Restaurants in North Andrews Gardens

There are more than wails of electric guitars and slot machines filling the air of Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Bongos Cuban Café is known for its sumptuous food—the eatery won the Pat LaFrieda award for Best Lechon at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival Swine & Wine Event in 2013. Aromas of beef, grilled chicken, and sautéed seafood waft from Bongos Cuban Café, where chefs satisfy diners' hunger pangs with authentic Old Havana dishes served in a lively tropical atmosphere. Cuts of skirt steak paired with chimichurri sauce and savory shrimp in a homemade Cuban-style criolla sauce draw diners to leave the poker table for the dinner table. Side dishes of black beans and plantain chips with Cuban mojo complement the flavors of shredded chicken breasts with grilled onions. For a truly authentic meal experience, diners can pair their entrees with crisp mojitos flavored with mint and sugarcane.

A red awning shelters a showcase of fresh, simple Italian treats assembled to entice Town Center mall shoppers. As baristas brew Segafredo coffee beans and artfully prepare cappuccinos and americanos, patrons scan the menu of prosciutto and fresh-mozzarella paninis, soups, and salads. After lunch, cannolis and other classic Italian pastries provide a sweet treat, as does the café’s housemade gelato.

Along with its regular bistro service, Cafe Gelato & Panini accommodates groups with customized catering packages, which can prevent the loud thunder of rumbling stomachs from ruining a birthday party or a screening of a 1950s filmstrip entitled The Digestive System.

From escargot appetizers to whipped-cream-crowned housemade apple-strudel desserts, Uncle Lui's Restaurant offers a wide variety of Hungarian and German dishes. The staff can pour imported beer such as Beck's and Heineken to complement entrees such as veal goulash, which is simmered in a sour cream and paprika sauce. The pair of veal cutlets in the wiener schnitzel is breaded and fried to golden perfection, like the tastiest bullion at Fort Knox.

At Al Natour Middle Eastern Restaurant, friendly servers wheel out sumptuous feasts of halal Middle Eastern fare, filling the family-friendly eatery with the scents of sizzling kebabs, crispy falafels, and flaky seafood filets. Guests gather around shareable mezze of fava beans, hummus, and chickpeas to equitably dole out predinner resources, while lemon juice and olive oil drizzle over parsley and tomatoes on plates of fresh salad. Piping-hot pots of Turkish coffee pair with flaky, honey-drizzled pastries to cap off meals as sweetly as donning a bowler hat filled with pudding.

Pies slathered in homemade sauce bake to a crisp, golden finish over hot embers inside ovens at Giovanni's Coal Fire Pizza. 15 homemade Italian dinners, authentic pastas, chicken dishes, sandwiches, and salads top tables inside both locations, which each sport exposed-brick walls and a bevy of flat-screen televisions.

When discussing the inspiration behind his love of cooking and hospitality with reporters from the Sun Sentinel, Michael Tatton credited his father, saying, “I was fascinated by all the people my father knew and the different foods he introduced us to.” Following in his dad’s footsteps, Michael opened Thai Spice more than two decades ago at the young age of 19. Today, Michael continues to captain the restaurant, which The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences honored with the prestigious Five Star Diamond Award for excellence in cuisine and impeccable service.

Deep in the kitchen, Michael and his chefs place innovative spins on traditional Thai dishes using flavorful spices and premium seafood, meats, and vegetables delivered fresh daily. Pots of curries and tom yum soup simmer on the stoves, as lobster, duck, and Chilean sea bass sizzle in pans. Meanwhile, grills crackle with fine cuts of steak, and plump chickens roast over open fires.

Out in the dining room, tropical fish glide through the salt waters of towering tanks among swaying plants and colorful rocks. Blue lanterns dangle from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over white-clothed tables and intimate booths. The walls feature exotic artwork depicting traditional Thailand scenes, from elephants raising their trunks to a businessman who went on a soul-searching trip to find his inner sassiness.