Latin in South Florida

701 W. Las Olas Blvd. Fort Lauderdale

954-900-5352

After six years and rolls of red tape Frank and Yaddi Rodriguez opened The Chimney House, a casual Pan-Latin eatery on West Las Olas Boulevard in early September. The idea behind the restaurant was to open up a fair-priced homestyle neighborhood restaurant for the wester part of Fort Lauderdale. On most Latin dishes The Chimney House excels. A Lomo Saltado came with a perfect soy-vinegar sauce and tender pieces of sirloin. Like the menu, the kitchen hails from across South American with cooks from Peru and Uruguay. There are also some American items on the menu, such as “The Chimney House Burger” and a meatloaf, but we advise you to stick with the classics.

3 articles

El Tamarindo Café

233 W. State Road 84 Fort Lauderdale

954-467-5114

Latin, Recommended, Best Of, Menu

El Tamarindo's menu is all over the map - a map of the American continents, anyway. The proprietors have come up with a brilliant strategy to attract every Latin-food-loving soul within 100 miles: They'll dish up your meat and veg in the style of Cuba, Argentina, Uruguay, El Salvador, Honduras, or Mexico. Just pick your pleasure. An appetizer mixed plate runs the gamut - Salvadoran pupusas filled with loroco buds, or beans and cheese, come with a tart slaw called curdito; a Honduran chicken-filled baleada is for dipping in a sweetish sour cream. The kitchen makes its own salty fresh cheese, and tortillas are cooked to order. Grilled skirt steak or a palomilla can be had for $10.99 or under, a great bargain, as is the fried fish of the day or sautéed shrimp. White tablecloths and charming, shy service make this setting muy relaxing.

2 articles

Jimmie's Chocolates and Cafe 47

148 N. Federal Highway Dania Beach

954-921-0688

Latin, Latin American, Tapas, Critics' Pick, Menu

In 1946, Jimmie Vonglis and his family escaped war-torn Europe for a new life in the States. A year later, he opened the doors to Jimmie's Chocolates in Dania Beach. Vonglis is long gone, and the shop has changed hands several times since then, but his legacy lives on at his original storefront, which is hailed as the longest-running chocolate shop in the state. Owners Rodney Harrison and Ken Smith took over the property in the late '90s, transforming the business from solely a chocolatier to an iconic homey Caribbean-inspired tapas cafe. Executive chef/managing partner Rob Granado has fused his Puerto Rican background into the regional eatery, reinterpreting Latin flavors with local ingredients. The menu changes seasonally, but keep an eye out for mainstays, like the pernil (slow-roasted pork shoulder), burger of the day (with creative toppings like feta with basil or manchego, crumbled bacon, and sliced pickles), and the line-caught catch of the day (served on Caribbean-style rice topped with fresh avocado, tomato, and red-onion relish with a house-made ground caper tartar sauce).

1 article

La Costa Honduran and Latin Food

1855 S State Rd 7 Fort Lauderdale

954-626-0714

Honduran, Latin, Best Of, Menu

West Broward now boasts at least three Honduran restaurants. La Costa, housed in an old doughnut shop across from a car dealership, is popular with Central Americans and curious gringos. If you're just getting hip to Honduran cooking, try the baleadas (Spanish for "single shot") first. Served everywhere from Tegucigalpa to La Ceiba, baleadas are hot, fat, fluffy tortillas smeared with beans, crema, and strips of marinated steak. They function as utilitarian staples, appropriate for everything from breakfast to midnight snack. Two of them set you back a whole $7.50. Specialty house breakfast (just your typical Honduran fare of eggs, meat, white cheese, refried beans, and crema) bests the competition as well.

1 article

Latin House Grill

9976 Pines Blvd. Pembroke Pines

Latin, Critics' Pick

Five years ago, the name Michell Sanchez would have meant nothing to a South Florida foodies. Today, they know the Latin House Grill chef-owner for more than just a restaurant, and a menu. Many of them are his followers -- patrons from the Miami food truck, where he got his start. They are still obsessed with the dishes that made him famous: giant, deep-fried burritos, specialty flattons, or brownies fried in dough and smothered in a sweet, condensed milk. Today, Broward County residents can discover these dishes -- and the chef behind the creative, Latin-inspired menu -- at Latin House Grill in Pembroke Pines. To this day, family is a big part of the food here. Sanchez's mother continues to prepare many of the menu items fresh each day, as well as the sofrito (a recipe even he doesn't know). His sister hand-rolls each brownie for the restaurant's popular balls of fury dessert. Still, the quintessential Latin House dish remains the "mad love" burger, a shout to Sanchez's favorite WuTang song lyrics. Today, the chef says it's a term he uses to describe how he feels about everything in his life. Indeed, there's nothing but love when it comes to the food here.

1 article

Mojito Latin Cuisine & Bar

700 S. Rosemary Ave. #228 West Palm Beach

561-832-6888

Latin

Contemporary restaurant & bar offering Pan-Latin small plates & mojitos, plus daily live events.

Pincho Factory

155 N. Hiatus Rd. Pembroke Pines

754-888-9746

Burgers, Latin, Best Of, Slideshow

17 articles

Latin in South Florida

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