2 new Fort Myers, Cape Coral eateries in unlikely strip malls well worth finding— JLB

Here in JLB-Land, some of our favorite eats can be found in the most unlikely of places.

No-frills plazas and unappealing strip malls are a treasure trove of creative cafes, delightful diners and enticing eateries.

For example, Liberty, my favorite Lee County restaurant of 2023, is speakeasy-esque in Pinebrook Park with its maze of side-by-side dull orange and beige units on Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers. Anchored by Outback Steakhouse, it’s also home to another favorite — Lily Paris Bakery.

Uncle Rico’s and Grandpa’s Pizza occupy the end units of their easy-to-miss plazas in Fort Myers and Bonita Springs, respectively.

In Collier County, colleague Diana Biederman lists Bicyclette Cookshop, Old Vines Supper Club and Hyde N Chic as her dowdy strip mall favorites.

While we could effortlessly fill this space with more good old gems, I’d like to introduce two new finds that fit the great find in an easy-to-miss location criteria.

Taza Café

I’ve never been more excited to get stuck in traffic at Colonial Boulevard and Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers.

If I’m even remotely hungry and Fernando Arakaki’s breakfast and lunch café is open, I’m stopping.

You’ll find it tucked back next to El Patio restaurant in the unassuming plaza at the junction’s northwest corner.

Modernly quaint and charming, it’s been serving Peruvian and Argentinian food, plus a “little American, a little vegan” since quietly opening April 23.

“Everything here is homemade,” said Arakaki, whose wife owns El Toro in Cape Coral. “Everything is done by us.”

And there’s lots of goodness to be found.

All-day breakfast features omelets, eggs dishes, avocado toast, lox, tamal and sandwiches, including the best-selling El Limeno with fried pork belly (chicharron), sweet potato, tomato and red onion. More sandwiches — served on our favorite NY-NJ Par Baked breads — appear for lunch.  

Options include Peruvian ham, Argentinian chorizo and grilled chicken, eggplant or picania and more.

“Most weekends we build special sandwich plates,” said Arakaki, who proudly uses his father’s chimichanga recipe.

We’ve been craving the La Nona — breaded chicken (or opt for palomilla steak) with lettuce, tomato and mayo on that luxurious roll — since we first had it. The pulled chicken sandwich was a winner too.

Homemade empanadas (also excellent) and pastries (so good), salads, kids menu and (oh so wonderful) coffees, juices and tea round out the menu.

It took two years for Arakaki, one of the partners in this restaurant, to open his lovely spot.

“We built everything from floor to ceiling,” said the former general contractor from New Jersey. “We built the bar, did the counter, everything.”

The result is a warm and inviting, yet trendy and cool space, that makes you feel right at home the minute you step through the door.

Once you find it, you’ll be oh so glad you did.

Taza Cafe, 4458 Cleveland Ave. in Fort Myers. Call (239) 202-8644 or follow on Instagram.

Rico Café

While Ariani and FK Your Diet are as eye-catching as plaza anchors T.J. Maxx and Planet Fitness, many of Del Prado Mall’s small units tend to blend in until you know they’re there. This includes our longtime favorite Tacos San Miguel II, set back in the plaza’s far northwest corner.

Rico Café needs to be noticed too.

Owners Elisa Valdes and Yosvani Rodriquez opened this Latin gem on May 12, less than two weeks after selling Azucar — a no-frills strip mall favorite itself — a few miles south.

“We wanted a smaller place,” Valdes said. “We have a family and want to spend more time with the kids (ages 11 and 2).”

Everything here is homemade too, with Rodriquez doing the cooking.

Egg dishes, ham and bacon croissants, and sandwiches are on the breakfast menu.

Traditional beef, chicken, pork (think ropa vieja) and seafood dishes are available from lunch on, along with sandwiches, soups, salads, bakery items, coffees and more.

While the menu isn’t as big as the one they had at Azucar, this one “has more variety in empanadas, sandwiches and bread.”

Those empanadas, for example, include ham & cheese, beef & cheese, chicken & cheese, spinach & cheese and best-selling pizza empanadas.

But it’s the daily specials with two generously sized sides that have us going back for more. Tuesday’s fried pork ($9) was melt-in-your-mouth flavorful and we would gladly get the white rice and black beans with it. That pork dish is extremely popular and sells out quickly, as does Saturday’s $9.50 pork ribs in creole sauce.

“We make more every week and every week they sell out,” Valdes said of the fried pork. ”It’s good.”

We went later on a Saturday afternoon and missed out on the ribs. Our roasted pork with Cuban mojo with grilled onions ($10) made up for it quite nicely though (as did more rice and beans).

Our last-minute yuca rellena (beef stuffed cassava ball) purchase was my best impulse buy in months.

Valdes said she’s seeing a lot of new faces week after week.

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“But when they try it the first time,” she said, “they come back again.”

We certainly did.

NOTE: Rico Café is closed for vacation the first week of July. It reopens at 8 a.m. Sunday, July 7. 1404 Del Prado Blvd. S., Suite 140, Cape Coral. Call (239) 242-0714 or find it on Facebook.

Jean Le Boeuf is the brand under which our restaurant critics have written for more than 40 years. This article came from staff writer Robyn George. Connect: rhgeorge@gannett.com.