La Fuga

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

The Escape, Right Here

La Fuga — Italian for "the escape" — makes good on its name without asking you to go very far. Situated steps from the Atlantic at the Kimpton Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale Beach, it positions itself as a neighborhood Italian restaurant that is simultaneously miles from the everyday and squarely in the middle of everything. The draw is a specific and convincing idea: that Italy and Florida share more than a coastline shape. Both are peninsulas wrapped in fertile seas, both have built centuries of cooking around briny capers, fresh herbs, exceptional seafood, and the kind of pasta that takes patience to make well.

Where Two Coastlines Meet

The kitchen draws its inspiration equally from what the restaurant calls "Nonna's kitchen" and the coastal abundance that Florida and Italy share. Floridian ingredients meet Italian technique — exquisitely fresh local produce and seafood shaped by time-honored methods and recipes passed down through generations. The menu leans into that overlap: tortellini, bruschetta, calamari, mussels, and lamb all appear in the gallery of dishes that come out of this kitchen, each plate designed to honor tradition while exploring it more deeply.

Leading the kitchen is Executive Chef Michael Mayer, who has held his position at Kimpton Shorebreak since 2016. Before arriving in Fort Lauderdale, he worked as executive chef at hotels in Austin and Vail, and began his career as a line cook in the Midwest. To prepare for La Fuga specifically, he immersed himself in Italian culinary tradition — studying recipes passed from generation to generation alongside the work of contemporary Italian masters. The result, as the restaurant describes it, is "at once modern and classic": a careful exploration of Italy's lengthy sea coast made relevant through local Florida ingredients.

Wine, Atmosphere, and Recognition

The wine program earned La Fuga a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2025 — a recognition that reflects the seriousness with which the list is curated to complement the coastal Italian cooking. An expertly stirred Negroni is as much a part of the experience as any plate of handmade pasta.

The room spills outdoors, with al fresco seating that suits the beachside setting. Live entertainment runs on Thursdays and Sundays, and the space accommodates private dining and events. Breakfast is served daily, making La Fuga one of the few fine dining destinations on Fort Lauderdale's coast that anchors the full arc of a day — from morning through a late Friday or Saturday dinner.