Fort Lauderdale's Latin American and Caribbean population has produced a dining scene that goes well beyond the tourist-facing Cuban restaurants on Las Olas. Sistrunk Boulevard and the neighborhoods north and west of downtown have clusters of Haitian, Jamaican, Colombian, and Dominican restaurants that serve the communities who actually live here. Haitian cuisine is particularly well represented — look for griot (fried pork) with pikliz (spicy pickled cabbage), rice and beans cooked with coconut milk, and fried plantains that arrive as a matter of course alongside everything.
The Colombian and Venezuelan restaurants along Broward Boulevard and in the Lauderhill area are reliable for bandeja paisa, arepas, and hearty sancocho soups. These places are casual, portions are large, and prices are significantly lower than the Las Olas strip. If you are eating out on a budget or want to eat the way the city actually eats rather than the way it presents itself to visitors, spending an evening in these neighborhoods will be more rewarding than a second meal on the boulevard.