Ask me about the ZIP code 33480, and I’ll have plenty to say.
It’s Palm Beach, a place I know well. I grew up in South Florida, and even now, I spend a good amount of time here, watching how the island continues to evolve. It also happens to overlap with my job: as a Wall Street reporter, many of the firms we cover — from Goldman Sachs to Citadel — have built out significant “Wall Street South” operations in and around Palm Beach County over the past few years.
This winter, locals tell me the island feels especially busy — noticeably earlier than usual. Restaurants are filling up weeks ahead of the holidays, reservations are disappearing quickly, and the finance crowd is playing a noticeable role, restaurant insiders say.
“We’ve never seen the island this full this early in the season,” Alex Melillo, a partner at Mary Lou’s, one of West Palm’s newest and hottest nightlife venues, told me.
To get a broader sense of where people are actually going, I asked around. In addition to speaking with restaurant operators and longtime denizens of “the Island,” I checked in with some local contacts in finance: a money manager who works for a large bank and a trusted friend who works in private asset management.
In my conversations, the same names kept coming up — places where Wall Streeters, finance professionals, and winter visitors congregate when they’re here.
Buccan
I recently had a meal at Buccan and wasn’t disappointed. Unlike many popular Palm Beach hot spots that lean old-world, the space feels particularly modern, matching the restaurant’s more cosmopolitan approach to dining.
The menu is built around avant-garde plates meant for sharing, with dishes that change seasonally but often include standouts like hamachi tiradito, inventive crudos, and rich pastas.
When I went with a friend, we split the sweet corn agnolotti — and it’s an absolute must. The room draws a lively mix of locals and visiting professionals, and it’s the kind of place where dinners tend to stretch. Next door is Imoto, Buccan’s sister restaurant, a sleek sushi spot if you’re craving Japanese.
Cucina
Cucina is often the first stop when my friends and I are looking for a fun night out.
It’s Palm Beach’s playground, an island favorite for seeing and being seen — and a place that tends to extend a simple dinner into a much longer affair when the music comes on. Specialized lights illuminate the ceiling in keeping with the DJ’s beat. Tables feel like prime real estate, and the room gets even more packed as the evening goes on.
On busy nights, it’s clear this is where a large cross-section of Palm Beach society — including professionals from out of town — has descended. The door can be selective, but once you’re inside, the expectation is that you’ll stay awhile and dance. I recommend stopping by Lola 41 around the corner for a drink first.
Estiatorio Milos
Estiatorio Milos opened earlier this year on the West Palm Beach waterfront, bringing one of the most respected names in Mediterranean seafood to South Florida. The restaurant has the same bright, luminous aesthetic found at other Milos locations — including Hudson Yards — with fresh fish displayed on ice and a glowing bar that makes an ideal backdrop for conversation on a buzzy night.
Aside from Avra in Sunny Isles, this may be the best Greek restaurant in South Florida right now. A must-order for the table is the Milos chips — paper-thin zucchini and eggplant, lightly fried and genuinely impossible to resist — alongside simply prepared whole fish grilled with lemon and olive oil.
La Goulue
If you’re craving a taste of Manhattan — or Paris — in Palm Beach, La Goulue has become one of the island’s most popular destinations. The South Florida offshoot of the classic Upper East Side French restaurant serves familiar staples like cheese soufflé, lobster bisque, and rich French onion soup, drawing a steady mix of locals and winter visitors.
It’s rarely quiet. “I was passing by La Goulue the other day, and there wasn’t an empty seat,” said Daphne Nikolopoulos, editor in chief of Palm Beach Illustrated, a popular glossy title in the area. The restaurant has become a dependable choice for everything from long family dinners to client meals — the kind of place finance and business guests return to repeatedly once they’re settled in town for the season.
Le Bilboquet
An Upper East Side mainstay that opened in Palm Beach in 2021, Le Bilboquet has become a dependable stop for winter visitors looking for a taste of home. The French bistro serves its signature dishes — including cajun chicken, tuna tartare, and Dover sole — in a setting that works just as well for long lunches as for leisurely dinners.
The restaurant has been especially busy this season. “We’re certainly seeing a strong presence from the finance and business community this winter,” a spokesperson for the restaurant told me. They said they’ve also seen an increase in group meals and celebrations, “including more corporate and business dinners, often with groups of eight to 10 guests,” tied to end-of-year and holiday gatherings.
Mary Lou’s
If you’re interested in a memorable night out, Mary Lou’s, which opened this year to much fanfare, is arguably the area’s hottest ticket. Inside, you’ll find a space that’s dark and sultry, anchored by a dramatic chandelier over the bar and a massive disco ball overhead. Visiting celebrities often pass through, tucked into the discrete banquettes along the wall.
Melillo, one of Mary Lou’s three partners, said the season has ramped up earlier than usual, driven in large part by visiting finance and corporate guests who are spending longer stretches in Palm Beach and going out more frequently. For Wall Streeters and the local professional crowd, the environment feels inviting but still upscale. Expect to see well-dressed partiers in sport jackets and toasting with free-flowing libations.
Joe Cervasio, the partner who oversees programming, said the venue has leaned into booking touring DJs and festival-level talent as demand has grown.
“I cannot hold enough champagne — it’s literally falling through our fingertips,” Melillo said.
Reservations are strongly recommended.
The Polo Room
One of the most talked-about openings on Palm Beach Island this season is The Polo Room, the new restaurant led by internationally known polo player Nacho Figueras. The menu is inspired by the legendary polo star’s Argentinian roots.
Not to be mistaken for an offshoot of a separate restaurant — Ralph Lauren’s Polo Bar on 55th Street in Midtown — the space opened in early December and has quickly drawn attention from locals and winter visitors. It features an equestrian aesthetic throughout.
“Without question, The Polo Room is fantastic,” said Nikolopoulos, who was one of the new restaurant’s first customers. “Figueras doesn’t do anything halfway — he’s meticulous and very professional with all his endeavors.”
She said the food stood out, pointing to the empanadas and steaks in particular, and noted that Figueras has incorporated family recipes into the menu — like his mom’s signature chocolate mousse for dessert.
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