J. Mark's Fort Lauderdale Opens After Long, Complete Makeover

Photos by Eric Barton

The J. Mark's dining room has come a long way from its Bennigan's days.

​It may seem like forever since anybody was slinging food in the old Bennigan's location in Fort Lauderdale. But after a complete rehab in and out, J. Mark's has finally opened its second location.

If you haven't been to the original in Pompano Beach, J. Mark's is a comfortable restaurant, both with its look and food. The ambiance is all warm wood, modern light fixtures, and dyed concrete floors. There's a bar that sits a bit higher than the rest of the restaurant up to the right, and the dining room is full of booths separated by high, swirling wood separators. If you've been to a Houston's or a Seasons 52, it'll feel familiar.

The sliders are served as a (huge) appetizer at lunch or an entrée at dinner.

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The menu will also look familiar to the Houston's crowd. It features ribs and rib eyes, crispy walnut shrimp and chicken tenders, hickory burgers and sliders. It's all fairly affordable, with most lunch entrées around $10 and dinner plates costing about $15. The menu boasts that the steaks are aged for 28 days and cut daily by an in-house butcher.

The Baja chicken comes with a mango relish, avocado slices, a Dijon sauce, and black beans and rice on the side.

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The place already has a steady business. At lunch today, almost every table was full. The hostesses said that most nights, there has been a wait for a dinner table since it opened last Wednesday. Not bad for a restaurant with a soft opening. But with a look and menu that will seem familiar to the folks who live nearby in Coral Ridge, it will likely stay busy too.

J. Mark's Restaurant & Bar
1245 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale
954-390-0770