Pelican Landing — Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale

Came to Pelican Landing on a friend's recommendation for a good lunch spot near the water in Ft. Lauderdale and I WAS NOT dissapointed! For what it is (a waterfront restaurant), it gets 5/5 stars

First tip: when you look this place up on Google Maps, it looks like it's in the middle of the water...don't let that deter you, this place is worth the short trek. It's accessible via the piers right near the Pier 66 hotel so I would go to the Pier 66 Hotel and then signs will direct you where to go.

We arrive on a Saturday around 12:30 to ample seating availability. We sat right on the water to a beautiful view of the Stranahan River and the Lauderdale Harbors. Definitely try and sit on the water.

VIBES: Waterfront vibes. You can't help but feel relaxed while sitting here.

FOOD: My friend recommended I get the fish tacos, as did the waitress, so I didn't have much choice in the matter...the fish tacos were getting ordered. It's not too big of a menu (which I like) but they have a variety of surf options (given that we are in South Florida) and some turf options.

The fish tacos came with 2 to the order and with large pieces of fish, topped with cabbage slaw and pickled vegetables. The side sauce was fire as well so top it with that. You have the option of fries, sweet potato fries, and a side salad and given my gluttonous eating the week before I came here, I opted for the side salad not expecting much (maybe some romaine lettuce with some tomatoes). However, I was pleasantly surprised! The salad came with a base of mixed greens, spiced cashews, mangos, and shredded coconut with a mango vinaigrette. WOW! I know it may be an unpopular opinion to order the side salad, hey I rarely order salads when I'm out because I eat them so much at home, but do it! All this filled me up and I have a pretty big appetite.

Next time I am in Fort Lauderdale, I will definitely be coming back to the...

Dining With a Fantastic View of the Intra-Coastal Waterway and Mega Yachts.

This was my first visit however my husband says he recalls visiting years ago (he thinks). Located right on the same property as Pier 66 and across the Intra-Coastal Waterway [ICW] from 15th Street Fisheries. It is a walk along the docks, just keep heading towards the ICW to find the restaurant which is actually located on the second floor of this small building.

There is a little confusion when you arrive as there are no clear signs that indicate whether one should wait to be seated or just seat oneself. And from reading a couple of the reviews, I think they may benefit from a hostess as this is everyone's first impression.

Second impression is the phenomenal view which I bet is beautiful at sunset since they have a western exposure.

We started with Conch Fritters which were great. If you are not a local and want to try a traditional Floridian app, then I recommend these. I forgot to get a photo.

I had the burger and my husband ordered a steak. We love seafood so it seemed odd to us that neither of us really ordered any today, considering we were eating on the water. I have submitted photos of both dishes. The salads that accompanied our meals were phenomenal.

I dinged the place one star because of the service which was not necessarily bad. For example, I was very thirsty today and apparently the cups are not very big so I kept drinking mine to empty. But rather than notice my cup was empty and automatically refill my cup, my husband had to find the water each time. I was very thirsty while I was waiting. And each time the server came, he would drop off without picking up the empties. In other words, he kept bringing cups of water, never taking the empties. I actually apologized for being so thirsty since it required extra work for him.

Overall it was a good dining experience. ...

This place was always a favorite until I went with a friend today in a wheelchair to find out that there is NO WHEELCHAIR access ! Instead, there are approximately 35 steps to get up to the restaurant What a shame and they should really figure something out to accommodate handicapped patrons, especially in Ft Lauderdale.

Addendum: Ben as the manager, I appreciate your response (see below), thank you. However, the reality is, that getting to the actual restaurant upstairs, which is why one goes to Pelican Landing, is not possible if you are handicapped. Sitting at a lone table outside, on the cement pier that the restaurant is built on, not even remotely connected to the restaurant, plus on this day, staring at a bunch of yacht crew cleaning the side of their boat, is not my idea of fun. In fact, (as there often are), if there were huge yachts docked their, you would be able to see exactly nothing ! So, imo, for you to say you offer an alternative is a joke. You should at least be forced to make mention of the fact that you are not a handicap accessible establishment in all your marketing materials. Then at least I would not have driven all the way there, unloaded my friend out of the car into a wheelchair, pushed him from the parking lot, all the way to the restaurant (and it’s quite a ways as I’m sure you are aware) only to find out we could not get inside to eat once we arrived, for which I was very embarrassed. Not to mention also just very disappointed this happened , because as I mentioned previously, this was a favorite place until this incident. Lesson learned, never assume handicap access...