New Waterfront Restaurant Debuts at Fort Lauderdale Hotel Omni Fort Lauderdale has opened Barchetta, a coastal Italian chophouse overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway at 1880 SE 17th St. The restaurant blends Italian culinary traditions with South Florida influences across its menu, cocktail program, and design. Executive Chef David Caceres leads the kitchen, which focuses on handmade pastas, premium seafood, and prime steak selections. Menu highlights include Bistecca Fiorentina, a prime T-bone for two; Frutti di Mare, featuring Florida black grouper and Kaluga caviar; and Bucatini Cacio e Pepe with black truffle. "This is the kind of food I love - great ingredients, bold flavors and dishes with a lot of character," Caceres said. "We've created a menu that celebrates all of those things, and I'm incredibly proud of what our team is bringing to the Fort Lauderdale culinary scene."
Cocktail Program Highlights Local Spirits Barchetta's bar program adapts Italian classics and aperitivo culture with regional twists. The Pomodoro Negroni uses tomato-basil-washed gin alongside Campari and sweet vermouth. The Day Drift combines Prosecco, lemon juice, and St-Germain with J.F. Haden's Lychee Liqueur from Miami-based Tropical Distillery, owned by former NFL players Mike and Maurkice Pouncey. The liqueur also appears in cocktails throughout the Omni Fort Lauderdale Hotel. The list includes spritzes, Italian wines, and classic pours.
Design and Operations Barchetta—Italian for "little boat"—takes its name from the small vessels found along Italy's coast and the lightweight sports cars that became synonymous with Italian design. The interior features warm red tones, wood, stone, and leather textures, combined with clean lines and Italian-inspired artwork. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday, with dinner service from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., and extended hours until midnight on Friday and Saturday. The kitchen closes at 10 p.m. nightly. Reservations are available through OpenTable. Barchetta joins six other restaurants and bars at the hotel: Reef 76 Kitchen + Bar, Fair Ketch, Ibis Sky Lounge, Hidden Key, Tide Coastal Kitchen, and Leeward Market. The opening brings approximately 52 jobs to the area. "Since the hotel opened last December, we have envisioned Omni Fort Lauderdale as a place that would become part of the fabric of this community," said Gayla Guyse, General Manager of Omni Fort Lauderdale. "Barchetta is an important part of that vision. It gives our local community, convention attendees and visitors a new reason to experience the waterfront and reflects the continued momentum we're seeing across Broward County."
Why It Matters
Barchetta represents a strategic expansion of the Omni Fort Lauderdale's food-and-beverage portfolio beyond the hotel's opening portfolio. For independent restaurateurs and hospitality operators in South Florida, the property's willingness to feature craft spirits from local distilleries and source specialty ingredients signals continued growth in the region's dining scene. The timing—following the hotel's December opening—establishes a phased approach to building destination appeal on the waterfront.
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Written by FBM Publications Editors
