Big red wines, martinis, bone-in steaks, and juicy chops combine with Chicago Supper Club sophistication at this high-end Italian-style steakhouse in the heart of downtown. Live music is performed at 7:30 p.m. every Tuesday through Thursday in Timpano’s Starlight Lounge, providing a backdrop for aged beef, savory flatbreads, and classics like calamari fritto misto and osso bucco.
Cozy coffee shop located in Victoria Park offering lattes, cappuccinos and espressos.
This little pocket of Creole cooking hugs the southern end of the Victoria Park Shoppes and serves up dishes of red beans and rice and bowls of thick gumbo, as well as po’ boys: oyster, shrimp, catfish, etc. The Black N’ Voodoo Burger comes with jalapeño peppers, horseradish and voodoo sauce.
Famous for meatballs, Anthony’s lives up to its name by getting your meals prepared and to your table in no time. However this doesn’t mean they don’t offer made-to-order dishes. Their menu features pasta, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, wings and more.
Flagler Village is adding another modern dining concept to its already thriving community. Henry’s Sandwich Station’s name is a nod to Henry Flagler, the 19th-century gazillionaire railroad builder whose tracks run behind the café and for whom the neighborhood is named. The shop offers small batch, artisanal purveyors, and house-smoked and cured meats. Menu items include the Montreal style smoked meat on Zak The Baker Jewish rye and slow-roasted prime rib with a homemade horseradish cream, to name a few.
The Wan family has been running successful Chinese restaurants in South Florida since 1966, and this outpost in the Winn-Dixie shopping plaza serves up all the classics. Christina Wan’s does it all in a relaxed atmosphere, including dumplings, slices of caramelized roast pork, and beef lo mein. A full bar is its newest draw, so you can sip cocktails with your honey garlic wings. Wood tones and white tablecloths complete the motif, and a flat-screen hangs over the bar so you can catch the big game while dining.
Valentino’s cheaper cousin (and occupying its former space), this warm, neighborhood place offers an array of pizzas (including prosciutto with shaved Parmesan and arugula) as well as other tempting Italian dishes. The eggplant sliced thin, fried and layered like lasagna is a popular item.
Circle House Coffee was founded by retired NFL linebacker Stephen Tulloch. Menu items include quick breakfast, lunch and dinner grab-and-go options, pastries, pies, empanadas, wine, craft beer and (of course) coffee. Not only that, they also have a drive-thru for the ultimate “grab-and-go” experience.
Hip, modern Mexican place with urban cool.
Kitchenetta was opened in 2004 by chef Vincent Foti and wife Maria as a come-as-you-are casual eatery that pumps out top-notch Italian fare with a modern touch. The menu rotates seasonally and includes as many organic and local ingredients as possible. Individual and family-sized portions are offered, so you can mangia some rigatoni bolognese de medici all by yourself or share with your favorite famiglia.
Calzone, panini, wings and – of course – pizza.
A casual cafe with the flair of Milan and great Italian dishes all the way through to dessert.
With elements of a friendly Roman trattoria in the heart of Las Olas, Gran Forno Pronto serves up authentic Italian comfort food in a fresh and informal atmosphere. Wood fired pizza, award-winning Ciabatta, modest prices and an extensive wine list.
Steve Martorano got his start hawking Italian sandwiches out of his basement in Philly. But his strip-mall restaurant a few blocks from the beach went upscale, and diners wait hours during season for a table (Martorano famously turned away Madonna’s entourage when she refused to wait outside). Those willing to wait find Italian classics dressed up with top-notch ingredients, like the eggplant stack featuring some of the crispiest breaded eggplant slices you’ll find sandwiched between fresh-pulled mozzarella. Not everyone will be down with the gangster movies showing on the overhead TVs, the dance music, or the women who sometimes take to the tables and dance. If you’re the type to like that kind of people watching, you’ll also find some of South Florida’s most soulful food.
This Italian bakery/café/wine bar offers a great variety of freshly baked sweets and savory specialties from Sicily. This intimate cafe also serves a diverse range of small plates of classic Southern Italian pastas. Their menu also features paninis, pizzas, arancini, cornetti and more. The most requested pizza dish is the Sicilian lamb pizza, while the chef recommends trying the raviola, fried dough with fresh ricotta inside. And what’s an Italian café without hot drinks? The Bake Bar has all the Italian favorites such as cappuccino. And if you want to keep it cool, try some gelato.
A fast-casual and traditional Italian restaurant featuring delicacies with high quality ingredients and a high level of service.
This chain serving American food and steakhouse options has opened a location in Dania Pointe. They serve everything from hand-cut, aged steaks to seafood to burgers and pasta. Popular items include the Durango Burger (chile-spiced pepper jack cheese, pickles, fried onions, roasted garlic ranch dressing and brioche bun) and the Firebirds Chicken Pasta (spicy Asiago cream sauce, applewood-smoked bacon, green onions, tomatoes). They’re now doing takeout.
Valentino’s cheaper cousin (and occupying its former space), this warm, neighborhood place offers an array of pizzas (including prosciutto with shaved Parmesan and arugula) as well as other tempting Italian dishes. The eggplant sliced thin, fried and layered like lasagna is a popular item.
This trattoria offers authentic Italian cuisine in a romantic, candle-lit setting, complete with Italian-speaking staff. Chef/owner Michele Viscosi creates dishes inspired by his homeland, including carpaccio di manzo, lasagna tradizionale and osso buco d’Angello.
Carnivores: look no further than this elegant 21st-century take on the traditional Brazilian steakhouse. Guests can choose from rodizio, featuring access to over 15 different rotisserie meats (including top sirloin, filet, ribs, lamb, pork, chicken, sausage and fish) passed around by gauchos, and/or the enormous salad bar, stocked with an array of vegetables, cheeses, soups, cold cuts and authentic hot dishes. The courtyard, with its towering banyan tree, also holds court to an array of parties and charity functions.
Pizzeria serving pizza, pastas, subs, chicken wings and more.
Open seven days a week since it debuted in 1989, Zuckerello’s still has its original owner and chefs in place pumping out home-style Italian. Expect to find traditional dishes like zuppa di clams, fried calamari, and house-made meatballs, along with pasta such as penne alla vodka, crab ravioli, lasagna, and linguine with clam sauce. Large booths can accommodate family-size parties, and the casual-elegant vibe will keep you lounging long after you finish eating. Red and dark gray walls adorned with lively paintings are complemented by glossy wood tabletops and chairs in a contrasting shade of wood. House specialties like veal Marsala, chicken Milanese, and panko-breaded eggplant Parmesan are affordable and come in shareable portions. Fish lovers should try the herb-crusted salmon in orange beurre blanc sauce.
Famous for meatballs, Anthony’s lives up to its name by getting your meals prepared and to your table in no time. However this doesn’t mean they don’t offer made-to-order dishes. Their menu features pasta, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, wings and more.
National chain Del Frisco’s Grille has opened its first South Florida location in downtown’s newly renovated Las Olas Square complex. The modern menu is curated by chef Shawn Quinn and features prime, hand-cut steaks and freshly caught seafood with bold flavors and fresh ingredients. The award-winning wine list and handcrafted cocktails are also worth trying. The 8,083-square-foot restaurant includes a private event space.
Louie Bossi is not your typical chef. Growing up in an Italian household in New York he remembers the aromas of roasted garlic and fresh meatballs sizzling from his family’s kitchen. Raised by a single mother juggling three jobs, Bossi taught himself to cook at the age of eight. Working his way from dishwasher to cook at the local pizzeria Bossi developed a love for the art of pizza making.
Anthony Bruno, of Runway 84, opened this pizza joint in 2002 because he couldn’t find the “well done” pizzas of his native New York here in Fort Lauderdale. The flagship location has since become a nationwide chain. Ashy flavor permeates the crust of pies like the “Paul & Young Ron,” piled with meatballs, sausage, ricotta, and hot or sweet peppers. Oven-roasted chicken wings and salads round out the menu, and beer and wine are served.
As an authentic Italian restaurant owner and chef, over the years my goal was to provide customers with outstanding satisfaction at all costs and troubles. Ever since I was a young girl, cooking was always my passion. I always viewed perfection as a priority and I will do whatever it takes to achieve it. The makings of a great sandwich always starts with the bread. Fresh baked bread choices are:
Traditional (Fresh Tomatoes & Oregano) Wheat Artichoke & Olive Plain Fresh Rosemary & Garlic Fresh Tomato Basil Garlic
Italian eatery with outdoor and oceanfront views.
Begin with the colossal stone crab claws or homemade meatballs before choosing between lobster and shrimp Fra Diavolo and a 10 oz. barrel-cut filet mignon. Or perhaps you’d prefer apple cider-marinated pork chops. For dessert, there’s vanilla bean crème brulee and chocolate soufflé.