If you’re looking for an authentic Italian bakery in Fort Lauderdale, Pan’E Dolci Bakery Fort Lauderdale is absolutely worth a stop. This café-style bakery is known for its Italian pastries, desserts, coffee, and massive savory sandwiches. The display cases are filled with cannolis, cookies, croissants, and breads, and they even have 22 flavors of homemade gelato.
Everything looks so good that it’s honestly hard to decide what to order.
If you’re visiting Fort Lauderdale for a short stop or before a flight, this bakery fits easily into a quick itinerary. I talk more about how to plan a short visit in my guide to One Day in Fort Lauderdale: What to Do If You Only Have a Few Hours.
And if you’re planning a longer stay, you can find hotels in Fort Lauderdale here. I usually find great deals and plenty of options.
Walking into Pan’E Dolci Bakery in Fort Lauderdale feels like stepping into a traditional Italian bakery. The pastry cases are packed with options, and the smell of fresh bread and desserts hits you immediately. If you’ve ever walked into a bakery and suddenly wanted to order one of everything, this is that moment.
The atmosphere is casual. You can grab something to go, or sit down and enjoy it at one of the small tables inside. When we visited it wasn’t overly busy, but there was a steady flow of people coming in and out — which is usually a good sign.
The staff was also incredibly friendly and happy to help explain what different pastries were. Honestly, everything looked so good that I wished I had a bigger stomach so I could try more.
There are a lot of great options here, but these are the things we tried.
I ordered the Italian sandwich, and calling it a sandwich almost feels like an understatement.
This thing was huge.
It’s made with fresh sliced salami, provolone cheese, ham, tomatoes, eggplant, and fresh basil on focaccia bread.
The ingredients tasted incredibly fresh, and the focaccia bread held everything together perfectly.
The sandwich was so big that I ate half for lunch and saved the other half for the next day — which honestly felt like a bonus meal.
The Nutella donut is an absolute must. If you’re deciding between pastries, get this one. It’s soft, sweet, and filled with Nutella. Basically everything a donut should be.
We also tried the apricot cookie with pecans (sometimes walnuts), raisins, and cinnamon. It’s a traditional Italian-style cookie that’s packed with flavor and a little different from your typical bakery dessert. If you like fruit-forward pastries, this is a great one to try but if you can only get one thing make it the Nutella donut!
The portions at Pan’E Dolci Bakery Fort Lauderdale are very generous. The sandwich alone was about $20, but it’s large enough to easily split between two people or save half for later.
The pastries are only a few dollars each, which makes it easy to try several things. This is dangerous information if you’re someone who believes dessert is a perfectly reasonable breakfast option. (No judgment here.)
The biggest thing that stands out here is the variety.
You’ll find everything from:
Cannolis
Biscotti
Croissants
Cookies
Italian breads
Gelato
Huge savory sandwiches
It’s the kind of place where you walk in planning to grab one thing and suddenly want to try five.
If you’re planning a full food-focused trip through South Florida, this bakery pairs really well with some of the Cuban and Latin spots across the region. I share more great food stops in my guide to Little Havana Miami: What to See, Eat & Do.
A few quick things to know before visiting Pan’E Dolci Bakery Fort Lauderdale:
It’s casual and easy to stop in
You can grab food to-go or sit down
Portions are large, especially the sandwiches
The pastry selection changes depending on what’s fresh
If you’re flying out of the area afterward, it’s also helpful to know the airport layout and timing. I break that down in my Fort Lauderdale Airport Guide: What to Know About FLL Before You Fly. If you’re flying into South Florida for a food trip like this, I usually start by comparing flights so I can arrive early enough to actually enjoy the day instead of losing it to travel. You can compare flight options here.
Absolutely.
If you love Italian bakeries, Pan’E Dolci Bakery Fort Lauderdale is a great stop. Between the huge sandwiches, the fresh pastries, and the friendly atmosphere, it’s the kind of place that’s easy to come back to again.
And if you go, don’t leave without trying the Nutella donut.
If you’re continuing your food tour around South Florida, I also put together a guide to Where to Eat in South Beach Miami: A Local Food Guide, which includes several of my favorite restaurants and must-order dishes.
Flying out of Frankfurt at the crack of dawn? Stay at the airport, not in the city!
The Hilton Frankfurt Airport is connected to Terminal 1 and the long-distance train station, so the walk to your gate takes a few minutes and no taxi. The rooms are soundproofed so well you barely hear the planes, some have runway views, there’s a sauna, and the bread and butter at Rise are dangerously good. It costs more than hotels farther out. On a budget, the Hilton Garden Inn next door gets you the same walk for less.
Save this for your next Frankfurt layover ✈️
No landmarks, no crowds, no souvenir shops. Otterberg is the everyday side of Germany 🇩🇪
It’s a small town just outside Kaiserslautern. Lunch at Putai inside the historic Das Blaue Haus means crispy chicken in coconut curry and spring rolls with homemade sweet chili sauce, then a slow walk past the old church and quiet streets. The Palatinate Forest and Humberg Tower views are close by. If you want a packed itinerary this isn’t your town, but if you like good food and nowhere to be, you’ll love it.
Save this for your Germany road trip!
Every 6 minutes a new round unlocks, and you can eat your way around the world for two hours. 🌍🍽️
Masons in Kaiserslautern: Korean BBQ, Jamaican jerk chicken, raclette potatoes, crispy baked ricotta from Monaco, and the Belgian cookie cheesecake you’ll still be talking about the next day. €39-45 per person. Bring a group and pace yourself, because they charge for leftovers.
Save this for your next trip to Germany
Sedona got me again 🌵
This was my second trip, and somehow I liked it even more. Every visit adds another trail, viewpoint, or restaurant to the list, and the list keeps getting longer. This time I stayed near Airport Mesa, with sunsets right outside my door and none of the crowds.
My Substack has everything I’d tell a first-time visitor: the lodge I’ve now stayed at twice, the experiences I’d do first, and the restaurants I’d plan my days around.
Subscribe for free so you don’t miss the next one. Link in bio ✨
YES is always the answer... ✈️
I’m Wendy, and yes, I travel for a living (still pinching myself). After 15 years teaching middle school math, I traded the whiteboard for a passport and never looked back. Knoxville is home base, but Arizona sunsets are on another level, and if it’s been sitting on your list, this is your sign to finally say yes and book it. City guides, hotel reviews, and foodie spots are all on the blog. So glad you’re here 🌵☀️
Follow @travelwithwendyplummer for Beautiful Beach Destinations, City Guides, Foodie Spots, and Luxury Hotel Recommendations.
