The Delicious Latin Food Scene in Miami

When I was in Florida as a teenager, I remember the food being good and a wide variety of choices.  But when I came back this summer, the food was even better and more diverse than I remembered.  Well, when I say diverse, there was a lot more than typical American food.  Being a fan of Latin America, the wide range of Latin foods was one of my favorite things from our 4 nights in Miami/Fort Lauderdale.  We stayed in South Beach, so that is where we ate in Miami, but we also had one night in Fort Lauderdale on our return back from the Bahamas, and the food was tremendous in both cities. 

As a Canadian, Cuba is a popular tourist destination, but we all know the horror stories of the food in Cuba.  I’ve been to Cuba once, and the stories were an exaggeration, the food wasn’t that bad, and Cubans are good cooks, but it’s the lack of resources and international trade partners that affects the quality of their food.  But Cuban food, like most Latin food is full of spices and has a good blend of flavor.  Miami has a large Cuban population, so there is a lot of Cuban food.  But here’s the catch, the food has the Cuban/Latin kick, with the access to the spices/ingredients of the United States… therefore, Cuban food in Miami is delicious.  Coupled with the world class chefs of Miami…you got a recipe for some amazing cuisine.  There are also lots of Colombians and Venezuelans, so there are lots of South American options too.

Not only are there small Latin restaurants throughout South Beach, and of course in Little Havana, but there is also the famous Espanola Way, which is lined with a slew of excellent Latin restaurants.

The options for Latin, and particularly Cuban food in Miami are endless.  If we had more time we would have visited Little Havana, but we stayed in South Beach for most of our short stay in Miami.  Everywhere we ate was delicious, and we pretty much only ate Latin foods; so here are the places we ate and a little bit about them:

Havana 1957

There are several Havana 1957 restaurants in Miami, but on our first night we chose to eat at the one on Ocean Drive.  What’s better than eating Cuban food on the bustling Ocean Drive, overlooking the beach?  Asides from the location and atmosphere, the food was tremendous.  I ordered the Cubano Sandwich, which is a famous ham and cheese sandwich with a Cuban twist.  The sandwich was tasty, and it came with crispy yuca chips.  Meanwhile the wife ordered La Orquesta Cubana which is the Cuban platter.  Even though my sandwich was good I couldn’t stop digging into her plate.  There was chicken, lechon, shredded pork topped with sliced yuca, beans and rice.  The platter was succulent and full of flavor.  I wanted to go back for more, but there were other places to try.

Espanolita Miami

Next up, we had to try some classical Spanish food.  One of the best rated restaurants was Espanolita Miami on Espanola way, so that’s where we headed.  The upscale restaurant with classy décor and classic salsa and bachata music added to the atmosphere.  The restaurant was pricey but the food was tremendous.  Of course we ordered Sangria to start and Gambas al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp).  There was a kids menu so we ordered chicken fingers and fries for our baby, which were excellent, especially coming off the kids menu.  Our main course was the Paella de Carne.  The Garlic Shrimp was extremely flavorful and some of the best I’ve had and the Paella was delicious too.  I’d recommend Espanolita Miami; the food was good but the atmosphere was the best part.

La Mulata

And on our last night in Miami, we were definitely craving another round of Cuban food, so we tried the highly rated La Mulata which was also on Espanola Way.  We decided to try something a little bit fancier compared to Havana 1957 and ordered Ceviche to start and then the Lechon Asado a La Guajira, which was slow cooked pork served with Yuca and Moro Rice.  We also ordered the Pollo Asado a La Cubana, which was the Cuban style roasted chicken.  The service was excellent and the meal was delicious.  The meat was tender, juicy and full of flavour.  Again, this is another place I’d return to.

And aside from fancy meals, there are many options for Latin snacks.  Being that I’ve been to and loved Colombia twice, finding a restaurant serving Colombian and Venezuelan a block from our hotel was a real bonus.

Munchies Latin Café

This was our true go to place in Miami.  Even though the food was cheap, I must have spent a ton of money there, being that I went back at least 5 times.  Munchies Latin Café served quick Colombian and Venezuelan style meats and meals, but I went there for the snacks.  The Colombian and Venezuelan empanadas were mouthwatering and I kept returning for more.  They also had Argentinan empanadas, they were okay, but we preferred the less crusty, northern style.  My wife and our baby loved them too, surprisingly she was the one pushing me to go back for more!  There was also Papa and Yuca Rellena (stuffed potatoes and yuca) and stuffed Arepas.  Munchies also serves freshy squeezed juice.  In addition to the 15 empanadas I ate in our short time in South Beach, I tried there freshly orange juice, plantain chips, Arepa de Queso, and the Papa and Yuca Rellena.  The snacks were so good, and I contemplated taking an detour with our Uber to Munchies on our way to Fort Lauderdale when returning from the Bahamas…. I still regret that we didn’t. So to say the least, of all the excellent and fancy meals we had in Miami, this little café was our favorite  place.  I can’t recommend it more, and in addition the staff were friendly and I continued to practice my Spanish with them each and every time I entered the café.  

And when I thought the food couldn’t be any better, I was mistaken.  When in Fort Lauderdale on our last day of our vacation, we set out for a good restaurant for lunch.  What did we find?  Another Latin restaurant close to our hotel with a wicked menu.

La Costa Olas

La Costa Olas was a few minutes Uber ride from our hotel on Las Olas Boulevard.  The restaurant had a laidback vibe with classical Latin décor on the inside.  The menu looked good, and mostly seemed Central American, Honduran more precisely.  I ordered the Pollo Chuco which was the best chicken I’ve ever had in my life.  It was Honduran style fried chicken served over fried plantains and topped with onions, cilantro and some kind of sauce.  It was served with pickled cabbage and carrots.  The chicken was crispy and every bite packed a mouthful of flavour; it would be hard to come by a better chicken dish.  The sides were tasty too.  In addition to my chicken, the wife ordered Coconut Beef Ribs which were excellent too.  All in all, when I thought the food couldn’t get better than it was in Miami…La Costa Olas definitely gave the previous restaurants a run for their money.

And of course, in the evening, we had to finish with some tacos and a Mexican American fusion restaurant for our final dinner.  The tacos were okay but compared to the rest of our meals in Florida, this one isn’t worth writing about.