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Palm Beach Post: Lake Worth restaurant named one of best in U.S.

One of several seating options at Oceano in downtown Lake Worth Beach includes the bar and main dining room. Oceano is named among a highly selective list of USA TODAY’s Restaurants of the Year. Photo by Thomas Cordy | Courtesy Palm Beach Post

By: Diana Biederman | Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY NETWORK

Instead of chasing restaurant trends, this mom and pop restaurant is setting standards. ● Ask Palm Beach County’s top chefs and restaurateurs where they dine on nights off, and one name rises to the top: Oceano. This chef-owned haven in Lake Worth Beach is more than a local favorite; it’s now earning national recognition as one of USA Today Restaurants of the Year, a testament to its chef-driven finesse, ever-evolving menu and welcoming spirit.

Oceano’s understated exterior might be easy to miss if you’re driving by. Step inside and you’re greeted by a space that feels more “Denmark meets the beach” than South Florida glitz. Sunlight spills across the chef ’s counter, local art lines the walls and the vibe is warm, relaxed and unfussy. It’s an oasis for food lovers, artists, and families where the energy is artsy, alive and distinctly non-commercial.

Jeremy and Cindy Bearman, the husband-and-wife team behind Oceano, bring a pedigree that’s rare in these parts.

Both are veterans of New York City’s elite kitchens, including Daniel Boulud’s db Bistro Moderne, where they met 20 years ago. Together, they earned a James Beard Award nomination for Best Chef: South in 2023 at Oceano's original Lantana location. Cindy’s background as a food editor and stylist at Martha Stewart Living adds another layer of expertise, shaping the restaurant’s approach to both flavor and presentation.

Flavor leads, finesse follows

Their journey to Lake Worth Beach wasn’t planned. Difficulty with their landlord forced them out of Lantana, but they landed just two miles away in a neighborhood that felt right. The move was anything but easy; months of renovations, permitting headaches and design decisions tested their resilience.

The result is a restaurant that feels personal, polished and deeply rooted in the community.

“Everything happens quick for us,” Jeremy says, reflecting on the whirlwind transition and the challenges of reopening during peak season.

At Oceano, the menu changes frequently, shaped by the seasons, local ingredients and inspiration from the Bearmans’ travels whether it’s a summer spent exploring Portland’s streetfood scene or a deep dive into the flavors of the Pacific Northwest.

The result is a dining experience that’s never static, always evolving and consistently exciting for both regulars and first-timers.

“The simple things are the hardest to do,” Cindy notes, emphasizing the importance of technique and quality ingredients over unnecessary complexity.

USA Today Restaurants of the Year 2026 logo
At Oceano, simplicity is elevated through care and restraint. You won’t find gimmicks or over-the-top presentations here, just honest, exciting food rooted in skill and integrity.

A community gem

The sharing concept is central to the Oceano experience. Patrons are encouraged to order a variety of dishes and pass them around the table, creating a dynamic, communal atmosphere. Whether popping in for a fabulous wood-fired pizza and a bottle of cava or settling in for a multi-course meal at the chef ’s counter, Oceano offers flexibility and hospitality at every turn.

Jeremy Bearman’s savory menu showcases technique and creativity, with dishes that highlight the best of seasonal ingredients and global inspiration. Standouts have included a vibrant duck salad, delicate waloo crudo, mussels escabeche and expertly prepared American red snapper.

While the menu changes frequently, each plate reflects Jeremy’s commitment to bold flavors, balanced textures and honest cooking. Every visit is a new discovery.

Desserts are equally thoughtful. Cindy’s pastry program features offerings that change with the seasons. A memorable roasted banana tart with salted caramel and crème fraîche is a compact dessert with big flavor and finesse.

Other standouts include her “candy bar” with malt crumb, caramel, peanut brittle and coffee notes, as well as a cookies and confections plate comprising historic riffs and present favorites of lemon tartlets, oatmeal cream pies, peanut butter-chocolate sandwich cookies, devil dogs, brownie bites and Dubai cookies. Each dish feels personal, composed with care and restraint.

A chef’s haven

This frisée with lardon is meant to be shared but you’ll want to eat it all yourself. Photo by Diana Biederman, courtesy Palm Beach Post

Fantastic salads are always on the menu at Oceano. This frisée with lardon is meant to be shared but you’ll want to eat it all yourself.
Oceano’s impact goes beyond the plate. The restaurant has become a gathering place for locals and visitors alike, drawing a diverse crowd from across Palm Beach County and beyond. Regulars from their Lantana days still make the short trip, while tourists often wish they’d discovered Oceano earlier in their visit. Some even make Oceano their first stop after landing, a testament to the restaurant’s reputation as a must-visit destination.

Accessibility is a point of pride for the Bearmans. Walk-ins are encouraged, and the expanded space with airy interiors, a new full bar and covered outdoor seating on the back patio offers flexibility for everything from casual gatherings to special occasions.

“We make sure to keep seats available for walk-ins,” Jeremy says. “It’s important that locals feel welcome to just stop by.”

The decor is as thoughtfully crafted as the menu. Local artwork, subtle touches of color, and design that feels both modern and timeless create a space that encourages relaxation and connection.

Setting high standards

This unique blend of refinement and warmth is part of what keeps folks coming back and what sets Oceano apart in Palm Beach County’s crowded dining landscape.

For Jeremy and Cindy Bearman, the greatest reward is seeing their vision come to life in a community they love.

“Lake Worth Beach has this artsy, cool, alive energy,” Jeremy says. “It’s not commercialized, and that’s what drew us here.”

Their dedication to quality, creativity, and hospitality has now made Oceano a standout on the national stage.

Chef-Owners Jeremy and Cindy Bearman at their restaurant Oceano in downtown Lake Worth Beach. THOMAS CORDY/PALM BEACH POST
“We’re humbled and grateful for the recognition,” Cindy says of the USA Today honor. “It’s a testament to our team and the community that’s embraced us.”

Oceano’s playful mussels escabeche presentation. Photo by DIANA BIEDERMAN, Courtesy PALM BEACH POST
Diana Biederman is the Palm Beach Post's food & restaurant writer. Care to share news tips about the local dining scene? Please send them to dbiederman@ pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

Cindy Bearman’s desserts are works of art. Here a chocolate and banana layer cake, malted ganache, coffee ice cream and hazelnut hits all the tasting notes. Photo by THOMAS CORDY, Courtesy PALM BEACH POST

SOUTHERN LIVING: This Florida Town Welcomes 600 Artists Every Year To Turn Its Streets Into A Work of Art

Lake Worth Cottage by Roberto Jairo Photography

By: Skye Sherman | SOUTHERN LIVING MAGAZINE | December 22, 2025

True Old Florida beach towns are rare these days, but little Lake Worth Beach has managed to hang in there despite development pressures and the rapidly accelerating pace of South Florida. Just south of West Palm Beach, this quirky, creative community has colorful historic cottages, coastal nature, a quietly spectacular dining scene, and one of the country’s largest street-painting festivals, all set within the relaxed pace of a bygone era—unsung Florida at its finest.

Explore the History

Lake Worth Beach’s story begins with formerly enslaved African-American pioneers Samuel and Fannie James, known as the “Black Diamonds,” who established the first post office and named their settlement “Jewell” in 1889. There’s a granite monument downtown honoring their legacy. Lake Worth Beach is also home to one of Florida’s most unique architectural treasures: more than 1,000 colorful historic cottages dating to the early 1900s. It’s the largest concentration of such cottages in the state, outnumbering even Key West; most are Frame Vernacular, Craftsman, or Bungalow cottages built in the 1920s on narrow 25-foot lots. They’re painted in cheery coastal hues, so they make for a fun self-guided walking tour. Beyond the cottages, architecture lovers will drool over Lake Worth Beach’s concentration of Art Deco, Mediterranean Revival, Mission, and Spanish Colonial styles.

Palm Beach Cultural Council Mural by Mike Butler Photography

Enjoy the Arts

Art is a defining characteristic of the funky little town of Lake Worth Beach. Every February, the city explodes in color for the annual Street Painting Festival, one of the largest of its kind in the world. During this particularly artsy weekend, more than 600 artists turn the streets of downtown Lake Worth Beach into a temporary open-air museum with larger-than-life chalk murals splayed across Lake and Lucerne Avenues. There’s also live music, food vendors, and thousands of spectators converging to admire the temporary spectacle, so it’s always a fun time to be in Lake Worth Beach. But the city’s creative juices flow year-round, not just for the street-painting festival weekend. For a small town, Lake Worth Beach is jam-packed with studios and galleries (including a working glassblowing studio with classes and workshops); the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County is even headquartered here in a restored 1940 Streamline Modern theater, a hub of rotating exhibitions, film nights, and even an Art Deco lecture series. While exploring Lake Worth Beach’s quaint downtown, don’t miss The Dancing Elephant, an offbeat indie bookstore with deep roots. It’s one of Florida’s oldest bookstores (formerly the Rainbow Bridge, founded by a Hungarian metaphysicist in 1972), but was revitalized in 2022 by a then-24-year-old and his girlfriend, who took over from the original owner. One of the few remaining metaphysical bookstores in the country, The Dancing Elephant was reborn by Shane and Ava with an expanded selection of esoteric and antiquarian reads; they even launched their own independent publishing company, Gallowglass Books.

Lake Worth Pier by Roberto Jairo Photography

Immerse in Nature and Waterfront Views

Just across the Lake Worth Bridge, the 1,000-foot Lake Worth Beach Pier is where you’ll find spectacular sunrise views, lots of local fishermen, and Benny’s on the Beach, surprisingly one of the only true beach restaurants in South Florida. Back across the Intracoastal Waterway, the Snook Islands Natural Area provides a serene contrast. This restored estuary has mangroves, oyster reef habitats, a kayak launch, and a boardwalk to stroll for glimpses of native wildlife, including oystercatchers, manatees, and sea turtles. It’s the perfect place to paddle around and experience Florida’s true timelessness.

Vincents Bakery by Roberto Jairo Photography

Where to Eat

The dining scene in Lake Worth Beach is as richly eclectic as the town itself. Restaurants don’t get much funkier than Jewell Bistro, named for the original settlement. On the menu here, you’ll find seasonal dishes, fresh Florida seafood, and Miss Marsha’s delectably unique desserts, including mango pie, five-spice carrot cake, and Florida Cracker Tarte. Pelican Restaurant is a longtime local staple, a casual diner with an Indian-fusion twist thanks to the original owners. Try the eggs Nissa, a Pakistani dish of scrambled eggs with ginger, garlic, curry, and naan, or the aloo gobi omelet. Oceano Kitchen is another Lake Worth Beach must. At this tiny chef-driven coastal American spot, the menu changes weekly, according to what’s freshest; it’s a James Beard Award Semifinalist and widely considered one of the best restaurants in South Florida, but you’d never know it from the laid-back atmosphere and unpretentious husband-and-wife chef-owners. For an even less fussy, truly local experience, there’s Dave’s Last Resort, one of South Florida’s favorite dive bars, where the seafood’s always fresh and the game’s always on. Whether you come for the art, architecture, nature, food, or street painting festival, Lake Worth Beach is one of Florida’s last old-school beach towns, a true gem of the Sunshine State.

Palm Beach Post: Lake Worth restaurant named one of best in U.S.

SOUTHERN LIVING: This Florida Town Welcomes 600 Artists Every Year To Turn Its Streets Into A Work of Art

By: Skye Sherman | SOUTHERN LIVING MAGAZINE | December 22, 2025

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