Best Lunch


Important: This article was last updated on September 21, 2005. Please call ahead to confirm hours, prices, dates and other information.

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Readers' picks

Best Breakfast
 The Original Pancake House, various locations

Best Cheap Eats
 Taco Bell, various locations

Best Chain Restaurant (Tie)
 The Cheesecake Factory and Olive Garden, various locations

Best Barbecue
 Tom Jenkins B-B-Q, Fort Lauderdale

Best Mexican
 La Bamba, various locations

Best Chinese
 Toa Toa, Sunrise

Best Thai
 Siam House, Fort Lauderdale

Best Mall Food Court
 Aventura Mall

Best Pizza
 Downtown Pizza, Fort Lauderdale

Best Hamburger
 Cheeburger Cheeburger, various locations

Best Diner
 Lester's Diner, Fort Lauderdale

Best Romantic Restaurant
 The Melting Pot, various locations

Best Italian
 Il Mulino, Fort Lauderdale
 
Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine
7015 W. Broward Blvd., Plantation, 954/584-4400; 9905 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines, 954/431-6883; and various other locations

 For a sit-down lunch with table service, it doesn't get more reliable, faster or inexpensive than Las Vegas. Five steak, chicken and pork specials are offered daily, with such classics as lechón asado, vaca frita, ropa vieja and grilled chicken fillet all priced at $5.95. Before you've had time to place your order, one server has filled your water glass while another brings a basket of warm Cuban bread. The portions are large, and each meal comes with black beans and rice, and plantains that are soft and sweet enough to pass as dessert. The food is as authentic as anything you'd find on Calle Ocho in Miami, as is the sugary Cuban coffee that juices the blood before it's time to go back to work. We also like Vegas' liberal interpretation of what constitutes the lunch hour, which is 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. All locations are also open for dinner nightly.