Lynora’s brings western twist to Royal Palm Beach

Construction is underway on the new Lynora’s restaurant in Royal Palm Beach, with an opening anticipated in early 2027. [Photos by Lynora's]

Lynora’s has been part of South Florida’s dining landscape for nearly five decades. Now the family-owned Italian restaurant is preparing to bring familiar favorites to Royal Palm Beach alongside a few unexpected touches inspired by the community.

The restaurant is expected to open in January at the former TGI Fridays site along State Road 7 between Belvedere Road and Southern Boulevard.

For owner Angelo Abbenante, the expansion represents more than another restaurant opening. It is an opportunity to reconnect with a community that has been part of the Lynora’s story since its earliest days.

“We’ve been always looking for Wellington, the Royal Palm area, and it’s just been really hard the last few years to actually locate the right spot,” Abbenante says.

With six existing locations from Boca Raton to Palm City, Lynora’s has steadily expanded its presence throughout Palm Beach and Martin counties. Yet the western communities remained a missing piece.

Lynora’s offers authentic Italian cuisine along Clematis Street in West Palm Beach.

Abbenante recalls that customers from Wellington and western Lake Worth were among the restaurant’s earliest supporters, making the opportunity to establish a location nearby particularly meaningful.

When the TGI Fridays property became available, the family recognized its potential.

“We thought that was one of the better spots for us to capture a little bit of Wellington, a little bit of Royal Palm, a little bit of the Acreage,” Abbenante says. “This would be right in the middle of the western community.”

The restaurant’s pizza oven was recently delivered, and interior work is progressing. Although the family considered a late-December opening, Abbenante says January is a more realistic target.

The Lynora’s story began in 1976 when Abbenante’s parents opened their first restaurant in Lake Worth near Military Trail. Their neighborhood Italian restaurant gradually became a destination for families throughout Palm Beach County.

Antonio, Maria and Ralph at Lynora's.

As the restaurant’s popularity grew, the family expanded into a larger space on Lake Worth Road near Jog Road, establishing the foundation for the Lynora’s that customers know today.

For Abbenante, the restaurant’s success is rooted in the principles his parents established nearly half a century ago: quality ingredients, traditional preparation and an unwavering commitment to making food from scratch.

His mother and father remain involved in the business and can occasionally be found at the family’s Cle­matis Street location in downtown West Palm Beach.

“We still do everything the same way from when my mom did it,” Abbenante says. “We make our meatballs in house. We make our fresh pasta in house. We make our bread in house.”

That commitment extends to the ingredients. Lynora’s imports tomatoes and olive oil from Italy, and its wine list reflects Italy’s rich winemaking traditions.

“We’ve kept the tradition of the quality of food exactly the same,” Abbenante says.

Those details are central to the restaurant’s identity, particularly as the business has grown beyond its neighborhood roots.

Lynora’s serves up one of its signature pasta dishes with bread and wine.

While the Royal Palm Beach location will feature the familiar Italian atmosphere associated with Lynora’s, it also will introduce design elements that reflect Wellington and neighboring communities.

“We’re going to bring the Italian colors and atmosphere that Lynora’s is known for, but we’re actually going to have a little twist,” Abbenante says.

Booths, chairs and other furnishings will feature equestrian touches, connecting to the western Palm Beach County lifestyle.

But the design is only part of what will make the location different.

Lynora’s restaurant in Royal Palm Beach under construction.

Stanza, a separate 700-square-foot space within the building, will serve as a private dining area and a listening lounge.

“We’re doing something a little unique with this,” Abbenante says.

Beyond its signature Italian dishes, Lynora’s plans to bring a full calendar of dining specials and social experiences to Royal Palm Beach.

The restaurant will offer happy hour daily from 3 to 7 p.m. and established weekly promotions, such as Meatball Mondays and Wind Down Wednesdays, offering 50% off bottles of wine.

Weekend brunch will be part of the experience, and a DJ will work on Sundays.

As Lynora’s 50th anniversary approaches, the Royal Palm Beach opening marks a new chapter in a family legacy that began in Lake Worth in 1976.