Great place and cheap!!
Spinach dip was delicious. Not too cheesy.
Mussels scampi was cooked perfectly but the sauce was weird... too thick.
Daddy got the fish sandwich and it was amazing. Huge piece of fish!
BF got the fish and chips and it was great.
The ambiance is fun and the service was on point.
A classic restaurant and definitely worth a visit!
My boyfriend and I visited the downtowner on occasion for about a year now and last year the food was better than average. Pretty recently (maybe around December) the food had improved significantly. We brought a bunch of friends for new years eve dinner and it was amazing! We both enjoyed the changes on the menu and the new additions were fabulous. Last weekend we re-visited for dinner and were disappointed. The sea food cioppino we had come to love was now bland and unimpressive. The one thing that was good was the lobster bisque. Disappointed in the recent visit.
Review Source:I've gone here a lot over the years and it has always been one of my favorite hangs, particularly on Sundays. The food is good, often having great specials, the service isn't bad, it has a nice long bar, good entertainment, pleasant indoor seating, great outdoor seating, and it has a wonderful location along the New River to watch the boats passing by. There isn't anything that I could in particular recommend, but I do recommend it as being an overall great, very pleasant place to experience, have a drink as well as some decent food.
Review Source:Nice location  in a historic building which is rare for fort Lauderdale.
The food is like many local  by the sea restaurants nothing that I think I would go back for The beer selection is bigger than most They usually have live music.
I wish the place had more adventurous food  to attract repeat customers
a great place to go in downtown ft lauderdale.. its on the water so you get to see all the awesome yachts go by.. also the food is AWESOME!! ive never had a bad meal or appetizer here.. also the staff is so friendly they make me feel more like a friend than just a customer... the tuesday trivia party night is soo much fun!! i love trivia and this one is great! also a great place to see live music! also the maxwell room is GREAT for functions or parties! and this whole place has gotten a facelift and looks amazing! love it!
Review Source:Love this place for many reasons.
1. My first foray was many years ago, I went with Mom, and this place will forever remind me of her.
2. It is on the water. In Downtown Ft. Lauderdale. SCORE!
3. Being here, and eating or drinking, truly transports me to somewhere else, and I like that. It is like a mini-staycation.
4. Clearly I like to enumerate. :-)
5. The food and drink and atmosphere is consistent, and don't we all strive for consistency in some aspects of our lives?
6. The adjacent courtyard is very New Orleans-esque.
7. Their food is good and the price and there are always fun loving people here.
Check it out. Tell them Cabeza sent ya!
Let's be honest, the only reason to come to this place is because of it's location. Â
There are tons of places where you can get bar food and mediocre service BUT only a few spots on Riverfront with such a lovely view. Â
My favorite time to come here is for the Sunday brunch buffet. Â The food is good although nothing special. Â The price is right at $13 or $14 for unlimited buffet plus $3 Bloody Marys & Mimosas. Â Sit right on the water and enjoy the scenery.
When I lived in that neighborhood till 04, I was a regular and always loved the food, drinks & atmosphere. Â The previous owner JB & his staff were great. Â
Back in Lauderdale for biz and stopped in for dinner & drinks with an old pal. Â
I had some NE chowder and while it was good, Southports is better. Â The smoked fish dip was great, my Cuban sand was a little different. Â As the pork on the Cuban tasted like BBQ pulled pork, good but not what I am used to on a Cuban. Â Fry's with the Cuban were excellent. Â My buddy had the buffalo chix sand and loved it.
The vibe of the Downtowner has changed with the new ownership but still a great place for some local color with a yacht parade out front and decent food & drinks.
3 1/2 stars. Great spot for a late casual dinner.Definitely sit outside to enjoy the Fort Lauderdale. ambiance. Â At the suggestion of our friends I ordered the fish tacos. They were fantastic. Loaded with fish. They were out of rice so I substituted for a salad. Tacos so filling I could not eat my side salad. Other good reviews for blackened fish, steamed clams and shrimp. My buddy's clam dish looked a bit skimpy and LOADED with garlic. Look forward to returning on aSunday for brunch/lunch.
Review Source:Shockingly good food for a bar. Â
Conveniently located to our apt, we frequent here a lot. Â The good is surprising for a bar and their specials are awesome. Â Our favs are the ahi tuna wontons and quesadillas. Â
Saturday they have a make your own Bloody Mary bar and Sunday's serve brunch. Â
Just make sure to sit outside. Â It's a bit dark and dive bar-ish inside. Â A waterside table watching the boats is necessary!
we go here alot. its a great place to bring out of towners to see downtown ft lauderdale, the river, the boats, ride the water taxi..see wierd people. the crowd is older and i think they're busy on fridays the most. many friday patrons are coming for happy hour after work. the decorations at christmas are really nice and theres lights to see on the intercoastal if you take a water taxi ride after dinner. Â the downtowner has pretty good food..always good is the dolphin sandwich. the only thing i don't like is that you are very close to the broward country jail and that brings questionable people to the area. Â i have to say though..always interesting to watch people here. eat outside if you can.
Review Source:Me so happy for happy hour! Â
Tonight's happy hour special was 1.99 for rum & vodka drinks.
We went with another couple to catch up on life's up and downs at the bar. There were three rounds of drinks, and, and for $1.99/drink, yes they are watered down. I was downing cranberry & vodka, while the mister's enjoyed his rum and coke.
What's great about the Downtowner is that there is a different drink special for each day of the week. Some notables ones are on Wednesday, for 4-8pm, it's 1/2 price drinks and 2 for 1 appetizers and and Saturdays, 1/2 off all wines by the bottle. If that doesn't turn me into an alcoholic, I don't know what will. Also, it has dinner specials for each day of the week. Can't comment on the food. However, the couple loves the raw bar's specials for clams and oysters at 69 cents each. I don't know if I will ever eat clams/oysters at 69 cents, but if I do, I may need to become an alcoholic to do so.
I would come back for the happy hour cheapie specials. I saw the Jungle Queen steamboat pass by. Nice!
Food was not impressive. Â And it should be easy, just bar food, nothing special.
Service was not good. Â Not very attentive.
But none of that compares with . . . THE FLIES!
We sat outside, y'know, to watch the river and such, the people, what have you. Â Flies, everywhere.
So we moved tables. Â More flies.
Finally, we went inside, and, wouldn't you know it . . . wait for it . . .
FLIES!
No thank you.
Good place, been here twice now. Once during a chill midweek night, listening to a really good two person blues band. Forgot the name, but they were good. We enjoyed drinks, finger food and good mix of people. Also did a Sunday Brunch with a bunch of friends and we had a good half a day there enjoying good food, and lots of mimosas. lol
Review Source:This place is a joke. Â Food is mediocre, at best. Â Service is really, really bad.
The city hosts an outdoors music event the first Sunday of every month. Â The riverfront area, where this pathetic excuse of a restaurant is located, gets jammed with throngs of people. Â Any competent manager would know that the first Sunday of the month is going to be a very busy day. Â Such manager would arrange for waiting and cooking staff levels commensurate with the demand for service on a busy day.
Not here folks. Â On that very busy Sunday, this place seems to be on a skeleton crew. Â Over 20 minutes for the waitress to arrive to the table for the first time -- till then, no water, no menus, nothing. Â Then another 25 minutes for the first dish to arrive. Â And another 40 for the next dish. Â Factor in, an extra 20 minutes for your credit card's round trip between your table and the point-of-sale (which, amazingly, is located 15 feet away). Â
What's really bad about this place is not the mediocre food but the incompetency in managing such a predictable busy day. Â To me it sends a clear message: management doesn't really give a hoot for our business. Â And in return they'll receive less than a hoot of our business.
I spent the day in Ft. Lauderdale for work recently, and one of my colleagues led us here for lunch, as it was walking distance of where we were.
Across the street from the water, with plenty of outdoor and indoor seating, this place isn't your typical bar and grill. Â The menu was full of tasty choices, and they had plenty of daily specials to satiate those mid-day cravings.
Knowing we had a long afternoon ahead, my lunch companions and I opted for a little lighter fare, with 2 of us going for 2 variations on the ahi tuna salad, one opting for a grilled chicken sandwich, and the other for the chicken entree. Â The lemony-creamy dressing served with my salad was out-of-this-world, lick-the-bowl delicious.
The portions were just-right, the prices were reasonable, and the service was good. Â And we made it out of there with plenty of time to spare before we had to get back to the grind. Â What more can you ask for from a weekday lunch spot.
If I worked in the area regularly, or lived around there, I'd definitely check it out for happy hour, or to catch any game I wanted on their massive flat-screens. Â Next time I find myself in downtown Ft. Lauderdale with hunger pangs, Downtowner Saloon, here I come!
This place is exactly as advertised, Saloon & Steakhouse. They do both very well. Fast , friendly service and good chow. I was there on a Thursday evening and had the special, surf and turf for 14.99, I couldn't even finish it. 10 oz sirloin, 10 shrimp, huge serving of mashed & veggies. Oh and beers are 5-4-5.
Review Source:You can't argue with a place that provides the history of Fort Lauderdale on their walls (ala Elbo Room). No, this isn't a fancy-shmancy place, but you can get plenty of that just over the bridge on Las Olas. That's exactly why I prefer a long-standing local favorite over somewhere with drunken anorexic girls posing sexily for their next Facebook profile pic while dancing to 80's music - even though they were born in 1987.
Okay, before I turn into too much of a hater, I just like the fact that there's a laid-back place like The Downtowner for people of all ages. I usually come here for brunch. Here's my advice, now pay attention because it's darn good advice: sit at the bar for brunch!! The bartender is hilarious and keeps the mimosas coming. You are just steps away from the brunch buffet, which has all the traditional items you'd expect like sausage, potatoes, eggs etc. I like the fresh omelet bar (don't forget a dollar or two to tip the omelet chef). Even better, you can order fresh eggs benedict (included in the price of the buffet), served to order....because really, what's worse than eggs benny that die a slow, painful death in a buffet spread?
It's pretty affordable, and you get the sense that you're a part of Fort Lauderdale's history by dining here.
I live and work nearby the Downtowner. Â It is and has been a locals only place forever. Â The menu at DT is alright with some things that are better than others. Â The fare is on the "pubby" side. Â They make great burgers and have some pretty good salads as well. Â I wouldn't say that they are really known for any of their dishes. Â The main reason I like this place is their support of live music. Â They have great local and sometimes national talent on Thursdays and Saturdays. Â It is located right on the New River so it has a nice view and you can get to it from the Water Taxi or park in their free lot (which is hard to find downtown).
Almost forgot to mention...they have a great Sunday brunch including a build your own Bloody Mary station.
Massive improvement in the food, service and attitude in last 6 months since management changed. Plus they now welcome dogs which has brought a whole new fun crowd. Â Daily dinner specials and happy hour / game drink specials too. Â A nice place to hang out by the river. Â Bathrooms are less scary but still marginal.
Review Source:Decent sandwich and drinks spot near the Riverwalk. Â Good prices.
I have only had their lunch menu, which was priced extremely well compared to other places in Fort Lauderdale. Â The bacon cheeseburger is highly recommended: 1/2 lb., juicy, and packed with flavor. Â Decent wraps, as well. Â The fries are mediocre.
The Downtowner has very good drink specials, especially at happy hour, but the surrounding neighborhood is "in flux" at the moment with a lot of vacant shopfronts and not a whole lot of activity. Â This restaurant is a safe bet, if you find yourself in the Riverwalk area.
Amazing Fries! super crispy. :)
Update:
For the food I'm a fan..but I'm going to have to lower my review based on last night. The downtowner advertises heavily on their doors and inside that they show all of the NFL games. Well last night was the NFL opener on a Thursday night, and true to their word the downtowner had the game on almost every TV, but at the end of the 1st quarter they had their regular Thursday night entertainer start performing and SHUT OFF the volume. C'mon...dont  advertise to have the games and then not come through. We ended up leaving after the 1st quarter to go to another bar.
Place is great for groups. Â Sitting outside is always a treat; nice view of downtown and the river (especially at night). Â Good menu and prices. Â They do have specials on appetizers and what not depending on the time and day (paper placements shall give you all the info) and also a happy hour. Â Live music indoors (almost every night if I'm not mistaken. Â Usually pretty loud inside. Â Though you have some interesting buildings around the place (such as the Broward County Jail...), it's safe, guy in a golf cart usually at the entrance/exit of the parking lot keeping an eye on things. Â Service is a little on the slow side. Â Worth visiting, I think!
Review Source:We actually had the driver of the water taxi tell us that this was where all the locals ate. So we had to try it. We were there on a Monday and steak on the specials boards. So we ordered the flat iron and the sirlion. Both were very good, served with fried onions on top, some french fries and broccoli. Good deal for only $12.99. The location is great, at the river walk with great people watching at no extra price!
Review Source:Decided to take a ride downtown on the Water Taxi since I've lived here almost a year and a half and have never been on the Intracoastal. Â Decided to eat some appetizers and have some wine at the Downtowner after we got off, as it's one of the taxi stops. Â The service was amateurish and the food tasted all right but was very slow coming out and horribly presented. Â Still, we were relaxed enough to laugh it off, shake our heads, and enjoy our bottle of wine anyway.
We decided to sit outside along the waterfront, and first ordered that bottle of wine. Â It took quite some time for it to come out. Â Finally, the waiter notified us that they were still looking for the bottle of wine in the back. Â When the bottle did come out, he asked us if we wanted to sniff the cork. Â We said nah, we didn't need anything fancy. Â He explained that he used to work at a wine bar and was just making sure.
If he really did used to work at a wine bar, he would have poured a little for the man at the table to taste the wine and then pour my glass first. Â But instead, he just poured my boyfriend a whole glass of wine, and then poured me one. Â Big no-no!
They were out of the oysters, so we got raw clams and the blackened grouper fingers with cucumber sauce to snack on. Â You can't really mess up raw clams, but the grouper fingers had no presentation whatsover; they looked as if they were literally *thrown* or dropped some distance from the pan to the plate. Â There were smudges and smears of blackening seasoning on the white plate, showing how the fingers must have bounced afterward. Â It totally reminded me of how you order a cheeseburger off the McDonald's menu and when you open up the wrapper, it's this smushed, ugly thing. Â They also had forgotten the cucumber sauce, as there was nothing else on the plate. Â When the waiter went to get some, it was just like a cucumber-yogurt tzatziki sauce, and it tasted fine but the texture was off -- it was somewhat curdled.
These two dishes (one not requiring any cooking) took a long time to come out. Â When the waiter came a couple times to apologize for the wait, we said it was all right, that we were just laying back and enjoying the wine. Â But then he added, "It's okay, you can be angry with the cooks, because I don't get along with them either." Â What? Â "Yeah, we hate each other." Â UHM. Â You never admit this to your customers! Â But it did make sense that it was why everything he put in took so long, and why the food was so sloppy.
Went inside to use the restroom and noticed that the historic brick building was pretty neat inside. Â It was warm and bustling, and there was a closed-off area in the back with lots of brick walls/columns and white draperies. Â Looked neat; it must be for late-night events.
I was in a good mood when I dined here, so I give this place 2 stars. Â However, if it had been anyone else, especially retirees, they would have probably given it just 1.
The Downtowner is a great lil hideaway nestled somewhat under the bridge and along the nuriver. Â it is also around the corner from the jail and courthouse as well! --- definite selling factor~! Â I've been lucky enough to have lunch at this restaurant a few times in my life and each time has been consistently good! Â If you're looking for a casual place to eat outside along the water but not a 'scene and be scene' scenario, you are going to be very pleased with your experience at the Downtowner. Â The food, service and unpretentiousness of the establishment will keep me coming back for more!
Review Source:
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