PL8 kitchen

Best tapas I’ve had in my life? Certainly not.
But their cocktail menu is fab, the food solid and they offer some sweet check-​in deals.
If you’re on this side of town – look ‘em up!

I like it here. It was a little slow on a Sunday but it’s an awesome place to try!

I wanted to take my mother, sister and basically the rest of my family somewhere for Mother’s Day so I made reservations to PL8 for a late lunch (around 2pm) although I have never been here. When we finally arrive there, the place was fairly empty but because we had a large group it was fine with me, more space. Based on the setup of the restaurant, you can tell its more of a bar vibe with a lot of small tables and a menu of small plates, so I am assuming they get more packed later on in the evening. They also have a bit of outdoor seating, which is perfect to people watch and kick back a few drinks amongst the bar crowd of Fort Lauderdale.
On to the best part, the food. The food was really good. What I liked so much about the food was the originality of the combinations and how well put together everything was; how somewhat varied ingredients complimented each other so well. The Skillet Baked Chicken Wings, made with a chipotle-​agave sauce, were really good; had a nice flavor. I really liked the Mini Crispy Chicken Sandwich. Watermelon and fried chicken, who would have thought of that? My favorite had to be the Shrimp Bruschetta, I just really enjoyed it; tasty and filling. We also ordered two of their brick oven pizzas. The spicy sausage pizza was alright. I wasn’t too big of a fan, but mostly because it was pretty typical but I did really liked the El Caribe Pizza. The pizza was made up of guava, prosciutto, brie and watermelon, OMG!!! We also had the Peanut Butter & Jelly cupcake and that was really good too.
Not only did I loved the food, but I also have the commend the service. The waitress was very helpful. She explained the dishes and when we had one little issue, she rectified with right away. The food was timed perfectly and not brought out all at once which is great with small plates.
All is all, my experience at PL8 was great. Food, service, atmosphere, nothing to complain about here. I will definite be back to enjoy drinks soon.

Came here on a trip to Florida with some friends. I like the small plate idea, but felt the food could be better. Also a little on the pricey end. But the venue is very good for a group lunch or dinner.
Check-​in for a free drink!

My favorite place on 2^nd St. I was a big fan of its predecessor (Himmarshee Bar and Grill) and was apprehensive about the change. That all went away when the familiar staff sat us down and immediately recommended some plates.
Best thing on the menu — Fried Chicken Sliders and the Kalbi shortribs.

A big appetite plus small plates plus expensive drinks equals a thin wallet in this trendy café… but the small tapas are creative …eg., tasty sushi style tuna was of good quality enhanced by a tasty sauce… the variety of individual complex 8″ pizza’s will blow you away… the margarita pizza was better than average… the Portugese style clams were outstanding. the salad caprese included a very good quality mozzarella, but needed riperr tomatoes and basil instead of dandelion leaves. The Mohito’s were great. wines by the glass and cocktails were much too expensive and were pushed frequently…. Desserts and service were well above average. If you’re 20 something with a fat wallet this is the place to be on a Sat. night.

I love everything about PL8, but considering some of the dishes are a little sub par I was hesitant to give it the 5 full stars (note: do not order the tiger shrimp skewer, they are anything but large and not exactly the most tasty thing on the menu…).
The small plates are perfect for sampling a variety of what the menu has to offer. I have been here twice now, and a big highlight are the sliders. My favorite slider is the fried chicken slider, it has watermelon, frise, and honey in it which compliment the saltiness of the fried chicken to perfection. The seared scallop slider is also phenomenal with kimchi and spicy aioli. Branching off from the sliders, PL8 also has killer Korean Shortribs and delicious salads. Their pizzas are large enough to constitute a meal for one person if that is what they wish to restrain themselves to, otherwise they are great to share. The creativity in the menu is definitely a highlight. Their specialty cocktails are also delicious and pretty creative for a small joint like PL8. They have an outdoor sitting area which is fun during a nice evening, and provides a lot of fun people watching. I highly recommend starting your evening at PL8 and then meandering to some of the other bars in the Himarshee district.

Uncle Chuck here once again Dear Hearts and Innocent Bystanders with a review of our latest find in the Himershee District of Ft Lauderdale — PL8 Kitchen and Side Bar.
Once again on our way to the Broward Center and we headed to a favorite spot down the street — ROK: BRGR –When what should we find next door — PL8 Kitchen & Side Bar. Being a sucker for Tapas and small plate’s joints we just had to try it. I must confess, I had stopped into Side Bar a few months back for cocktails with a business associate and vowed to come back to try the fare and Boy Are we GLAD we Did!
In place of the former Himmarshee Bar & Grill, the owners stepped up the game with a delightful new menu featuring appetizer portions of some great old standbys. i wont go into them all — but check a sample menu at:

After some tasty cocktails [Best Bone Dry Dewar’s Rob Roy in town, «stirred not shaken»!] we worked the menu for some interesting finds.
First up we noticed the chalk board touting Baked Mac & Cheese which apparently changes daily; today’s version was Garlic & Bacon with a smooth white cheddar that was Out of This World. Can’t wait to come back for other variations.
Dragon Lady just had to try the Pork Carnita Tacos — perfect tortilla discs heaped with tasty shredded pork, sour cream, cheese and a tangy salsa — YUM!
Next we went for the Grilled Korean Short ribs [ya know Uncle Chuck LUV’s his short ribs]. This version brought thinly sliced short ribs marinated in something sweet and tangy and BBQ’d to perfections, served with a wonder Hoisan sauce for dipping. Double YUM!
The portions on all three were just enough to satisfy our hardy appetites and we purposely saved room for our server Allison’s desert recommendations, the Bailey’s Chocolate Chip Cheesecake and the Triple Chocolate Bomb. Just as we were placing the desert order, the General Manager Michael Walsh popped by to see how everything was going, «How are we doing… Did we have enough… What can we do to make it perfect???» and insisted that we try the Tiramisu Parfait as well. OK… we did. WOW!!!
While the favorite still is the Cheese cake [IT should actually be called Da BOMB] the de-​constructed Tiramisu Parfait was equally delightful — sweet and creamy mascarpone cheese on a puddle of anisette laced espresso with crisp lady fingers forming a tepee over it all. Oh My!!!
Suffice it to say, the service, food and overall night rates our top rating…6 stars on the 1 – 5 scale!
Ya gotta try it, ask for Allison [She’s also Da Bomb of a server] — don’t forget the Bailey’s Chocolate Chip Cheesecake.
Thank a bunch Michael, the hospitality at PL8 — WAS GREAT.

We went here Easter Sunday for brunch because we were looking for a place that did not look too busy and did not make a mean face when I asked for a highchair that was close to the museums. We were not expecting much but were pleasantly impressed. We ordered the banana pancakes, white mac ‘m cheese, and margarita pizza and split everything. Amazingly Delish! The service was great, waitresses all helpful and had pleasant attitudes. After we went to a museum, met up with the inlaws, and returned back to eat a 2^nd meal. We had seared tuna, chicitos (pulled chicken on plantain patties) sweet potato wedges, banana bread, and the crispy chicken sandwiches which were the best. They were 3 mini sandwiches with watermelon, arugula and spicy fried chicken on a bun. Woweeee! All 5 of us were fans!

Very good food. Service was fast and pleasant.
The good:
Mac & Cheese was AWESOME! Some of the best I’ve had.
Pizza was good
Garlic bread was decent
Cool outdoor seating
The Bad: Pretty sure the Beef Sliders were sitting in the Kitchen as they came right out and were not very warm but the waitress did offer to get us fresh ones.
Overall a nice Tapas place. A little pricey but a good break from the «Pub Grub».

Holly is great!
Good Food.
We had:
Chimicongas
Squid
Fish Tacos
Steak Kabobs
Pizza
Scallop Sliders
And more… Delicious!

Well it’s certainly nice to have the «small plates» trend finally make it up to Ft Lauderdale but disappointing that it’s been done so poorly.
Kimchee: flavorless bland
Macaroni & cheese: bland flavorless needed salt
Baked pasta: better than the mac and cheese
grill tiger shrimp: the best thing I ordered by far
garlic bread: it wasn’t garlic bread it was an overcooked cheesless garlic pizza
I checked in here and got a free drink offer which took about 5 minutes to sort out with the server when I tried to redeem it…
I guess the target audience would be the kids wandering by glassy eyed from too much cheap beer looking for something to soak up the alcohol? However this is not a good place to go sober looking for a good authentic tapas restaurant…

O-​M-​G, O-​M-​G!!! Believe the hype!!!
PL8 is fabulous! And to think I almost missed this gem on my way to ROK burger!
Things I loved:
cute décor
separate dining & bar area
cocktails by Leslie, my new favorite 954 bartender
the garlic bread
frenchie pizza
crispy mahi tacos
And the star standout of the night: *creekstone sliders* Die!!! :o
What I didn’t like:
Nothing…What’s not to love?
PL8 I have penciled you in for round 2 later on tonight! Save me some goat cheese croquettes please :)

First off I really enjoy dinning out at night when seated on the sidewalk of the Himmarshee District but more specifically on the South side of the street in that little area with the strung up overhead lighting. It’s just a downright cool place to be, especially for watching the people walking by while enjoying a good time. Better yet is the satisfaction I get from the fact that this area does so well when the colossal 80 million dollar nearby developer inspired New River complex sinks into the abyss of financial failure I had long ago predicted.
Like the area itself, PL8 offers something new, unique and as the area is pleasing to the eye the food of PL8 is pleasing to the palate. The menu is entirely comprised of what I would term «small bites» though others may term «tapas.“There are no full plates or actual dinner offerings. If you want a full meal, just combine a few of the various offerings into multiples and in that way can enjoy a full meal with added advantage of sampling several other well prepared items; all of which I found to be extremely tasty as well as generally delicious.
PL8 also offers a good listing of craft as well as other beers, cocktails and has an adjacent inside «Sidebar» area.
And best of all, if you’re packing your Unilocal app equipped Droid or whatever else on you and do your check in, like a good little Unilocaler, WOW! You might even get a pop up for a free drink like I did. It doesn’t get much cooler than that!

Can you say comfort kitchen… in Fort Lauderdale?
This place is about great food served in small portions at really good prices.
The mahi tacos may be the best around. The mac and cheese was very comforting. The bacon and goat cheese pizza was great, thin crust too. The star was melt in your mouth brisket and short rib sliders.
Very friendly staff. The food comes out pretty quick so order slowly or tell them to space it out. If you are a late eater, after 11 pm its 50% off your bill

PL8 is so good I came back here to indulge in more delicious dishes. This time my group started with the brie cheese dip. Wow, it is amazingly full of flavor and melted in your mouth. We then tried the beef tenderloin skewers and rock shrimp bruschetta. More dishes worth trying at this amazing tapas restaurant. The beef was super tender and was complemented very well with mini purple potatoes. The rock shrimp was equally as good as everything else on the menu. We also got the scallop sliders which in my opinion, are the best dish on the menu.
This trip to PL8 was complemented with VERY good service and an awesome atmosphere amongst downtown. I highly recommend you try PL8 if you haven’t, you won’t regret this awesome dining experience.

I’ve always been interested in tapas-​style dining and my work decided to do our holiday party here. I’m glad they did, because I typically shy away from the «trendy downtown eateries» due to the hassle of parking and loud atmosphere.
PL8 still has those gripes (well, not so bad on the latter) but the FOOD is so worth the hassle!
There were 8 of us and we all ordered 2 dishes, which gave us a pretty solid idea of the whole menu. My personal favorites were the goat cheese balls, parmesan-​rosemary-​garlic chicken wings, and crispy chicken sliders. The goat cheese balls were perfectly fried — not too hard, soft and warm inside, the wings were crispy and came with a wonderful chive-​flavored aioli dipping sauce, and the sliders… it was a great dish both texture and flavor. There was a delicious contrast between the spicy, crispy warm chicken breast and the piece of cool, sweet and slightly mushy watermelon that was placed on top. Never thought the two would go together so well!
Some low lights of the night were the crispy fish tacos, which had very little flavor and were totally unremarkable. The rock shrimp skewers were also a bit of a letdown — they were supposed to be sweet and sour salty, but were just sort of salty and the seasonal mushrooms were dried out and overcooked. The mini bratwurst sliders came out a bit cold and tasted like boiled lunchmeat and the pretzel roll had no salt on it and didn’t really have that yeasty flavor.
Our table particularly liked the butternut squash purses, which were similar to ravioli in texture but shaped like wontons. I would’ve preferred the dough a little harder, but the flavor was exceptional.
Service was fairly good, had to ask for water refills a few times, but food came at a good casual pace so we were never really «waiting». Still, this is not a place you can expect to get a quick in-​and-​out meal at — plan for an hour at least, because you’ll probably be doing a re-​order or two!
I would suggest coming with at least 4 people because you’re going to want to order everything on the menu. Having everyone at your table order 2 – 3 dishes and passing it all around is the best way to have a PL8 experience. Take notes on what you liked and didn’t so your next visits can be filled with past favorites and discovering new ones!

I felt like a celebrity eating here. The service, the décor, and especially the food are just a notch above everything else… on earth.
If I were the leader of an alien race hell-​bent on taking over the world, my first move would be to distracting the human race with delicious food like everything on the menu at PL8.
I definitely recommend the mushroom sliders and the bratwurst sliders… but only if you like things that are delicious. The swordfish was fantastic (and I hate fish), and every pizza I tried tasted like a slice of heaven.
It’s tapas style, so go with a group, get lots of stuff, and share. It’s worth it.

The main problem I have with PL8 Kitchen is that it seems that they have invested more into the décor and the ambiance than the food.
PL8 is a really cute place, and I was extremely excited to dig into a spread of small plates. Sadly, only 2 out of 5 plates were notable. The other 3 were lackluster at best.
Highlights: Grilled Wahoo, and mini meatballs.
The sweet and sour rock shrimp skewers were neither sweet nor sour, just salty. The mushrooms had an unpleasant consistency. The baked mac and cheese (which would seem like a no-​brainer) even was not that great. Sweet potato wedges (another no– brainer) were just okay.
For the price, I would have expected more. But not bad selections, overall.
I would say PL8 is better suited for kicking back for drinks with some friends. Not a mindblowing culinary experience.

Yay! this place and their plates are delicious! sis and I split grilled beef tenderloin skewers, grilled korean short ribs, chicken chimichangas. they were great, wash it down w a craft brewski, a nice sofla breeze a seat outside and life is good.