Found a piece of California at Hyde Beach Kitchen + Cocktails

One of my favorite places to vacation is California, the food, the atmosphere, the views, and in particular the restaurants situated right on the beach.  I often wonder why we only have a handful of those here in Miami. When I came across Hyde Beach Kitchen + Cocktails in Hallandale beach I discovered a piece of Cali right here in South Florida. Situated right on the sand it's the perfect spot for food and drinks with great ocean views. The beach-side first floor offers quick eats, refreshing cocktails and fresh pressed juices. The second floor is where you'll find the main restaurant with indoor and outdoor (water view) seating, offering seasonal contemporary American cuisine by chef Danny Elmaleh. On the third floor, is a secluded lounge with jacuzzi, food offerings and craft cocktails that will be available to members only.

I've been to the main restaurant as well as the beach bar and both have been great experiences. On my first visit to the main restaurant I fell in love with its modern decor. The indoor restaurant is decorated in beautiful neutrals with modern wooden accents and the outdoor area has a beautiful oceanfront coastal vibe.

For my meal at the main restaurant, I wanted to try a couple different plates. I first chose their fish and chips. Fresh cod lightly battered and fried to perfection giving it a crunchy bite with fries that were cut thin and well seasoned. The dish came with a malt filled pipette dropper which I thought was pretty neat.

I also ordered the fried chicken and waffles. Whenever I see that on a menu, you know I gotta try it. The chicken was seasoned and fried perfectly, crunchy flavorful bite into some delicious moist chicken. The waffles were crunchy while still being light and fluffy.  This dish also came with two hot sauce filled pipette droppers.

On my second visit I got to enjoy a private cabana in their beach bar area. This area has about 5 private cabanas as well as a few very comfortable looking lounge chairs. You can order from the beach bar from either the tables around the bar or by renting a lounge chair or cabana.

For appetizers we chose the fried calamari and ceviche. Isn't there just something extra special about enjoying seafood near the beach? The calamari was fresh and not overly battered, it came with a side of red sauce and also aioli. The ceviche had corvina in leche de tigre, it tasted fresh and was full of flavor, loved that it came with tortilla chips.

At around noon they started firing up the grill so I chose to order a single cheeseburger and elote corn on the cob from their grill menu. The burger was perfectly grilled and the bun it came in had a subtle sweet hint to it that was delicious. The corn was also fantastic, it had a delicious mayo & cheese sauce with crunchy pepper flakes on top, it was so good!!!

Overall, if it wasn't because I don't live nearby, I'd probably make it out to their spot every weekend if I could. Either way I see myself visiting quite often, even contemplating a staycation once the Hyde Resort & Residences is finished.