Park Tavern Delray Beach Closing: What's Next Near 111 First

"Cheers to an amazing 15 years! As we prepare to close our doors, we're raising a glass to the guests, team members and community who made Park Tavern what it is. Join us for one last bite."

Park Tavern posted that message to Instagram on Wednesday, Oct. 7, according to The Palm Beach Post. The restaurant at 32 SE Second Ave. serves its last meals on Sunday, Oct. 18. If you live at 111 First Delray, Park Tavern is about a block from your lobby. Today is Oct. 12, so there are six days left.

Losing a place that has been on the corner for fifteen years is a real change. Still, the rest of the block's fall calendar doesn't read like a corner in decline. At 32 SE 2nd Ave., the restaurant next door to Park Tavern finished a round of upgrades the same week the closure was announced. The nearest confirmed newcomer is a French café that opens in the morning. The Saturday market comes back the week after Park Tavern's last service. And a county transportation plan published this month names your two cross streets.

Six days, and how to use them

The Post's listing gives Park Tavern's remaining hours this way. Monday through Thursday, dinner runs 4 to 9 p.m. and the bar stays open until 1 a.m. On Friday, dinner runs until 10 p.m. Saturday has brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., then dinner from 4 to 10 p.m., with the bar open until 1 a.m. The last day has brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., dinner from 4 to 9 p.m., and the bar until 10 p.m. That makes this coming Saturday and Sunday the last two chances at brunch.

For one last order, the Post points to the dishes the scratch kitchen was known for. The PT cheesesteak is shaved prime rib with caramelized onions, forest mushrooms, jalapeños and fontina. The Farmhouse chicken sandwich comes with lemon-basil mayo. The fish & chips and the chicken & waffles round out the list. When Liz Balmaseda, the Post's former food writer, visited in the restaurant's early days, she praised the crispy Maine lobster tacos, the meatball sliders and the warm pretzel bites.

One comment the Post quoted from social media summed up how a lot of people knew the place: "there goes the best happy hour on the Ave." The Post also reported that some commenters guessed rising downtown rents were pushing restaurants out. That guess came from commenters. The restaurant's own announcement didn't give a reason for closing, and nothing has been reported yet about what will go into the space.

Same address, opposite week

Park Tavern does not have 32 SE 2nd Ave. to itself. The Downtown Delray Beach directory lists three restaurants at 32 SE 2nd Ave: Park Tavern, Kapow Noodle Bar and Two Fat BrEGGfast & Lunch. Each sits next door to the others. It's easy to read the Park Tavern news as a closure of the whole building. It isn't.

Kapow is the useful comparison. It closed Monday, Oct. 5, through Thursday, Oct. 8, for what the restaurant called "some awesome upgrades," and it reopened Friday, Oct. 9. Its announcement put it plainly: "Same Kapow. Better Kapow." Kapow got to this address through an earlier turnover of its own. What Now South Florida reported in August 2024 that Kapow was taking over the Salt7 space. In the week Park Tavern announced it was leaving, the restaurant next door was investing in its room.

Across the street, the directory lists THRōW Social Delray at 29 SE 2nd Ave., about 179 feet from Kapow's door. Avalon Beach House is at 110 E Atlantic Ave., around 205 feet northwest. After the 18th, there are still several places for an evening out within a short walk of 111 First. What's gone is the one with fifteen years of history.

The next arrival opens in the morning

The nearest confirmed opening is a café that opens in the morning. Maman, the French café brand that started in New York City's Soho neighborhood in 2014 and now has more than 60 locations, is opening at 40 S. Swinton Ave. That's one avenue west of SE 1st. The Boca Raton Observer reported on Oct. 1, 2026 that the Delray café will open in November. A location at The Shops at Boca Center is set to follow in early 2027.

In February, The Palm Beach Post reported that the operators hoped to open the Swinton café by late summer. Late summer has come and gone, so November is the current target and not a confirmed date. The Observer described what the brand serves as coffee, pastries and savory dishes, in rooms with vintage furnishings and French-inspired decor designed by co-founders Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte.

Taken with Two Fat BrEGGfast & Lunch at 32 SE 2nd Ave., Maman adds a second morning option within a short walk of the building. The block is losing a place known for evenings and gaining one known for mornings.

October 24 is the busiest Saturday on the calendar

The weekend after Park Tavern closes, the Delray Winter GreenMarket starts its season at Old School Square. It runs every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., beginning Oct. 24. Old School Square describes it as "the most popular event in Downtown Delray," with dozens of vendors selling local produce, gourmet food and plants.

The same Saturday is Halloween in Downtown Delray, and the schedule runs straight down Atlantic Avenue, a block north of 111 First. Here is the full lineup, from the Downtown Delray Beach event page and the Old School Square calendar:

The Witches ride benefits the Achievement Centers for Children & Families. The parade has no route to follow as a spectator because, as the organizers put it, "You ARE the parade!" Anyone in costume walks it from Federal Highway to Kidsfest. At the Dec. 1 lighting, Santa lights the tree, and the evening also includes ice skating, a carousel and mini golf.

There are two shorter windows too. Downtown Delray Restaurant Month officially ran Sept. 1–30, and some participating restaurants have extended their offers through October. That makes the rest of this month a good time to try the dining rooms you'll be visiting more often once Park Tavern is gone. Sounds of the Set plays Libby Wesley Plaza on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

A planning document that names your cross streets

The last item on this list is a long way from opening. Palm Beach County published the Stage 2 "Envision" chapter of its Countywide Transportation Master Plan in October 2026. Table 2-18 in that chapter lists existing and proposed transportation hubs across the county. Entry 41 is the "FEC Corridor Commuter Rail Delray Beach–Atlantic Avenue Station," with its location given as "SE 1st to SE 2nd St, Delray Beach." 111 SE 1st Ave. sits between those same two streets.

What the table says is limited, and so is what this post can say about it. The station appears in a list of proposed FEC-corridor commuter-rail stops, alongside proposals at Lake Avenue in Lake Worth Beach, Boynton Beach Boulevard and Palmetto Park Road in Boca Raton. The table lists it separately from the hubs that already exist: the Delray Beach Tri-Rail station at 345 S. Congress Ave. and the Brightline station in Boca Raton at 101 NW 4th St. The plan identifies it as a proposed hub location. It isn't Brightline. Our research found no funding, construction schedule or opening date for it.

If any of this changes, whether that's news about what replaces Park Tavern, a firm opening day for Maman, or a step forward on the Atlantic Avenue station, we'll be watching for it. The South Ocean Group works out of downtown Delray, a few blocks from 32 SE 2nd Ave. If you own at 111 First and want to know how a changing corner shows up in what your condo is worth, ask us for a free home value. We'll put it together for your specific unit.