Summary: Restaurant options close to Hyatt Pier 66

[dstein]

In prepping for our first ever cruise I've been lurking on CC for quite a while now to learn from the responses to questions raised by others. For the benefit of those like me who are trying to make decisions, here's what I've put together for myself. My scenario is as follows:

 

1) Family of 4 with two boys who will be 14 and 9 when we travel.

2) Staying at Hyatt Pier 66 for one night (a Friday night) pre-cruise.

3) Arriving FLL around 5PM, so need to accomplish check-in, dinner, and visit to grocery or liquor store within a few hours.

4) Prefer options within about 1 mile of Pier 66 so we can either walk or take bus to/from hotel and restaurant.

5) Due to #3, also prefer options within walking distance to either Publix or Winn-Dixie supermarkets so we can walk to store after dinner.

 

Your scenario may vary - in which case you'll have to seek answers/ideas from others. Keep in mind I'm working purely from Google searches and TripAdvisor here - I have no personal knowledge of any of the places listed below so can't respond to any questions about how good/bad any of these places are. I've formed opinions from 3000 miles away - I'll certainly value any opinions from local residents! (BTW: if you aren't familiar with Google's fantastic "search nearby" feature you MUST read up on it - it is the greatest thing for anyone who travels :))

 

To avoid "analysis paralysis" I kept my search pretty narrow. I wanted things near either the Publix or Winn Dixie markets and essentially located on or very close to SE 17th St. I ignored fast-food-ish places, and restaurants without a Google+ review. (If there wasn't a G+ review I didn't bother trying to find the place on TripAdvisor). The summary info is at the bottom of this post. G* = # of stars from Google+ reviews, TA* = # of stars from TripAdvisor, TARk = restaurant's rank on TripAdvisor, out of 1027 restaurants. So Gilbert's was, indeed, the highest rated restaurant in FLL by TA reviewers out of all 1027 places reviewed.

 

Ultimately, I suspect we're going to go to either Kelly's Landing or Panaretto. Both are in the same shopping center, are only 0.9 miles from the hotel (so can be walked in a few minutes or can hop on a bus and be there in about 6 minutes). The shopping center extends as far west as Cordova Road - immediately across the street is a Crown Super Liquor Store and a few hundred feet further N on Cordova is Winn-Dixie. So we can grab a well-reviewed dinner, cross to the other side of Cordova Road to shop, and then head back to Pier 66 via foot or bus, w/o worrying about a taxi!

 

Hope others find this info useful.

 

[font=Courier New]NAME                         Cuisine    $$    Range    G*    TA*   TARank (of 1027)

Restaurants in Harbor Shops Shopping Center (contains Publix grocery): 1.1 mi from hotel                            
Duffy's Sports Grill         American   $$    5-15     4.0   4.0   154    
Coco Asian Bistro & Bar      Thai/Jpn   $$    31-99    4.2   4.3   54    
Lauderdale Grill             American   $$             3.7   3.3   394    
Gilbert's 17th Street Grill  American   $$    8-29     4.3   4.7   1    
Guiliano's                   Italian    $$    10-20    n/a   4.6   124    

Other restaurants on 17th Street within about 1.5 miles of hotel                            
Market 17                    Organic    $$$   30-50    4.6   4.5   6    
Chuck's Steak House          Steaks     $$    21-30    4.0   3.9   123    
Bravo Ristorante             Italian    $$    15-30    4.2   4.1   67    
Giorgio's Brick Oven Pizza   Italian    $$             4.1   4.4   35    

Other restaurants on 15th or 16th Street within about 1.5 miles of hotel (on route to Winn Dixie Grocery)                            
Kelly's Landing              American   $$    8-20     4.0   4.3   37    
Quarterdeck Seafood Bar      Seafood    $$    9-18     3.3   3.7   237    
Southport Raw Bar            Seafood    $$             3.7   4.3   33    
15th Street Fisheries        Seafood    $$    25-30    3.8   3.7   189    
Panaretto Restaurant         Italian    $$    10-25    4.5   4.6   34    
Finster Murphy's             Seafood                   4.4   4.6   117    
Bimini Boatyard Bar & Grill  Seafood    $$    12-30    3.7   3.8   197 [/font]

[royalcruz]

With 2 boys I would go to Duffy's (sports-theme restaurant), and then shop at Publix or Total Wine. I haven't heard of Paneretto. I've been to Kelly's...I don't eat shellfish and the scrod is mediocre, but people go for the lobster. Just past Kelly's Southport is a cool place to eat because it has a water view (if it's nice out)...they cook their burgers on an outdoor grill and they are under 5 bucks. You could walk to where you are going but then get a ride back since you'll be carrying stuff.

[dstein]

Sharon - thanks for the suggestion. I didn't realize there was also a wine shop in the Harbour Shops area, so that makes places like Duffy's a bit more attractive.

[royalcruz]

Sharon - thanks for the suggestion. I didn't realize there was also a wine shop in the Harbour Shops area, so that makes places like Duffy's a bit more attractive.

The best wine store is in Harbour Shops!:)

There are a bunch of restaurants in there but Duffy's is particular boy-friendly.

[BlueHerons]

Shula's Burgers and Pei Wei (PF Changs little sister, same menu, different names and cheaper) are very close to your hotel on the same side.

 

I also like Duffys.

 

Forgot to add that because you'll be here in June, and it is still so hot at night, you may want to cab it to dinner and walk home.

[Florissouri]

Are you locked into Pier 66?

 

There are other hotels that would be much closer to everything you want and maybe even less expensive, especially considering you're somewhat late arrival. Think of Pier 66 at one end of the 17th Street strip and what you are seeking is at the other end of the strip. Plus, Pier 66 has no airport or port shuttles.

 

Other hotels to consider that would be more conveniently located for what you want would be the Embassy Suites, Extended Stay America and Holiday Inn Express.

[Eng23]

If you can change hotels, the Embassy Suites would be the perfect place for you. Everything you want is no more than a 5 minute walk away. Duffy's is right behind the Embassy Suites as is a Publix Grocery store and Total Wine. Southport Raw Bar and a few other restaurants are within a short walking distance, a much shorter distance than from the Hyatt Pier 66.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[dstein]

Thanks everyone for the continued advice. We are not locked into Pier 66 - we're so far out that I can cancel at any time with no problem.

 

When I started research Embassy Suites was high on my list, but I took Pier 66 because

a) lots of positive reviews

b) I appear to have gotten a deal: $109 for a D/D marina/waterway room - Embassy is currently at $141. The price diff is minor and *not* a deal-breaker, however - if we have to bus or cab it from Pier 66 the gap narrows. (It looks like our weekend is the last "cheap" weekend at Pier 66 - the next weekend the same room is something like $170!)

c) Supposed ability to see the Oasis docked from the room.

 

I've since read that the marina/waterway rooms - in the older 2-story part of Pier 66 - may not be as attractive as the tower itself and/or may not offer the promise of seeing the Oasis docked from the room. If that's the consensus of those who have seen both sites I'll probably re-book.

 

Doug

[coiran]

Bravos Italian is probably a 20 minute walk depending on the drawbridge - excellent food and atmosphere at a reasonable price - and you can share dinners.

 

Actually I would take the embassy for the price difference - it includes free cocktail hour (2) and a pretty good breakfast.

[born2travel]

If you can get Embassy Suites for under $150, GRAB IT! We stayed there in Nov 2012, at $248, but it was still completely worth it. Duffy's was almost outside the back door of the hotel, and was a very pleasant surprise. My grandsons (7 & 8) enjoyed it as much as the adults.

 

The boys and I were up before dawn and thrilled to watch the ships coming into port. Even though our room did not face the port, there were several balconies where we could watch the ships. Coffee, Juices, cereal and muffins were laid out very early, great for us hungry early birds, and the cooked-to-order free breakfast was awesome, too.

 

There was plenty of time to go back out in the morning to pick up wine, etc, and check-out is much later than at any other I have ever stayed. That was great for us, as our ship was just returning from Europe and due to gov't inspections, boarding began considerably later.

 

The pool area is lovely, landscaped to make you forget you are on a large thoroughfare and the boys just loved feeding the koi, as well. AS there were 5 of us travelling, the price worked out to be very economical since we could share a single room, and the abundant breakfast (or two!) held us until we finally got onto the ship. The shuttle service was also extremely efficient.

[Florissouri]

Extended Stay America is not as sexy as Pier 66, but your family will save a lot of money with its amenities. It's been recently renovated, every room has a kitchenette, free airport shuttle, $4 pp port shuttle, breakfast and it's located right in front of Harbor Shops and across 17th Street from Southport. You never hear about it here because everyone is obsessed and overwhelmed by Embassy Suites.

[dstein]

Thanks - you have all talked me into rebooking at Embassy Suites rather than Pier 66.! This will reduce the hassle-factor since we won't have to worry about finding transportation before and/or after dinner.

 

Florissouri, I did check out Extended Stay, which I'm sure would have been just fine for us. As it happens, they're running at 175/night vs 141/night, so looks like we'll stay on the south side of 17th.

[Florissouri]

Florissouri, I did check out Extended Stay, which I'm sure would have been just fine for us. As it happens, they're running at 175/night vs 141/night, so looks like we'll stay on the south side of 17th.

 

That's odd...They're usually a lot lower than that. Check on them in another 5 or 6 months.

[royalcruz]

Thanks - you have all talked me into rebooking at Embassy Suites rather than Pier 66.! This will reduce the hassle-factor since we won't have to worry about finding transportation before and/or after dinner.

 

Florissouri, I did check out Extended Stay, which I'm sure would have been just fine for us. As it happens, they're running at 175/night vs 141/night, so looks like we'll stay on the south side of 17th.

That's a great price for ES. From your message earlier, it did not sound as though you were going to be getting a port view room at Hyatt anyway, so you might as well be somewhere more convenient for what you want to do while there.