The Foxy Brown, the intimate and unassuming downtown Fort Lauderdale favorite from Be Nice Restaurants group, will open its new location on May 29.
The new Foxy Brown is moving to the former Good Spirits space at 476 N. Federal Highway, a larger, brighter stage for its well-regarded menu, with more parking, a bigger bar and a larger outdoor patio.
Owner Elliot Wolf called the new location “beautiful, turnkey.”
Opening day for the new Foxy Brown will include its popular brunch from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the traditional menu from 3 to 10 p.m.
The move is being made for reasons that are obvious to even the most dedicated fans of the cozy old location, at 723 E. Broward Blvd. That space will close at 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 23.
“It’s too small. Especially in this environment, people do not want to be sitting on top of each other,” Wolf said in announcing the move. “The restaurant took a huge hit because it was so small.”
The old Foxy Brown in downtown Fort Lauderdale is cozy — and space-challenged. (Taimy Alvarez / Sun Sentinel)
To be sure, there will be those who miss the old Foxy Brown, a warm and welcoming re-imagining of a small storefront just east of Federal Highway that had been the longtime home of the old News Room Café.
It was a hit from the get-go in 2012 with a singular approach to comfort food — at once elevated and sincere — and managed to retain the feel of a local, word-of-mouth kind of place even as the neighborhood grew vertically around it.
A few years ago, the Foxy Brown added sidewalk seating to handle the overflow, especially critical during its popular weekend brunches, which featured over-the-top sweets and sometimes a pajama theme.
“Sure, I’ll always have an emotional attachment to it. That was the second restaurant we opened after Coconuts [on Fort Lauderdale beach]. But at the same time, the business has grown,” Wolf said. “Foxy had gone as far as it was going to go there.”
The Be Nice Restaurants group includes the Foxy Brown, Coconuts, G&B Oyster Bar, Top Hat Delicatessen and two locations of Lunchroom. It also is known for the ubiquitous “be nice” car stickers.
Wolf says there may be some adjustments to the Foxy Brown menu in the new location, but patrons will otherwise find “the same faces, same people, same style of food.”
Wolf has an artist working on a drawing of the original Foxy Brown to hang in the new location.
“We’re never going to forget where we came from,” he says.
Good Spirits Fifth and Fed, from veteran Fort Lauderdale restaurateur Frank Zaffere’s Old School Hospitality, opened in 2018 with a glamorous, mid-century vibe and a menu that won three-and-a-half-star praise from Sun Sentinel reviewer Michael Mayo.
Foxy Brown owner Elliot Wolf doesn’t plan on changing much about the “beautiful” interior of Good Spirits Fifth and Fed. (Broward Center / Courtesy)
The new Foxy Brow has more than double the seating capacity and a covered patio that seats 70. The bar is three times as big as the current one, according to Wolf.
“A lot of people didn’t even realize we have a liquor license. This allows us to have a full-on bar,” he says.
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Wolf points out that in trading a space that sits on Broward Boulevard to one a block off Federal Highway, he also is gaining a 300-space parking garage in the same building. The lot behind the Foxy Brown has less than 20 spots, and they are shared with neighboring businesses.
“A lot of people would not come for Foxy because they didn’t want to fight for parking,” he says.
Expanded outdoor space also will allow the restaurant to better live up to its namesake — the Foxy Brown is named after a friend’s dog.
“The patio will allow more people to bring their dogs,” Wolf says.
The Foxy Brown is currently located at 723 E. Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, and will reopen nearby at 476 N. Federal Highway on May 29. Hours are 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Wednesday- Friday, 9:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and 9:30-9 p.m. Sunday. Brunch served 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Call 754-200-4236 or visit MyFoxyBrown.com.
