Where to eat in Little Havana, Miami’s Latin immigrant hub

Before chef Michelle Bernstein and bartender Julio Cabrera came together to open Café La Trova, a spot with top-notch Cuban music, cocktails and food was just a thing we wished existed. Sure, plenty of places had one or two of those, but the pairing of Bernstein and Cabrera is nothing short of magic manifested in mouthwatering paella croquetas, the Instagrammable Chancleta cocktail and so much more, all contained in a beautifully evocative space.

This quaint, 25-seat restaurant serves an edited menu of classic Cuban sandwiches and made-to-order batidos (Cuban milkshakes, for the uninitiated). Naturally, the best Cubano in Miami resides here. It consists of mostly housemade ingredients—cured ham, pork brined in-house, fresh pickles and artisanal mustard—plus crusty Cuban bread made specifically to Sanguich's specifications.

La Camaronera is a Little Havana institution. The family-owned Cuban seafood restaurant and market has been doling out all sorts of fried items from the sea for decades, from lobster poppers to popcorn shrimp, but the one item you must order is the pan con minuta. Fried snapper on a lightly toasted Cuban roll: It’s the holy grail of fish sandwiches. Though it’s been featured on the Food Network, take the local’s word. Nearly every Miamian who’s tried it can vouch for its greatness. 

The most famous Cuban restaurant in the world. Really, it says so on the sign. If you didn’t try a Cubano at Versailles, were you even in Miami? Hardly. The Little Havana institution also has the most famous coffee window in the city, swarming with ex-pats and adorable octogenarians sipping their daily cafecito.

The only rooftop bar and restaurant in Little Havana sits away from the action on Calle Ocho and offers stellar views of its much glitzier neighbor to the east, Brickell. It’s a gorgeous garden setting dotted with oversized umbrellas and comfy patio furniture, where it’s easy to spend hours sipping on mezcal cocktails and noshing on the health-conscious fare, such as an heirloom tomato salad bursting with flavor or a light and fresh aguachile in a sweet puddle of coconut milk.

One of the city’s original purveyors of juicy Cuban burgers, El Rey de Las Fritas (the King of the Fritas) reigns supreme in these parts. Trust El Rey for a consistently delicious sandwich made up of a chorizo-beer patty between slices of toasted and buttered Cuban bread, topped with a generous sprinkling of crunchy shoestring fries. Not only is it simple; it’s simply outstanding. The ambiance, too, is part of the experience. U-shaped counters fill the space, inviting you to take a seat on a spinny stool and take in the full Cuban diner-like experience. 

After winning its yearlong fight with the city, Ball & Chain returned in 2021 with the intention of looking and feeling exactly as it has since Billie Holiday sang on its stage. The place is best known for the music, including a house band that starts at noon, but it also serves up decent plates of ropa vieja and camarones enchilado. Yeah, there are better-pressed Cuban sandwiches elsewhere, but few restaurants capture old-school Little Havana better.

The massive mural of Ernest Hemingway’s bearded mug might give the place a bit of a Cuba-via-Disney feel. But the big plates of fried and stewed seafood are legit. So are the sounds of the Cuban bands that bring in the tourists from way down the calle.

When Nicaraguans want good home-style cooking, they hit up their local fritanga. Back in the motherland, it might be a roadside grill but here in Miami, it’s usually a cafeteria-like joint and, of all the ones in Little Havana (there are many!), locals tend to like Fritanga Caña Brava best.

They dish up generous portions of all the classics: grilled steak and pork piled high on gallo pinto rice, crispy fried plantains with gooey cheese, and quesillo, yummy cheese-stuffed corn tortillas served with a bunch of Nicaraguan sauces. Don't even get us started on their variety of tropical juices, with flavors like chicha (a drink made of corn and sugar) and tamarind. 

This sliver of a sushi restaurant on Calle Ocho proffers pleasant service and fresh sushi. Rolls and pieces are available a la carte but the omakase dinner is the way to go here. It's a generous tasting menu served at the counter, and reservations are a must as there are only eight seats per service. Ahi allows BYO and the staff will be happy to chill your bottle while you dine.

This gastropub mixes Cuban and American flavors flawlessly. They've got shrimp po’ boy tacos from New Orleans, truffle fries with Canadian gravy, and crispy fried chicken from the South. But the real winners? Their Cuban dishes like beer-braised arroz “imperial” and chorizo-stuffed croquetas. Doce also has a location within Shoma Bazaar in Doral.

This bare-bones Mexican restaurant on Calle Ocho ticks all the boxes: cheap, oversize dishes and a statue of La Virgen de Guadalupe, to whom we pray for a bounty of chorizo-loaded nachitos or crunchy flautas stuffed with chicken in a creamy chile sauce. The heaping portions of delicious Mexican food served here are not just a bargain (you can easily feed a family of four for $20-ish); they’re also really tasty.

La Trova isn’t the only vibey Cuban spot with live music in town anymore. Social 27 is a modern ode to Cuban nostalgia brought to you by the Doce Provisions team, so expect very creative, fusion-y takes on Cuban dishes. We’re talking creamy coconut lime risotto with jumbo prawns, 24-hour slow braised vaca frita (shredded skirt steak) with congri and boñato (Cuban sweet potato) wedges, croquetas and caviar and burrata brulee with a mango marmalade.

We’re also talking twists on classic Cuban cocktails, like a Cuba Libre! made with craft soda and mint. Our favorite cocktail, however, is the Alina, a boozy rum martini made with Havana Club, white vermouth and apricot liquor.

An unassuming shopping plaza hides a traditional Colombian restaurant that serves big plates of the country’s classics and also as a meeting place for Colombian immigrants. If you find yourself unable to pick from the endless items on its huge menu, go for the bandeja paisa, a put-everything-on-it plate that captures many of the country’s signature dishes. 901 SW 8th St

Resembling an old Spanish castle, this charming Little Havana institution beams with live music, chatty servers and large parties tucking into giant paellas. You don’t go to Casa Juancho unless you’re celebrating something or prepared to spend a lot. If the latter is a concern, trust that the ratio of price to fun will always be favorable and the award-winning seafood paella dependably satisfying.

A taste of South Beach in Little Havana, this Mexican-themed supper club goes from low-key restaurant to full-on party the later it gets. Fuel up with mini tacos, crudos and assorted Latin fare, plus tequila and mezcal cocktails. Burn off dinner dancing all night to reggaeton at El Santo’s not-so-hidden backroom, El Diablo.

Chef Bas’ ode to his native Thailand is a compact restaurant serving above-average curries you will most definitely have to stand in line to try. But every single one is worth it. Part of the shtick here is that you’re only allowed to order once, so make sure the pad see ew with beef and khao soi gai find their way to your table. One’s a noodle dish and the other is a golden curry, and both will blow you away.

Are you at a restaurant or a bizarre carnival in the middle of rural Nicaragua? Between all the lifesize animal statues, penny-slot pony ride and wood-carved tchotchkes hanging around the wood-trimmed walls inside, we can’t tell: We’re too wrapped up in a styrofoam plate filled to the brim with carne asado (grilled meat) over gallo pinto rice or a thick tajada (plantain) stuffed with fried cheese to even think about it. People come to this Nicaraguan joint for the ambiance as much as they do the food—so don’t even consider ordering takeout from here. Just show up.