Fast Break: Harrington’s Café

If you walk downtown to Harrington’s Café on any given weekday, you’ll see a restaurant buzzing with businessmen, government officials and lawyers popping in for a quick, inexpensive lunch. The restaurant (329 Florida St.) started in 2000. The café can thank its daily home-cooked specials and array of delicious fried seafood platters for its good lunchtime business. This week, 225 went to the downtown staple for a bite. Though it’s hard to deny the fried options, we went another route and tried the grilled chicken Mandeville. The dish is topped with sautéed onions, bell peppers, mushrooms and Swiss cheese and comes with two sides and a drink for a little more than $10. The chicken is juicy, tender and the portion size is just right. This is soul food at its finest. Better still was the restaurant’s spinach Madeline side, which is creamy and addictive. Visit Harrington’s Café’s website.—Matthew Sigur