Ivy’s, a new restaurant planned for 500 East Las Olas Boulevard beside the historic Stranahan House, is targeting an opening in the first quarter of 2027. Family-owned We Care Hospitality plans a coastal American menu featuring Florida seafood, a raw bar, handmade pastas and grilled meats, with Executive Chef Dan Siegelman leading the kitchen.
The planned address puts Ivy’s beside the historic Stranahan House and on the New River waterfront. The location and project details were reported by WhatNow. Ivy’s is a project of We Care Hospitality, the family-owned group behind Hollywood waterfront restaurants GG's Waterfront, Tiki Tiki and Le Tub. Managing partner Alex Serafini runs the company with his parents, Dan and Lise-Anne Serafini, Fort Lauderdale residents who have been in the local restaurant business for nearly 40 years, according to We Care Hospitality.
The restaurant’s name honors Ivy Stranahan, whose civic work helped shape Fort Lauderdale. We Care Hospitality has described the concept as rooted in local identity, community and welcoming service, rather than as a concept that could be transplanted unchanged to another city.
The Site’s History and the Downtown Restaurant Boom
The planned restaurant is beside Stranahan House, with outdoor dining and a bar planned to overlook the New River. The Stranahan House Museum says Ivy Stranahan served on Fort Lauderdale’s planning and zoning committee and founded local chapters of the Red Cross, Campfire Girls and Friends of the Seminoles.
The Downtown Fort Lauderdale Development Authority’s 2025 annual report lists 50 new restaurants since 2022, placing Ivy’s in a wider period of downtown restaurant growth. Separately, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants announced in April 2024 that Ocean Prime, a seafood-and-steak restaurant at Las Olas Marina, was slated to debut in spring 2025—a distinct waterfront project from Ivy’s planned site beside Stranahan House, according to Cameron Mitchell Restaurants.
A Seafood Menu With a Tabletop Grill
Siegelman has worked at restaurants associated with chefs Michael Chiarello and Geoffrey Zakarian, as well as Miami restaurants Le Zoo and Upland. WhatNow reports that Ivy’s menu is planned around coastal American cooking, fresh Florida seafood, seasonal ingredients and locally sourced products, with a raw bar, handmade pastas and grilled meats.
WhatNow also reports plans for a tabletop dining feature called Around the Campfire. Guests would cook skewers of chicken, steak, shrimp and eggplant on a small charcoal grill, with lettuce cups, herbs and sauces served alongside.
The reported beverage plans include craft cocktails made with seasonal juices and house-made syrups, including drinks featuring Florida spirits, alongside a wine list focused on family-owned producers.
Design Pays Homage to the New River
The announced design by Urban Robot pairs wood finishes, vintage-inspired furnishings and tropical details. Plans call for outdoor dining and a bar overlooking the New River, with a more intimate dining area indoors.
We Care Hospitality says it plans to pursue local partnerships and community initiatives after Ivy’s opens. The project would be the company’s first new concept built from the ground up, rather than an established restaurant takeover. The group says it expects to share more details closer to launch at ivysfortlauderdale.com and on Instagram at @ivysfortlauderdale.
Part of a Bigger Las Olas Wave
Ivy's arrival fits into a much larger building boom along the corridor. Las Olas Boulevard was expected to welcome 11 new restaurants in fall 2026 and beyond, according to the Sun-Sentinel, with many operators timing their debuts to the return of South Florida's snowbird and tourist seasons.
Fall 2026 has brought what the Miami New Times calls Fort Lauderdale's biggest restaurant boom in years, with openings including Caviar Club, Sweetwaters, Naia and Amal. The paper reports activity around Southeast Ninth Avenue and Las Olas Boulevard, as well as elsewhere downtown. Sweetwaters, a nearly 300-seat waterfront restaurant from the family-owned hospitality group behind Miami's Rusty Pelican, welcomed its first diners on October 12 at 58 East Las Olas Boulevard inside the reworked Huizenga Park. Amal Las Olas, a Lebanese restaurant from Toronto- and Miami-based INK Entertainment Group, was slated to open this fall at 500 East Las Olas Boulevard—the same address announced for Ivy’s. The cited coverage does not clarify how the two plans relate. With Ivy’s targeting the first quarter of 2027, it is among the later arrivals in the corridor’s restaurant expansion.
