Superlative Seafood at Palm Beach Restaurants

We enjoyed numerous fine meals on our trip to Palm Beach, Florida. Unsurprisingly, many of them involved superlative seafood. Here are six places I particularly liked.

Buccan

In a bright, airy, loft-style space, we enjoyed a series of small dishes, all excellent: hamachi tiradito with Peruvian chiles, onion and lotus root; warm Brussels sprouts Caesar salad; and squash blossom relleno with rock shrimp and avocado. A fashionable spot, it can be noisy, so I recommend going early.

Buccan
350 South County Road. Tel. (561) 833-3450

Charley’s Crab

At this longstanding local favorite, with dependably good seafood, we began with the Mediterranean-style chowder, and then partook of a house classic, Snapper Hemingway, with a panko crust, lump crab, lemon beurre blanc and coconut-ginger rice.

Charley's Crab
456 South Ocean Boulevard. Tel. (561) 659-1500

Polo

This lovely restaurant reflects the colorful vision of Carleton Varney, who oversaw the recent renovation of The Colony hotel. We sat outside by the Florida-shaped pool, where we enjoyed two Colony classics: a creamy vichyssoise, and the superb Famous Lobster Salad, one of the best I’ve ever had.

Polo
155 Hammon Avenue. Tel. (561) 655-5430

The Regional Kitchen & Public House

Awash in light, this contemporary place amply justified the recommendations from trusted friends. Start, as we did, with the generous serving of pimento cheese (with the option of blue crab), and follow with snapper, fried to crisp perfection.

The Regional Kitchen & Public House
651 Okeechobee Boulevard. Tel. (561) 557-6460

Renato’s

We had a delightful dinner at this elegant restaurant in one of the charming little “vias” off Worth Avenue. I started with soft-shell crabs with red onion, tomato, avocado salsa and a mustard aioli, followed by black grouper, here seared with Pernod, tomato and a fennel broth, all over a bed of polenta.

Renato’s
87 Via Mizner. Tel. (561) 655-9752

Sant Ambroeus

Having delighted in the New York outposts of this Milan classic, I was eager to try this newest iteration. Set in a stylish midcentury space, I enjoyed a rich, creamy gazpacho, followed by flawless cacio e pepe (pasta with Pecorino Romano cheese, black pepper and a dusting of Parmigiano-Reggiano). The restaurant is very close to the Flagler Museum.

Sant Ambroeus
340 Royal Poinciana Way. Tel. (561) 285-7990