Popular restaurant Eduardo de San Angel to close
Chef Eduardo Pria remembers the day he leased a defunct deli in a strip mall on East Commercial Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. The building owner asked what he intended to do with the small space. “Fine-dining Mexican,” Pria replied.
“She laughed,” Pria recalled Monday.
Pria’s dream restaurant, Eduardo de San Angel, opened a few months later in January 1993.
He won over legions of loyal South Florida diners through the decades with upscale Mexican cuisine that blended European training and technique with homespun flavors from his Mexico City neighborhood of San Angel. The staying power of Pria’s cooking and his cozy, 80-seat hacienda-style dining room were no joke. “Couples who got engaged
at the restaurant — I see them come in with their kids who are in college now,” Pria says.
After 27 years, Pria has decided to finally have the last bittersweet laugh. Pria says he will shut Eduardo de San Angel at year’s end, with last dinner service scheduled for Dec. 31. Pria cut opening hours to three nights a week earlier this year, citing health and lifestyle concerns. The impending loss of a longtime local favorite means Fort Lauderdale’s finedining scene is about to grow dimmer.
“It is a tough decision, but ultimately I feel like it will be the best one for my health and happiness,” Pria, 67, says. “Over the years it has been an honor to serve the community of Fort Lauderdale … My passion in life is cooking and bringing joy to customers. I am extremely thankful for the beautiful people who have been dining with me over the years and watching the city and people I care about grow.”
Pria called his food “Mexicaninfused international cuisine,”