The Floridian Restaurant – Fort Lauderdale, Florida

The old, worn, Floridian Restaurant is located on trendy Las Olas Boulevard in downtown Fort Lauderdale. And that “blast from the past” restaurant is right up my alley since I love nostalgia.

Peepaw and I grew up in the 60’s and I’ve always loved many types of music. Of course I thought the Beatles were awesome, and I’ll never forget watching them appear live on the Ed Sullivan Show…on this TV! (I think we got the TV as a Christmas present that year…a really big deal back in the 60’s!)

(Yup…I’m officially ANCIENT.)

I’ve always been fascinated by black and white movies and TV shows, jazz, and music by Frank Sinatra and “The Rat Pack” generation. So when some friends described the Floridian Restaurant and their amazing collection of black and white photos and memorabilia I just had to see the place…and I was not disappointed. It is truly a tribute to all things tinsel town, crooners like Frank, and the golden age of television from the very beginning.

The Floridian Restaurant is located in the trendy part of Fort Lauderdale,  so we expected parking to be at a premium around the restaurant. But you know us…we’re always on the look-out to save a few bucks. So we drove around the block and through a narrow alley…and we were thrilled to find a small parking area BEHIND the restaurant. And the best part? The parking is FREE for customers of the Floridian Restaurant. SCORE!

After a short walk between some buildings (yes…we’re adventure seekers and possibly slightly crazy…)

we ended up back on Las Olas…with parking money still in our pockets! (Wahooo! It’s like getting our breakfast coffee for free!)

The restaurant offers lots of outside dining which is perfect for people-watching. And on Las Olas you might see ANYTHING from chauffer-driven Bentleys to barefooted backpackers who’ve slept on the beach. (In our “olden days” we called them hippies!)

But as soon as we stepped through the restaurant door, the history of the place was almost palpable.

And the photos? The walls are completely covered with photos from the glory days of the silver screen…and TV and music icons spanning decades. It’s an amazing collection.

The restaurant is a labyrinth of connected rooms that give the 24 hour diner a very cozy feeling, and we walked through the entire place before we chose a small, rather dark alcove…a perfect table for a quiet, private, leisurely breakfast and time spent dissecting the morning paper. (Peepaw still refuses to get his news from a smartphone.)

The quirky menu is large, and one item caught my eye immediately. It’s call The FAT CAT BREAKFAST. It includes a New Strip (New York Strip?) Steak and two eggs, any style, home fries or grits, toast or biscuit…and a bottle of Dom Perignon.  The Cost? $359.79

Or if you’re on a budget, they offer The Floridian NOT SO FAT CAT BREAKFAST that includes all of the above…but substitutes the Dom with  a bottle of “el cheap champagne”… for only $69.69. 

As soon as we’d finished laughing, we placed our order for a our idea of a not fat cat breakfast from the regular menu items, and our competent server made sure our coffee cups were never empty…

Our breakfasts were basic diner meals, nothing special.

But the ambiance of the Floridian Restaurant was totally worth the trip for us.

I really expected to see Frank and Dean and Sammy stroll in for that Fat Cat Breakfast. And I’m guessing they would have parked right out front. No cash required from them…no matter where they parked.

The Floridian Restaurant…a real American treasure in Fort Lauderdale.