Begonia's Restaurant & Bakery — Restaurant in Fort Myers

My mother and father have been ranting and raving about Begonia's for a couple of weeks now. After a shopping excursion at Edison Mall, my mother and I decided to hop across the street to Begonia's for a quick lunch.

Now, this restaurant may not look like much from the outside, but their food certainly packs a punch! My mother suggested we split a sandwich, and I'm REALLY glad we did. I you look at my picture, you'd think that would be what we would split...but no...that was MY half of the sandwich. My mother had another identical plate!

We ordered the pulled pork sandwich, yuca, and a tamale. The tamale came out first (I apologize for the photo...we'd already had a bite or two). It was absolutely delicious and wasn't dry, like some tamales can be. They even covered it with a bit of garlic, which added a nice kick to the flavor. I'm a hot sauce addict (consider it my version of ketchup), so I naturally ladled on the hot sauce they provided us. I did the same with the pork sandwich once it arrived. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had some amazingly fluffy, yet crunchy, bread that was basted with melted butter (YUMMMM). The pork was laced with onions and a bit of mayo to keep it all together. The boiled yuca arrived shortly after our sandwich, and of course tasted amazing.

Needless to say, I was glad I wore my stretchy workout pants that day. My mother and I both ended up taking half of our portions of the sandwich back home for later.

Service was pretty good throughout our experience and the decor was certainly entertaining (check out my photo of the salt & pepper shakers). What really amazed me is that my mother and I only managed to rack up a bill of $12. TWELVE DOLLARS! I honestly don't know why I cook my own food if I can eat that cheaply for great food less than a mile from my house.

I'll definitely be back in the...

I must say, I recently had the pleasure of indulging in an outstanding Cuban sandwich and ropa vieja, and they both deserve a resounding five stars! Let me start with the Cuban sandwich. The moment I took a bite, the flavors of perfectly roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard danced on my taste buds in perfect harmony. It was a culinary delight that I won’t soon forget.

And then there was the ropa vieja. Oh, the tender and succulent shredded beef simmered to perfection in that rich tomato-based sauce. Each bite was an explosion of flavors, leaving me completely satisfied and craving for more. It truly is a classic comfort food that exceeded my expectations.

I am delighted to share my positive review of these dishes. Both the Cuban sandwich and the ropa vieja deserve the highest praise. If you’re a fan of Cuban cuisine or simply looking for an unforgettable culinary experience, I highly recommend trying these dishes. They are absolutely deserving of their...

Last night we dine in, and ordered a Media Noche sandwich for my kid. Media Noche: sweet bread, with ham, swiss cheese and pork in a HOT PRESS.

Well, when our hot pressed Media Noche came to the table. My son's first bite was of COLD pork. So, I tell my waitress if the media Noche can be pressed a bit longer--- it's cold inside.

She took it to the kitchen , and the chef went ahead and MICROWAVED THE SANDWICH. When the waitress came back out with the sandwich- she wouldn't put it on the table, so had to grab the hot plate out of her tray- which burned my fingers.

And a few minutes after the MICROWAVED sandwich cooled off-- the bread was SUPER HARD AND CHEWY. WHY DID YOU NOT PUT IT BACK IN THE HOT PRESS?!!!! My cold, "hot pressed" sandwich was put in the MICROWAVE . WHY WOULD YOU WANT US TO EAT THAT?! If a hot pressed sandwich isn't hot enough---- you put it back in the hot press. Not the microwave. NEVER MICROWAVE BREAD .

We left the sandwich there....