How much is an announced opening date on 17th Street worth? This fall, not much. The tiki bar everyone along the causeway had been hearing about since 2022 finally opened in late September, four years after it was announced. The landmark marina restaurant that was supposed to come back on Oct. 17 is still not open. The resort's own website now gives two different answers about when it will be.
Meanwhile, the dates you can count on this season come from cruise lines and parade organizers. Restaurants aren't setting them. If you live in Harbor Beach and treat the causeway as your local dinner strip, the useful approach for November and December is simple. Book what's open, track what's still coming, and plan your evenings around the dates that won't move.
Four Years From Announcement to Mai Tai
Hula Kai Tiki Bar is the proof that the corridor is changing. It's also the proof of how slowly things move here. The South Florida Sun Sentinel reported that the 5,000-square-foot restaurant opened Sept. 25 at 1075 SE 17th St. after four years of construction delays. Owner-developer James Flanigan first announced the project in November 2022. Visit Lauderdale gives Sept. 26 as the opening date and places it near the Broward County Convention Center.
The room is worth the wait. The Sun Sentinel describes about 200 seats spread over three levels, each with its own bar and its own look. One level has a contemporary rum wall and an atrium garden. Another has midcentury South Pacific decor and vintage TV footage. A shaded rooftop bar on top looks out at the downtown Fort Lauderdale skyline. The same team runs the four Quarterdeck restaurants and the two Whiskey Neat lounges.
"There's plenty of room in Broward for tiki restaurants. In fact, there's not enough tiki bars here."
Flanigan said that to the Sun Sentinel, arguing that Hula Kai is its own concept and not a cousin of the Mai-Kai. The Mai-Kai went through its own four-year closure before reopening in Oakland Park in late 2024.
On timing, WSVN reported in early October that Hula Kai opens at 5 p.m. Wednesday through Monday and is closed Tuesdays. It also said lunch was expected to start sometime in November. That was a forecast, and on this corridor forecasts slip. Call ahead before you plan a midday visit.
Pelican Landing's Date Has Moved Twice
East of the bridge, Pelican Landing is the clearest example of a slipping date. In September, the Sun Sentinel's fall openings roundup listed the restaurant at 2301 SE 17th St. with an opening date of Oct. 17, citing the resort's public relations firm. That date has passed. The Pier Sixty-Six FAQ now says "December" in one answer and "late November 2026" in another. Visit Lauderdale's Oct. 14 release just says the restaurant "returns this fall."
The menu is better documented than the date. The Sun Sentinel lists conch fritters, blackened tide tacos, seasonal stone crab claws, spiny lobster, Key West shrimp and a raw bar, all in a two-story, open-air room overlooking the superyachts. Chef Aldo Novoa, the resort's director of culinary, framed the comeback around memory:
"Pelican Landing has always been about more than what's on the plate. It's about the feeling of being on the water and the memories that come with it."
If stone crab over the marina is part of your holiday hosting plans, have a backup reservation until the resort announces a firm date.
What's Open at Pier Sixty-Six Tonight
Pelican Landing's delay hides the fact that most of the resort's restaurants are already running. Pier Sixty-Six officially reopened on Jan. 10, 2025, and its FAQ lists 12 dining options in total. Those include Calusso, Sotogrande, Garni, Pier Top, Windows on 66, Elate, Saltbreeze, The Nectar Room and the Pool Decks, plus two restaurants and bars open only to club members.
Here's what to know before you go:
- Reservations. The resort strongly recommends booking ahead at Calusso, Sotogrande and Pier Top, through each restaurant's site or OpenTable.
- Pier Top. The lounge revolves, making one full rotation every 66 minutes.
- Parking. With restaurant validation, parking costs $15 for up to three hours and a flat $35 for three hours or more. That three-hour cutoff matters on a long dinner at Pier Top.
- Getting in. From A1A, turn right onto Harbour Inlet Drive, then make an immediate left onto the 17th Street Access Road and turn right at the stop sign into the garage. From the mainland, cross the causeway bridge and turn left onto Harbour Inlet Drive, then follow the same access road.
- Arriving by boat. Dock & Dine is available at Calusso and Sotogrande. You need advance reservations for both the slip and the table. Slips can be requested at [email protected].
The marina has 164 deep-water slips for vessels from 40 to 400 feet. Visit Lauderdale calls it the largest superyacht marina on the East Coast. For Harbor Beach owners with a boat behind the house, that makes Calusso and Sotogrande the causeway restaurants you can reach without dealing with the garage.
Chela's Has an Address, Not a Date
The third new name on the corridor is the least settled. Chela's is a Latin social-dining concept expanding from its Miami Lakes location. Visit Lauderdale says it will debut "this fall" in the waterfront district around Port Everglades, with a cocktail-forward bar program. The restaurant's locations page lists its Fort Lauderdale address as 1302 SE 17th Street. Its Fort Lauderdale menu page still says "Coming Soon!"
Put the three side by side and you can see the pattern:
| Venue | Address | Latest published status, late October | Firm date? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hula Kai Tiki Bar | 1075 SE 17th St. | Open Wed–Mon from 5 p.m., closed Tue | Opened Sept. 25–26 |
| Pier Sixty-Six restaurants | 2301 SE 17th St. | Open, with reservations recommended | Resort reopened Jan. 10, 2025 |
| Pelican Landing | 2301 SE 17th St. | Not yet open | No. "Late November" or "December" |
| Chela's | 1302 SE 17th St. | "Coming Soon" | No. "This fall" |
The Dates on the Causeway That Won't Move
The restaurants are on soft timelines. The port and the parade are not. Two calendars with fixed dates frame Harbor Beach's season this year.
Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas starts homeporting at Port Everglades in November. Visit Lauderdale says the ship holds up to 7,600 guests per sailing. Royal Caribbean's itinerary pages list a 3-night Legend Naming Cruise to Perfect Day departing Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, Nov. 11. They also list an 8-night Southern Caribbean sailing departing Saturday, Nov. 14. The cruise line says it primarily sails from Terminal 18 at Port Everglades, though it doesn't name a terminal for this ship. If you have a weekend lunch reservation near the port, know those two departure dates in advance.
Then comes the Winterfest Boat Parade on Saturday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m. According to the Winterfest ways-to-watch page, the route runs east from the New River to the Intracoastal, then north to Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach. That puts it in the same December window as Pelican Landing's latest estimate.
Put together, the season runs in this order. Hula Kai and the resort's working restaurants are open now. The cruise departures on Nov. 11 and Nov. 14 and the Dec. 12 parade are fixed. Pelican Landing and Chela's fall somewhere in between, on dates their operators haven't confirmed.
If you own in Harbor Beach and want to know how a busier 17th Street Causeway affects what your home is worth, Branham Properties can walk you through it with recent local sales. Request a Free Home Valuation, and we'll show you how buyers are reading the corridor this season.
