Anthony's Runway 84

• Cuisine(s): Italian, Pizza
  Hours: Sun 4pm-10pm, Tue-Fri 11:30am-3pm, Tue-Thu 4:30pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 4:30pm-11pm
  Price: $$, $$$, $$$$
• Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards, cash
  Features: Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Private Party, Takeout, Vegetarian Friendly, Wheelchair Accessible
  Serving: Dinner, Lunch
• Alcohol: Beer/Wine, Full bar
  Reservations: Accepted, Highly Recommended
  Parking: Lot Available, Valet

Description

Anthony's has only been around since 1981, but its feel is decidedly old Fort Lauderdale, as in, the retirement community for New York wanna-be wiseguys in need of a decent meatball. Owner Anthony Bruno is probably better known now for his chain of pizza joints, Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza, where burning-hot ovens make fantastic well-done pies. At Anthony's Runway 84, the walls of the hallway entrance are filled with years of semi-celebrities appearing to leisurely enjoy their meal. A faux plane fuselage separates the constantly busy bar from the ever-full dining room. A cartoony cutout of a plane completed the runway theme on the opposite side, and in between, tables become packed with diners and plates big enough to be considered elsewhere as family sized servings. Meals like the "Italian Sunday feast" might remind you of what mamma used to make, or at least, make you appreciate her cooking even more, but the char on the veal chop is heavenly. The service depends on whether you're qualified to get your photo on that wall of fame; the rest of us may get the tourist treatment, but the masses continue to put up with it for that taste of new-old Lauderdale.