Restaurants
Charm City Burger Company Serves Up A Feast!
Deerfield’s Favorite Local Burger Spot Has the Incredible Burgers, Wings and Shakes to Make Your Night Out on the Town a Smashing Success – Review and Photos of the Charm City Burger Company in Deerfield Beach, Florida
This past week, we were able to stop by the crowd-favorite Deerfield eatery hot-spot Charm City Burger Company and check out what the locals were all raving about! We were greeted by Co-Owners Evan and Michael, who took the time out of their busy schedule to welcome us into their restaurant. The wonderful hosts were gracious enough to chat with us about the upcoming new restaurant Charm City Sandwich Co., their personal favorite dishes and more! We were also lucky enough to be able to sample a few bits of the delectable deliciousness that Charm City has available to offer, and boy were we impressed!
We got to try two of Charm City’s signature burgers, the “Cowboy” and the “Southern Belle“. The “Cowboy” combines a delicious burger patty made of their proprietary blend of beef, smokey thick cut bacon, grilled onions and mushrooms, and cheddar cheese along with all the usual burger accouterments like lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles. The “Southern Belle” was my personal favorite, pairing their signature delicious burger patty with crispy onions, bacon coleslaw, BBQ sauce and muenster cheese to create a mouth-watering burger inspired by the classic southern BBQ pulled pork sandwich. Each of the burgers could also be upgraded to an all-natural grass fed or American Wagyu meat patty, and there’s all sorts of other optional toppings with which you could create your ultimate custom burger experience. The restaurant offers an incredible variety of additional quirky burgers, including the spicy “Volcano“, the enormous “Big Sloppy” (which is big enough to feed an entire family), and even turkey and veggie burger options for the more health-conscious burger fans!
But unique burgers aren’t the only beef-filled delights on the menu! Charm City also serves a delicious Philly Cheesesteak, and one unlike any other you can get in the city! With freshly sliced daily ribeye steak, homemade cheese-wiz, flavorful grilled onions, garlic aioli and locally sourced buns, this is truly a sight to behold! The ingredients combine into something larger than the sum of its parts, as the meaty sandwich feels like it’s almost melting in your mouth as you take a bite! I could honestly say this was one of the best Cheesesteak sandwiches I’ve ever tried. Combined with their crispy onion rings, fresh hand cut French fries or their fantastic tater-tots, it’s truly a meal for the ages.
If you’re not a fan of beef, Charm City also serves some incredible chicken offerings. Their Chicken Wings are slow cooked in an oven and flash fried before serving in order to create a crispy outside shell with a juicy, tender center. Served with their amazing spicy chili sauce, these are perfect both as an appetizer to share or as a full meal! They also have delectable Chicken Tenders, which are cooked in a “karaage” asian style crust and tossed in your choice of sauce. Charm City also offers a variety of signature Chicken Sandwiches as well, which complement their appetizing assortment of burgers. Each one is just as unique as one of their burgers, and each one comes with a flavorsome assortment of toppings and either a crispy or grilled chicken patty.
And who could forget the delicious ending to a perfect meal in the form of one of their signature Milkshakes. We were able to try the double chocolate peanut butter and their signature “420” milkshake, which was an incredible “chefs special” combination of sweet treats mixed into a scrumptious shake. It was the perfect end to a perfect meal, and we left feeling full and satisfied. If you’re in the Deerfield Beach (and if you’re not, make the trip, trust me its worth it), I highly recommend checking out Charm City Burger Co. and their new upcoming shop Charm City Sandwich Co. Truly one of the best Burger restaurants in South Florida, with plenty of other delicious options available if you’re not feeling burger-y!
While we were sampling this incredible selection of edible delection, we were able to sit down for an exclusive interview with the co-owners of Charm City Burger Co, Michael Sapperstein and Evan David, and discover more about the culinary journey of this Baltimore-born establishment. With roots deeply embedded in the passion for food, music, and innovation, the dynamic duo shared their story of transforming a struggling space into a beloved neighborhood gem. The pair’s partnership traces back to their days at FSU, where their shared love for music laid the foundation for a friendship that transcended into a business collaboration.
Sapperstein, a former head chef at Cafe Max, brought his culinary expertise to the quick-service model, emphasizing a scratch kitchen approach with a slow-food-fast ethos. The quality of Charm City Burger Co is reflected in every aspect, from the blend of three meticulously chosen meats to the handcrafted buns, fresh vegetables, and unique sauces. Unlike many competitors, Charm City Burger Co doesn’t cut corners, ensuring a premium experience for its patrons. While the name suggests a focus solely on burgers, Charm City Burger Co goes beyond expectations, offering hand-breaded chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, milkshakes, and a variety of sides. Their commitment to quality extends to locally sourced ingredients, including antibiotic-free and hormone-free chicken.
Despite being involved in various food festivals and competitions, the duo has taken a step back from the scene due to the changing landscape of such events. However, they hinted at a potential return to the circuit in the future. The biggest announcement during the interview was the upcoming relocation of Charm City Burger Co to Boca Raton and the rebranding of the Deerfield location into Charm City Sandwich Company. The move was prompted by the sale of the original building, presenting an opportunity to evolve without losing the essence of the brand. The new venture promises a diverse menu, including hand-cut fries, turkey, ham, and slow-roasted brisket. Sapperstein and David assured customers that the relocation wouldn’t compromise the Charm City vibe, emphasizing their commitment to delivering high-quality, affordable food. The new Charm City Sandwich Company will continue to offer signature dishes, including a reimagined Charm City Hash Burger.
As Charm City Burgers embarks on this exciting chapter, the owners express gratitude to their loyal customer base and dedicated employees, some of whom have been with them for over 14 years. The story of Charm City Burger Co is not just one of culinary excellence but also a testament to the power of passion, resilience, and community engagement. Charm City Burger Co. is currently located at 1136 East Hillsboro Boulevard in Deerfield Beach. Hours of operation:11AM to 10PM daily. Telephone: (954) 531-0300; www.
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Forget sweater weather. Palace Miami Beach’s new Fall Harvest Menu is bringing pumpkin season to South Beach, and one dish was genuinely one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.
September 4, 2026
Miami has never needed changing leaves, chilly temperatures, or a reason to order another cocktail.
So when Palace invited us in for an early taste of its new Fall Harvest Menu, launching September 21st, I was curious. Pumpkin on Ocean Drive? Sure. Pumpkin in cocktails, arepas, gnocchi, tres leches, and flan?
Now you have my attention.
The idea is actually perfect for Miami. Palace wanted to capture that nostalgic feeling of fall for a city where September still feels very much like summer. Rather than throwing pumpkin spice into everything and calling it seasonal, the kitchen challenged itself to use actual pumpkin across cocktails, savory dishes, and desserts in ways that made sense for the Palace.
And after tasting the menu, I can tell you this: do not dismiss this as a pumpkin-spice gimmick.
Because I am still thinking about that gnocchi.
Let’s Talk About This Gnocchi
I need to start here because pretending otherwise would be dishonest.
The Brown Butter Pumpkin Gnocchi was not simply my favorite dish on the menu.
It was one of the best things I have ever eaten in my entire life.
Yes, I realize how dramatic that sounds.
I stand by it.
Roasted pumpkin, Parmesan, crispy sage, and pancetta come together with brown butter in what can only be described as a ridiculously good bowl of fall comfort food.
It is rich. It is savory. It has that warm nuttiness from the brown butter, saltiness from the Parmesan and pancetta, and just enough pumpkin to make the whole thing unmistakably seasonal without turning dinner into dessert.
And the crispy sage? Do not underestimate the crispy sage.
This was one of those dishes where I took a bite and immediately had to make sure everyone else at the table understood what was happening.
If you order one thing from this menu, order the gnocchi.
Actually, Palace, I have a request: please don’t take this one away when fall ends.
Yes, We Had to Try the Pumpkin Espresso Martini
If there was ever a cocktail designed for Instagram in September, this is probably it.
The Pumpkin Espresso Martini combines fresh espresso, Licor 43, and house-made roasted pumpkin syrup.
Palace predicted this would be one of the stars of the new menu before it even launched, and I understand why.
The important distinction here is that this isn’t simply an espresso martini buried beneath pumpkin spice. The roasted pumpkin syrup makes it seasonal while the espresso and Licor 43 keep it firmly in cocktail territory.
It feels like fall.
It also feels like Miami.
Which is basically the entire point.
Then Palace Put Pumpkin in a Margarita
Because of course they did.
The Harvest Pumpkin Margarita takes reposado and roasted pumpkin, adds Ancho Reyes and finishes everything with a Tajín-cinnamon salt rim.
And I love that Palace didn’t make its two pumpkin cocktails variations of the same drink.
The espresso martini leans into cozy fall flavors. The margarita goes straight back to Miami with tequila, chile and Tajín.
This is pumpkin season with absolutely no intention of putting on a cable-knit sweater.
Burrata, Hot Honey and Pumpkin Walk Into an Arepa…
This might be one of the more unexpected combinations on the menu.
The Pumpkin & Burrata Arepa brings together hot honey, toasted pepitas and crispy sage with pumpkin and burrata.
And this is where I started appreciating what Palace was trying to do with the menu.
Pumpkin isn’t being treated like a flavor that automatically needs cinnamon, sugar and whipped cream. It’s an ingredient.
That was intentional. Palace’s team told us they specifically didn’t want pumpkin to feel forced. They started with dishes and flavors that already made sense for the restaurant and incorporated pumpkin where it could complement them rather than take them over.
That philosophy makes a lot more sense once you’re actually sitting there eating your way through the menu.
And then you remember you’re on Ocean Drive.
In September.
Eating pumpkin and burrata.
Miami is weird. I love it here.
Save Room. Seriously.
Just when you’ve eaten enough pumpkin to reasonably believe you’ve reached your limit, Palace brings out dessert.
And apparently, no, you have not reached your limit.
The Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake layers those fall flavors with mascarpone, dulce de leche and candied pecans.
Then there’s the Pumpkin Coconut Flan, finished with coconut caramel, toasted coconut and candied pepitas.
I particularly like the decision to bring coconut into the flan because this menu works best when it stops trying to imitate fall somewhere else and starts asking what fall should taste like here.
Pumpkin and coconut?
On South Beach?
That makes sense.
This Is What Fall Looks Like in Miami
There is something inherently funny about celebrating fall in South Florida.
Our leaves aren’t changing.
Nobody needs a fireplace.
And if you wear the cute fall outfit you saved on Pinterest in September, you’re probably going to regret it before you make it from the parking garage to the restaurant.
But we still want the season.
That’s exactly what Palace tapped into.
“Miami is full of people who grew up somewhere else,” the Palace team explained, noting that there’s a nostalgia surrounding fall even when South Florida’s weather refuses to participate. The Fall Harvest Menu is their way of bringing some of that feeling to Ocean Drive.
And honestly?
I’ll take brown butter pumpkin gnocchi over sweater weather.
Come for Palace. Stay for the Food.
Palace obviously doesn’t need an introduction when it comes to entertainment. The restaurant has built its identity around the larger-than-life drag experience that has become synonymous with the venue.
But there’s another message behind this menu that Palace clearly wants people to hear:
Pay attention to the food.
The team acknowledges that many guests initially know Palace for its drag and entertainment, but they want the cocktails and dishes to become just as memorable as the show.
After this tasting, I get it.
Because I expected a fun seasonal menu.
I did not expect to leave contemplating how quickly I could reasonably return for another bowl of pumpkin gnocchi.
And yet, here we are.
What You Absolutely Need to Order
If you’re heading to Palace for the Fall Harvest Menu, the Brown Butter Pumpkin Gnocchi is non-negotiable. I don’t give “one of the best things I’ve ever eaten” status lightly.
The Pumpkin Espresso Martini is the obvious cocktail order if you want the full fall experience, while the rest of the menu proves pumpkin deserves considerably more culinary respect than we’ve given it after years of turning it into coffee syrup.
The Fall Harvest Menu launches September 21 at Palace Miami Beach, bringing pumpkin cocktails, savory dishes, and desserts to Ocean Drive.
No sweaters required.
Just please save me some gnocchi.
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UKIYO Miami Beach Is About to Make Conveyor Belt Sushi Seriously Sexy
September 2, 2026
There are new restaurant openings we want to check out, and then there are the ones that immediately make us think: I NEED TO GO.
UKIYO is definitely the latter.
Opening this October at 818 Lincoln Road in Miami Beach, the newest concept from NOAH Hospitality Group takes Japan’s iconic kaiten, or conveyor belt sushi, tradition and gives it a Miami makeover.
We’re talking premium seafood from Japan traveling through the dining room on a custom-designed conveyor belt, live culinary performances, tableside cooking, a roaming dumpling cart and a gorgeous 7,431-square-foot space designed to keep the experience moving all night.
And judging by the first renderings and menu details, UKIYO already has our attention.
UKIYO’s custom kaiten conveyor belt will serve as the centerpiece of the new Miami Beach restaurant. Courtesy of Casa Medina Design Studio/UKIYO.
Not Your Average Conveyor Belt Sushi
Inspired by the Japanese concept of ukiyo, meaning “the floating world,” the restaurant is designed around movement.
The conveyor belt isn’t simply there to deliver sushi. It’s essentially the stage.
Handcrafted nigiri, sashimi and specialty rolls will continuously circulate through the dining room, while chefs work in view of guests and new creations make their way from the sushi counter onto the belt through choreographed presentations.
Live culinary performances will add another layer of entertainment throughout dinner.
NOAH Hospitality Group founder Philippe Kalifa says that sense of experience was intentional.
“For me, hospitality has never been about simply serving food. It’s about creating emotion.”
His goal? To create a restaurant people remember not just for what they ate, but for how the entire evening made them feel.
We’re listening.
The Menu Is Where Things Get Really Interesting
Executive Chef Nono Shigetomi will lead UKIYO’s kitchen, with premium seafood sourced from carefully selected fisheries across Japan and fish coming from Tokyo’s Toyosu and Tsukiji markets.
The signature Ukiyo Roll alone sounds like it deserves a visit: tuna, salmon, hiramasa and Hokkaido scallop topped with soy-glazed wagyu and umami crunch.
“Freshness isn’t our goal, it’s our starting point,” Shigetomi said. “Every ingredient is selected with intention because great sushi begins long before the fish reaches the plate.”
Beyond the conveyor belt, the menu ventures into robata, tempura, crudo, carpaccio and Japanese comfort dishes.
Expect cumin-soy glazed wagyu and yakitori-glazed chicken from the robata grill, plus a rich paitan ramen loaded with braised duck, sous vide chicken, pork chashu and pork wonton.
There’s also crispy yakisoba finished with ankake sauce and seafood fried rice made with seasoned takikomi gohan rather than standard steamed white rice.
And then things get even better.
Did Someone Say Tableside Kamameshi?
UKIYO’s traditional kamameshi will be cooked fresh at the table in individual kama pots.
The rice is prepared with dashi, soy, sake, mirin, hijiki, carrot and mushroom, then finished with grilled marinated skirt steak and a Jidori egg.
But there’s another menu feature that may have already won us over.
A roaming dumpling cart. Yes, really.
A signature House Dumpling Cart will travel around the dining room carrying a rotating selection of freshly handcrafted beef, pork, chicken, shrimp and vegetarian dumplings. Guests can choose them pan-fried, steamed or deep-fried.
We have a feeling “No, thank you” is going to be extremely difficult when a cart of hot dumplings rolls up to the table.
Japanese-inspired lanterns and warm woodwork lead guests toward UKIYO’s open culinary experience. Courtesy of Casa Medina Design Studio/UKIYO.
And Just Look at This Place
The food may move, but UKIYO’s design gives you plenty of reasons to stop and look around.
Casa Medina Design Studio is behind the 7,431-square-foot restaurant, blending traditional Japanese influences with the darker, sexier energy of Miami Beach after dark.
Rosso Lepanto stone, emerald-toned leathered marble, aged brass, handcrafted millwork and warm Japanese-inspired lanterns fill the interior. A flowing water feature reinforces the restaurant’s “floating world” inspiration.
And at the center of everything sits the custom conveyor belt.
Based on the renderings, chefs will work within the heart of the restaurant as the belt winds around the dining room, placing the food preparation directly into the action rather than hiding it behind the scenes.
It looks intimate, dramatic and just theatrical enough.
UKIYO’s dramatic bar pairs sculptural stone, handcrafted millwork and softly illuminated Japanese-inspired details. Courtesy of Casa Medina Design Studio/UKIYO.
Sushi at 10. Cocktails at Midnight?
This is still Miami Beach, after all.
UKIYO isn’t positioning itself as somewhere you grab an early sushi dinner and head home.
On Friday and Saturday nights, the restaurant plans to remain open until 2 a.m.
And that gorgeous bar suddenly makes a lot more sense.
The restaurant is being designed as a meeting point between Japanese hospitality and Miami’s international, nightlife-driven personality. Traditional techniques and Japanese ingredients form the foundation, while theatrical presentations, dramatic interiors and late-night hours give the concept a distinctly Miami edge.
It’s easy to imagine coming for sushi and staying considerably longer than planned.
When Does UKIYO Miami Beach Open?
Unfortunately, not tomorrow.
UKIYO is scheduled to open in mid-October 2026 at 818 Lincoln Road in Miami Beach.
Dinner will be served from 6 p.m. to midnight Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, with Friday and Saturday service continuing until 2 a.m. The restaurant will be closed Mondays.
And yes, SFL Insider will be getting an early look.
We’ll be heading to UKIYO ahead of its official debut to experience the restaurant firsthand, which means we’ll be back with the sushi, the cocktails, the space and, most importantly, a full investigation into this roaming dumpling cart.
For now, UKIYO has officially made our list of Miami restaurant openings we cannot wait to try this fall.
October, hurry up!
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