Hidden Mom-and-Pop Gems Serving Authentic International Cuisine in Palm Beach
Palm Beach is known for its glittering resorts, upscale dining, and an abundance of places where you can pay $28 for a salad that still leaves you hungry. But venture beyond the high-end restaurants with valet parking, and you’ll find a different kind of dining experience—small, family-run spots where the food is homemade, the atmosphere is warm, and the only dress code is "wear whatever, just bring your appetite."
These restaurants might not have the most Instagrammable interiors, and their websites may or may not have been last updated in 2014, but what they lack in polish, they make up for in flavor. Let’s explore some of the best hidden international dining gems in Palm Beach that deserve a spot on your must-try list.
A Taste of Haiti at Lakay Restaurant
If you’ve never had authentic Haitian food, Lakay Restaurant in West Palm Beach is where you should start. Tucked away and modest in appearance, this place serves up plates that are bold, flavorful, and completely unpretentious.
The star of the menu? Griot, marinated pork that’s deep-fried until it reaches peak crispiness, then served alongside diri kole (rice and beans) and pikliz, a fiery pickled cabbage slaw that will clear your sinuses and make you question why you ever settled for bland food. The portions are generous, the plantains are perfectly caramelized, and the service? It feels like you’ve just been adopted into a Haitian family that insists you eat until you can’t move.
For an even deeper dive into Caribbean flavors, Griot Caribbean Plus on Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard is another must-visit. Their seafood dishes, spiced with traditional island seasonings, make you feel like you're dining at a beachside grill in Port-au-Prince—except you're just minutes from I-95.
Argentine Delights at Al Pan Pan Bakery
Hidden in a strip mall on Military Trail, Al Pan Pan Bakery & Restaurant is one of those places you’d drive past a hundred times without realizing it’s a goldmine of Argentine and Uruguayan flavors. Walk in, and the scent of freshly baked empanadas and medialunas (Argentina’s version of a croissant) will make you forget whatever diet you were pretending to be on.
The empanadas here are not an afterthought. The crust is golden and flaky, stuffed with everything from beef to ham and cheese, with the perfect balance of seasoning. Pair them with a strong café con leche, and you’ve basically teleported to Buenos Aires without the 10-hour flight.
If you’re looking for even more sweet treats, Enzo’s Cafe & Bakery in Palm Springs offers an equally impressive selection of pastries, sandwiches, and South American classics. Their dulce de leche-filled desserts are dangerously good, and their sandwiches are the kind you’ll think about at 3 a.m. when hunger strikes.
Ethiopian Comfort Food at Queen of Sheeba
If your idea of Ethiopian food is "something I should probably try someday," then someday is today, and the place to do it is Queen of Sheeba in West Palm Beach. This cozy, family-run restaurant is as unpretentious as it gets—no flashy décor, no gimmicks, just soulful food that demands to be eaten with your hands.
Ethiopian cuisine is all about community and bold flavors, and that’s exactly what you get here. Instead of forks, you’ll be handed injera, a spongy, slightly sour flatbread used to scoop up fragrant stews like doro wat (spicy chicken in a berbere sauce) and misir wat (slow-cooked lentils that pack more flavor than you thought lentils were capable of).
Don’t rush through the meal. Ethiopian dining is meant to be an experience—one that involves tearing off pieces of injera, dipping them into rich sauces, and maybe re-evaluating every other bland meal you’ve had in your life. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, and if you're lucky, the owner might come out to check on you like a distant aunt who wants to make sure you’re eating enough.
A Final Bite of Hidden Greatness
Palm Beach may have its fair share of polished, reservation-only dining establishments, but the real gems? They’re the places where the menu might be handwritten, the dishes take their time to arrive (because they’re actually made from scratch), and the owners know their customers by name.
Whether it’s the crispy Haitian griot at Lakay Restaurant, the buttery medialunas from Al Pan Pan, or the communal Ethiopian platters at Queen of Sheeba, these mom-and-pop spots prove that the best meals don’t always come with a view of the ocean. Sometimes, they come from a tiny kitchen tucked into a strip mall or a storefront with a flickering neon sign—and that’s exactly where you’ll find the flavors worth remembering.
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