the guava and cheese), empanadas, and croquetas; the fuller menu includes sandwiches on toasted Cuban bread, omelettes, and salads, plus a few meat dishes. Do not miss the coffee—a foamy cortadito or café con leche is a must. 9890 Lake Worth Rd., map

On a more recent visit to the area, we also discovered the newer Pinecrest Bakery, a local chain all over Southeast Florida that recently opened in Greenacres. Its big, inviting space is lined with pastries and cakes; there’s great coffee and juices, of course, and a menu spanning breakfast and lunch (mostly sandwiches). We loved the flaky guava pastry we tried, as well as the “super lechon” sandwich, with pulled pork, Swiss cheese, onion, tomato, and crunchy potato sticks (which reminded me of the frita/Cuban burger; they offer those here too, made with chorizo). 4650 Jog Rd., Greenacres, map

Curry Tabanca

This Trinidadian restaurant, tucked into a strip mall just across the border of Lake Worth Beach and neighboring Greenacres, has become a favorite stop of ours going to or coming from the Palm Beach International Airport, as it’s about 15-20 minutes directly south of there. At Curry Tabanca you can get your fix of doubles or bake and shark (the latter is weekends only), but we usually wind up getting some aloo pie and the veggie platter (spinach, potato, and pumpkin are pictured) with roti or dhal puri. Our kids love the curry goat with roti; my mother-in-law enjoys the (nonspicy) stewed chicken when it’s available. 

The daily specials might be Trini Chinese (fried rice or lo mein with pepper shrimp) or the aforementioned stewed chicken with macaroni pie, but we have our sights set on the Saturday dish: (blue) crab and dumpling with cassava in coconut milk. Don’t miss the sweets on offer too, including from-scratch currant rolls. Note: Don’t order online via the website; they may not get the order. Better to call in if you’re doing takeout. 4657 Lake Worth Rd., Greenacres; map

Note: Farther north in West Palm Beach, we also love Island’s Roti Delight for Trinidadian food, 1480 South Military Tr., map.

Los Catrachos

Honduran food is one of the few cuisines not easily found in New York City, so we were excited to see Los Catrachos in the very same strip mall as Curry Tabanca, above. We liked the snacks available, such as the tamal de elote—simple and full of sweet corn flavor—and baleada, a flour tortilla folded around refried beans, cheese, crema, and your protein of choice (we had egg). But there are bigger entrees on the menu too, as well as a few fun snack bags at the register. Zambos plantain chips with chile, lime, and salt made for a good plane snack! 4663 Lake Worth Rd., Greenacres, map

Mathews Brewing Company

Located on a quiet side street in downtown Lake Worth Beach, it’s easy to miss Mathews Brewing Co. But any beer lover should have it on their radar. It’s a very cool indoor-outdoor space that finally brought independently crafted beer to this city back in 2016. There’s something for everyone on the wide-ranging menu, from porters and brown ales to hazy IPAs and Belgian witbiers. We especially loved the spacious outdoor beer garden, where there’s live music most weekends. 130 S. H St., map

Sushi Fella

This one is special to us—Sushi Fella was born in 2020 in none other than our Queens neighborhood of Jackson Heights! As I’ve written elsewhere on this site, when sushi chef Maciek Malinowski (who’s Polish and also goes by Macia San) found himself, after seven years of working at very traditional, high-end sushi spots around Manhattan, out of work early in the pandemic, he started making sushi in his apartment for fun. The business took off, and by the time Macia San moved to Florida in late 2021, he had many Queens-based fans who lamented the loss of his excellent sushi platters. (Fortunately, before he left we were featured together in this piece on NY1 news.)

Imagine our great surprise to learn that Macia San has settled and reopened shop in the very city we visit annually in the Sunshine State: Lake Worth. Sushi Fella is still a home-based, weekends-only kitchen, and you should still order according to how many people are eating (and let him take care of the rest—including the beautiful, flower-adorned presentation). There’s a double set ($52), which are sushi rolls for two; nigiri and sashimi sets for $40 apiece (great for serious raw fish lovers!); and the terrific fiesta set ($85; 3-4 people), which includes a mix of everything: rolls, nigiri, and sashimi. There’s also an extra-special “killer” set for two, priced at $100.

Find Sushi Fella on Instagram, and place your order a day or two before you’ll need it. He offers pickup and delivery (free for a six-mile radius), and is happy to help you choose off his menu. 7848 Sonoma Springs Circle, map

Benny’s on the Beach

If you specifically want a restaurant on the water in Lake Worth Beach (and sometimes you just do), look no further than Benny’s. This is where you go when you really want to feel like you’re in coastal Florida. Grab an outdoor table on the pier-like deck that extends down the beach, and sip on a tropical drink in front of the deep blue Atlantic, the hot sun on your skin. You’re officially on vacation!

The lengthy menu reflects its beachy surrounds: locally sourced garlic steamed crabs, peel ‘n’ eat shrimp, fish tacos, crab cake sandwiches, acai bowls, lots of salads and burgers, and much more. It’s especially popular for breakfast and brunch, though we usually end up there later in the day. An afternoon cocktail at Benny’s is a must whenever we are in town. 10 S. Ocean Blvd., map

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Rustico Italiano Ristorante

In downtown Lake Worth Beach, we like this quaint, 20-year-old corner Italian restaurant, which specializes in some dishes from the chef’s hometown of Capri, Italy. Don’t miss the creamy burrata and handmade pastas on the menu—it’s always a good sign to see so many homemade options—as well as the seafood dishes, from fried calamari to squid ink linguine, risotto nero, and zuppa di pesce. Veal Caprese and salsiccia cacciatore (with homemade sausages) are among the popular main courses at Rustico, but interestingly the chef also has an interest in game meats, so elk, boar, and bison often figure in the menu too. Go ahead and get a glass of icy limoncello at meal’s end. Closed Mon-Tues, 701 Lucerne Ave., map

Riggins Crabhouse

Long a family favorite of ours, Riggins is in Lantana, just south of Lake Worth Beach, and it is, unsurprisingly, where you go for your crab fix. When in season, you can find Florida stone crabs here, but more often than not, we go to get down and dirty with some East Coast blue crabs, steamed and cooked in garlic. (The shrimp diablo in spicy red crab sauce over linguine is another popular order among our family.) More Florida-centric items on the menu include gator bites with scampi sauce, smoked fish dip (always a must for us!), the blackened mahi sandwich, frog legs, Florida lobster tail, and of course, key lime pie for dessert. Closed Mon-Tues; 607 Ridge Rd., map

El Rey Del Taco + Taqueria El Sabrozon

Where Lake Worth Road meets South Military Trail, you’ll find the El Rey del Taco truck, which has lots of outdoor seating, and less than a mile down Lake Worth Road you’ll find a brick-and-mortar El Rey del Taco. Both menus cover all the tacos, tortas, burritos, quesadillas, elote, alambres y más that you could want.

The outdoor parking-lot dining scene at the truck is fun and festive, fueled by the availability of while-you-wait beers, micheladas, and margaritas. Over at the restaurant, of course, you can find a bigger menu, including pozole, a few types of mole, seafood cocteles, and one of our favorite Mexican soups, caldo Tlalpeño. Try them both and see which you prefer! El Rey del Taco, 4040 S. Military Trail and 5283 Lake Worth Rd., map

On a more recent trip, we stopped for some excellent tacos at Taqueria El Sabrozon, another food truck that came highly recommended. We loved the two spicy “trompo” tacos, pastor trompo rojo and pastor trompo negro—something we’d never had before. For the negro, the sliced meat is truly black, from the recado negro spice paste that’s used. Delicious! The menu also spans tortas, sopes, burritos, tostadas, gorditas, and more. 3959 Lake Worth Rd., map

Yến Street Food

We immediately liked this little family-owned Vietnamese restaurant—we first walked into it during its Tết/Lunar New Year celebration, when it was lively and lots of specials were on. We particularly loved the garlic butter wings, and I enjoyed the pork bánh cuốn, or steamed rice rolls, that I tried. The phở was good (though we’re curious to try the “ultra” kind next time, with special fresh noodles, for $29.95), and offers lots of customization, the weekly specials look really interesting, and you can get into a lot of offal here if you so desire.

We returned to Yến’s for lunch to try the bánh mì, and loved the fried tofu variety. I also couldn’t resist the pretty pandan cream foam coffee, which felt like a meal in itself, but was delicious. 7364 Lake Worth Rd, map

 

Geechah Café + Cuisine of Grace

Thanks to the many Haitians in the region, the Lake Worth area is a great place to familiarize yourself with the food of Haiti. Geechah Café, which began life in 2018 as a family catering business, is one of several good bets for griot (fried pork), tasso cabrit (fried goat), oxtail, or stewed chicken and much more alongside rice, beans, plantains, and perhaps some Creole-style baked macaroni and cheese. Portions are generous here! Be sure to ask for some pikliz, the beloved Haitian condiment of pickled cabbage, carrots, and Scotch bonnet peppers, on the side. 7102 South Military Trail, map

A more recent visit to Lake Worth brought us to the new Cuisine of Grace, where the menu is small but the friendly owner-chef is more than happy to make things how you want it. We’ve tried the stewed goat and stewed chicken, and the perfectly fried red snapper—spectacular! The black rice that accompanies the mains is delicious, and the pikliz is quite spicy and fresh. Most platters run about $25 each, but the portions are huge. 4622 Jog Rd, map

Green House Bazaar

Though it’s been around for more than a decade, we only recently checked out Green House Bazaar, where it seems a Turkish grocery store owner joined up with a Persian chef named Mahmoud at some point (meanwhile,  most of the staff speaks Spanish!). Turkish coffee and tea, lots of feta and tahini, boxes of baklava and Turkish delight, yogurt sodas and tinned dolmas are among the grocery offerings here, but it’s the “House of Kabobs” counter inside that most interested us. We tried the lamb shank with baghali polo, fall-off-the-bone lamb cooked in herby tomato sauce with basmati rice seasoned with lots of dill and fava beans. It was excellent, as was the taste of saffron pistachio ice cream we tried. We’ll be back. 5100 10th Ave N, Greenacres, map

 

Reggae Jerk

Jamaican food is another good bet in this Caribbean-heavy area, and there have been times we’ve beelined for a jerk chicken truck straight out of the airport. In nearby Greenacres, Reggae Jerk has more options, including daily soups, okra and saltfish breakfasts, curry goat, stewed pork, oxtails, patties, and very good jerk chicken (pictured). I love seeing breakfast porridges on Jamaican menus, and this place has those too. My bet’s on the Saturday-morning peanut porridge. 2178 Jog Rd, Greenacres, map

Last updated: March 2026