What makes a great nighttime destination in downtown Fort Lauderdale?
An old church. A serious steak. Live music that refuses to be background noise.
Jay’s Steakhouse, a high-end supper club housed inside a Romanesque stone church in Flagler Village, is built on a simple premise: dinner is only the first act.
The preserved gray-stone exterior gives way to a warm, cinematic interior layered in wood and leather, where lighting deepens as the evening unfolds. The soaring ceiling of the former nave remains intact, lending the room grandeur without sacrificing intimacy. Former stained-glass windows have been reimagined as multicolored glass installations engineered to withstand hurricane season, maintaining drama while modernizing the space.
The menu reads like a modern steakhouse greatest-hits list, anchored by serious cuts of beef, including A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Picanha ($275). A prime rib trolley glides tableside. Lobster spaghetti arrives glossy and decadent. Robuchon-style potatoes land impossibly smooth, whipped with butter and cream until they verge on silken. Seafood towers and composed starters add structure, while a wine list that stretches comfortably into four figures signals the room’s ambition.
On a recent Friday, diners pivoted in their seats as Tori & Will took the stage. Backed by a full band, Tori Rossi — five feet tall, all presence — moved seamlessly through pop, R&B, and rock covers with theatrical ease. She sang, danced, and calibrated her energy to the room, building momentum without overwhelming it.
Will, originally from Cuba, provides a steady counterbalance, layering harmony and guitar over Rossi’s dynamism. Together they move fluidly between nostalgia and contemporary hits, creating the kind of show that encourages guests to linger past dessert.
Other evenings bring performers such as Goldie Heart, DJ Kastle with live instrumentation, and even a fire performer. The programming feels deliberate rather than decorative. This is not music meant to be politely ignored. It is part of the architecture of the night.
Acoustics in the nave — where the band performs from the former apse — are remarkably balanced. Sound carries clearly without drowning out conversation, a rare feat in hybrid restaurant venues. Guests can lean into the show or retreat into an adjacent dining area depending on mood. The experience shifts organically as the room fills and the tempo rises.
The building itself carries a layered past. Originally constructed in the early 1920s as St. Anthony’s, the first Catholic church in Broward County, it was later relocated and acquired by a Lutheran congregation. Today, the exterior is designated historic by the city of Fort Lauderdale, meaning its stone façade remains protected even as the interior evolves.
As the evening progresses, the rhythm changes. Early dinner guests sip cocktails beneath cathedral ceilings. By nine o’clock, napkins are folded aside and chairs subtly angle toward the stage. By ten, the show becomes the gravitational center of the room.
The format feels closer to a New York supper club or a London live lounge than a traditional South Florida restaurant. The music does not interrupt dinner. It elevates it. Energy builds in waves, carried as much by the band as by the clink of glassware and the glide of servers navigating the floor.
For guests, the appeal is simple. There is no need to plan a second stop. No scramble for the next bar. The night unfolds where you are, layered course by course, song by song.
And when the lights dim just a little further and the chorus hits, you realize the destination was never just dinner.
