By Dan I. Cook
I came back to write on this platform to show some love for the best restaurants Coral Springs has to offer. We are lucky to live in a city that has a wide range of choices.
Whether it’s outstanding Indian food at Arun’s, traditional Mexican Tacos at La Union Bakery or Chini’s Burritos, excellent chicken wings voted the best in Broward County 2021 at Wings Plus, outstanding craft beers, and food at Big Bear, excellent steaks at Runyons, Sushi at Sakura, a sub at Laspadas, ice cream sundaes at Cherry Smash, pizza from Annie’s on Wiles Road or John the Baker, and Thai from Hamachi Thai and Sushi — Coral Springs truly has everything under the sun!
Now to the food plates at Lefty’s Tavern and Grille.
Like most places, I review Lefty’s doesn’t advertise. This joint was mentioned years ago for a best-of series we did here on Coralspringstalk.com. They won best wings in 2015, and if you read the article, you can see why.
Are you shocked?
Well, any local from Coral Springs or even Parkland isn’t. This restaurant flies under the radar like a champ, but it shouldn’t.
Wings
They have some of the best in Broward County. The Moe’s Wings are a crowd favorite. The owner Alana described them as “Medium sauce, teriyaki, powdered garlic, and a touch of barbecue.” They are named after the owners, Alana and her brother Chris. It’s a take-off of their last name (which is Milmoe). I’ve had these multiple times, and they are meaty and delicious.
My favorite wings are the hot teriyaki fried and grilled. They have a nice combo of the sweet, salty, smokey, and spice my mouth craves. 54 years of being on this planet and eating all kinds of excellent food, I’ve settled on flavor profiles that awake my senses. Get these wings, and please tell me if you can pinpoint all the flavors.
Potato Skins
The best in Broward County……hands down. Does anyone remember when TGIF had the best potato skins in the United States? They then morphed into the worst in the United States. Pretty sad because we used to eat and drink there all the time.
Lefty’s does the old-style potato skins; half cut full potatoes, loaded with cheese, bacon, sprinkled with green onions, and served with sour cream. These are huge!
You load some sour cream on top, and if you are like me, you add a few shakes of Tabasco, and down the hatch, they go. So damn delicious, and I say, you must order these. I challenge anyone to post who has better skins than Lefty’s and CJ Blacks Restaurant — owned by Alana and Chris, serving the same skins in Davie.
If someone legitimately posts a place in Broward County that has better skins, I will go and sample them and render a verdict.
The Certified Black Angus Beef Burgers
I enjoy the Bleu Cheese Burger, which is topped with mushrooms and bleu cheese crumbles. I like to add bacon and some A1 Sauce. I order it medium, and when I bite into it, my memory takes me back to the old Scally’s restaurants in Fort Lauderdale. I wonder how many of y’all remember those two restaurants.
Some of my friends swear by the In and Out Burger, which comes with Lefty’s own version of Animal Sauce. I’ve never been to an In and Out, so I can’t comment if they taste the same. I’m curious if any In and Out expert has eaten the Lefty’s version and their verdict. Please comment.
For my vegetarian and health-conscious friends, they have a Black Bean and a Beyond Burger, too. They also have a Veggie Sandwich with sliced zucchini, red peppers, portobello mushrooms, squash, mushrooms, and provolone cheese on a toasted hoagie roll with red pepper aioli.
Daily Food Specials
Every day they run different food specials, which absolutely rock. They don’t offer the same ones all the time, so you must call to see what’s on the menu.
Two of my favorites are the homemade conch fritters and meatloaf. The conch fritters are fried to a golden brown, and the inside is nice and fluffy.
Pieces of diced conch with Caribbean herbs mixed throughout gives these fritters the island vibe most of us dream of. I like to add a nice squeeze of lemon on top and dredge them thru some cocktail sauce spiked with Tabasco.
I can see myself drinking an ice-cold Kalik Beer on the pink sands of Harbor Island, The Bahamas eating these fried balls from heaven.
The meatloaf is a gigantic portion. It’s served with savory gravy with mashed potatoes and a vegetable. It’s wrapped in bacon, and who doesn’t love bacon. Not really sure if meatloaf is very popular these days, but it should be. Nothing like eating a really good meatloaf with gravy and mashed potatoes. It’s like having a hot bowl of tomato soup and a grill cheese sandwich or a slice of Chocolate Cake with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. It just feels and tastes so relaxing to me. If you are a meatloaf connoisseur or novice, you will adore Lefty’s version.
Let’s not forget that on Wednesdays, Kids Eat Free with a purchase of an adult entree for 11 dollars or more. They also have a nice game arcade too.
Ambiance and Service
Service is standard, and I like that some of the staff have been employed at Lefty’s for years. That’s always a sign of good management and how they treat their employees.
Now describing the ambiance is going to be a little more difficult. The reason why I say this is because of the layout. To the right is a decent size bar with tables scattered around. The main dining room has booths, tables, and an enclosed arcade room to the left. The dark wood and overall setup of no walls separating the bar for the dining room give it that Tavern vibe. All the TVs give it a Sports Bar feel.
Throw in that it’s very family-friendly, and you get this mixture of a neighborhood pub. When you put it all together, the place is original.
This joint is not trying to be a Miller’s Ale House, Bru’s Room, Applebee’s, Bonefish Mac’s, or even Flanagans. What you see is what you get, and that’s why Coral Springs locals like me love this place.
Verdict
It’s places like Lefty’s that are near and dear to my heart. Grab some food/drinks and watch a game, play the jukebox, Trivia, or if you come in on a weekend night, catch some live music.
Not really sure how the Steelers Club made this their home tavern, but as a die-hard Dolphin fan, I’ll forgive the owners for that.
I will leave you with this; Lefty’s is consistent with its food, drinks, service, and prices. I want to thank the owners and staff for being in Coral Springs since 2007.
I rate them 4 Beers! Remember to tell Chris, Alana, Moe, Maggie, Chrissy, and Chef Jon that Dan I Cook and Coralspringstalk.com sent you. Stay Hungry!
Four beers = Outstanding
Three beers = Good
Two beers = OK
One beer = Needs work
Zero beers= Sucks (No beer is never a good thing).
Lefty’s Tavern & Grille
5771 Coral Ridge Drive
Coral Springs, FL 33076
Phone 954-752-3525
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