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Last Update: Dec 20th, 2015
Caruso's Deli / Pizzeria

Caruso

4165 N Dixie Hwy
Oakland Park FL, 33334
(954) 630-8855
Overall Rating
2.5
Food
Service
Ambiance
Value
Last Review
12/19/2015

Details

Hours: M-Sat 8am-10pm, Sun 1pm - 9pm
Attire: Casual
Parking: Private Lot
CC: Yes
Alcohol: Wine & Beer
Outside Dining: No
Reservations: No
Delivery: Yes $10 Minimum 9am-9pm

Pros

Less Expensive Than a Restaurant

Cons

Messy Place
Annoying Parking Lot
Pizzeria Food and Ambiance

Critic's Review

Most of the eateries in this neck of the woods don't speak much English, so Caruso's is easy to overlook. This was Lucarella's before; a not so good place. So I wasn't excited about trying it.

I was going to eat in, but once I got here I decided to take out. It's pretty clear that this is a local regulars operation because they don't even have menus out. No menu behind the counter; I had to ask for one and the guy had to fetch one from the back. The counter guy was vaping, which isn't something I want to see in a Deli type restaurant.

Caruso's Deli Interior

They have a buffet for $10 (all you can eat), but it's not much of a dining room and doing a buffet on a Saturday is probably a bad idea. I ordered the Lunch eggplant; apparently you can get it as a sandwich or with pasta which led to some confusion. The menu doesn't SAY that; these guys don't know how do deal with people who've never been in before.

It took around 15 minutes, which seems like a long time to melt some cheese. I checked out their meat case to see if they had Guanciale, but no such luck. Watching the guys behind the counter, for some reason I was thinking about the prison cooking scene in Goodfellas.

Caruso's Kitchen Area

The bag filled the car with some aroma; I didn't anticipate the garlic rolls. When I opened it, I wasn't disappointed with the portion size; 4 pieces of eggplant and a load of spaghetti.

Caruso's Eggplant Lunch

No eggplant stack like at Anthony's, but a lot more cheese.

Caruso's Eggplant Parm

The eggplant had a very tight, uniform breading which makes me believe that they bought it pre-breaded. I made myself a small plate; I didn't like the sauce too much. It was OK but this is clearly Pizzeria food. At least there was no skin.

I ate the rest of it for dinner; I have a way of fixing any sauce, and it was really quite good. Of course after a couple of glasses of wine everything tastes better.

Conclusion

This is standard pizzeria fare served in a messy Deli-esque environment. No bad food, but nothing you can't get at 10 other places.

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This place appears to be sold and heading for new ownership.

Next: Gino’s Italian Market