Sweet: Rendering views of Sweetwaters in Huizenga Park, coming in 2026.
Credit: ICRAVE
Downtown Fort Lauderdale’s riverfront is getting a serious glow-up and Sweetwaters is leading the charge. The full-service waterfront restaurant from Specialty Restaurants Corporation, the crew behind Miami’s Rusty Pelican, has officially broken ground in the reimagined Huizenga Park. When it opens in fall 2026, it will anchor the New River with sweeping views, modern design and a dining experience built for long lunches, after-work hangs and weekend linger sessions galore.
This milestone marks the first major step in Huizenga Park’s highly anticipated reopening. Slated to roll out in early 2026, the refreshed park will connect riverfront living, downtown vibes and cultural programming like never before. Sweetwaters will sit at the heart of it all, bringing 6,140 square feet of indoor dining and another 3,500 square feet of outdoor terraces and patios, seating up to 291 guests with front-row views of the skyline and boats drifting by.
Expect a modern, airy aesthetic from JVB Architect, LLC with interiors by ICRAVE, plus a layout that blends directly into the park’s landscape. RCC Associates is building the project, and the Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has been working closely with all partners to ensure the restaurant serves as a true community hub.
As DDA President and CEO Jenni Morejon tells Browardist, “Sweetwaters is designed to connect people to two of Downtown Fort Lauderdale's best assets: the waterfront and Huizenga Park. With its idyllic park setting and open, welcoming design, Sweetwaters will encourage locals and visitors to pause, take in the view, enjoy an incredible meal and connect with the rhythm of downtown. It’s intended to activate Huizenga Park on a daily basis and will genuinely change how people connect with the Riverwalk and downtown parks, continuing to elevate Las Olas Boulevard and the entire city.”
This is the first taste of what is shaping up to be yet a new era of riverfront dining and gathering in Fort Lauderdale.
More details on the park’s programming, amenities and opening date will roll out in the coming weeks, but one thing is clear: Sweetwaters is shaping up to be a place to be for sure.
