A $25 trio of dips, nigiri topped with A5 wagyu and foie gras, and a one-pound lobster tail in panang curry now share a single dinner menu at 904 E. Las Olas Blvd. Naia, a Mediterranean coastal restaurant cooked with Asian technique, is serving dinner on Las Olas Boulevard in downtown Fort Lauderdale, and it comes from The Restaurant People, the Fort Lauderdale hospitality group behind YOLO, Boatyard, S3, Casablanca Cafe and the Rooftop @1WLO.

The group, founded in 1997, says it has developed and run more than 85 restaurant and hospitality concepts across South Florida. Naia is the newest name on its company roster, listed beside Nubé, its oceanfront rooftop, and Jagger Suite, a rooftop lounge in downtown Atlanta.

Where the Name Comes From

The restaurant takes its name from an ancient word for flowing water, and the idea runs through the room. Its own description points to the Adriatic and Ionian coasts as the starting point for the food, with Asian technique and precision layered on top. In the private dining room, a custom Water Table puts moving water at the center of the meal, and a suspended sculpture with fire at its core hangs in the middle of the main dining room. Warm stone, rippled glass and warm woods fill out the space, which opens onto a patio facing the boulevard.

What Is on the Dinner Menu

The menu is built for sharing and moves from cold to hot. It opens with six house dips served with sourdough pita baked in house: hummus with crispy chickpeas, tzatziki, spicy feta with Calabrian chile, baba ghanoush with pomegranate, muhammara with walnuts, and an herb labneh with lemon confit. Each runs $8 or $9, or pick three for $25.

From there it crosses to sushi. Nigiri come two to an order, from a $8 sweet piquillo pepper with yuzu kosho to $28 A5 wagyu with foie gras and truffle aioli. The rolls borrow from the Mediterranean: the Athens roll pairs salmon with feta, avocado and pickled fennel ($24), the Kataifi roll wraps tuna in shredded phyllo with dukkah and melon ($33), and the Aegean Dragon puts shrimp tempura with harissa and an orange ginger gel ($23). Two crudos, aburi salmon with blood orange and hamachi with coconut rayu, round out the raw side.

The robata grill turns out skewers two to an order: chicken with harissa ($16), white shrimp ($17), Scottish salmon with lemon soy glaze ($18), sirloin with mojo ($19) and wagyu beef with saffron aioli ($21). Hot small plates include wagyu dumplings with harissa sauce, charred octopus with Korean chile glaze and miso butternut purée, and a calamari dressed with red Thai curry and nuoc cham.

Larger plates run from a $28 chili-miso rigatoni and a carbonara made with tonkotsu cream and a poached egg, to whole prawn scampi ($36), Sicilian branzino with eggplant caponata ($44) and the $85 Lobster Mai Tai: a one-pound tail in panang curry with charred pineapple salsa and cashews. Steaks from the grill include an 8-ounce filet ($55), a 10-ounce bavette ($42) and a 14-ounce New York strip ($52), alongside whole grilled branzino, Mediterranean sea bream and a local catch at market price.

The signature cocktail list runs from $17 to $45. The White Lotus mixes vodka with lychee liqueur, St-Germain and rose water ($18), and the Olive Branch is an olive oil washed vodka martini with olive brine ($22).

Happy Hour and What Comes Next

Happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the bar, first come, first served. It brings the White Lotus down to $9, classic cocktails like a margarita, Negroni and Aperol spritz to $9, beers to $5 and a Moët glass to $15. Bar bites include a two-dip plate for $12, a spicy tuna roll for $8 and single robata skewers from $5.

Naia opens at 4 p.m. for now. Lunch and brunch are listed as coming soon, and the restaurant says both services begin in November.

Groups, Birthdays and Private Rooms

The private dining room with the Water Table seats up to 18 guests, the outdoor Patio Las Olas holds up to 36, and the full restaurant can be booked for up to 200. Parties of up to nine can book online; groups of 10 to 17 go through the restaurant's Celebrations page or by phone. Guests may bring a store-bought cake for a $3 per person plating fee, and corkage is $35 per 750ml bottle for wines not already on the list.

Plan a Visit

Naia is at 904 E. Las Olas Blvd., Suite A, Fort Lauderdale. Dinner hours are Sunday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to midnight (kitchen closes at 11 p.m.) and Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. (kitchen closes at midnight). Reservations are taken online through the restaurant's website or at 954-775-8673, and walk-ins are seated as space allows. Valet parking is $10 with validation, and area parking lots sit behind the restaurant. The dress code is casual chic or business casual, with no hats, tank tops or athletic wear. An 18% gratuity is added for parties of five or more.

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