Dune Deck’s Mimosa Café: a trendy brunch spot in an unexpected location
A sibling to Dune Deck in Lantana, Mimosa Cafe in Boynton Beach.
Upscale presentations of tasty brunch and lunch fare and plentiful outdoor seating make Dune Deck’s Mimosa Café in a western Boynton Beach strip center a destination.
By ALAN J. WAX
I’ve long wanted to visit the Dune Deck Café in Lantana, best known for its brunch with breathtaking views of the Ocean, but I haven’t been able to get there — at least not yet. So, I did the next best thing: I visited Dune Deck’s sibling in western Boynton Beach, Dune Deck Mimosa Café.
Inside Mimosa Cafe.
The Boynton spot, in the Publix-anchored Shoppes at Woolbright strip center at Woodbright and Jog Roads, lacks the terrific panoramic Atlantic Ocean patio views that the Lantana outpost offers. But it does have plenty of outdoor seating under colorful orange umbrellas and a breakfast and brunch menu that alone are worth the visit.
The restaurant, owned by the Calomiris, Petros and Caruso families, who are tied together through marriages, opened in 2013, 20 years after the founding of the now iconic Dune Deck.
Mimosa Café dishes out familiar stuff: omelets, French toast, pancakes, crepes and waffles and a variety of Benedicts and, for lunch, salads, sandwiches, burgers, gyros and a handful of entrees. Specialties include crème brulee, French toast, crab cakes, lobster eggs Benedict and New England lobster roll. For those seeking an early-in-the-day cocktail Mimosas, Bellinis, Bloody Marys and sangria are available.
Western omelette.
Eggs Benedict.
Located between a pizzeria and a Japanese restaurant, Mimosa Café can get busy at mid-day, even during the week. There are enough tables in front and in a side alley-cum-atrium to probably seat 50 diners. However, diners in the alley may find it too noisy with conversations echoing off the walls of the narrow space, which also can be a wind tunnel at times. Inside, light-brown brick walls get a splash of color from green and orange framed food pictures and orange ceiling lamps. Scattered around on the walls are old family photos. Black tables stand upon a brown-tiled floor.
Servers, attired in khakis and orange or green polo shirts, are friendly and attentive.
Portions are large and prettily plated.
More importantly, the food is well prepared and tasty.
Traditional Eggs Benedict ($13.95) was perfection with a bright yellow Hollandaise sauce bathing a pair of just-right poached eggs on English muffin halves and ham. There are seven Eggs Benedict variations on the menu. My traditional version was accompanied by a slice of cantaloupe, a strawberry, a slice of bright red tomato and home fries that unfortunately arrived cold. A tangy Bloody Mary ($8.95) in a tall glass added to my pleasure.
Tropical French Toast
Another time, a fluffy western omelette ($12.45) was among the best I’d ever had and was filled with coarsely chopped bits of ham and al dente red and green peppers chunks, golden brown home fries – this time hot. Also, slices of chilled cantaloupe and watermelon, and wheat bread toasted just the right hue. Iced coffee was strong, but soon improved as melting ice diluted the brew.
On one visit, my wife, usually a fussy eater, devoured her order of what Mimosa Café calls Tropical French Toast ($13.95). Perfectly browned slices of egg-coated challah bread arrived topped with chunks of bananas, fresh pineapple, strawberries and sprinkles of toasted coconut and a plastic cup of maple-flavored syrup.
My wife wants to return to try a special, crème brulee French toast. I’ll be happy to return anytime.
A few cautions, though: (1) Reservations are not accepted, (2) hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and (3) beware the pesky birds that flitter from outdoor table to table and chair to chair and sometimes leave their droppings.
Dune Deck’s Mimosa Café
10833 S. Jog Rd., Suite 200 Boynton Beach
(561) 396-9624
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