When you think of Fort Lauderdale Beach, you probably picture the hustle of A1A, the mega-resorts, and Las Olas. But what if we told you there’s a secret portal back to a cooler, laid back era just a few blocks away? North Beach Village is the place to be for retro vibes and delicious eats.
Take a few steps away from A1A and you’ll find this little gem of a neighborhood. North Beach Village is just five blocks of retro cool. Centered around Breakers Avenue, the area is filled with small hotels, trendy shops and really cozy restaurants.
Greger Nilzen: “it’s five by five blocks. So five blocks that way, five blocks this way. None of the hotels is actually on the beach, but they start here on Breakers Avenue and then goes down towards Intercoastal.”
Wine Garden is an open air hotspot in the heart of the area.
Greger Nilzen: “The wines are predominantly small wineries throughout the world. The Carbonara is a true Italian version of it.”
Guest: “It’s like a secret little spot, such a vibe. Like good music, right when we walked in, we were like, ‘Perfect!’ Happy hour, amazing.”
Guest: “I would say it’s very relaxing, it’s cozy.”
By day, this hidden strip feels like a breezy European village. La Villa, in the Royal Palm Hotel, serves cold beer with a poolside vibe.
Head down to Archibald’s Village Bakery for some scratch made treats!
Greger Nilzen: “Village Baker, which is always packed in the mornings. There is a line that sometimes stretches 100 yards.”
Greger Nilzen: “I also have a little convenience store, which is like a cute little 7Eleven.”
Next to wine garden you’ll find Gallery 600. Check out the cutting edge art and get a little history too.
Employee: “These are my pencil drawings. They’re all taken from postcards of the motels in this neighborhood. There’s nothing like this anywhere. This is old Florida, a step from the beach.”
Across the street, Village Cafe serves all day brunch and you can keep it healthy at “The Grateful Juice Bar” with fresh smoothies and loaded avocado toast.
By night – Vitolo serves up high end Italian.
Greger Nilzen: “You see a very big mix between people who live in the area. So it kind of a lot of time to me feels like a French village.”
Guest: “Gorgeous! I can’t believe how just walking around, where we parked the car, how renovated the area is and it’s — we walked from the beach over here. It’s fantastic.”
North Beach Village is a hidden slice of paradise, just do us a favor… Don’t ruin the secret for the locals! Oh wait, is this thing on? Everybody is going to know!
Greger Nilzen: “It’s granted that Fort Lauderdale is a touristy city, but when you actually take one street down and walk down this block, you feel like you’re more part of the local scene.”
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