The highlight of our stay at The Diplomat Beach Resort was dinner in the new Point Royal Restaurant. We had heard a lot about their celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian who had been lured back to South Florida for this restaurant, so we walked in full of excitement. Newly renovated, the Point Royal certainly did not disappoint. The decor, experience, and especially the food were all top-notch.
Described as a “coastal American restaurant”, the Point Royal features a raw bar and a menu featuring Zakarian’s American cuisine and seafood dishes.
The decor is very modern: fun and vibrant. It’s right on the water with a bustling atmosphere.
Walking in, the first observation was the striking decor with large light fixtures illuminating from above. Plants line the counters to carry your eyes around the liveliness of the restaurant. To say “high ceilings” does not do justice to the incredible large and magnificent space.
They offer both indoor and outside seating. If it is a cool Florida evening, just ask for a table near the fire place outside to keep you warm. You are very welcome to get cozy in this Diplomat restaurant… Dip and Dine! The atmosphere throughout the restaurant is very welcoming.
Even though it was a beautiful evening to sit outside, we opted to stay indoors. We were seated in a round corner table which faced the central bar that was lined with bottles of all types of liquor. We couldn’t decide whether to order a glass of wine from their extensive wine list or an iconic cocktail. Both great choices!
One of the highlights of the restaurant is the raw bar. Offering up everything from affordable plates of clams and oysters to decadent, multi-tiered presentations complete with jumbo crab claws and lobster tails.
For starters, we went with The Diplomat Tower , a small sampling of a few items from the raw bar. Point Royal offers several seafood tower selections, offering everything from east & west coast oysters, and poached prawn to cold-poached lobster, Alaskan king crab legs, and stone crab claws.
For my main, I chose the butter-poached Lobster Roll which came with large leaves of lettuces. The lobster was very fresh, and I could taste the butter with every bite. Very delicious!
John, my husband, went for the Cornmeal Crusted Florida Snapper which was stuffed with tomato, basil, eggplant, and saffron aioli. The snapper was a large portion, but he ate ever bite of it.
Some of the other main plates included shrimp ‘n’ grits featuring house-made shrimp andouille sausage, artisan Anson Mills grits, and pickled mushrooms; roasted diver scallops “chowder” and a pomegranate-glazed short ribs.
For our side dishes, we chose the Parmigiano crusted potatoes topped with sea salt and rosemary, and a selection of different Kales.
For desserts, we tried to share just one but had too hard of a time deciding on only one! Who else has had that problem? We decided to order one each and I chose the Banana Foster Creme Brûlée with Tahitian vanilla, bananas in rum, and caramelized pecan.
John chose the Chocolate Budino Dark Chocolate which came with hazelnut praline, coco nibs, and topped with cinnamon ice cream. He ate every crumb of this too!
These delicacies were a wonderful finale to our incredibly enjoyable dining experience at Point Royal Restaurant.
For hotel guests, this array of restaurants provides a good reason to never leave! And for locals, an opportunity to visit the newly renovated Diplomat and enjoy these great new options like Diplomat Prime, Portico Beer & Wine Garden and Bristol’s Burgers. I can’t wait to tell you all about our stay at The Diplomat Beach Resort!
Point Royal is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Complimentary valet parking is available to all who dine in which is always a plus!
Geoffrey Zakarian also opened Counter Point as an extension of Point Royal at the resort with casual, gourmet grab-and go options. These two restaurants are the first ones completed as part of the Diplomat’s transformation which includes more than 10 restaurants and bars. The hotel lobby and restaurants are absolutely stunning.
If you’re on Twitter and would like to follow everything related to the beautiful Diplomat Beach Resort and the delicious Point Royal Restaurant, their Twitter handles are @diplomateats, @diplomatflorida and @pointroyal.
Disclosure: We were guest of The Diplomat Beach Resort and Point Royal Restaurant, and all opinions here are my own.
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Lucile
March 2, 2017 at 9:28 amSuper nice restaurant and for once, not deep fried sea food … Here is something that makes me sad about American seafood cuisine, everything almost is fried. Here, it is simple and just looks delicious !
Carmen Edelson
March 2, 2017 at 10:36 amI’m very picky when it comes to seafood and how they prepare it. I’m not a fan of fried seafood as well. The food here was fantastic!
Melissa
March 2, 2017 at 5:33 pmThe Lobster roll in butter looks absolutely delectable. Plus, your husband’s snapper with the eggplant sounds mouthwateringly delicious. Seems like a beauitful ambiance and amazing food!
Carmen Edelson
March 3, 2017 at 8:49 amI’m a huge fan of lobsters and to have it served soaked up in butter was the icing on the cake for me. It was delicious!
Indrani
March 4, 2017 at 11:39 amMost tempting spreads. I am drooling over the pics. 🙂
Such a luxurious place, I don’t think I will want to leave the place.
Carmen Edelson
March 4, 2017 at 11:07 pmWe didn’t want to leave either. I wanted to try every plate on the menu because they all sounded amazing. 🙂
Debra Schroeder
March 4, 2017 at 1:16 pmWow and wow. I hate reading restaurant reviews in the morning because I get so hungry. The food looks absolutely amazing!!! That lobster roll looks to die for!
Carmen Edelson
March 4, 2017 at 11:08 pmThe lobster roll was to die for. I want to go back and just order the same meal we had.
Annie
March 4, 2017 at 5:23 pmI absolutely love love love a good raw bar. That Diplomat Tower looks unreal! I would love to give it a try, and probably eat too much hehe 🙂
Carmen Edelson
March 4, 2017 at 11:10 pmAt first we thought the tower plate was going to be too much when they first brought it out. We ate everything on the plate and then some…
Fiona Maclean
March 5, 2017 at 8:20 amI love a good seafood bar! And America is known for the freshness of its produce
Carmen Edelson
March 7, 2017 at 11:06 amEverything was so fresh! I was very impressed.
Tamara
March 5, 2017 at 3:06 pmLooks like a great spot- I adore Florida and this restaurant looks like a great place to enjoy the weather on that patio. I’d imagine the seafood is fresh, being right on the coast!
Carmen Edelson
March 7, 2017 at 12:15 pmSo fresh, Tamara! I think you’d love it.
carla abanes
March 5, 2017 at 5:54 pma diplomatic WOW! the menu and the ambience is really fit for a diplomat. Would be hard to fit in a rowdy cowboy me in there!
Carmen Edelson
March 7, 2017 at 12:15 pmDon’t worry, everyone is welcome 😉 The food is great!
Chrysoula
March 6, 2017 at 11:15 amSeriously the food looks amazing and I am not a big fan of sea food. Especially your lobster. I also like the relaxed atmosphere of the restaurant. Sounds like a place I would love to eat in.
Carmen Edelson
March 7, 2017 at 12:17 pmThey definitely serve more than just seafood! It’s great 🙂