Breakfast in South Florida

8912 SR-84 E, Fort Lauderdale Davie/West Hollywood

954-475-8977

American, Breakfast, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu

You can never have too many good brunch options, and Kristof's Kafe makes its mark amongst Fort Lauderdale's best. From their famous strawberry stuffed French toast, country fried steaks and build-your-own-omelettes to homemade soups and sammies galore, they've got a menu that covers every craving. It's a tasty option for home-cooked breakfast, lunch and on the weekends, dinner too. It's cozy, it's casual and when it comes to hangover cures - you won't find anyplace better.

1 article

Bake Shack

238 S Federal Highway Dania Beach

754-217-4235

Bakery, Breakfast, Menu

This cozy neighborhood breakfast and lunch spot is just what Broward locals need. Customers are greeted by an eye-catching display of doughnuts in flavors such as blackberry blintz, tres leches, and Nutella mousse. But regulars come for the Dough Boy, a delectable combo of salty and sweet made with a mini cheese egg omelet and bacon, sausage, or ham nestled inside a delicate doughnut bread.

Clary's Corner Cafe

1500 Lucerne Ave Lake Worth

Breakfast, Recommended

Clary's Corner Café is without a doubt the very definition of a hidden gem. When you finally find the door, you'll know you've found something special. Taking the quick walk through the restaurant's food-lined pantry shelves and past the open kitchen is a bit like going down Alice's rabbit hole, but staff is friendly and smiling all the way. If you ask, owner Vicky Elliott will tell you she wasn't always so well hidden, but rather she first opened 12 years ago in Palm Springs. Four years ago, she relocated Clary's Corner Café to this magical spot in Lake Worth, a tiny nook on the west side of an aging apartment building off west Lucerne Avenue. She's still offering the same immaculately delicious breakfast and lunch items, working alongside a single line chef to serve you some of the most crave-inducing food in all Lake Worth. While the current Clary's has pared down the menu from the original version, forever favorites include the chef-owner's homemade biscuits and gravy, smothered in a thick, pepper-flecked cream sauce, and her signature dirty grits, a heaping plate of slow-cooked grits, ham, bacon, onions, and melted cheddar cheese served with toast. Don't leave without a taste of Grandma Lida's Pecan Sticky Bun French Toast, a recipe Elliott concocted to replicate the smell of her grandmother's kitchen when she was a child. More like a dense bread pudding than a traditional breakfast dish and topped with a dense pile of chewy candied pecans, it's a sinfully sweet way to begin any day. Read more.

Diner By-the-Sea

215 Commercial Blvd., Lauderdale By The Sea Beaches

954-491-0642

American, Breakfast, Brunch, Diner, Seafood, Traditional, Best Of

Many real-deal diners have gone the way of the dinosaurs, but not Diner by the Sea. This Lauderdale by the Sea throwback comes complete with vinyl stools, cozy booths and a short order cook. It's the eatery of choice for tuna melts, Reubens, chili dogs and burgers. Pop in here for a bite, and you'd be easily fooled into believing not much has changed since the 50s.

4 articles

Dr Smood Wynwood

2230 NW 2nd Ave South Miami

786-334-4420

Breakfast, Menu

Dyan's Country Kitchen

9100 Wiles Rd. Coral Springs

954-755-7590

Breakfast, Deli, Recommended, Menu

This western Broward County outpost combines the best elements of the family diner with great Jewish deli fare. The line can stretch down the block at times, but once you're inside, the service is so swift that there should be a warning like on amusement park rides: Keep legs and arms inside the booth at all times. Chicken-fried steak and eggs is a coronary on a plate ($7.95), served with a doughy bagel, crisp hash browns, and enough sausage gravy to stop a moving bus. Smoked nova, lox, and whitefish platters are all made in house, and so are huge deli sandwiches filled with corned beef and pastrami. Coffee is refilled so quickly that by the time you're finished, you'll be working a three-day buzz.

Egg N You Diner

2621 N. Federal Highway Wilton Manors

954-564-2045

Breakfast, Brunch, Diner, Best Of

If you need a hit of that old-fashioned greasy-spoon goodness, investigate this ancient US 1 icon. You already know the type: the waitresses have worked here since God's grandparents needed a babysitter; the chef probably invented the wife-beater; and the percolated coffee flows non-stop. A seriously 60s vibe pervades (the diner sits next to an equally decrepit carpet/tile boutique). You're best off treating this as a breakfast joint than anything else: if you want biscuits and gravy, eggs over easy, French toast, or righteous hash browns, they've got you covered. It's busy, especially on weekends, and when it comes to the authenticity department, Egg N You works like a blue collar.

3 articles

El Rey Del Chivito

6987 Collins Ave., Miami Beach North Dade

305-864-5566

American, Breakfast, Recommended

The chivito, a Uruguayan sandwich, is often referred to as "a heart attack on a plate." El Rey's basic chivito Canadiense contains steak, ham, cheese, fried eggs, roasted red peppers, tomato, lettuce, and mayonnaise. It's served between two halves of a big baguette. To counteract any possible health-food taint from the lettuce and tomatoes, the sandwich comes with a hefty order of wonderfully greasy French fries. Other popular items here are huge platters of fried eggs and ham on top of fries, and the Milanesa Napolitana "Rey": a breaded, deep-fried steak with ham, cheese, and fried eggs, all atop fries. Frankly, a cholesterol overload never tasted so good.

1 article

The Gem Eatery

1043 N. State Road 7 Margate

954-971-7520

Breakfast, Brunch, Best Of, Menu

1 article

International House of Schnitzel

4820 N. Dixie Highway Oakland Park

954-626-0723

American, Breakfast, Cafe, German, Sandwiches, Recommended

It's safe to say the thin, breaded meat cutlet known as schnitzel is not quite as buzzworthy as pancakes, the specialty of another, well-known international house. But even if it doesn't always get the respect it deserves, schnitzel is undoubtedly more popular worldwide, whether it goes by the name "milanesa" in Italy and Latin America or simply "chicken cutlet" here at home. The International House of Schnitzel - a quirky restaurant next door to the Fox and Hound Pub - specializes in the chicken version of the dish (not pork or more expensive veal). The tiny lunch spot pounds its schnitzel to a perfect quarter-inch thickness, coats it in breadcrumbs, and bakes it until a luscious, crisp coating forms on the surface. IHOS completes the working-class dish with amazing, German-style red cabbage and a side of mashed potatoes for just $5.95. The same thing stuffed on a Kaiser roll and served with lettuce, tomato, and homemade garlic mayonnaise costs less than $5. The entire menu is made from scratch daily by owners Rudi Pollak and Eli Herschkovich, two 30-year industry vets who have an undying love for the feel-good dish. IHOS serves breakfast all day, as well as subs, soups, burgers, salads, knishes, and some of the flakiest, freshest homemade apple strudel you'll find.

1 article

Java & Jam

301 E. Las Olas Blvd Fort Lauderdale

954-353-3250

Coffeehouse, Breakfast, Menu

Java & Jam serves breakfast all day, with a robust menu of breakfast classics, lunch staples, and breakfast-inspired cocktails.

Java Boys Coffee House

2230 Wilton Dr. Wilton Manors

954-564-8828

Breakfast, Cafe, Coffeehouse, Coffee Shops, Best Of

Put simply, now that Starbuck's has invaded Wilton Manors (at Five Points, in the old Shakespeare's Pub location) those beholden to its corporate charms will go there. Folks supporting the little guy, however, will come to Java Boys in the gayest strip mall in the state. Put it this way: Anita Bryant has nothing to do with the Florida orange sunshine cake. Cheaper and way friendlier than a Starbucks, with free WiFi, and some well-worn tables where you can work, slurp, gawk, and

3 articles

JP's Bagel Place

2649 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood

954-921-9483

American, Breakfast, Brunch, Best Of

Judging by the name, I would assume this is a place to get bagels. At JP's in Hollywood, you can get the house breakfast special for under $5 and their ham, egg and cheese bagel is no McDonalds. The ham is cooked and the egg is fried, a rebellion against fast food breakfast. Delivery is available for a nominal fee and breakfast is served all day as well, so come as you are. You can even get a bagel French toast!

2 articles

Lester's Diner

250 W State Road 84 Fort Lauderdale

954-525-5641

Breakfast, Brunch, Diner, Best Of, Menu, Readers' Choice

There are diners, and then there's Lester's. Everything about this place is a matter of superlatives: It's one of the oldest dining establishments in the county, dating back to the late '60s. It's one of the biggest, with a back dining room that seems to extend to the horizon. And its menu is one of the heaviest, featuring every breakfast food you can imagine and some you didn't know were possible. (Who puts pizza sauce on an omelet?) There's also Italian, Greek, and weird American. (The continental burger is topped with an egg and cocktail sauce.) Lester's is open all the time, which makes it a great alternative to Denny's. The late-night crowds attest to that. While more expensive than Denny's — by about $3 to $5 a plate — Lester's tastes better, looks better, and just feels better.

12 articles

Lester's Diner

4701 Coconut Creek Parkway Margate

954-979-4722

Breakfast, Diner, Readers' Choice

4 articles

Lester's Diner

1393 NW 136th Ave., Sunrise Plantation

954-838-7473

Breakfast, Diner, Menu, Readers' Choice

4 articles

The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co.

2250 N. Federal Highway Boca Raton

561-206-6821

Bakery, Breakfast, Readers' Choice

2 articles

The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co.

2554 N. University Dr. Coral Springs

754-484-7991

Bakery, Breakfast, Readers' Choice

2 articles

The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co.

601 SE 3rd Ave Fort Lauderdale

954-990-5861

Bakery, Breakfast, Menu, Readers' Choice

2 articles

The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co.

2877 Stirling Rd. Hollywood

954-965-5920

Bakery, Breakfast, Menu, Readers' Choice

2 articles

Rainbo Cafe

1909 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood

954-922-9767

American, Breakfast, Brunch, Diner, Recommended

The room, with its plush old banquettes, is comfy and cool in coffee-shop fashion. Service is cheerful, the menu exactly as you expect: Hamburgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, club sandwiches, BLTs, chef salads -- need we continue? This is formulaic diner food, meaning decent, filling, relatively cheap, and thoroughly satisfying when the mood strikes. We particularly like Rainbo for breakfast -- big selection, plenty of combo specials, and a good strong cup o' coffee.

2 articles

St. Bart's Coffee Company

441 S. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd. Fort Lauderdale

954-832-9004

Coffeehouse, Breakfast, Sandwiches, Best Of, Menu

On the beachfront corner of SE 5 Street and A1A, just south of the touristy stretch of beach at Las Olas, lies St. Bart's Coffee Co.'s flagship quiet cafe. (There's another outpost a few blocks south.) St Bart's opened 17 years ago and draws a strong mix of locals and tourists dishing on hearty breakfasts and light cafe lunch options. The coffee is always fresh, and there are plenty of sidewalk tables, ocean view included, where you can eat, check your e-mail, and soak up the sun's rays, not to mention gaze at bikini-clad passersby and break for spontaneous dips in the Atlantic Ocean. Did we mention the view is amazing? It is. Keep an eye out for fire fighters; their fire house is around the corner from the cafe.

2 articles

The Sticky Bun

1619 SE Third Court Deerfield Beach

754-212-5569

Cafe, Breakfast, Best Of

1 article

Tropical Cafe

915 N. Federal Highway Fort Lauderdale

954-828-1234

Cuban, Breakfast, Brunch, Best Of, Menu

When you walk into a local joint and encounter a table of cops tucking into the grub, it's generally a pretty good sign. After all, peace officers, like couriers, often have a leg up on some of the best out-of-the-way places to score a solid meal at a good price. Cuban sandwiches are a big draw and a permanent banner above the entrance boldly proclaims it as the best in Fort Lauderdale. Breakfast-offered all day, add $1 after 11 a.m.- calls for watching as your server grabs an orange or two to make your fresh-squeezed OJ, while the café con leche is appropriate no matter the time of day. Sink your teeth into any number of hot or cold sandwiches (including about five variations of that vaunted Cuban) or regional specialties like ropa viepa, palomilla steak and about half a dozen pork offerings. Sides at Tropical Cafe are almost superfluous at this point, but the fried yucca with garlic mojo is nice; the fried sweet plantains better.

7 articles

Waffleworks

3265 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood

954-963-9162

Breakfast, Brunch, Best Of

There's generally nothing unique about a Waffleworks franchise, but this one's extraordinary. Owner Sergio Goldvarg has affixed his collection of 500 scale-model cars to the walls. Let the ankle-biters chow down on Mickey Mouse-shaped chocolate chip pancakes or waffles studded with M&M's or Oreos (all priced at under a fiver) -- you can worry about their sugar-and-chocolate-induced ADHD later. Breakfast is served all day, but grownups probably appreciate the burgers, sandwiches, and salads also on the menu. On Halloween night, Goldvarg arrives dressed in his authentic Batman costume, pulling up in the original Batmobile driven by Adam West.

1 article

Breakfast in South Florida

Newsletter Sign Up

Enter your name, zip code, and email