G S.
Yelp
I stumbled upon Angelina's on Instagram and, after seeing their mouthwatering grilled cheeses and because of our shared name, I knew I had to go!
The quaint cafe seemed overshadowed and hidden between much larger eateries. Though quieter than its neighboring competitors, there was something alluring and cozy about Angelina's physical venue. Servers were warm and welcoming. Service was quite quick as well, but a bit unstructured. We ended up eating our entrees at least halfway before our side dishes (chips and a croissant) were brought out. Fun fact, the side chips are actually plantain chips.
We only ordered food from the cafe and it was alright, but nothing out of the ordinary. The "Parmesan Crusted Grilled Cheese", aka the legendary dish that attracted us to the restaurant, did not live to its expectation. It wasn't oozing with melted cheese and dripping with grease... rather, it was kind of dry and flaky. It tasted like something that we could've made at home. The "Apple & Brie Grilled Cheese" was actually oozing with cheese, more flavorful, and messier that the latter (likely because of the added honey mustard and those delicious caramelized onions). This sandwich was very enjoyable, but surprisingly lite and still left me a little hungry.
Unfortunately, the venue was sold out of most of their items today (waffles, empanadas, cookies, to name a few...) so we opted for their "guava and cheese croissant" to satisfy our sweet tooth. It was flaky, soft, warm, and lightly sweetened. My own bias perhaps, but I would've liked it to have been more buttery and filled with more guava. While it was admittedly more enjoyable than the "Parmesan Crusted Grilled Cheese", we still didn't feel the croissant was good enough for a return trip.
All in all, it's a cute place to stop by for a quick bite when in the area. Not worth the drive from Fort Lauderdale to Miami though. The food was decent, but not awe worthy or filling enough for a planned return. It's a decent place to stop by for a quick snack and coffee if shopping around the area, however.