Restaurant review

Italian food to go ape over at Empire Pizza Cafe

Empire Pizza Cafe's Tuscan Veggie Pizza

facebook.com/empire-pizza-cafe

If you go

Place: Empire Pizza Cafe

Address: 15 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale

Contact: 954-467-9997, empirepizza.com

Cost: Inexpensive-moderate

Hours: Lunch and dinner daily

FYI: Reservations not accepted. Beer and wine. All major credit cards accepted. Free lot parking.

By John Tanasychuk

Sun-Sentinel

The first thing I realized about Empire Pizza Cafe is that the woman behind the cash register was friendly and courteous and found a way to share a laugh. She knew the menu as if she owned the place.

As it turns out, Robin Levy-Castillo does own the place, along with husband Hernan Castillo and brother Eric Levy. Her parents, Sandy and Sandy Levy, once owned La Piazza in Plantation and opened Empire at Sawgrass Mills in 2003. The restaurant moved to its current spot in 2010. Not only is Empire family-owned, but Levy-Castillo is a trained chef and a graduate of the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.

Read the review at Sun-Sentinel.com

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