Will be there next month and want some good recs for food, booze, game watching, strip clubs, all that jazz.
Already have a place to stay so don't need that. Gonna be with a gf/w/w.
Fort Lauderdale proper got a bit righteous in the late 80's & early 90's when Doug Danziger became Vice Mayor... if I recall, the Fort Lauderdale "proper" men's clubs have to have either pasties or @ least G string bottoms on.
Out of town / unincorporated Broward County, on the other hand, is allowed full on nudidity. One of my best friends from high school is a bartender @ The Cheetah & depending on where you're staying, this might be a bit of a drive for you (it's about a 30 minute run from North A1A & Sunrise Boulevard @ minimum).
Tell me where you're staying & I can guide you to the right places.
A few of the "mostly locals only" places are Southport Raw Bar off of Cordova Road, 1 block N of 17th Street Causeway, Dirty Ernie's ("Ernie's Bar B Q* Restaurant & Rooftop Bar", but Dirty Ernie's to us) which is on the W side of Federal Highway about 1 mile South of 17th Street Causeway, & 15th Street Fisheries, where I worked in High School.
. I've heard the boatyard around the Fisheries now owns the restaurant, but haven't changed much (the dad of my girlfriend's best friend ... lots of twists there ... was the general manager for about 20 years, so I wonder what happened to that situation.
Anyhow...
I was going to point you towards the spinning restaurant @ Pier 66 on 17th Street Causeway, but according to Fodor's it has closed & is only banquet space now. ??
One fun thing to do is get on the Water Taxi @ Bahia Cabana, then take it to the Fisheries or maybe N to Bootlegger's or Shooter's. For a (car) drive about 30 minutes, look to Durty Nellie's or Tugboat Annie's, both in Dania (Federal Highway S of the airport by 2 miles, East on Dania Beach Boulevard, past the Jai Alai Fronton, look for the signs & go N to the canals... if you go over the intracoastal, you went too far).
If you're in the Deerfield Beach / Boca area, look for Rattlesnake Jake's. My friend Junior probably still owns the place. Wednesday is "Freshest Fish" & if you catch something on the pier out 100 yards away, he'll put it on the grill & cook it exactly how you want it. It's Tex Mex, but with a Florida vibe to it.
Have fun; it's a great tourist town but nowhere I want to live (too expensive & too many people).
*Do NOT go to Dirty Ernie's for the Q. You'll be very disappointed. Everything on your plate should begin with the word Conch.
Yes, the Mai Kai is an interesting place... my Judo Sensei's mom was the house accountant & as such, he had a 25% off card for everything; drinks included. That's the site of my worst drunk ever (which wasn't all that bad, but still bears mentioning).
A friend's Dad used to play poker with all the cooks there - Cubans - & he said these same guys also had the connection @ the Jai Alai in Dania.
For those who don't know, it's all Polynesian themed @ the Mai Kai with hula & fire dancers... the full luau experience.
Try The Knife, an Argentinian beef restaurant - my favorite in Ft. Lauderdale. Prix Fixe, all you can eat, steak, chicken, pork, etc., all cooked over a grill. Go hungry, and don't plan on eating much the next day, either.