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Rhythm Cafe Celebrating 30 Years!

piece of birthday cake

Rhythm Cafe sits perfectly perched on Antique Row where they’ve been serving the fabulous for 30 years. WOW…that was like 1988!

1988 was the year that brought Rhythm Cafe to West Palm Beach, it was also the year that brought us the Iran Contra Scandal and the concept of the world wide web. In theaters, we were watching Die Hard and Rainman while The Cosby Show and Cheers had us glued to our TV’s. Presidential Candidate George Bush said, “read my lips, no new taxes,” and Nike wanted us to “just do it.” Phantom of the Opera was all the rage on Broadway, and we were singing Don’t Worry, Be Happy because we were paying less than $1 a gallon for gas! 30 years ago, Dixie Highway looked a bit different. Rhythm Cafe wasn’t situated among the posh stores of Antique Row. Their neighbor was Kentucky Fried Chicken, and women of questionable virtue roamed the streets. Times have changed, but thanks to owners Dennis and Ken, Rhythm Cafe remains one of the Top 3 Restaurants in West Palm Beach.

Three Decades of Crazy Stories

Today, a visit to Rhythm Cafe is a fun trip down memory lane. Expect fantastic food served with a side order of nostalgia. The building is an old 1950’s pharmacy, and the original luncheon counter now serves as a bar. Look around, the shelves are filled with memorabilia and the walls are an ever-changing local art gallery thanks to their neighbor, JF Gallery. The only thing that’s missing is the pay phone that used to be in the back!

Oh the stories on Rhythm Cafe’s shelves…

Cookie Monster Cookie Jar
A favorite that was a gift from a customer. Dennis said, “Valerie brought him in many years ago with cookie crumbs still inside. None of her children wanted him, so she thought Rhythm Cafe was the place that would appreciate and keep him for posterity.”

Tiara
Perched upon Rhythm Cafe’s shelves is a 1950’s rhinestone and pearl tiara…another gift from a customer. His mom would get all “dolled up” in her favorite ball gown and tiara to go from one neighbor’s condo to another for a visit. After she died, he didn’t know what to do with it and thought of Rhythm Cafe. They’ve been wearing it ever since!

Anita Bryant Album and Florida Orange Bird
Two items on Rhythm Cafe’s shelves have been there since the restaurant opened. Anita’s Bryant’s album The Sunshine Tree and the iconic Florida Orange Bird have been cohabitating for decades. If you need a little sunshine in your life, just ask them to play a sunny song from the album like “You are My Sunshine” or “Sunrise, Sunset.”

The Prom Wall
What do you do with your old prom picture? Add it to Rhythm Cafe’s Prom Wall! Remember the big hair of the 1980’s???

Three Decades of Fabulous Food

What was Rhythm Cafe serving in 1988? You’ll still find four menu items from their original menu…

  • Caesar Salad – always a classic
  • Filet Mignon – served with different sauces or toppings
  • Chocolate Chip Cookies – the best in town
  • Coconut Quiche – served on our Historic West Palm Beach Neighborhood Food Tour

Rhythm Cafe’s Top 10 Menu Items

If you haven’t been to Rhythm Cafe, let us tempt you with their top menu items, in no particular order. Remember, always make reservations (they only have 12 tables) and always save room for dessert!

  1. Saganaki – Greek cheese, breaded, fried, flamed with brandy and served with pitas
  2. Caesar Salad– classic preparation made with egg, anchovies, parmesan cheese and croutons
  3. Filet Mignon – center cut tenderloin steak served with different sauces or toppings
  4. Cashew Crusted Mahi Mahi – fish fillets coated with ground cashews, sautéed and served with coconut lime sauce
  5. Artichoke Preparation Various Fish – any of the fresh fish choices topped with artichoke hearts, sundried tomato, scallions and lemon butter sauce
  6. Key Lime Chicken – boneless, skinless chicken breast coated with graham cracker crumbs and sauteed and served with a key lime butter sauce. Ken’s own creation
  7. Parmesan Crusted Chicken – boneless, skinless chicken breast in a parmesan cheese and potato crust that’s fried golden and served over arugula with lemon butter sauce
  8. Jambalaya Fettucine – shrimp, chicken, and house made andouille sausage tossed in a spicy cream sauce. After a well-known downtown seafood restaurant closed, people were asking if they could replicate their pasta. They’ve been making it ever since.
  9. Butternut Squash Ravioli – oven roasted butternut squash with parmesan cheese and a hint of amaretti cookies and brown sugar in ravioli, bathed in sage butter. One of the few things they don’t make in house. They are made by Joseph’s Pasta Company, a premium pasta maker.
  10. Smoked Fish Dip – house smoked fish spread served with their house made candied jalapenos

In celebration of Rhythm Cafe’s 30th Anniversary, stop by and have a big slice of their best-selling dessert…Chocolate Buttercream Layer Cake, and make sure to ask them to turn on the disco ball!