Have you ever had Italian brunch? If you answered no, then that answer needs to change. The Alley is a hidden gem in South Beach that is located in an alley, hence the name, which serves the most amazing Italian style brunch every Saturday and Sunday. The brunch menu includes a breakfast style pizza and pasta, an Italian take on eggs and french toast along with a few other items.
Everything Bagel Pizza
Even though I have never loved bagels, I am a huge fan of smoked salmon and thought this pizza was amazing. I can honestly say that I have never had or heard of everything bagel pizza and I was pleasantly surprised. I liked it so much that I have been craving it on a daily basis ever since. The delicious pizza dough is topped with whipped cream cheese, smoked wild salmon, watercress and capers.
Rigatoni Carbonara
This pasta dish has egg, bacon, peas and pecorino cheese. And even though the menu lists what’s in the rigatoni carbonara, I wasn’t sure what to expect since I have never seen pasta on a brunch menu before. My first thought when the waitress put it on the table was that it was beautifully prepared and after taking my first bite, my second thought was that it tasted just as good as it looked. I liked the way the dish was prepared and thought that the bacon added a really nice touch.
Soppressata Picante
This pizza is made with soppressata, crushed tomato, caciocavallo, parmigiana and oregano, which is also known as really good pepperoni pizza. The pizza was on the thinner side which I am a huge fan of, but I loved that it wasn’t your usual thin crust pizza where the dough is also thin around the edges.
Gelato
I recently went to Italy and ate pounds of the best gelato and this gelato was just as good if not better. I got chocolate gianduja and salted caramel but they also have flavors like rum raisin, biscotto amaretto black cherry, lemon ricotta and pistachio-orange.
Overall I would say that I am a huge fan of The Alley and I can’t wait to go back to try dishes like the octopus, whipped ricotta, meatballs and burrata from their regular menu along with all the other dishes on their brunch menu.