The dining scene in Southwest Florida isn’t for the faint of heart. Restaurants open and close in the span of months. Most don’t make it longer than a year. Even in the most high traffic areas, Fifth Avenue South, along U.S. 41 and the shopping centers of North Naples, only the best survive.
That’s what makes the long-standing little hole-in –the-wall places, tucked away in strip malls on the outskirts of town, all the more impressive. One of my favorites is World Bakery & Cafeteria.
A friend and colleague got married a year ago to a Cuban immigrant. They wanted to treat their friends, mostly her friends and family from upstate New York, to the most authentic Cuban food they could find. Their only thought was World Bakery.
In a slightly run-down strip mall at the corner of Pine Ridge Road and Collier Boulevard, World Bakery is a restaurant worth seeking out. The guava-cheese pastries alone justify a drive. But there’s so much more. Traditional dishes—ropa vieja, media noches and roasted pork—are as good as anything you’ll find in Little Havana.
Do yourself a favor and head that way soon.
