— delray beach, florida —

My parents recently moved to Delray Beach, to what I can only describe as a community that feels like summer camp that lasts all year. I have a million memories of being a kid and wreaking havoc on the town when we would visit my grandparents. I also remember the food, the Jewish Deli’s, stone crab claws, and great fresh seafood; many of the restaurants have changed, while I still see the prevalent foods throughout the area. We anticipate many visits back to Delray Beach; I’ll post our favorites as we go and I’ll also keep a list here of places recommended by friends and website visitors.

J & J Seafood, bar & grill

Seafood restaurant

Atlantic Ave. Delray Beach, FL USA

March 2019

J&J seafood, Bar & Grill has that “feel at home” comfortable vibe. The owner, Tina Hutchinson, welcomed every guest like they were family and within minutes of being at their restaurant we felt like family. The restaurant was fully booked with reservations on Thursday night, and they had a constant flow of folks stopping by to see if there was room… sometimes Tina was able to squeeze them in. Even in our short visit to Delray Beach, we landed at J&J twice! This is a testament to their fresh seafood, great service and at home feel. I was so distracted by how incredible the food was, I forgot to take pictures (missing here are mussels in white wine and an in house made turtle cheesecake). Pictured here: oysters, tuna poke, and a trio of shrimp, seared scallop, and crab cake on a bed of greens with a beet sauce (yes.. that’s what made the sauce PINK)… and let me tell you, that sauce was pure perfection. We’ll need to go back to take more pics… this is a must go for our next visit.

634 E Atlantic Ave Delray Beach, Florida 33483 | (561) 272-3390 | facebook | Closed Sunday

luff’s fish house

seafood restaurant

boca raton, FL USA

March 2019

Luff’s Fish House was converted from a 1920’s bungalow. In 2017 Luff’s opened its doors where you can now eat fresh seafood while you relax outside under covered gazebos or sit in their tropically inspired dining room. The vibe is laid back with incredibly fresh seafood and some unique sides.

I had the Gumbo which was a proper gumbo thickened with okra, and the fried Belly Clams. I prefer the New England style better but the clams were sweet and plump. Lynn had the Seared Diver Scallops over Crab Fried Rice with Cashews and Cilantro which was excellent! We also had corn off the cob and it was amazing!

390 East Palmetto Park Road Boca Raton, FL 33432

(561) 609-2660

the boys farmers market

Farmers Market/Gourmet

Delray Beach, FL USA

March 2019

We stopped at The Boys Farmers Market on Friday morning… we were warned before going that the aisles were narrow, the carts were small, and it was like an obstacle course getting through. We were stopped in the parking lot by a woman, cautioning us of a car backing out of a parking space, as the drivers often don’t see the people walking into the store. This store was worth every bit of swerving and maneuvering; they have a fresh bakery, nice cheese department , and a seafood and meat counter. Pre-made foods we heard are awesome, while we didn’t partake of them. They have aisle of fresh fruits and vegetables. We browsed the aisles like it was a museum, pointing to all the things my girlfriend Lynn hadn’t seen before. Checkout was fast and we made it out of the parking lot unscathed.

14378 S Military Trail, Delray Beach, FL 33484 | (561) 496-0810

city fish market

seafood restaurant

boca raton, fl usa

march 2019

We were in search of stone crabs, so we went for tips from the locals. We even had a stranger hear our question and then he called the restaurant to find out if they had them on the menu… it seems it was end of season so they were hard to come by. Stone crabs, when in season, only the claws are harvested and they typically only take one claw which helps with the crabs survival. The crabs are then thrown back to regenerate new claws, which come back bigger with each harvest. The ultimate sustainable seafood!

We Had a lovely lunch at City Fish Market, our table overlooked a water feature which made you think you were on the water… I guess we were, even though the restaurant is in the middle of a corporate plaza and the beach was several miles away. Pictured here: lobster bisque with added lobster meat, a textbook wedge salad, jumbo stone crab claws, and a perfect crabcake.

7940 Glades Road Boca Raton, FL 33434 | 561-487-1600 | facebook

Three G’s Deli and Restaurant

Jewish Deli

Delray Beach, FL USA

March 2019

This was the perfect Jewish Deli! If you’re looking for the South Florida equivalent to a NYC deli, this comes pretty darn close. The rye bread was so amazing, we had to get a loaf of bread to take home to my parents.