The Palm Beach Post's Diana Biederman heard about Dimi's Greek House from a reader before the restaurant showed up anywhere else. Then photos of flaming saganaki, grilled meats and wood-fired pitas kept appearing on social media all summer. By September 18 the Post's headline said the new Greek restaurant was bringing crowds to the former NiMo space in Tequesta.
That one storefront at 157 US-1 explains most of what changed in Tequesta's dining this year. Over roughly nine months, four new kitchens opened on or just beside the village's stretch of U.S. 1. Each one is built around a single tradition: a New York diner, Guaca Go, a barbecue kitchen attached to a brewery, and a family-run Greek house. The broad, chef-driven concept that held the corner before them has been replaced by a set of narrower specialists.
The Room at 157 US-1
NiMo Coastal Mediterranean opened in February 2024 under chef Niven Patel, a four-time James Beard nominee. Patel is also known for Ghee Indian Kitchen, which won a Michelin Bib Gourmand. In Tequesta, NiMo served small bites and pizzas, ran an indoor/outdoor bar, and had a happy hour that lasted long enough for people to come straight from work. It appears on the Post's list of Palm Beach County restaurants that closed in 2026.
Dimi's Greek House opened in the same space in mid-July. Its menu runs from saganaki, grilled octopus, mussels and shrimp to lamb chops, several kinds of souvlaki, whole seabass and gyro pita. There is also a New York strip for anyone who wants something other than Greek plates. Greek potatoes and broccolini are among the sides, and the desserts include baklava cheesecake and date cake. The kitchen cooks from family recipes and makes its pita and whipped feta in house. The dining room has rattan chandeliers, and there is live piano and violin, with bands on weekends.
The restaurant is in the Tequesta Shoppes plaza. It takes reservations and welcomes walk-ins. So the room's Mediterranean roots carried over, but the format changed. NiMo's menu was drawn from the whole coastal Mediterranean. Dimi's sticks to one country's cooking, keeps a lively bar in the room where NiMo ran its happy hour, and adds live music.
Four Openings, Four Single-Minded Menus
The other new arrivals follow the same pattern. In order of opening:
- 718 Cafe & Grill, 716 U.S. Rte 1. A preview published November 15, 2025, described the place as bringing New York diner style to Tequesta. It said a soft opening was expected within seven to ten days, with a grand opening about a week after that. The exact opening date was never reported. The restaurant's website now carries a full menu and recent posts about local events.
- Guaca Go, 181 US-1. It soft-opened first and then held its grand opening on Monday, February 2, 2026, with a ribbon cutting that day. It is still listed in the village's business directory.
- Dimi's Greek House, 157 US-1. Opened mid-July 2026 in NiMo's former space.
- Tequesta Smokehouse, inside Tequesta Brewing Company, 287 US-1. Restaurateur Mark Campbell opened it on Saturday, July 25, with limited days and hours at first. It was first expected in mid-to-late June.
The Smokehouse address needs a note. Business Debut lists 287 US-1 as Tequesta, while the Post places the brewery in Jupiter. Whichever municipality claims it, the brewery's website still links to Smokehouse ordering.
What these openings have in common is how they're run. Each one works by adding a single focused kitchen to a space or business that was already there. The Smokehouse moved into an existing brewery instead of building its own dining room. Dimi's took over a fitted-out restaurant with a bar already in place. Even 718 Cafe & Grill's name points to one particular part of New York.
Hours Are the Moving Part
All four menus are settled. Their schedules may still be changing. The Smokehouse began with limited days and hours, and none of the sources confirm whether that has expanded since summer. The same goes for Guaca Go's current hours. For either one, check its own site or call before a weeknight visit. Dimi's is the easiest to plan around, since its website lists it as open, takes reservations, and accepts walk-ins.
Where the Rest of October Happens
The village calendar fills the evenings these restaurants don't, and most of it centers on one park.
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Tues., Oct. 6, 4–5 p.m. | Public input meeting on a $200,000 grant application for Constitution Park | Tequesta Recreation Center, 399 Seabrook Road |
| Fri., Oct. 9, 6–8:30 p.m. | Tequesta Dance Party | Constitution Park, 594 N Dover Road |
| Mon., Oct. 12 | Twilight Yoga | Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, 500 Captain Armour's Way |
| Wed., Oct. 14 | Storytime & Crafts; Sunset Tour | Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse |
| Thurs., Oct. 15 | Homeschool Mornings | Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse |
| Sat., Oct. 17 | Sunrise Tour; Storytime & Crafts | Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse |
| Sat., Nov. 14, 2–6 p.m. | 15th Annual Tequesta Chili Cook-Off and Beer Tasting, 21+ | Seabreeze Amphitheater at Carlin Park, Jupiter |
The village also lists Constitution Park as closed for maintenance on October 6 and closed for event setup on October 9. That puts a public meeting about improving the park and a dance party in it in the same week. The grant in question comes from the state's Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program, and the meeting notice says the session's sole purpose is to discuss that application.
Then the calendar thins out. The village's November page, as reviewed, lists council and planning and zoning meetings and no public festival or market. That makes the November 14 chili cook-off at Carlin Park in Jupiter the main village-branded event of the month.
The Park That Changed Hands Without Changing Yet
The restaurant spaces filled in months. Tequesta Park is on a slower clock. In June 2026 the state transferred the park to the village at no cost. The park is 70 years old, and the village had already maintained it for more than 50 of those years at about $250,000 a year.
The village's master parks plan calls for better ballfields, a multi-use field, sand volleyball courts, a splash pad and a playground, at an estimated $8 million to $10 million. WPTV's review of the most recent budget found $250,000 set aside to match a state planning grant and no money budgeted for construction. Mayor Molly Young confirmed there are no immediate plans to start building.
"We're going to have to figure out how to fund and how to approach the construction. We are committed to this park either way."
Young said that in June about the property tax cut proposal on Florida's November ballot, adding that the village's approach would stay the same whether or not it passes. As of that June report, the upgrades existed as a plan and a rendering, and the construction funding question was still open.
That leaves an uneven map for the fall. On U.S. 1, the new restaurants are already serving, and Dimi's is taking reservations. In the parks, the work is still at the stage of grant applications and public meetings, with the October 6 session at 399 Seabrook Road as the next step residents can attend.
Whether you live near Tequesta's stretch of U.S. 1 or are thinking about how corridor changes like these affect what a property is worth, a conversation grounded in what's actually opening is a good place to start. David Cooke and the team follow these changes block by block. Request a Private Consultation.
