The sun drops behind the palms. Patio lights start to glow. Somewhere behind the bar, a shaker rattles out a fresh drink, and the smell of garlic butter drifts out the kitchen door. That’s a Wednesday night at 101 Ocean.
We’re the dinner restaurant in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL, that locals actually mean when they say “let’s just go to 101.” Two minutes from the sand on Commercial Blvd, with an open-air bar buzzing and a kitchen sending out everything from a beer-battered fish fry to filet mignon in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL.
Walk in barefoot from the beach, or dress up for the best table you’ve booked all month. Either way, you’re in the right place.
Fine Dining in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL: What’s On The Grill Tonight
Start simple, or go big. The dinner menu handles both.
Our three plates do the talking. First up is the Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass, the order most people make when they’re after real Chilean sea bass in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL. It’s teriyaki-glazed over vegetable-studded udon noodles tossed in a Thai peanut sauce and finished with sweet strings on top. Sweet, salty, a little nutty, gone in a few bites.
For filet mignon in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL, order the 8 oz Filet. Au poivre sauce, lemon scalloped potatoes, and asparagus round out the plate. Peppery crust on the outside, pink and tender in the middle.
Then there’s the Crab-Stuffed Salmon, the answer if you’re hunting down crab-stuffed salmon in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL. Fresh salmon is packed with crab and finished in a cognac lobster cream sauce, plated with wild rice pilaf and asparagus. Some tables order it twice before the check even comes.
Beyond those three, the menu keeps going.
Oceans Diver Scallops arrive with scallion mashed potatoes, spinach, cherry tomatoes, and a lemon piccata sauce.
Mediterranean Branzino is herb-crusted and grilled, served alongside sautéed spinach pasta, roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic, and olive oil.
Plantain-Crusted Grouper gets a tropical lime sauce with scallion mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts.
Ahi Sesame Tuna is served with sweet & sour cucumbers, wakame, pickled ginger, wasabi aioli, and ponzu sauce.
Prefer red meat? Skirt Steak Special comes with a Madeira mushroom wine sauce and roasted potatoes, and Grilled 12 oz Pork Chop finishes with a mushroom marsala sauce. Enjoy blackened mahi mahi, crispy duck glazed with orange ginger, or chicken cordon bleu with ham and fontina.
The range runs wide, and every plate leaves the kitchen hot.
Raw Bar and the Seafood Tower
Before the entrées even show up, the raw bar makes its own case. Blue Point Oysters, briny and cold. Topneck Clams, just as fresh. Peel & Eat Shrimp, steamed simple in Old Bay, lemon, and black peppercorn. You do the work, and it’s worth it.
For the full spread, order the 101 Ocean Seafood Tower Feast. Low Tide gives you one tier of chilled, fresh seafood. High Tide stacks two: lobster tail, P.E.I. mussels, peel-and-eat shrimp, middleneck clams, and Blue Point oysters, plus a bonus item straight from the chef’s kitchen. It lands on the table packed in ice, and for a minute, nobody talks. Everyone’s just picking.
The Vibe
101 Ocean sits in the middle of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea’s beach block, boutique shops on one side and the Atlantic on the other. The dining room is roomy, the bar spills out onto an open-air patio, and live music plays Wednesday through Sunday while you eat. Show up for sunset and let the sky turn orange over the rooftops while your drink sweats on the table and the crowd outside drifts by on their way to the water.
More Than Just Dinner
Dinner is the main event, but the kitchen keeps going past that. Save room to start with something off the appetizer list. The Spinach Gouda Dip, the P.E.I. Mussel Bowl, and the Sizzling Jumping Shrimp all land before the entrées and set the tone for the table.
There’s also a full raw bar, a build-your-own pizza counter, pastas like Lobster Mac & Cheese and Rigatoni alla Vodka,
and sandwiches that stretch from a Philly cheesesteak to a fresh lobster roll. Weekend mornings bring breakfast and brunch starting at 8 am, Friday through Sunday. Happy hour runs daily, 4 to 7 pm, and gets called the best in town for good reason.
The Dinner Restaurant in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL, Locals Trust
101 Ocean holds a 4.3-star rating on Google across more than 2,000 reviews and picked up a Top 3 BusinessRate award for 2025. The team brings more than 40 years of combined restaurant experience to the floor. That kind of experience shows up fast, in how quickly your drink gets refilled, not only in what lands on the plate.
Ask regulars why they keep coming back, and two answers dominate: the crab-stuffed salmon in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL, and the Chilean sea bass in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL, right alongside it.
Book Your Table
Dinner runs Monday through Thursday, 11:30 am to midnight, and Friday through Sunday, 8 am to midnight. Call (954) 776-8101 to reserve. We just ask that your whole party shows up together. If someone’s running late, give us a call, and we’ll hold the table for 15 minutes before seating another party.
Whether it’s a quiet Tuesday or a packed Saturday, 101 Ocean is the dinner restaurant in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL, ready when you are.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Seafood, mostly, though the town isn’t one-note. Caribbean cafes, wood-fired Italian, and casual American spots sit alongside the seafood houses. 101 Ocean reflects that mix too: a dinner restaurant in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL, built around seafood and steaks, with pizza, pasta, and sandwiches besides.
This town has plenty of strong options, and 101 Ocean shows up on that list often: 4.3 stars on Google (2,000+ reviews) and a Top 3 BusinessRate award for 2025. A solid dinner restaurant in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL, to start with.
Most regulars order three things: the Chilean sea bass in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL, the 8 oz Filet for anyone craving filet mignon in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL, or the Crab-Stuffed Salmon, still the top pick for crab-stuffed salmon in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL. Can’t agree with the table? Order the Seafood Tower Feast and let everyone pick from it.
Both, honestly. We’re as much fine dining in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL, as we are flip-flops and a cold beer. Order the filet with a glass of wine, or grab a burger at the bar. The room handles both crowds without missing a beat.
Yes. Live music plays Wednesday through Sunday, right through dinner service, and with the bar and patio open-air, the music and the ocean breeze reach the table together.
