South Florida isn't really known for great Mexican restaurants, but this is probably the best Mexican restaurant I've ever been to. Â I like the concept of Mexican fusion, it's a nice break from the obligatory Tex-Mex or authentic/traditional Mexican cuisine. Â Being served small portions of bread instead of being tempted to gorge on corn chips and salsa was a nice change.
For appetizers, I really like the sashimi grade yellowfin tuna and the eggplant roulade. Â The tuna is a nice fusion between Japanese and Mexican, with high quality lightly charred tuna topped with a wonderful herb paste. Â The eggplant is reminiscent of Italian eggplant parmesan, but with a great Mexican kick that takes it to a whole other level. Â The mixture of cheeses and sauces that accompany the dish are sensational.
There wasn't as much sharing at the table by the time the main courses came around since the portions are fairly large and we had appetizers. Â I had the pan seared filet magnon, and it was great. Â It comes stuffed with goat cheese and Monterrey Jack as well as chipotle and mole. Â It has really great flavor without being excessively spicy, a nice mixture of flavors without getting too muddled. Â I had just a bite of someone's snapper special and it was also well done. Â I'd say pretty much everything's good here.
For dessert, I had the mango creme brulee. Â I really loved the slightly burnt caramelized top that it had. Â It was unique among creme brulees, because the "shell" wasn't as hard as it usually is, it was a bit softer and blended better with the creme. Â I don't think it necessarily needed the mango pieces added to the creme, but it definitely didn't take anything away either. Â I also had a few spoonfuls of the pistachio gelato, and it was well done for ice cream that restaurants make themselves in house (which are often not all that great, in my experience).
This storefront gourmet Mexican restaurant is a bit of a shocker. Â We called ahead at 6:30 and got a table for 8:30 which gave us time for a cocktail or two. Â We arrived to a very quaint, small dining area split into rooms that gave it a nice atmosphere. Â The staff was friendly and professional. They provided us with a nice table as soon as we entered and our dining experienced began. Â Their cilantro soup was as delicious as other reviews have stated. Â To die for, really. Â We chose carne assada (skirt steak) and dolphin (Mahi Mahi). Â They were both a little above average but not what we expected. Â We are used to dining in Ft Lauderdale that has plenty of fine places to go in all varieties. Â What shocked us was the bill. Â No prices on the menu should have warned us but we were ready for something nice. Â Our bill was $89.00 with no alcohol or dessert or tip. Â Beware! Â If you have money to burn this place is still just average. Get the soup($15.00) and move on!
Review Source:Very good service, nice atmosphere. Â Decent sangria. Â And like the rest of the people, I will highly recommend the cilantro soup (which isn't on the menu; our waiter said they serve it as a special on certain nights - I would be sure to ask them for it, it was ridiculously good). Â
Price is on the high side, but I was not disappointe.
Had dinner there on 2/2/13.... I am not a fan of Mexican food, but what a surprise! I was taken there for a surprise dinner and I was not disappointed. Excellent food, excellent service. Quaint restaurant - could do with some updating, but I guess that lends to the charm of the place.
Review Source:Crazy! Â A year later I visit Eduardo De San Angel and the servers actually remembered me and welcomed me back! Â How is that even possible???
I was quickly seated and on this go around, Alberto took excellent care of me. Â But even though a year had gone by, the servers that I had the last time made the effort to come over and say, hi! Â (thanks Todd!)
They are celebrating 25 years in the business so first up I got a complimentary glass of sparkling rose from Argentina! Â Yay for me!
Next up- I had the salad with artichokes, tomatoes and spring mix (delicious) and for my entree- I had the fish special of the day which was a red snapper topped with grilled shrimp served over steamed spinach. Â Perfection on a plate for sure!
I love this restaurant! Â If you find yourself in Fort Lauderdale and are looking for a wonderful meal, served by outstanding servers who really love what they do, look no further than Eduardo De San Angel!
I would not return to this place on my dime. I understand doing extraordinary anti-La Bamba Mexican food but this place was too much-- lots of what I consider standard Mexican food like homemade tortillas, different salsas or tomatoe based dips, and some sort of rollable bread stuffed with meats and cheese was not there. Â Why not take basic food and elevate it instead of going into an entirely new direction? Â My husband found nothing that he wanted, and there were no options for kids. Â My daughter ended up ordering something that she picked over, and the excessive amount of dishes and pottery on the table were too much for her (a toddler at tthe time). Â We were in and out of there in about one hour and spent $150 bucks, which only included one glass of wine. Â For that price, I would have expected fantastic fresh food (pretty sure it was frozen farm raised shrimp). Â The food was good (we finished our plates) Â and there were a few interesting spice combinations but the food wasn't mind blowing, and often times wasn't as spiced as I like. Definitely over priced and need works on the table starters (if not homemade warm chips then do something else homemade to start given the price).
Review Source:After swearing off Cafe Maxx in Pompano Beach, decided to try this restaurant. Decor needs some work but the food was extraordinary. We asked for a quiet table and were happily accommodated. Â It is definitely on the high end of price so be prepared to spend some $$. I am a bit surprised at some of the reviews who seem surprised when the check arrived. They prices are right on the menu! I started with the Grilled North Atlantic Calamari which was beautifully prepared; and a large portion as well. I then followed up with the Pan Seared Beef Tenderloin Filet Mignon. All I can say is WOW! I am not a huge fan of deserts so it is not fair for me to judge them although The service was terrific and I did enjoy the experience. I will definitely be returning.
Review Source:BEWARE!
Mediocre food at exorbitant prices.
While the atmosphere was cozy and the food looked very good on the plate, I wouldn't return. Here's why:
- At these prices the food should be fantastic, or at least yummy, but the food from just about any other nearby restaurant chain is better. Â The food was bland. I eat better at home than here! Â Why would I go out to eat less well at these prices?
- instead of homemade bread or salsa and tortilla, they serve grocery store heat-and-serve bread.
- the server tried up-selling several times. Â We had one sip of our first bottle of wine and the server was already trying to sell us a second bottle. He also tryed hard to have us chose more expensive appetizers and entrees.
- the gulf shrimp were overlooked and served over spahgetti (instead of linguini as described in the menu). Â My dish looked nice but was not seasoned. Â It needed salt, lemon juice, and cilantro. (an improvement would be a few salsas set on the table from which we could self-season our dishes).
- we were there for a birthday and while the server knew this, there was nothing special done.
Bottom Line: Â If you're in town for a special meal, GO TO the MAI KAI and have awesome drinks and enjoy a great show for roughly the same price as going here. Â It's a much more worthwhile experience.
I was so disappointed with my experience here.
I read all of the positive reviews, and the menu online looked exciting, but the experience and the food left A LOT to be desired.
I was almost immediately turned off by the constant upselling from our waiter. Â We ordered one bottle of wine, hadn't even tried it yet, and he started talking about how great a different bottle of wine is and how we should order that one for our 2nd bottle. Â If that bottle was so great, I was wondering why he didn't mention it before we ordered our first bottle!
Also, this is important, the entree's are huge in size. Â You definitely do NOT need an appetizer. Â Of course, we were all encouraged to order appetizers. Â My mother ordered the special: Carne Asada ($34!). Â This entree can feed a family of four. Â Still, our waiter pushed the appetizers on us. Â
I ended up getting the 'famous' cilantro soup. Â It's a huge bowl. Â $15 Â Not listed on the menu. Â It's fine. Â Worth $15? Â No.
I thought it was kind of hilarious when it was time for my vegetarian brother to order and the waiter said THREE times that he should consider ordering the lobster appetizier and the carne asada. Â I think he thought that if he kept saying it over and over again, it would happen.
My entree was bland city. Â
Another peeve of the night was the fact that it was my mother's birthday, which is why we decided to go to this restaurant, and while our waiter said "Happy Birthday" when we sat down, there was nothing offered - no little dessert or glass of dessert wine or singing or anything. Â When you're paying these prices, a little something would have been nice.
I'm extremely baffled by the positive reviews of this restaurant... I'm thinking they must be from diners who appreciate a certain blandness from there food or they are friends of staff of the restaurant.
I went there in order to observe a personal celebration. I was prepared to spend muchos dineros. Based upon their 4-5 star reviews, I felt as if this place was worth the visit. The food was impeccable and the service was stellar.
I entered the restaurant and was seated. I was impressed by its colorful decor. I was offered a choice of soups...including the famous cilantro soup. I didn't see the soup prices on the menu...so, I asked the price. I was informed that the soup came with my meal. I decided to indulge.
When the check came, I was astonished to see that I was charged $15 for that marvelous bowl of soup. Â I don't mind paying for a food item if I am informed of it; however, I felt as if this was the case of a backhanded up sell of their food items. What could I say to them, I had already eaten it? No need to cause WW III over a bowl of soup.
Diner beware!!!!
We are Massachusetts Yankees, and we were in FL for a short vacation to enjoy the ocean and the sun. We wanted one meal with good Mexican food, so we looked at Yelp for help. Lots of restaurants with that listing so we went searched for something special. We chose Eduardo's because it sounded like it fit the bill. When we started to read the menu, we weren't sure it was Mexican, but the food was definitely Mexican and it was definitely great! Be prepared to be pleasantly surprised, the food is very tasty and the atmosphere is enjoyable...well worth the visit. When we come down for our next vacation here, we will eat at Eduardo's again.
Martha & Bruce
Wow! Â White table Mexican! Â I am solo upset my wife isn't here, because this is exactly what our home town Tampa, needs. Â A little pricey, but this is the east coast of Florida, so not only expected, they get a Mulligan for that. Â I had a stuffed poblano served in phyllo dough and a pretty awesome soup that was the special.
Review Source:I had a superb dining experience! Â The food is great, the atmosphere is lovely and the service is impeccable. Â Some fancy restaurants can come across as snooty, especially with the wait staff, but the exact opposite was experienced. Â I would highly recommend Eduardo de San Angel for a date or culinary adventure. Â Can't wait to go back!!
Review Source:We tried Eduardo De San Angelo last evening because of all the phenomenal reviews on yelp. We live in the area and have wanted to try this restaurant for quite a while. We are lost as to what all the hype is about. Food was good, not great, waiter was good, not great, prices extremely pricey. One of my biggest pet peeves about restaurants is when they have specials not listed on a menu and they do no give prices. The check comes and the prices floor you. $300.00 for dinner for four is Beyond pricey!! Food we all felt was very heavy. Not light and airy fish dishes, nor well done Carne asada at $34.00 per dinner. Tuna roll app, $18.00, was very well hyped by the waiter, but did not live up to his hype. All in all a very mediocre dinner at a very non mediocre price.
Review Source:Spectacular!!! I've heard so many great reviews about this place & finally tried it. I wish I had of tried it years ago. The most amazing, flavorful food, I'd say mexican but it's not your typically mexican  food. It's their own magnificent creation.  We got the pork chops in a tasty sauce which was loved and 2 different shrimp orders both were equally delicious. Excellent service as well!  Our waiter took such great care of us so we did the same for him.
Review Source:I visited this restaurant while spending the night in ft lauderdale omw to Miami for a cruise. The overall vibe of the restaurant is great. The service was phenomenal & the food was just as good. The prices really aren't that bad for what you get. I was very happy with the experience then it was time for desert which was the best part. The server brought out a tray of deserts they had that night & described each one & showed us what they look like. The desert we choose was even better then the dinner which I didn't think was possible. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a great place to eat while on vacation in Florida or even to the people who live close by.
Review Source:Wow! This place is just incredible. Â You wouldn't know it if you judge it just by it's location in a small strip mall. Â Inside the place is cozy. Â The lights are dim and small tables make it romantic. Â We went here using a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> discount and they treated us very well. Â Some restaurants would ignore you once they know you're dining on a discount. Â The service was very friendly. Â
We started with the cilantro soup, oh my gosh it was as great as other reviewers said it would be. Â I called in ahead of time to make sure that they had it available that evening. I recommend you do the same. Â We also had two appetizers, one was a special that night and unfortunately I cannot remember what it was called but it was like an Asian roll but made with fresh tortilla. Â The other one was the sushi grade yellow fin tuna. Â Both were delicious. Â
For my entree I had the Toasted Almonds And Fresh Thyme Crusted Pan Seared Keys Yellowtail Fillet and my hubby got the Pan Seared Beef Tenderloin Filet Mignon. I loved how crunchy my fish was and the filet was very tender. Â Both dishes were equally flavorful. Â We love this place and plan on coming back when we visit Fort Lauderdale again next April. Â
To date, the cilantro soup is the best soup I've ever had and that alone is worth the visit to this amazing restaurant.
This is most definitely one of the best restaurants in Ft. Lauderdale. Â The menu is inspired and the chef consistently puts out delicious dishes. Â I have been here about 5 times and have never been disappointed! Â The cilantro soup and crab and yellow corn cakes are my favorite appetizers. Â Follow that with the stuffed beef tenderloin or the toasted almond yellowtail snapper and you will be set. Â Don't forget to save room for dessert!!
Review Source:This is NOT Taco Bell.
This is NOT La Bamba
This place está BUENISIMO!
That's "really good" for my non Spanish speaking Yelpies.
You won't find a single taco on the menu but yes, it's Mexican.
The place was highly recommended to us by a chef friend of ours who owns a successful restaurant in Miami.
It's on a strip mall and it clearly stands out with all of it's bright colors. Once inside, the colors remain but the dim lighting and casita style decor instantly draw you in. The right side has open seating. The left side is a mix of self enclosed areas that give you the feeling of dining in someones home.
The service was amazing. Every detail was perfect.
We felt like we had a waiter and servers just for us.
Weren't they?
The food was delicious. All of it.
Even the wine is well priced. No ridiculous markups here.
For the record: Yelpers are correct, the cilantro soup is very good.
Hasta la próxima vez!
Holy moly this place is delicious. Â A 15 minute ride from the strip and worth the trip. Â I got the famed cilantro soup and favored every last slurp. Â It was savory, creamy and had just the right amount of spice. And guess what? under that dollop of crema was a majestic ravioli! it went perfect with a glass of Spanish Verdejo. Â (note the bar stocks beer and wine only, no liquor license).
The off-menu special appetizer of carnitas was simply spectacular(see my photo). Â Near crispy on the outside and tender on the inside bits of pork that would make an eastern North Carolina pig pickin' proud. Â The accompanying black bean-stuffed tortilla and variety of sauces offered a complex and tasty vehicle for the pork. Â You are crazy not to get this if it is available. Â
The chile relleno stuffed with blue crab (cooked in parchment) was good and flecked with whole green olives. Â It was a just a tad monotonous but the truth is I over-ordered. Â I should have stopped with the carnitas as it was just too much food for one person. Â The surprise here was the side dish of pickled vegetables over greens. Â They were terrific.
The tray of desserts looks spectacular and I got the plain crepes doused in dulce de leche sauce with a scoop of triple espresso ice cream (note: bad idea if you're going home to bed!). Â I thought my choice for dessert was ok. Â The crepes turned out to be just a bit dry because they only had sauce drizzled on them and did not have any filling.
My waiter(s) were wonderful-- cheerful and helpful-- and their timing and attitude were impeccable. Â Note that if you find yourself in town alone on business, you cannot eat at the bar. Â However, my servers made sure I was not off on no-man's-island and sped things along appropriately to keep me from getting bored.
The atmosphere is homey Mexican, with old pictures and lanterns on the walls. Â Very charming and not too-cute-kitschy. Â My only real complaint was my decaf cappuccino, which was the all too common dishwater variety. I left it untouched. Â Despite a couple of minor patches that came close to being rough, I highly and happily recommend this restaurant. Â Especially compared to several of the options I saw on the strip!
As stated by others, the Cilantro Soup was so good I have dreams about it...LOL! Â My wife and I are trying to find the exact recipe they use and could only hope to find it! We also tried the Roasted Poblano Pepper - Filled With Fresh Florida Bluecrab
Pickled jalapeño peppers, green olives and tomatoes over stewed sweet onions, which was exquisite! For my entree I had the Gulf Shrimp, Green olives, onions, plum tomatoes and pickled jalapeno peppers, over linguine pasta, which was awesome, shrimp were as fresh as one could wish for with the snap you only get when biting into fresh shrimp and the sauce was delicious (Linguini Mexican?  Who cares, it worked)!  My wife had the Skirt steak with sides of mole enchilada and beans in corn husk...again outstanding!  Next time I am in the area I will be racing back!  Wait staff was also outstanding!
Fantastic ambience, and service was outstanding. Great personal attention from the waitstaff and constant checks to make sure everything was ok.
Started with crab corn cakes which were ok and a carnitas special which was fantassstic. Next up was a lentil soup, special for Easter, and also fantastic.
Had a skirt steak entree cooked to perfection with a cilanto sauce, also coming with a cheese enchilada and pureed blackbeans. Everything was mexican in flavor but elevated in execution of the dishes.
That's not to mention their great margaritas.
The $25 <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestuarant.com&s=3831e1ed460ef5e68efe27d1f881ff319a8fa74e1953813dcbadbe7ab43753f6" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restuarant.com</a> coupon I got for $6 was the icing on the cake.
Will return!
I was drawn to this place naturally by its favorable reviews... I can easily say I was not disappointed. Knowing that the food price lies on the high end, I purchased a coupon on <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FRestaurants.com&s=92a32e879a8bc9bad14f389149e0a62a99ba27f54b2dca87b4d713cffa7973a9" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://Restaurants.com</a>.
Took my man out for dinner on a Sat night. Was a little put off by the location and decor of the place as there is not much to them. However, if you are all about food like me, then you will still love this place. There have been many times that I sat in a restaurant with a gorgeous view and the food turned out to be awful.
We started out by sharing the cilantro soup, which they plated in 2 separate bowls for us. Absolutely one of the best soups I have tasted. A spicy creamy cilantro/zucchini heavenly blend with a ravioli that just melts in your mouth. Definitely a major hi-light. I suggest to call in before going as they may not have this available on a daily basis.
Next we shared the crab poblano. Excellent presentation. Tasted pretty good. For entrees, we both stuck with seafood. I ordered the pan seared yellow tail. He ordered the grilled swordfish. Both were very good and the accompanying side dishes complimented them perfectly. The wine we paired the meals with was high quality and crisp. The service could have been better, however, thanks to a 2nd waiter's attentiveness, we were still serviced promptly. All in all, highly recommended if you are looking for good food. Definitely made my night!
We started with the poblano peppers stuffed with blue crab: amazing, cooked to perfection in a paper pouch (not edible but leads to a nice presentation), be careful for this is a spicy hot dish, but I loved it, the side pickled greens added a nice contrast to the spice.
Then, we had the pork tenderloin: best pork I have had in my life, no other words to explain it: soft, juicy, flavorful. It came with grilled corn and mole.
For being a fancy place, portions are just right. Service is great. Decor is meh. Food is AMAZING.
We don't get "Gourmet Mexican" up (at least none that I've heard of or found) in Toronto, Canadaville. Â Heck finding good Mexican is hard enough. Â So finding Eduardo was an angelic experience.
By far my favorite mexican food experience, period. Â I'm down in FLL fairly regularly to get a little RNR, and this place is permanently on my to do list (though that list is growing for this area).
The Cilantro soup is as good as everyone say it is. Â Even if you don't like Cilantro, it's not very... cilantro-y.
Great service. Â Great Food. Â Well worth it.
Thanks fellow Yelpers!
Very good service, they didn't rush us at all. Â The fish was quite good, the lamb was interesting, and the pork chop was fine. Â
Cilantro soup is excellent...however for $15 and a huge portion I wish we had be warned that we didn't need 3 bowls of green goodness, we all threw away about 60% of the service and hence wasted $30.
Our server was fantastic, quite a dear. Â I would definitely return and parking was super easy!
HOLY COW and THANK YOU YELP!
4th trip down to Ft. Lauderdale this year and always hunting for a new fabulous place to eat....and this place IS BEYOND FABULOUS!!!!
We searched Yelp and confirmed with the concierge at our hotel that this place is really a hidden gem. Â As a 'tourist', it's not a place you'd ever find - it's off the beaten path, but worth every penny for a cab over there!
We started with the cilantro soup, which i read about on yelp - holy cow - it's AMAZING! Â No joke, we watched others take their first spoonful of this soup and just melt in their chair from delight! After that, we had the calamari steak - yes, a STEAK OF CALAMARI - that was so tender I really question if it was calamari! Â It was amazing! Â Then we had some kind of pork appetizer - no clue what it was called, but there wasn't a spot left of it on my plate! Â DELICIOUS!
For the main course, I actually had the ravioli....it's stuffed with beans, cheese and served with a chipotle cream sauce....my mouth is watering as I type! Â My husband had the lamb chops with cilantro - he could've floated out of there on cloud 9! Hands down the BEST LAMB EVER!
For desert, we had the mango creme brulee which was very yummy! My only 'negative' was the cappucino was just 'ok'. Â After everything blows your socks off the whole night from bread to soup to apps to dinner....the coffee was just 'ok'. Â But who cares...the food is simply amazing!
Everything had just the right zing of spicy, excellent mexican flavors - but done in a very gourmet way.  There are a zillion awards covering the walls when you walk in - and now I know why.  I'm embarressed to admit this, but it's  nice place, not cheap....and I actually was sneaking my finger onto my plate to sweep up every ounce of sauce left after each course.....maybe a bit tacky, but it was just tooooooooo friggin good to let an ounce go by!
Make the trip....it's worth every penny!
Eduardo De San Angel is just about as  gourmet, five star that any Mexican restaurant can get. You won't find any tacos, burritos or the like here and unless you've really been around the top places in Mexico, chances are good that you've never had any of the cuisine offered.
This is not the place to go if you are not interested in trying the unique flavors and combinations of true gourmet Mexican food. If you are a meat and potato person and not adventurous about your food, you can save yourself a lot of money (it is very expensive) by going elsewhere.
The restaurant is small, clean, well kept and the service is very good. As for the food, it is top quality, but maybe not for the likes of everyone. It does offer some of the best bean puree and churrassco to be found anywhere. The Florida blue crab, corn cakes and smoked chipotle are generally unmatched anywhere. However, one can discern a hint of Spain as opposed to total Mexican, which considering the chef and owners background would be expected.
Fine dining in a strip-mall restaurant??? Yes...!  Small...you feel like you're sitting in your home...the decor is very charming....small water-features. We were told this was the place for  "mexican fine-dining."
Although it's not truly Mexican....more like Merida, Mexico.....than Mexico city......the fine-dining was so true.
Honestly.....one of the best churrascos I've ever had....and the bean puree was to die for...... it's black beans afterall....what can be so good about it???? Â Try it...you'll wonder what they did.
Go here for the amazing creations the chef prepared.....give your taste-buds a remarkable treat....the food is amazing. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is due to the location....strip mall....but once you're inside......you completely forget that. From wine....to the meal....to the service....to desert (creme brulee).....oh...and the cafe'. Enjoy....it's a hidden gem.
The two words that come to mind when I think of this place is: Gourmet Mexican.
These two words are rarely seen together in one phrase, but this is one locale that genuinely can be described as such.
Upon entering you immediately notice the dim lights, the narrow aisles, and the secluded dining rooms. Upon seating you are greeted by your topnotch server who will help guide you through the menu that contains ingredients both foreign and unfamiliar to the untrained palette. For instance, as you glance over the menu you will encounter certain ingredient names that are not quite familiar such as cuitlacoche, jicama, and achiote. These words are delightfully placed with other more familiar Mexican gastronomic phrases such as honey chili glaze, pickled jalapeno peppers, cactus paddles, and serrano chili mash. Mexican gourmet anyone? In fact, the most interesting order the night I was a salad of flowers; yes, flowers! Surprisingly good!
While they only have beer and wine, let this not fool you! After two white wine margaritas, I was definitely feeling the buzz!
Clearly, the pricing of these dishes is not for the faint of heart. So, my recommendation is to go for that special occasion or if you want to wine and dine a certain individual!
We started with the cilantro soup -- it lived up to the waiter's strong recommendation, but it was the highlight of the meal. Â It was large enough to share.
My wife and I split the stuffed poblano. Â It wasn't bad, but it didn't have much flavor. Â I've eaten plenty stuffed poblanos and this wouldn't be in the top 20.
I had the duck for dinner which was tasty, but not as good as the price indicated it should've tasted. Â My wife had the huitlacoche crepe, which she ordered at my request. Â Huitlacoche was one of my favorite things to eat while living in mexico, so I had some big expectations of the dish. Â The expectations were not fullfilled. Â It was very flavorless.
We had a mango creme brulee for desert that was also only OK.
Overall, we enjoyed our meal there, but found it to be pretty overrated, under-flavored, and very overpriced. Â We would not return. Â The highlights of the meal were the service and soup.
This is not your ordinary Mexican restaurant.
I had been wanting to go here for a special occasion for some time, and it was a BFF birthday, a perfect excuse to splurge on my important person. I scored a gift certificate which helped with the extra high cost of dining with the gourmets. But warning: this place is very pricey. And in my opinion, not really worth it.
It is in a non-descript strip mall. The free parking is only on one side of the lot. Something is wrong with this set up if Fort Lauderdale wants these places to stay in biz!
Zagat gives this locale a 27, which I do not agree with. The interior is pleasant- request a table in the left rear where it is less "wood paneling on the walls like a '70's basement", than the front right room. it has authentic Mexican sculptures, and varying warm and spicey shades on the walls. The romantic room has black glass topped tables, which is sort of retro, too, and are set with beautiful Mexican pottery charger plates, which are whisked away.
Our waiter was friendly and informative, and a good salesman.
The tiny morsels of the cilantro jalapeno corn muffins are divine. French bread rolls make you wonder, "why".
The starters are all $18. We had an unusual fish ceviche- a special of Snapper, served prettily in a Martini glass. I also had a brie topped wilted spinach salad. It was a different combination of textures and heat. The brie was from a very giving cow!
The Colorado lamb chops were enjoyed, as was the almond encrusted Yellowtail Snapper. Although the plate of fish was decorated with a few thickened sauces, I felt the fish needed a tad more flavor and a more delicate thinner and wetter sauce to moisten the sauteed fish. Both dishes had the same sides, of corn masa and black beans, amusingly dished into corn husks just so.
After ordering the Florida blue crab corn cakes, I can honestly say this was the dish that was so disappointing to effect my rating here. The fish cakes were soggy on the inside, and rather gelatinous. That is my one pet peeve. They need to perfect this recipe, especially at this price. Funny, the crab cake at Truluck's sometimes has this less than desirable quality! I miss the crab cakes of the old days at Maxwell's Chop House in Boca Raton. Now those were delicious!
The desserts of apple tart topped with cinnamon ice cream, and a triple layer of chocolate cake were yummy so we ended on a great note. My friend was super pleased, which we were all happy about!
At about $75 a person I would say pass next time!
In an area you wouldn't expect to find one of the BEST RESTAURANTS in Ft Lauderdale. Â If you aren't amazed by the charm this restaurant has when you walk in the door then you will be by the amazing food. Â This isn't your fajita/burrito fare.
One of my favorites is the tamale and also the Poblano Pepper entree. Â Great food, Great service and worth checking out.
HINT: Go to <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurants.com&s=8b83bf0ff8b716aae84527dc95577a310f201b166dcca25c8ca3824b15703869" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurants.com</a> and get a $25 value for like $5...great way to experience the place on a budget.
I decided to give this place a try after one of my good peeps on yelp gave it 5 stars. We arrived on a weekday night and the place was about half full. The setting is intimate and the dim lighting makes for a cozy experience. We were sat by our waiter who was friendly and amusing.
As we sat down he took our drink orders and advised us of the specials. Kudos to him for remembering all that stuff. We decided to go for the Carnitas (shredded tender pork) appetizer and I opted for the Gulf Shrimp. The busser arrived soon with bread and 2 mini corn-jalapeno muffins. The muffins were so sweet and lighting was so dim I thought they were blueberry for a second. They were really good!
The appetizer was pork served on a corn tortilla. The pork was extremely soft and you can tell it was marinated forever. My shrimp came out and they were baked and had a tomato/jalapeno sauce that was rich and spicy. The shrimp was served on a bed of spinach and a side serving of rice. I had no complaints about this meal  - it was unique and delicious. The only weak point I noticed was that my water was being served by the waiter from an old water bottle. Think a Zephyrhills water bottle that had the label removed. That was very surprising for the amount of dough that was being spent and all the rave reviews plastered on the walls.
Nevertheless, the meal, service and overall experience was great. I'd definitely return for a special occasion.
I was taken here last night for a nice romantic dinner. I was very pleased with everything!
They provided bread to snack on while we waited to order. We were given a regular roll, standard, nothing special. But then they gave us these small cilantro/jalapeno muffins. The tasted a lot like cornbread, but you can taste a hint of the cilantro and jalapeno.
For an appetizer, we ordered carnitas. Yum. They had a refried bean filled corn tortilla topped with chunks of meat, and pico de gallo. They had a couple of sauces surrounding that were filled with flavor. I wasn't exactly sure what they were, but there were tomatillo and avocado tastes to them.
I had ordered a lime glazed yellow tail tuna sashimi that was topped over some angel hair pasta, all in which were served cold. There were many flavors swirling my mouth with every bite. Lime, cilantro, vinegar, amazing!
The service was excellent. One thing I thought was a nice touch was that they served us new utensils after our appetizer. I hate using utensils after one part of the meal, then not having anywhere else to place them besides the table and having to use them again. It's kinda gross.
The ambiance of the place was quiet, except for a little music in the background. The walls were decorated with the restaurants many awards and many old photographs of Mexico and it's people. I thought it was a nice touch.
Warning about the parking though! In the parking lot, there are meters on the left side that are enforced 24 hours a day. We learned that the hard way. We didn't think that we, and all the other people in the restaurant, would all receive tickets on a Monday night. Lesson learned. I suggest you park on the right side of the parking lot where there are no meters to worry about.
Best restaurant meal of 2009. That's all!
Ok Ok Ok.... Â I will write more since the above statement doesn't say much.
The cilantro soup is what dreams are made of.
The seared scallops make you want to take your clothes off.
The cactus paddle makes you wish someone beat you in the face with that paddle.
The roasted poblano peppers stuffed with bluecrab make you want to stuff your face.
The rack of lamb, pan-seared grouper, and skirt steak make you want to jump on the table and have sex right there.
9 friends, 8 bottles of spectacular wine, two incredible waiters... perfect ending to the old year.
Who cares if it is located in a strip mall?
Wow, this place was great. Â As proof, when my significant other and I were leaving the restaurant, I asked her, as someone who does not get nearly as excited about restaurants as I do, Â "4 stars or 5?" Â Her response was immediate and emphatic: "5 stars!" Â At first, I was surprised by her unusually strong reaction to a restaurant, but then I realized that, even though I tend to be stingy about handing out 5 stars, this place undoubtedly deserved the honor. Â
First, calling this place a Mexican restaurant is not entirely accurate. Â Even though, in many ways, it is the most authentic Mexican restaurant I have ever had the pleasure to visit, it is not the type of stereotypical Mexican restaurant we see in this country. Â Rather, it is a collection of delicious, refined dishes with strong Mexican and Spanish influences. Â In other words, this is the restaurant Canyon wishes it could be.
The decor and ambiance are absolutely charming. Â The service was superb. Â In fact, superb does not do the service justice. Â The servers exceeded superb service and actually showed a passionate pride in the amazing food served and sincere pleasure in the joy experienced by the diners.
To top it off, the food was as delicious as advertised. Â My meal consisted of an assortment of goodies, including carne asada and a cheese enchilada. Â My beautiful companion had a black bean soup which was so delicious that I view the fact that she allowed me to taste it as proof of her love for me. Â We then finished with a dessert that was a combination of coconut flan and sponge cake. Â The waiter had recommended this dessert, and yet again, he was right on the money.
There are some meals that create a sense of joy and a deep satisfaction when you leave in the knowledge that you will be remembering the wonderful meal for a long, long time. Â This meal was definitely one of them. Â Well done, Eduardo De San Angel.
Wow, was this meal good! Very weird location to be set back in a strip mall, but who cares when the food is this good. Good wine selection and great appetizers, definitely need to get the cactus plate--delicious. They also bring you great bread before dinner, easily the best pre-dinner bread I've had, one of them was this corn bread with jalapeños--yum...
...And things kept getting better...the main courses were delicious, definitely not what I'd call typical Mexican food--much better--seemed like a "high-end" version. Some more experimental plates along with your typical favorites (i.e. Carne asada). My friend that ordered the Carne Asada called it the best he's ever had, this is coming from a guy that spent a few years of his life living in Central America and eating this type of food day-in and day-out.
Be ready to drop a decent chunk of change at this place if you want to experience the true greatness of all the food, but it's well worth it. Certainly one of the great hidden gems of Ft. Lauderdale.
Caveat - this was the first restaurant at which I ate some years ago which sported a menu heavily influenced by seasonal and local ingredients. Â It's also the first Mexican restaurant that showed me there was more than sour cream or cheese to Mexican food. Â Think of this place as gourmet Mexican - Mexican ingredients used in a non-cliche Mexican way.
Eduardo De San Angel will always hold a special spot for those reasons. Â The food here is original by Miami standards. Â Food flavors are clean and shine through on the plate. Â The menu is updated often so I will not go into details about specific dishes, but expect to have at least one flavor catch you by surprise any time you eat there. Â He also has some items I've seen more of recently, but which he served before they were popular, like cactus paddle. Â Nothing is superfluous on the plate, and it all tastes good.
The place itself is a cozy spot in a dark strip mall on commercial boulevard with bizzare 25 cent an hour meters outside. Â Service is professional and friendly and desserts are solid.
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