Mona Lisa Coal Oven Pizza

This Deerfield pizzeria is an offshoot of a Brooklyn bakery that’s been operating for three generations. The walls are covered with photos of gangsters and Mob movies, and the food is all about family. Crisp, coal-oven pizzas are fresh and sport a flaky crust like a quality pastry. And Mona Lisa’s desserts are topnotch — […]

Nirala Sweets BBQ

In 2004, this small Indian storefront sweet shop expanded into the Texas-themed room next door from a forgotten barbecue joint. The deeply strange space now offers the usual weekday Indian lunch buffet alongside the less usual, like kebabs, paya (gelatinous cow foot), and a weekend brunch of halwa puri — flatbread served with a thick, […]

Pa’ DeGennaro’s Restaurant

Pa’ Degennaro’s is the invincible old favorite of generations of pasta-craving Lauderdalians, a restaurant that through a couple of makeovers and many chefs has held onto its base clientele like a showman with a mad tiger by the tail. While over the years the interior and the chefs have changed, the food has remained much […]

Pinho’s Bakery & Deli

For 20 years, Pinho’s has serviced this blue-collar stretch of Andrews Avenue. Mechanics in their stained jumpsuits file in early for egg and cheese sandwiches served on Pinho’s home-baked croissants. That and a cup of coffee or a plate of home fries will get the day going right. For lunch, the same crowd grabs bulky […]

Rendez-Vous Bakery & Bistro

Imagine Denny’s gone Bohemian and serving classic French bistro fare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner: merguez sausage sandwich with harissa, half rotisserie chickens, sautéed grouper with pesto, Croque Monsieur, eggs dipped in mushroom sauce, quiches filled with onion jam, ham and cheese crepes draped in béchamel. The prices at Rendez-Vous are beyond reasonable for a […]

Rhino Doughnuts & Coffee

Warning: This is not your daddy’s doughnut shop. At Rhino Doughnuts & Coffee, these iconic American pastries come with hunks of crisp, caramelized applewood bacon, homemade jams, and handmade custards boiled down nightly from fresh vanilla beans and real maple syrup. Kid-approved selections include a rainbow-colored M&M take with smooth chocolate layered atop the ring-shaped […]

Royal Treatz

These days, you’d better be pretty impressive to earn a nod as a cupcake shop. After all, they’re a dime a dozen. But at Royal Treatz, they’re absolutely worth the attention. In addition to incredibly creative (and mouthwatering) cupcake creations, they also make chocolates, cookies, candies, pops and specialty cakes and froyo. Basically, a one-stop […]

Sweeter Days Bake Shop

You can watch the wizards at work here: Former hotel pastry chef Nick Williamson is right behind the glass window, making the treats that come from this cute bakery. Cupcakes are the focus — flavors are traditional but include new favorites: Red Velvet, Boston Cream, Lemon Dream, Key Lime, Carrot Cake, and a specialty creation […]

Urban Rustic Bagel

Good bagels are hard to come by, particularly in South Florida. But it’s not hopeless. Our faith in the round, doughy delights is restored at Urban Rustic Bagel, Hollywood’s kosher caf

We Take the Cake

It’s Oprah-endorsed. For many, no more information is needed. But there are folks that work while Oprah airs, which is why, even though they’ve been churning out the best cakes in the area for over a decade, We Take the Cake has been a secret kept from most South Floridians. This Fort Lauderdale-based boutique bakery […]