Of course there will be fireworks on New Year’s Eve and plenty of cork-popping partying.
But here in South Florida, we can usher in 2026 with coastal flare by taking advantage of the serene vibe that comes from being so close to water — whether it’s the beachy oceanside, the unplugged Intracoastal, a languid lake or a cool canal.
You need to get your tropical on … here in the subtropics. Maybe with a DJ spinning jams and a raucous midnight toast (after all, it is a celebration). Oh, and we need some good food too.
Here’s a list of 10 waterfront restaurants and the NYE specials that already have us licking our lips. Keep in mind that prices may not include tax and gratuity.
Prime Catch Waterfront Dining
Intracoastal Waterway; 700 E. Woolbright Road, Boynton Beach; 561-737-8822; primecatchboynton.com
Prime Catch, which touts a waterfront view from every table, will offer special dishes on New Year’s Eve such as Beef Carpaccio ($26), Stone Crab Claws ($18 per claw), Filet Oscar ($62), Braised Short Rib ($42), Prime Scallop Risotto ($44) and more.
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Prime Catch Waterfront Dining is on the Intracoastal Waterway in Boynton Beach. (Jupiter Compass Digital Marketing/Courtesy)
Oceanic
At Pompano Beach Pier; 250 N. Pompano Beach Blvd., Pompano Beach; 954-366-3768; oceanicpompano.com
This massive beachfront restaurant with a cruise ship design aesthetic will start NYE in the dining room, from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., with a four-course, prix-fixe dinner for $95 a person, which includes admission to the rooftop festivities later in the evening. Some of the dinner selections include Lobster Bisque, Seared Tuna, Crab Encrusted Black Grouper, Whole Branzino, Chocolate Trilogy. The a la carte menu will be available as well, but it does not include the rooftop party. The Rooftop Patio Party is set for 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. and admission is $30 a person (for those not participating in the prix-fixe dinner). There will be a DJ, party favors, a cash bar as well as a small bites menu with items such as mini crab cakes, shrimp cocktail, beef sliders, lamb chops and seared tuna for $10 to $15.
The House On The River
On the New River in Himmarshee Village; 301 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 954-825-2929; thehouseontheriver.com
First, there’s a four-course, pre-fixe New Year’s Eve Sunset Dinner ($69) with indoor and patio seatings from 4 to 7 p.m., concluding at 8 p.m. The main course choices will include Steak Frites, Pita Crusted Salmon, Linguini & Clams or Pear Pasta Purses. Dessert will be Key Lime Pie. You also get a Burrata & Strawberry starter and a Winter Salad.
Later, there will be a four-course New Year’s Eve 2026 Dinner & Celebration ($179 a person), which will start with cocktails in the main dining room beginning at 8:30 p.m. While the DJ spins, dinner service will include shareable plates at each table as well as a Winter Salad. The main course options will be Braised Short Rib, Angry Shrimp & Crab Rigatoni, Butterfly Bronsino or “Money Bag” Pasta Purses. Molten Chocolate Lava Cake will be the dessert, and there will be midnight toast.
Kimpton Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort
The Kimpton Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort will have a NYE Rooftop Party at the Escape Rooftop Bar as well as The New Year’s Eve Chef’s Dinner at La Fuga restaurant. (Kimpton Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort/Courtesy)
La Fuga
At Kimpton Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort; 2900 Riomar Street, Fort Lauderdale; 954-908-7308; lafugarestaurant.com
The New Year’s Eve Chef’s Dinner ($150 a person) features a Bruschetta Trio, Branzino Affumicato, Capesante e Linguine alla Carbonara, Tagliata di Manzo and Budino di Pane. Jazz duo Jason Matthews and Nick Tannura are scheduled to perform, and there will be New Year’s Eve party favors and a midnight toast.
The oceanfront Kimpton Shorebreak will also have a NYE Rooftop Party from 7 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at the Escape Rooftop Bar for $175 a person. In addition to an open bar from 7 to 11 p.m., the event will have DJ Blcknsss and DJ Crib spinning, plus a midnight toast and party favors.
The Ben, West Palm
Overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway; 251 N. Narcissus Ave., West Palm Beach; 561-655-4001; thebenwestpalm.com
Downtown West Palm Beach’s only waterfront hotel will have three celebrations for New Year’s Eve for those age 21 and older. The Ben’s New Year’s Eve Gala with Dueling Pianos will be from 8 p.m. to midnight ($350 a person, or $400 for premium seating). The black-tie event in the hotel’s ballroom will have grand piano entertainment, a four-course dinner, a four-hour open bar and a midnight Champagne toast.
Or you could enjoy Midnight on Ice at The Ben | Winter Wonderland, which will be from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. and cost $99 a person. This rink-side soirée — there will be no skating — will have a DJ, party favors and a three-hour open bar.
By the way, the third event — Spruzzo’s Rooftop New Year’s Eve — is already sold out.
Nancy Kheiry for Olive & Sea
Olive & Sea beside the 17th Street Causeway drawbridge in Fort Lauderdale will celebrate New Year’s Eve with a dinner special and limited-edition winter cocktails. (Nancy Kheiry for Olive & Sea/Courtesy)
Olive & Sea
Rooftop Intracoastal waterfront restaurant; 1881 SE 17th St., Fort Lauderdale; 954-527-6716; oliveandseaftl.com
This eatery beside the 17th Street Causeway drawbridge, adjacent to the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, will offer an entree special from 5 p.m. to midnight: A Pastrami Braised Short Rib, served with Mustard Demi-Glace, Braised Red Cabbage and Herb Whipped Potatoes for $75. Includes a midnight toast.
And through Jan. 4, the restaurant is serving limited-edition winter cocktails ($17), including:
Holiday 75 — Bombay Sapphire gin, lemon, Moët & Chandon Imperial Brut
Apple Cider Mule — Ketel One vodka, apple cider, Fever Tree ginger beer
Berry & Bright Fizz — Patron Reposado tequila, cranberry, orange, Licor 43, prosecco
Winter Punch — Angel’s Envy bourbon, pomegranate juice, Monin vanilla syrup, lime juice
Belle Poire — Hennessy VS Cognac, pear, lemon
Cheer Spritz ($12) — nonalcoholic option with orange, cranberry and sparkling apple cider
Charlie & Joe’s at Love Street
Along waterfront of Jupiter Inlet Village; 1116 Love St., Jupiter; 561-532-3280; lovestreetjupiter.com
Gridiron great Joe Namath and business partner/longtime pal Charles Modica have three venues in one with Charlie & Joe’s: There’s The Beacon, Lucky Shuck Oyster Bar & Taphouse and a rooftop tapas bar called Topside at The Beacon.
For New Year’s Eve, The Beacon will have dinner service from 4 to 9 p.m. featuring a special Braised Beef Cheek dish ($50). There will also be a Light Up the New Year signature cocktail (a lemon drop martini served in a light bulb-shaped glass; $18). The main dining room will have a Champagne tower centerpiece.
Lucky Shuck will offer service from 11 a.m. to midnight with the usual menu along with a special dish: Chilean Sea Bass, which will be pan roasted and served with braised greens, crispy leeks and a truffle confetti beurre blanc ($46).
Topside at The Beacon’s Masquerade New Year’s Eve Party will go from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. with a $10 cover charge. Guests will get a free mask upon entry and a Champagne toast. A DJ will spin until 12:45 a.m.
The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale
The oceanfront view at Burlock Coast restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton on Fort Lauderdale beach. (The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale/Courtesy)
Burlock Coast
Beachfront restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale; 1 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-302-6430; burlockcoast.com
Executive chef Adrienne Grenier will prepare a prix-fixe menu for $195 per adult and $85 per child (age 5-12) with an enhanced raw bar platter priced at $99 a person. The dinner will include an amuse-bouche of Lobster Bisque; appetizers of Winter Citrus Salad and Seared Sea Scallops; and an entree choice of Roasted Fish or Grilled NY Strip Steak, with a Cookie Butter Cheesecake for dessert.
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Bar Capri’s rooftop view of the West Palm Beach Intracoastal. (InHouse Creative/Courtesy)
Bar Capri
Rooftop at Flagler Banyan Square on the West Palm Beach Intracoastal; 185 Banyan Blvd., West Palm Beach; barcapriwpb.com
At Bar Capri, a DJ will start spinning at 9 p.m., kicking off a party that will go on until 1 a.m. The full dinner menu will be available, but Bar Capri is highlighting an après dinner snack: Caviar Star Hackleback, housemade Rosemary Potato Chips with Crème Fraîche ($66).
Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse
Japanese A5 Wagyu with Umeboshi & Negi-Herb Salad will be part of the New Year’s Eve Chef’s Tasting Menu by chef Michael Lewis at Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse in Fort Lauderdale. (Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse/Courtesy)
Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse
At Las Olas Riverfront Circle; 221 SW First Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 954-299-3661; ukiahrestaurant.com/location/fort-lauderdale
Chef Michael Lewis’ new restaurant on the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale will be open from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., offering a New Year’s Eve Chef’s Tasting Menu.
The first seating ($145 a person with reservations 6-7:45 p.m.) includes the Chef’s Tasting Menu, choice of a signature cocktail and a glass of Moët & Chandon Imperial Brut.
The second seating ($195 a person with reservations for 8 p.m. and later) includes the Chef’s Tasting Menu, choice of signature cocktail, a bottle of Moët & Chandon Imperial Brut per two guests, DJ entertainment, party favors and a midnight toast.
Highlights will include Oysters with Smoked Trout Roe, Everglades Tomato Salad with Shiso & Chili, Crispy Crab Hand Roll with Brown Butter & White Ponzu, Grilled Tiger Prawns with Ginger & Yuzu Butter; Mushroom Kamameshi with Fresh Truffle and Japanese A5 Wagyu with Umeboshi & Negi-Herb Salad.
Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse
Chef Michael Lewis will offer a New Year’s Eve Chef’s Tasting Menu on Dec. 31 at Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse on the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale. (Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse/Courtesy)