E.R. Bradley's Saloon is still a West Palm Beach Treasure

It’s strange that I am just getting around to reviewing E.F. Bradley’s Saloon in downtown West Palm Beach; I’ve eaten there more times than I can count. Bradley’s is such an institution in West Palm Beach that it almost feels that it doesn’t need a review because everyone already has an opinion.

When I lived in downtown WPB, I often enjoyed Sunday brunch at Bradley’s. I had never been there at any other time of day until recently. A Facebook tarot friend, Jenna Matlin, was coming to town, and I would get to meet her in person for the first time, with a few other friends. Where should we meet? She was coming from the cold northeast, so I wanted her to catch our South Florida vibe. E.F. Bradley’s was the perfect choice.

We ate outside, with a view of the water, entertained by the birds, lizards and even a turtle. There were four of us at the table, laughing, reading tarot cards and sharing stories. We didn’t even look at the menus for the first twenty minutes, but our waitress, Piper, was patient with us for our entire two-drink, three-hour lunch.

When we did finally crack open the menu, I was thrilled with the variety of choices. This is a place you can bring all your friends, whether paleo, gluten-free, vegetarian or vegan.

The food itself was fabulous. I took a risk and ordered the Tuna Tartare, with mango, avocado and plantain chips. It was beautiful to behold and even better to eat. My daughter is a connoisseur of South Florida fish tacos (it’s a thing) and loves the Baja Fish Tacos at Bradley’s.

Jenna was pleased that the fried pickles were chips and not spears. They were indeed a guilty pleasure!

E.F. Bradley’s is a saloon. This may not be the best place to bring your grandparents, a business meeting, or a first date, depending on the time of day and the tone you want to set.

For my special lunch event, the menu, food, location and service at Bradley’s couldn’t be beat. It was West Palm Beach at its finest, without a heavy price tag.

They offer valet parking as well. I forgot this fact and fed the meters. One of our group got a parking ticket. Learn from our mistake and valet your car, but don’t let the hassle of coming downtown keep you from this iconic West Palm Beach treasure.

Jenna carefully explained the importance of the shape of fried pickles to Piper.

Jenna approves of these pickles.