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WILDER Nights
Rooftop
One W Las Olas Boulevard By Jennifer Becker
954-523.1956, rooftop1wlo.com
Fort Lauderdale’s first rooftop bar opened in October, and since The Rhythm & Vine
then, it’s rare on weekend nights to not see a line snaking around team create a new
the block. The Restaurant People gave the place an upscale vibe
familiar to anyone who has become a regular at YOLO or S3, cocktail lounge in an
with loungers and couches offering skyline views of the city.
There’s lush landscaping, a plush faux grass yard, and a gas unexpected spot.
firepit. The bar serves up craft cocktails like a ginger apple mule wenty and thirty-somethings rejoice. The
and a rooftop gin spritz, and light bites change regularly based Wilder, a lively new cocktail lounge by the
on seasonal ingredients, including the Broward County burrata Tsame group that brought you Rhythm +
and Buffalo chicken empanadas arrive by elevator from the first- Vine, has made its debut and is attracting the
floor kitchen. It opens at 4 every day but Sunday, when it opens hip and sophisticated Downtown crowd for girls’
at 2, and to be sure you get in, that’s exactly when to arrive. night, date night or just plain fun.
The hidden space neighboring Foxy Brown is
easy to miss behind the wall-abounded
greenery. Once welcomed in by the suave
doorman who emanates with charisma, you are
instantly transported into a stylish space that is a
mix between a bar, club and lounge all in one.
The venue features three distinct spaces including
a classic dark wood cocktail bar with skilled
mixologists; the focal point is a two-story bar and
club with a large dance floor, velvet seating
Tarpon River Brewing areas, and funky beats; and an outdoor seating
280 SW Sixth St. area with artisan tile floors, romantic greenery
954-353-3193, tarponriverbrewing.com
and lighting to further enhance the ambiance.
When Julian and Lisa Siegel of the Riverside Market announced
plans for their new brewery, it seemed unmistakably ambitious. They Choose from an assortment of crafty and playful
were to take over an 11,000-square-foot 1920s horse stable as a cocktails including We Want Prenup, Beet Me to
working brewery, and inside, they would build a Florida Cracker- the Punch, or the West Indian Handshake among
style house that would hold a tasting room. It took them less than a others, and enjoy tasty small bites like short rib
year to pull it off. The house is constructed from reclaimed wood and poutine, braised and grilled octopus; prosciutto,
full of memorabilia that makes it feel like it’s as old as the warehouse cheese and peach jam tea sandwiches; avocado
around it. Outside of the house – but actually still inside the brewery toast; hearts of palm tacos and more.
– is a lawn with games and outdoor furniture. In the back, are the With attractive people-watching, eclectic
sparkling copper tanks where partner Adam Fine, of The Native libations and an elevated level of nightlife
Brewing Company, handles the beer. And helping with it all is the atmosphere, The Wilder adds panache to
third collaborator in this operation, local dining chain The Restaurant downtown Fort Lauderdale.
People. Chef Leo Hernandez of Riverside Market created the beer-
friendly menu, and 16 rotating taps feature Fine’s creations. The Wilder
701 E. Broward Blvd., 954-744-6398, intothewilder.com

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