Where Do West Palm Beach Chefs Eat – Best Restaurants in West Palm Beach
updated 4/21/22
How do you find the best restaurants in West Palm Beach? You can go to Trip Advisor or Yelp, you can ask friends or your hotel concierge, or you can go straight to the source and ask a local chef for recommendations.
We asked our West Palm Beach Food Tour chefs, area chefs and restaurant owners where they like to eat. They answered, and we’re sharing! You’ll discover more than just 5-star gourmet restaurants. You’ll discover hidden gems, ethnic eateries and small locally owned neighborhood restaurants. Whatever you’re craving, follow these chefs and restaurants owners to their favorite West Palm Beach restaurants.
Best Restaurants in West Palm Beach
Clay Conley, Chef/Owner, Buccan, Imoto and Grato
West Palm Beach Favorites
We don’t go out all that much anymore with the kids busy schedules, so we’ve been cooking a lot more at home or eating at our restaurants. When we do eat out, it’s pretty casual and at places that are veg heavy like Darbster, 3 Natives, Field of Greens and Celis. I love Stage too!
On special occasions, La Sirena and Cafe Boulud are my go-tos. And Indian breakfast from The Pelican restaurant in Lake Worth is definitely worth waiting for (she only serves on the weekends).
Perennial favorites are Coolinary Cafe, The Regional, Kitchen, Pistache, Avocado Grill, Cholo Soy Cocina, Tropical Smokehouse and Oceano Kitchen…all local, chef-driven spots always worth visiting.
Thierry Beaud, Owner, Titou Hospitality Group (Pistache, The Regional, PB Catch)
West Palm Beach Favorites
Aioli for breakfast. Cafe Sapori, Trevini or Los Altos Jalisco for lunch. Dinners are low key when not eating in my restaurants: Avocado Grill, Cholo Soy, SushiJo, Grato or Don Ramon. Dinner date with my kids usually at Buccan, Kitchen, Fern Street Wine Bar & Kitchen or City Cellar. Amazing food and hospitality at all these places. We are so lucky to live here, especially during these crazy times! Favorite dish in town: Carciofi alla Giudea at Cafe Sapori.
Nearby Favorites
Avocado Cantina and Honey Belle at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens. La Cigale in Delray Beach. Favorite dish nearby: Cochinita Pibil at Avocado Cantina.
Clay Carnes, Owner & Chef, Cholo Soy Cocina
West Palm Beach Favorites
When we like to dress up a little, Marcellos La Sirena for classic Italian food and an award winning wine list. We last had a ’96 Barolo which brought me back to my days in culinary school in Italy. For a quick snack grab, Celis on Dixie for healthy energy and delicious espresso after a workout or before work, and great juice if I don’t have time to make my own. My favorite bakery/sandwich shop is Aioli. It’s not enough to say this is the best bakery in town. Get the cold roast beef and douse it in their homemade sriracha and don’t miss the potato salad.
Nearby Favorite
My favorite casual cocktail bar and restaurant? Coolinary Cafe. They have an awesome bar and the homemade salumi boards are the best you can find in Florida.
Alex Celis, Owner, Celis Produce
West Palm Beach Favorite
Cholo Soy is my favorite West Palm Beach restaurant. You can catch me here a few times a week. I love the ceviche and the steak tacos. His specials are constantly changing as well. Big fan of Cholo.
Nearby Favorites
Stage in Palm Beach Gardens has quickly become my favorite restaurant. They have an incredible variety on their menu from different chutneys and naan to Korean short ribs. The decor is beautiful, the staff is very knowledgeable and welcoming. The best way to eat here is sharing plates with your table and order as many items as you can. Try the Hot & Bothered, one of my favorite cocktails right now – ghost pepper tequila, guava, lime & agave. My other favorite is Oceano Kitchen in Lantana. This little gem cooks exclusively in a wood burning oven and the menu changes daily. I have a lot of memorable dishes here but one of my all time favorites was the watermelon gazpacho. Sit at the inside bar and you can see Chef Jeremy Bearman and his team work together and pump dishes out.
Emerson Frisbie, Private Chef
West Palm Beach Favorite
Sassafras in Downtown West Palm Beach has never disappointed and Chef JT is extremely talented and committed to supporting local agriculture. Tropical Smokehouse has the best burger around, and Rick never lets me down with the BBQ. Aioli is and will always be my favorite spot for great coffee, the most amazing croissants and the perfect breakfast sandwich.
Nearby Favorites
My favorite restaurant in Palm Beach County is a Oceano Kitchen, hands down! I love a small constantly changing menu that is curated with utmost precision and executed with an unwavering respect for the ingredients. Eating at Oceano has helped me to redefine my own style of cooking. I have never had a bad bite. Driftwood in Boynton Beach has perfectly executed dishes that are approachable yet far from pedestrian, and I’m always pleased with their service and quality.
Martha Reyes, Owner, Havana Restaurant
West Palm Beach Favorites
We are a family business, and we have always loved supporting other small businesses and since Covid, even more so. Okeechobee Steakhouse has become one of our favorite lunch or dinner options. Pizza Al Fresco, on Palm Beach is always excellent and has beautiful outdoor dining, and City Diner continues to be a family favorite.
Nearby Favorites
Other family favorites are Agliolios and Basilicos Pizza in Wellington. Palm Beach County has tons of amazing restaurants to choose from, how lucky are we?!
Fritz Cassel, Chef, Hullabaloo
West Palm Beach Favorite
Carnitas Tacos from Rivales Taqueria are all I eat. They’re quick and good which is great because I don’t have any free time to eat out.
Matthew Byrne, Chef & Owner, Kitchen
Favorites
Since we’re at the restaurant 6 days a week, there’s not much time for dining out. On Sundays when we’re off, we love brunch at La Goulue or Cafe Boulud on Palm Beach.
Carlos Farias, Chef & Owner, Maison Carlos
Favorites
Six nights a week I eat at Maison Carlos. On Sundays when the restaurant is closed it’s family day with my wife Lanie and our almost 12 year old son Alex. When we aren’t having family dinner at home we like to keep it pretty casual. Pizza al Fresco is a go to for us. Obviously we love the pizza but also love the outdoor courtyard and welcoming service we always receive. Sometimes we go to their other Al Fresco location at the Palm Beach Par 3 after playing golf, stunning views of the Atlantic. Also enjoy Cafe Sapori for their Cappelletti In Brodo ,Veal Chop Milanese and Old World Service.
Dennis & Ken, Rhythm Cafe, owners
The restaurants below are the ones Dennis and Ken can both agree on, so it’s a double thumbs-up!
West Palm Beach Favorites
Aioli, Il Bellagio in Rosemary Square
Nearby Favorites
Captain Charlie’s Reef Grill in Juno Beach, Torero’s Mexican, and for takeout Your Greek Cousin. If you’re curious, Dennis favorite (and he goes alone) is Okeechobee Steakhouse.
Ben Lubin, The Blind Monk, Owner
Ben’s list is very off-the-beaten path, but trust us…you won’t be disappointed. He finds the hidden gems.
Nearby Favorites
Singing Bamboo for Dim Sum, and my favorites are the shrimp dumplings and the dumpling soup.
The Restaurant at The Norton dining in the garden at The Restaurant at the Norton is great because it is beautiful and my two boys can run around.
Bangkok Kitchen My go-to for a quick, healthy lunch is Bangkok Kitchen.
Vincent’s Bistro for breakfast and lunch and especially croissants, I really like Vincent’s Bistro in Lake Worth Beach.
Yami Korean bbq at Yami in Boynton is fun and the vegetable sides are particularly delicious.
Kristl Story, Owner, West Palm Beach Food Tours
I know I’ve just expanded my culinary horizons, and I hope you’ll consider this your Palm Beach County restaurant bucket list…it’s time to get out of your restaurant rut and explore new dining establishments, new cuisines and new neighborhoods. Of course, that’s what we do everyday on the West Palm Beach Food Tour! Please leave a comment to share the restaurants you would include as the best restaurants in West Palm Beach.
Have a delicious day!