OPENINGS

EAT+DRINK

BOLD FLAVORS, COOL COCKTAILS, AND LOCAL FAVORITES

Clockwise from inset: beef tenderloin tacos and signature margaritas; Rio’s Tequila Bar; smoked salmon tostada.

OPENINGS

Twenty-seven years strong, Canyon refuses to rest on its laurels. Under new ownership—Mike Laurel of Yot Bar & Kitchen and Jet Runway Café fame acquired the Fort Lauderdale mainstay in 2022—Canyon has nearly doubled its dining room footprint, added a tequila speakeasy, and thoughtfully reinvented its menu, commingling fresh, eclectic options with fan favorites.

Thankfully, the very items that garnered Canyon legendary status (prickly pear margaritas, smoked salmon tostadas, and berry-laced

chocolate bread pudding slabs among them) aren’t going anywhere. REMIXED AND In addition, patrons can look forward to more seasonal Southwestern dishes with global influences. The cornmeal-crusted poblano REMASTERED pepper, barbecue-spiced “corn ribs,” and pan-roasted sea bass with sweet and spicy black beans are three standouts. Expanding into the neighboring space, a bigger and better Canyon now accommodates twice that of years prior. Meanwhile Rio’s, a chic, clandestine bar, makes for an idyllic pre-dinner affair with a unique, tequila-heavy cocktail list and tapas-style bites. In total, it’s a new chapter centered around escaping the ordinary at the very Fort Lauderdale restaurant that wrote the book on innovative Southwestern fusion fare. (canyonfl.com) –Paul Rubio