The bars on Las Olas run the full length of the boulevard, from the riverfront at Andrews Avenue through the shopping blocks and past the Isles to the bar at the edge of the sand. The west end is where the river bars and rooftops sit, the 300 to 800 blocks hold the busiest restaurant bars, and the far east end is all about the beach. They are listed west to east, with music nights and hours taken from each venue’s own website.
The Wharf Fort Lauderdale
At 20 West Las Olas, right on the New River where the boulevard starts, The Wharf Fort Lauderdale is an open air bar with several bars, communal tables under shade tents and rotating food vendors instead of a single kitchen. It opens Thursday through Sunday, and the calendar is built around live DJs and themed nights, from emo nights to its seventh anniversary weekend in early November. Go for a loud, outdoor night with a younger crowd (get directions).
Rooftop @1WLO
A few steps away at 1 West Las Olas, Rooftop @1WLO is the boulevard’s main rooftop bar, looking over the river and the downtown towers. It is closed Monday and Tuesday, opens at 4pm Wednesday through Friday, 2pm on Saturday and noon on Sunday, and runs until 2am on Friday and Saturday. Happy hour is long: 4pm to 7pm Wednesday through Friday, 2pm to 7pm Saturday, and all day Sunday. It works best as a sunset first stop (get directions).
YOLO and O Lounge
At 333 East Las Olas, YOLO is a restaurant and bar that turns into a scene as the night goes on, with its cocktail lounge, O Lounge, a few steps away. O Lounge leans on DJ playlists and special events and draws a dressier crowd. YOLO stays open until 2am Thursday through Saturday, which makes the pair one of the later options in the middle of the boulevard (get directions).
Riverside Hotel: Preston’s, Golden Lyon and Wild Sea
The Riverside Hotel at 620 East Las Olas has been on the boulevard since 1936 and holds three useful stops. Preston’s Wine and Martini Lounge has a grand piano, the hotel’s original coral fireplaces and a garden patio, with live piano every Friday and Saturday from 6:30pm to 9:30pm and happy hour from 5pm to 7pm Wednesday through Saturday.
Out front, the Golden Lyon Vintage Pub has a shaded terrace for people watching and TVs for the game, with half price drinks from 3pm to 7pm. Wild Sea, the hotel’s restaurant, adds live music Friday and Saturday from 7pm to 10pm. This is the quiet, grown up corner of Las Olas (get directions).
Voodoo Bayou
For a full band on the boulevard, Voodoo Bayou at 715 East Las Olas is the safest bet. The Cajun restaurant and bourbon bar puts a band on stage Friday and Saturday from 9:30pm to 12:30am, and adds daytime sets from noon to 3pm on weekends. Happy hour runs 4pm to 7pm on weekdays, with a late bar happy hour from 10pm Monday through Thursday. Eat early, stay for the band (get directions).
American Social
Next door at 721 East Las Olas, American Social is the boulevard’s sports bar and the place where the Florida chain began. Social Hour runs 2pm to 7pm on weekdays, Thursday adds two for one select cocktails and wines, and the bar is open until 2am Thursday through Saturday. Pick it for a game or a weekend brunch (get directions).
Palm Room
A block east at 825 East Las Olas, Palm Room is a cocktail bar with bottle service, frozen drinks and the latest hours on the boulevard: until 3am on Friday and Saturday. Wednesday is Ladies Night from 6pm to 10pm with a DJ, weekdays bring two for one select spirits from 5pm to 8pm, and weekends have their own happy hour from 2pm to 5pm. Hospitality workers get half off their tab on Monday and Tuesday (get directions).
Catch and Cut
At 1309 East Las Olas, where the shopping blocks give way to the Isles, Catch and Cut is a seafood and steak house with a rooftop lounge above the boulevard. Live piano plays on the roof every Friday and Saturday from 7pm to 10pm, and a monthly comedy show takes over the first Wednesday. Happy hour runs 4pm to 6pm Monday through Thursday and 2pm to 6pm Friday through Sunday. It suits a date night that wants music without a dance floor (get directions).
Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila Bar
Next door at 1313 East Las Olas, Rocco’s pours from a list of more than 150 tequilas and is the boulevard’s go to for a loud group dinner that turns into drinks. Happy hour runs daily from 4pm to 7pm at the bar, Tuesday is taco night, and it stays open until midnight on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday (get directions).
Elbo Room
Las Olas crosses the Isles and the Intracoastal and ends at the ocean, where Elbo Room has been pouring since 1938. It is the only beach bar on this list with live bands as part of the routine, and it streams its stage online through its own band cam. Expect a beach crowd and a packed room on weekends (get directions).
Planning a Night on Las Olas
The stretch from The Wharf to Palm Room is under a mile, and everything from the Riverside Hotel to Palm Room sits within three blocks, so most people park once and walk. City garages near the river and metered street parking cover the west end, and Catch and Cut offers valet. The Isles section between the shops and the beach is residential, so make the trip to Elbo Room by rideshare rather than on foot. Friday and Saturday are the busiest nights and the best for music, with bands at Voodoo Bayou and piano at Preston’s and Catch and Cut. A good route: sunset at Rooftop @1WLO, dinner and piano at the Riverside Hotel, the late band at Voodoo Bayou, then Palm Room or YOLO until close. If you want one more stage near the west end, Tin Roof Fort Lauderdale is just south of the boulevard on Andrews Avenue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the live music on Las Olas?
Voodoo Bayou has bands Friday and Saturday from 9:30pm, Catch and Cut has rooftop piano Friday and Saturday from 7pm, the Riverside Hotel has piano at Preston’s and live music at Wild Sea on the same nights, and Elbo Room has live bands at the beach end.
Is there a rooftop bar on Las Olas?
Yes, two. Rooftop @1WLO sits at the west end over the New River, and Catch and Cut has a rooftop lounge at 1309 East Las Olas with live piano on weekends.
What is Las Olas nightlife like late at night?
Palm Room stays open until 3am on Friday and Saturday, while YOLO, American Social and Rooftop @1WLO run until 2am on their late nights. The Wharf adds a DJ party on the river Thursday through Sunday.
Which Las Olas bars in Fort Lauderdale have the best happy hour?
Rooftop @1WLO runs happy hour all day Sunday, Palm Room has two for one spirits from 5pm to 8pm on weekdays, American Social runs Social Hour from 2pm to 7pm, and Golden Lyon pours half price drinks from 3pm to 7pm.
Can you walk from Las Olas to the beach?
It is roughly two miles from the shops to the sand, across the Isles and the Intracoastal bridge, so most people take a rideshare to reach Elbo Room.
Header photo: Cmasi, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
