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Who makes the crispiest, chewiest bagels in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties?
Well, we left the decision up to you after receiving hundreds of nominations earlier this month as part of our Best of South Florida Dining series.
With a half-dozen bagel spots to choose from (because of a tie), readers faced a tough decision on their plates. But they rose to the occasion to pick the best from this batch of finalists, in alphabetical order:
No matter which way you slice it, toast it or slather it with schmear, the top vote-getter was … Bagel Snack in Pompano Beach!
Bagel Snack has been serving up New York-style deli cuisine to hungry diners since opening its doors 45 years ago. Husband-and-wife co-owners Jonathan and Thelma Simes took over running the restaurant and deli at 1237 S. Powerline Road in August 1992.
“We take pride in making a quality product,” Jonathan Simes said. “We want to thank our loyal and dedicated customers for making us No. 1.”
The bagels are prepared with high-quality ingredients, and then boiled and baked, which is why customers enjoy them so much, he said.
“We still make bagels the old-fashioned way,” he said, adding that they’re baked to a golden brown, “with a soft, chewy inside and a warm, crispy outside.”

In addition to bialys, their menu offers 13 traditional bagel flavors made from scratch: plain, pumpernickel, cinnamon raisin, sesame, marble, poppy seed, everything (egg and whole wheat), onion, whole wheat, garlic, rye and salt.
Which flavors are the most popular with customers? That would be plain, sesame and the everything bagel, he said
For schmear fans, Bagel Snack has six options: plain cream cheese, or with chives, vegetable, olives, raisin-walnut, and a nova spread.
Any of their overstuffed sandwiches, wraps and deli salads also can be ordered on a bagel.
While bagels may be the star, they share the spotlight with the restaurant’s large menu featuring a variety of comfort foods: smoked fish platters, burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, tuna and patty melts, meatloaf with gravy, blintzes, knishes, hot pastrami sandwiches and soups, among other dishes. There are also vegetarian items.
Their bakery serves up cake, danishes, muffins, rice pudding, cookies and rugelach.
Side note: Bagel Snack made its small-screen debut last year when the restaurant was featured on episodes three, four and eight of the Netflix series “Jewish Matchmaking,” with co-owner Jonathan Simes and his brother-in-law, Mark Kloda, bantering with a customer about kissing on a first date.

It must be said: Several readers heaped high praise on Bagel Snack’s bagels, deeming them as good, if not better, than those in New York.
“Not just the best bagels I’ve had south of New York, but the best deli all around,” said Pompano Beach resident Charlie Siegel. “Not only a local favorite, but the place all my out-of-town friends want to go when they visit.”
Coconut Creek resident Ellen Saslovsky called them “fabulous New York bagels. Slightly crisp on the outside and perfect on the inside!”
The freshness factor also was frequently mentioned in readers’ nominations.
“No nonsense silly flavors. Made fresh hourly. Excellent,” said Wilton Manors resident Daniel Distasio.

In her nomination form, Pompano Beach resident Christine Stolz called their bagels “by far the best.” And she offered this tip: “Come early, while they’re warm (or hot).”
Bagel Snack is at 1237 S. Powerline Road, Pompano Beach. They also offer catering, online ordering and delivery services. For more information, call 954-974-4564, email bagelsnack@yahoo.com, or visit bagelsnack.com.
Ready for next month’s Best of South Florida Dining feature? The topic for March is: best barbecue! Click here to nominate your favorite barbecue restaurant in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
Entertainment
MIAMI (AP) — Two South Florida police officers claim Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s recent action thriller “The Rip” used too many real-life details in its fictionalized narrative, causing harm to the officers’ personal and professional reputations, according to a defamation lawsuit.
Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana, sergeants in the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, filed the lawsuit in Miami federal court earlier this month against Artists Equity, a film production company owned by Affleck and Damon. Court filings don’t say how much the officers are suing for, but the civil complaint says they’re seeking compensatory damages, punitive damages and attorney fees, as well as a public retraction and correction.
“The Rip” features Affleck and Damon as South Florida police officers who find millions of dollars inside a house. Parts of the movie were inspired by a real 2016 case, where police found over $21 million linked to a suspected marijuana trafficker in a Miami Lakes home.
An attorney for Artists Equity declined to comment when reached Monday by The Associated Press. But in a March 19 response to the plaintiffs’ demand letter, Leita Walker, an attorney for Artists Equity, wrote that the film does not purport to tell the true story of that incident or portray real people, which had been stated by a disclaimer in the film’s credits.
Although Smith and Santana aren’t named in the film, the lawsuit claims that Santana was serving as the lead detective assigned to the real case, and Smith was the sergeant who supervised the investigative team. The film’s inclusion of real details about the case gives the impression that the characters are based on the plaintiffs, the suit said.
And this, the lawsuit claims, has given friends, family members and colleagues the impression that the plaintiffs committed the criminal acts that appear in the film, which include (SPOILER ALERT) conspiring to steal seized drug money, murdering a supervising officer, communicating with cartel members, committing arson in a residential neighborhood, endangering the lives of civilians, repeatedly violating core law-enforcement protocols and executing a federal agent rather than making an arrest.
Walker wrote in March that the plaintiffs haven’t even identified which particular character is supposed to be based on Smith or Santana, so even if “The Rip” was actually about a real-life narcotics team, there’s no way to connect any of the characters to the plaintiffs.
“The Rip,” directed by Joe Carnahan, debuted in January on Netflix. It’s currently rated 78% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
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Brevard County couple gets married in NICU after birth of premature twins
A Florida couple, told they may not be able to have children, welcomed premature twins and had an impromptu NICU wedding.
Provided by AdventHealth for Children
Ben and Danielle Cassidy were told they likely wouldn’t be able to have children.
But this year they will celebrate Mother’s Day just months after having an impromptu wedding in the AdventHealth for Children hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit shortly after Danielle gave birth to twins prematurely — a week before the Palm Bay couple was scheduled to get married.
Both babies, Joshua and Rhett, are doing well despite arriving nine weeks ahead of schedule on Jan. 19, 2026, just one day after their scheduled baby shower. With a proper wedding out of the question with two premature babies in the NICU, a nurse took action.
Issabel Kenkel, the nurse behind the ceremony, said she was already in wedding planning mode for her own upcoming nuptials when she found out the Cassidy family’s ceremony would be interrupted.
“I couldn’t just let them do something small. They needed decorations and something fun, so I spoke to the music therapist and the chaplain,” Kenkel said. In short order, a wedding was being planned for their hospital room and the couple was saying their vows in the company of their safely delivered newborns.
“When we found out we could request staff members to be on our team, that’s when we requested Issabel and having that kind of consistency from someone who has such a big heart and is so kind,” Danielle said.
The hospital ceremony was all the more special because of the Cassidy family’s own health struggles.
“I have five autoimmune diseases and didn’t really think I would have kids. It’s been a rough journey. When Ben and I met, we were floored at how much a miracle it was to have kids,” Danielle said.
Ben, who battled and beat cancer, said he was worried that his prior treatment would result in negative health outcomes for his future children. Having twins for him was an unexpected blessing.
“When we found out we were pregnant, we found it so shocking. We said, wouldn’t it be great if it was twins? It filled out our hopes and dreams list,” Ben said. “They’ve been miracles for sure.”
The Cassidy couple said there was so much fear and uncertainty when their twins were born nine weeks early. Being able to get married right away just made them feel all the better about the future.
“It was nice getting married because we didn’t have to wait any longer to make it official. It made it that much harder for her to get rid of me,” Ben said.
“The unknown made it scary,” Danielle added. “We had no idea how long we would be in the hospital. Our wedding was going to be at the beach with immediate family and parents. Having NICU babies, we realized we’d never be able to get to the beach. It was really special having the people who care for our babies be part of the ceremony.”
The couple hadn’t even planned to have a band at their wedding ceremony and now the hospital’s music therapist was performing live for them and the chaplain was conducting the ceremony, something nurse Kenkel said was just part of her job.
“The babies are going to have the best outcomes if the families are taken care of and going home happy,” she said. “Being in the NICU is already so stressful. This is just one more thing I could do to take care of my patients.”
Tyler Vazquez is the Growth and Development Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-480-0854 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. X: @tyler_vazquez.
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