Get To Know West Palm Beach, Florida

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West Palm Beach is a city firmly rooted in its South Florida setting. At its center, a cosmopolitan downtown climbs with gleaming high-rises and green spaces, while stuccoed bungalows and plazas with red-tiled roofs stretch toward Lake Worth Lagoon, the estuary that carries the Intracoastal. The city has long been known for nightlife on Clematis Street, cultural attractions like the Norton Museum of Art, and a dynamic design scene. But in recent years, it has also emerged as a destination for food lovers, with restaurants reflecting both the city’s diversity and its easygoing, coastal spirit. Once dominated by national chains, West Palm Beach’s dining landscape shifted dramatically during the pandemic as newcomers put down permanent roots and chefs saw opportunity in its growing audience. Across the bridge, Palm Beach—the island synonymous with old-money glamour—has embraced a fresher, more playful spirit. Worth Avenue still dazzles, but today’s restaurants lean into Florida’s bounty, especially seafood, and serve it up in chic, scene-worthy spaces. Together, the two communities offer a compelling mix of flavors: equal parts cutting-edge and classic, sophisticated and approachable, all framed by a backdrop that feels quintessentially South Florida.

Best Places to Eat, Drink, and Explore

Best Smoothies: Drift

Located off of a hidden courtyard in Palm Beach, Drift attracts locals with its thick, creamy smoothies. In the morning, The Buzz makes an ideal pre-beach pick-me-up with espresso, banana, cacao, peanut butter, and milk.

Best Wood-Fired Pizza: Lynora’s Kitchen

Residing in a former gas station, Lynora’s Kitchen (sister restaurant to another local mainstay, Lynora’s) specializes in wood-fired pizza. The margherita is for purists, served slightly charred and never too saucy. The pizza is best enjoyed in the semi-alfresco atmosphere where cars and pedestrians roll by the open garage doors.

Buzziest Breakfast Spot : Hive Bakery & Café

Part of the Hive Collective, a group of home design and decor-related shops, Hive Bakery & Café feels fresh with Granny Smith-hued tiles, plant-patterned upholstery, and natural light flooding through large windows. The menu follows suit with light fare such as eggs Florentine and sourdough scramble toast—though the pastries are worth a nosh, too.

Best Croissants: Loïc Bakery

When you sink your teeth into a crisp, buttery croissant at Loïc, you’ll momentarily forget that you’re actually in downtown West Palm Beach. Crafted by pastry chef Loïc Autret, the croissants are the stars at this green-tinted cafe, but the baguette sandwiches also satisfy.

Best Sandwiches: Aioli

Locals know to head to Aioli when a sandwich craving kicks in. The bakery nails an ideal sourdough bread, with a slight tang and tender crumb, and it lends itself nicely to sandwiches like the turkey and brie with cranberry aïoli on walnut bread. Round it out with a salad or cup of soup.

Best Kitschy Decor: Rhythm Café

Rhythm Café, known for its globally inspired fare, says it’s been serving the fabulous and “shunning the dreary” since 1988. It resides in a former 1950s drugstore and the decor feels charmingly feverish with Christmas lights, walls lined with knickknacks, and the original lunch counter (where you can sit if you didn’t snag a reservation).

Best Florida Barbecue: Tropical Smokehouse

South Florida doesn’t scream “barbecue,” and that’s why you need to visitTropical Smokehouse. Helmed by James Beard semifinalist Rick Mace, the restaurant (which just opened a second location in downtown West Palm Beach) makes use of local ingredients and flavors with dishes like barbecue jackfruit, Cajun gator sausage, and mojo pulled pork.

Best Waterfront Vibes: Lamarina

Waterfront dining is surprisingly scarce in West Palm Beach, but Lamarina (a nod to its marina-adjacent setting) hits it out of the park. You never know whose yacht you may see, and the seafood dishes, including sushi rolls and shrimp ceviche, delight.

Best Happy Hour: PB Catch

Over on the island, PB Catch lures guests in with its daily happy hour specials. Treats like $5 bloody mary oyster shooters and $6 mussels and toast whet the palate while also creating a festive atmosphere with the help of watermelon margaritas.

Claim to Fame

Avocado Grill

In 2014, chef Julien Gremaud opened Avocado Grill in downtown West Palm Beach. The French chef ushered in a new era of dining for the city, with his focus on locally sourced ingredients and “Floribbean” ingredients and flavors. The restaurant gained notoriety for its raucous brunch, flavorful dishes, and an open-air concept. Over the years, it’s become known as a celeb hotspot as well as a bastion of farm-to-table dining in the Palm Beaches.

Where to Shop

Subculture Coffee

It has a few locations around South Florida, but Subculture got its start in West Palm Beach, where it still roasts its beans. The shop on Clematis Street makes an excellent stopping point for a cup of coffee, but also for caffeine fiends looking to bring a bag or two of beans home with them—the Cult Classic blend is particularly smooth.

Amici Market

Amici Market opened in Palm Beach in 2010, bringing Italian provisions to the north end of the island. The specialty grocer sells pantry items fit for any Nonna’s kitchen, like pastas and preserved lemons, as well as chocolates sourced from Venchi. The best part, however, may be the cold sandwich bar with standouts like The Parma with prosciutto, mozzarella, lemon, and olive oil.

Hive Home, Gift & Garden

Hive is the perfect place to stop when you need a little something for your home or a gift for the chicest person you know. In the store you’ll find anything from emerald green glassware by Aquazzura to chinoiserie aprons by Caspari. There’s also an impressive cookbook selection.

Where to Stay

Palm House Palm Bar Credit Palm House — Palm House Palm Bar

The Palm House

Palm House sits just over the bridge and a few blocks from the beach. The 79-room hotel resides in a mid-century building and the decor is Palm Beach glam through and through with pink hues, a stunning seashell installation in the lobby by local artist Christa Wilm, and vintage Slim Aarons prints in the corridors. As posh as it is, it never feels pretentious—you’ll be just as comfortable coming back from the beach a little sandy as you will dressing up for the Dining Room, the hotel’s Japanese restaurant.