Top Hat Delicatessen
Top Hat Delicatessen: 415 NE 3rd Street, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301
The South Florida Eats team was invited out to Sunday Brunch by our Friends Mike and Ed. Ed has been wanting to try Top Hat Delicatessen for some time now and we all agreed that this would be a great opportunity to review their breakfast menu.
The Restaurant:
Top Hat is located just a few doors down from the Greyhound bus station in Ft. Lauderdale. Don’t let this deter you from going though, as there is a new hotel opening up down from it along with a new luxury apartment complex being built across the street from them. The parking lot is just a gravel lot, with someone to show you where to park during the busy times.
You will be greeted by the hostess, and if busy you might have to wait a few minutes to sit down. Initially we only saw the front room which has a bunch of deli style tables and a counter, but lucky for us there is a second room with large and small booths. So we were able to be seated right away in the back room at one of the larger booths. Top Hat is full of hard surfaces, so it does get very noisy when the place is jamming.
They have plenty of wait staff and you do not have to wait long for one of their smiling faces to come over and start taking your order. The menu itself is a mix of breakfast and lunch items since they are only open until 3pm. If you have every been to a New York Delicatessen, then Top Hat’s menu should be very familiar to you.
The Drinks:
Sunday Brunch started off with Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas. Although these drinks were all very good, you will definitely pay a premium for ordering them here. Don’t think that you are getting the same prices as you would at some of the local watering holes in Wilton Manors. The Mimosa could have use a little more Champagne, but was good. The Bloody Mary’s have a nice mix that is a signature for Top Hat, but the accompanying accoutrements are a bit much.
The Food:
Jerry decided on the special that they had of Strawberries and Cream Waffles. His waffle was nice and fluffy, cooked just a little crisp the way he likes it and topped with two big scoops of vanilla ice cream, a little whipped cream and a helping of strawberries. Jerry really enjoyed his breakfast and had a smile on his face.
Mike and Ed decided that they both wanted to try the Grand Schlam. For this breakfast item, you get to choose how you want your 2 eggs cooked, a latke and choice of pastrami, corned beef, bacon, or maple sausage. They both chose to have their eggs over medium, although this restaurant doesn’t know what that is since both of them came out over easy. Ed chose to have the pastrami with his while Mike went with corned beef. Both enjoyed their meals even though the eggs were not cooked the way they ordered them and love the flavors of the meat. The potato latke was good as well. The bagels that they chose as their toast were nothing to write home about, but hey it was a bagel.
Mike also ordered for the table the pancakes so we could try them. They only serve two very thick and large ones, unlike most other restaurants that serve three thinner ones. Because of this you end up with a very doughy pancake and have the chance of it being undercooked and also just way too much cake in the middle of it. The syrup is also not real maple syrup, so just be aware of that.
I decided to go for what is listed on the menu as corned beef hash served with two eggs. I asked to have the corned beef hash well done, but when the plate arrived, it looked nothing like what I thought I was getting. To Top Hat, corned beef hash is basically a bunch of corned beef slices on the side, then your eggs put on top of a bed of hash browns. This is not at all what corned beef hash should be (corned beef chopped up with onions and potato also chopped up). But I ate it anyway. I enjoyed my scrambled eggs with cheese, and the meal was pretty good. Just make sure you are not expecting something else when you order this or it will be a bit of a disappointment.
Pricing: $$-$$$
Top Hat’s menu is pretty extensive, but don’t expect to have a cheap breakfast or lunch here. You are going to pay a pretty penny to eat here and if you through in liquor drinks, then you will definitely be pushing the $$$ range. However we did enjoy our meals and had a great time, so you should check this place out at least once to say you have been here.
