Fort Lauderdale’s dining scene has a new address for steaks, seafood, cocktails, and late-night entertainment: and it is located inside a historic church.
Jay’s Steakhouse opened to the public in May 2025 at 441 NE Third Avenue, in the Flagler Village area near downtown Fort Lauderdale. The restaurant occupies a former church building whose stained-glass windows, vaulted ceilings, arched windows, and stone exterior have been preserved as part of a large-scale adaptive reuse project.
The result is one of the more distinctive additions to the city’s growing restaurant lineup: a traditional steakhouse in its culinary foundation, but a more energetic and theatrical venue once the evening gets underway.
A historic building with a new purpose
Jay’s occupies a structure with a complicated Fort Lauderdale history. According to reporting from the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the building’s lineage stretches back to the original St. Anthony’s church on Las Olas Boulevard, established in 1922 as Broward County’s first Catholic church. The structure was later moved brick by brick to its current Flagler Village location, where it was dedicated in 1949.
Fort Lauderdale commissioners granted the exterior historic designation in 2017. While the interior could be redesigned by a future tenant, the building’s defining architectural elements remain central to Jay’s identity.
Inside, the restaurant layers contemporary hospitality over the church’s original framework. Leather booths, velvet, candlelight, rich green tones, chandeliers, and red curtains create a more intimate atmosphere than the building’s scale might suggest. The restaurant’s official description refers to the space as a restored 1920s church, while outside coverage has described it as a former Lutheran church from the 1930s. The exact historical timeline varies by account, but the central point is clear: Jay’s is built around a structure that predates the current restaurant by decades.
For owner Jay Shirodkar, the building is more than an unusual backdrop. In interviews with the Sun Sentinel and World Red Eye, Shirodkar described the church as a metaphor for the restaurant’s approach: respecting tradition while changing the experience for a modern audience.
A steakhouse menu with global influences
Jay’s menu is anchored by premium beef, but it does not stop at the conventional steakhouse formula.
The current menu includes USDA Prime ribeye, a 14-ounce reserve New York strip, Pat LaFrieda’s filet mignon, American Wagyu steak frites, and a 32-ounce prime porterhouse intended for two. The restaurant also offers its signature Prime Rib Trolley, with slow-roasted cuts carved tableside in queen and king portions.
For diners looking beyond beef, the menu includes a raw bar, seafood tower, oysters, jumbo shrimp cocktail, salmon sashimi, spicy tuna crispy rice, Ora King salmon, and miso-glazed cod. Starters range from bone marrow with bourbon bacon jam to rock shrimp tempura, A5 Wagyu gyoza, and lamb skewers.
The menu reflects Shirodkar’s stated interest in dishes influenced by travel and restaurant traditions from around the world. That approach is visible in the combination of steakhouse staples and less expected offerings, including:
- Wagyu steak tartare with Japanese dijonnaise and cured egg yolk
- A5 Wagyu gyoza with serrano chili and ponzu
- Rigatoni alla vodka with Calabrian chili
- Miso-glazed cod with sticky rice and cucumber
- Wagyu fried rice with mushrooms, Chinese sausage, and a fried egg
- Prime rib cheesesteak on seeded Italian bread
- Duck-fat fries finished with rosemary, herbs, lime crema, or shaved black truffle
The restaurant also gives unusual attention to side dishes and salads. Pommes purée, creamed spinach, asparagus with truffle vinaigrette, roasted mushrooms, and confit potatoes are designed to stand alongside the steaks rather than function as afterthoughts.
One of Jay’s more elaborate options is its “Let Jay Take Care of You” tasting experience, a chef-guided progression through selected dishes and off-menu surprises. The concept is intended for guests who want the kitchen and service team to determine the meal based on preferences and dietary needs.
Chef Rudy Lopez and the Shirodkar hospitality group
The restaurant is owned by Jay Shirodkar, president of Shirodkar Industries, formerly known as YES Hospitality. The company’s South Florida portfolio has included concepts such as Naked Taco and Riviera Restaurant at Hotel Maren Fort Lauderdale Beach.
Jay’s culinary team is led by Chef Rudy Lopez, who was identified in the Sun Sentinel’s opening coverage. The menu combines classical steakhouse preparations with seafood, pasta, sushi-influenced starters, and ingredients associated with contemporary luxury dining, including Wagyu beef, caviar, truffles, and dry-aged cuts.
The restaurant’s bar program follows the same approach. Guests can order classic cocktails such as martinis, Negronis, and Old Fashioneds alongside signature drinks including Jay’s Espresso Martini, the Spiced Pear Whiskey Sour, and the lychee martini. The wine list includes selections from Napa Valley, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Tuscany, Rioja, Mendoza, and other major regions, with Champagne and high-end bottles available by the glass or bottle.
Jay’s also offers caviar service and a caviar bump at the bar. During happy hour, the restaurant lists reduced-price cocktails, wines, oysters, Wagyu steak frites, prime rib cheesesteak sliders, and other bar-friendly options.
Dinner that continues after the meal
Jay’s is designed to operate as more than a dinner-only destination. Early service is positioned around business dinners, celebrations, date nights, and traditional steakhouse hospitality. As the night progresses, the restaurant adds live music, DJs, and cabaret-style entertainment.
The official website describes three bars within the venue, helping the restaurant shift from a dining room into a late-night social space without requiring guests to change locations. The goal is to keep the room active after dinner rather than have the evening end with the final course.
The dress code is business casual. Jay’s asks guests to avoid shorts, tank tops, baseball caps, flip-flops, sweatpants, and swimwear. Jackets are not required but are encouraged for men. Current posted hours are Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., and Sunday from 4 to 11 p.m. The restaurant is closed Mondays.
Reservations can be made through the restaurant’s official website or OpenTable. Hours, menus, and entertainment schedules may change.
Where Jay’s fits among Fort Lauderdale restaurants
Jay’s arrival comes as Fort Lauderdale restaurants continue expanding beyond the city’s traditional beach, waterfront, and Las Olas formats.
The restaurant’s Flagler Village location is significant. It is close enough to Las Olas Boulevard and downtown to benefit from the area’s established traffic, but it is not part of the most concentrated stretch of storefronts. Shirodkar has said the location allows Jay’s to operate near Las Olas without becoming another copy of the boulevard’s more familiar restaurant concepts.
The fall 2026 opening calendar points to a broader shift in the market.
At 904 E. Las Olas Boulevard, The Restaurant People plans to open NAIA in October. The Mediterranean-Asian fusion restaurant is expected to feature indoor-outdoor seating, shareable dishes, cocktails, premium wines, and a strong bar component.
At 833 E. Las Olas Boulevard, Caviar Club is also expected to debut in October. The concept from Falsetto Hospitality is planned as a steak-and-caviar restaurant, martini lounge, and private social club with a strongly 1980s-inspired design. Its menu is expected to include dry-aged steaks, Dover sole, caviar dishes, and other upscale American classics.
Downtown’s refreshed Huizenga Park is also scheduled to gain a new food destination this fall. Ophelia Bakery, the Coconut Grove bakery and café known for its breads, pastries, cinnamon rolls, specialty coffee, and retro RV setup, plans to open its first Broward County location at the park. The bakery will join other food operators serving the redesigned riverfront space.
Together, the projects show how the Fort Lauderdale market is broadening across price points and formats: destination steakhouses, luxury lounges, globally influenced dining rooms, and casual bakery cafés. Jay’s contributes a particularly clear example of adaptive reuse, turning a protected historic structure into a modern restaurant without erasing the building’s defining character.
For readers tracking Fort Lauderdale restaurants, Jay’s is worth noting not only for its menu but also for what it represents. The restaurant brings premium dining, live entertainment, and late-night hospitality into a building that has already served several generations of the city. Its next chapter is no longer religious or residential; it is culinary, social, and distinctly Fort Lauderdale.
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