Matchbox — Restaurant in Sunrise

Matchbox Brunch – More Like Match Flop Visited: 6/1/25 – A Birthday Brunch That Burned Out Fast

So let me start by saying—I was excited to try Matchbox. I had high hopes. Big brunch energy. But babyyyy… if disappointment had a ZIP code, it would be located squarely at Matchbox that Sunday morning.

We rolled up as a party of 9—dressed cute, ready to sip, vibe, and celebrate. Even my 8-month-old came brunch-ready, prepared to dabble in some grits. We were seated fairly quickly, which gave me hope… until I realized they sat us on the Sahara Desert patio, mid-heatwave. We politely asked for the fan to be turned on. The reply? “The fan is broken.” Excuse me?! MOVE ME. And move me expeditiously.

I spotted another section of the patio where a fan was clearly working, and asked to be moved over there. They said we could switch once they cleaned off a table. Cool. Reasonable… until I looked around and saw that nearly every empty table was piled with dirty plates, used glasses, and sad leftovers from brunches past. It was chaos. Either the bussers had all quit, called in sick, or transcended into another dimension—but they definitely weren’t working.

While waiting for a clean table, we went ahead and ordered drinks. One of the birthday girls asked for a peach cocktail… and it arrived in what looked like a basic water glass from grandma’s kitchen. Honestly? It looked like it had been picked off one of the dirty tables. When asked why it wasn’t in a wine glass, our server replied: “We ran out.” You ran out of glasses? Or you just didn’t want to wash them? Either way—unacceptable. And gross.

Now let’s talk food—if we must.

Matchbox’s approach to large party brunch is cute in theory: You order three shared platters at a time, and everyone builds their own tacos or waffles. Sounds fun, right? Yeah… not so much. • Tacos – A big meh. Bland, forgettable, not even screenshot-worthy. • Waffles – The one redeeming star of the day. Light, crispy, and actually delicious. • Blueberry Pancakes – Just okay. Soft and fluffy, but nothing compared to the waffles. They definitely stole the show. • Spinach Artichoke Dip – Good with the garlic toast, sad without. • Old Bay Wings – Didn’t try them, but judging by everyone’s blank stares and slow chews, I didn’t miss anything. • Sliders – Dry, dense, and tough. Basically brioche-wrapped bricks. • Mushroom Fettuccine – The first round? Pretty good. The second? Rushed, flavorless, and emotionally unavailable. • Shrimp & Grits – Can’t touch it (shellfish allergy), but the table seemed to enjoy it. • Catfish & Grits – LOL. That wasn’t catfish. That was soggy, mushy, underseasoned tilapia in disguise. We see you. • Pepperoni Pizza – I don’t eat pork, but even the swine-lovers at the table were unimpressed. Crusty and dry. Definitely not giving pizza party energy.

Let’s give credit where it’s due: our server tried. But between the heat, the filth, the drinkware drama, and the rollercoaster ride of food quality, even the best service couldn’t save this hot mess of a brunch.

Final thoughts? Matchbox, your matches were UNLIT and this brunch was a complete fail.

Cute concept. Poor...

Went there after work with my boyfriend as I work in the mall as well and arrived to no one at the host stand and a woman waiting in front of us. A woman came to the stand after a minute or two and helped the guest in front of us and asked us “how many?”. No apology for the wait or greeting just “how many?” We said two and asked to sit outside she said it’ll be ten minutes. My boyfriend asked if we could sit at the bar and she said sure. Seemed like we were her umpteenth inconvenience of the day and she just wanted to go home. We said thank you and sat at the bar to be greeted by a friendly bartender that we informed we were just getting a drink to wait for our table outside. He seemed to have no issue, got us a beer, which ended up being upcharged as they were out of miller lite and recommended something more expensive without clarifying and got myself a margarita, which was delicious. We then never got called for our table outside and instead watched numerous people seated and got forgotten by the bartender too. I understand you might want to wait for guests to finish a drink before “bombarding” them, but we weren’t even asked after 10 mins if we wanted to order food at the bar. Finally after finishing the margarita we realized we had been forgotten and since it’s a pattern in Florida recently we just wanted to leave. The bartender was courteous, got us our bill only to realize we were paying over $30 for TWO DRINKS! As we were leaving we noticed the woman was gone from the host stand who had been dressed in grey and three workers were there dressed in all black helping multiple people at once. If that was the manager all I can say is do better. I’m a manager a few stores away and I was hoping this could be a regular spot after work to bring coworkers and enjoy the atmosphere, but we won’t be back to this location if this is the service we’ll receive. Not to mention we had been there within the last few months and the same thing happened. Seated at the bar only to be forgotten....

⭐ 1 Star. Matchbox? More like Mismatchbox. 🔥💀🍕😩⏳🙃🧂

Went to Matchbox in Sunrise expecting wood-fired wonders and craft cocktails. What I got was a spiritual journey through disappointment, lightly dusted with parmesan.

We arrived hungry — the kind of hungry where your stomach makes negotiation sounds. The hostess greeted us with the energy of someone whose soul had left their body somewhere around Table 4. After a 30-minute wait (in a half-empty restaurant, mind you), we were seated next to the kitchen, where I got front-row seats to the live-action soap opera of stressed-out servers and a microwave that may or may not have been running the kitchen.

🎭 Ordered the "crispy chicken sandwich." It arrived soggier than my optimism. The fries were… there. Emotionally, I don’t know if they were ready for this world. Limp, cold, and spiritually absent. One bite in, and I whispered, “Is this a prank?” 🍟💔

🍕Friend ordered pizza. Let’s just say if the Ninja Turtles had to eat this, they would’ve surrendered to Shredder. The crust had the texture of a yoga mat left in the sun, and the toppings were applied with the reckless chaos of a toddler with a glue stick.

🕰️ Service was slower than a Florida DMV line. Our server vanished for long enough that we briefly considered sending out a search party. When they returned, they looked surprised we were still there. Honestly? So were we.

🧾 Bill came with the confidence of a fine-dining establishment. I paid $22 for a chicken sandwich that had the emotional resonance of a wet sock.

Final Thoughts: Food: If you like your meals with a side of confusion. Service: Like being ghosted in person. Vibes: Industrial chic meets "oops, we forgot you were here."

Return plans? Only if I lose a bet. Or my sense of taste.

Conclusion: If you’re in the area and craving disappointment served lukewarm — Matchbox has got you. If not, maybe just… eat the menu. It might have more flavor....