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United States
A cultural niche within the city of Miami, Little Havana, or Calle Ocho, is THE place to people watch in this fascinating city.
A combination of older gentlemen rolling their (lovely) Cuban cigars and hip youngsters hanging out outside the McDonalds, this is the sort of place that needs to be seen to be believed.
Soak up the culture further by enjoying a specialty Cuban cocktail and a ‘media noche’ sandwich (pork, ham, cheese, pickle and mustard – tastier than it sounds!) at one of the bodegas.
Southwest 8th Street, Miami, FL
For a mere 15 bucks, this great place offers an all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch. What more can you say?
It tastes even better after partying until dawn in the Miami streets!
190 NE 46th Street, Miami, FL
Everyone talks about the News Cafe or Jerry's Deli, but the 11th Street Diner is cheaper, with better food and it doesn't take an hour to get your order delivered! They do huge omelettes in the morning and great milkshakes, all in the setting of an authentic 1950's diner. I love it!
11th Street Diner, corner of 11th and Washington Ave.
Van Dyck café, the News café and the Jerry's Famous Deli are all good places for breakfast/brunch.
The Jerry's Famous Deli menu will take about an hour to read though!
Van Dyck café is on Lincoln Avenue; News Cafe is on Ocean Drive; and Jerry's Famous Deli is on Collins.
Sushi Samba has restaurants in Miami, Chicago and New York, and combines Peruvian, Japanese and Brazilian cuisine to delicious effect.
It does great drinks, and there’s a lively, buzzing atmosphere.
It’s on Lincoln Avenue too, which makes it a great place to start on a night out.
It’s not horribly expensive, and about three dishes will fill you up. There are sushi hand rolls, maki rolls, Peruvian chicken and corn skewers, ceviche, and local seafood.
Sushi Samba, 600 Lincoln Rd, Miami Beach FL, 33139
www.sushisamba.com/top.html
If you're downtown in the Brickell area, check out Provence Grill. It is hard to find good food in Brickell, but this is an exception. Lunch was about $35 per person. Service was great.
I've been to Nexxt twice and the food is great. The menu is huge, the portions are huge. Meal for two for between $40 and $80.
Note: check your bill carefully because our waiter added charges for things we didn't order. Despite that I went back and would return again.
700 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, Florida 33139
Tel:(305) 532-6643
I try to eat as much pho as possible and I'm always looking for new pho restaurants. The only place that I've found in South Beach that serves pho is Sushi Saigon on Washington Ave.
For about $12 you can have a giant bowl of beef noodle soup. Service is very friendly. The pho is very good, even though it lacks beef tendons and tripe.
It's often difficult to find good Mexican food, and it's often difficult to find good food in South Beach period. But Lime Fresh Mexican Grill on Alton Road is a fantastic exception. I highly recommend the chicken mole burritos for about US$8. It's great food on a budget.
The Eleventh Street Diner, an authentic diner with the look of a railroad car, used to be one of my favourite eating places on South Beach, with its friendly efficient waiting staff, varied menu, large helpings and a reasonable selection of vegetarian dishes, available at any time of the day or night. Alas, no more.
A change of ownership resulted in other changes. Why didn't the new management work on the principle “if it ain't broke, don't fix it”?
The first indication that things weren't right was when my wife and went to the Diner after a spell abroad. We ordered and waited, and waited. Eventually my wife's meal arrived and my side order of fries, but no main course. When I managed to attract someone's attention, I was told that they were out of the item I'd chosen. Until then no one had bothered to tell me.
We decided to give it another try, as any restaurant can have an off day. The service was slow. A friend arrived while my wife and I were eating and asked for a menu. She never got it. We tried to attract the eye of the waitstaff and even called to them several times. In the end our friend left without ordering.
A week later we went to the diner for a late lunch, as we had many times previously, and were told it was now closed in the afternoon.
On our final visit, again in the afternoon an unfriendly gorilla barred our way, and told me they were closed. I'd forgotten they were no longer open 24 hours. When I asked if they were now working on the communist system, closed at lunchtime so that the staff could eat, the gorilla was furious. He moved as if to eject me physically, but I retreated before he could touch me. “Don't come back again,” he said menacingly.
I won't, but it saddens me to see a place I liked go downhill so rapidly.
If the staff of the Diner don't think 2:30 pm is lunchtime, they should go to the Big Pink at Collins and 2nd, where they would see with their own eyes that lots of people disagree with them.
Washington Avenue, South Beach, Miami Beach, FL.
The best place to get breakfast in SB - old school decor and huge portions, with a menu bigger than the table!
1450 Collins Avenue, South Beach, Miami;
tel: 305 532 8030;
www.jerrysfamousdeli.com
Old-fashioned diner (in that converted-train-carriage stylee) in the centre of South Beach. Serves old-fashioned diner food at decent prices and is open 24 hours. Also serves beer, and has an outside terrace.
1065 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139; tel: 305 534 6373
Very friendly, although also slightly cool, bar in the supposedly fashionable 'South of Fifth' part of South Beach. Has excellent Jamaican food, a range of beers (could be colder, in truth) and a free pool table. Locals and staff very friendly and laid back. DJ most nights, playing unpretentious music.
423 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, FL; tel: 305 5324444
Lincoln Road, crossing Collins Avenue, is the place to see and be seen. It’s crowded with tourists and their (screaming) kids during the day, but as soon as it’s bedtime for them, the street gets busy and bustling. Restaurants are fully booked inside and outside, and bars, cafés and restaurants fill every inch of the street with their tables, comfy couches, parasols and heaters (during wintertime).
The variety of eateries, shops and galleries on Lincoln Road is worth visiting more than just once. Make sure you end up at my favorite Miami restaurant for a bite: Sushi Samba, which also has restaurants in New York and Chicago. In this loungey looking place you’ll find a unique blend of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine, music and design.
You may have to wait at the bar for about half an hour if you don’t book, but as soon as you seen the menu, you’ll know it was well worth it. Just a little food advice: the Tuna Tataki ($12) and the Green Envy Samba roll ($11.50) are amazingly tasty!
Sushi Samba Drome, 600 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach;
tel: 305 673 5337;
Hours: Sunday - Thursday 12pm - 12am, Friday & Saturday 12pm - 2am
Samba brunch: Sunday 12pm - 5pm
Great place to get the morning papers and people watch.
800 Ocean Drive; www.newscafe.com
The News Cafe is one of the most popular cafe-restaurant-bars on South Beach. It's open 24-hours and its all-day (and all-night) breakfast is excellent value.
Lots of people use it as a meeting point before a night on the town.
There's also a shop that sells newspapers from many different countries.
Ocean Drive (on corner of 8th Street)
www.newscafe.com/
This 24-hour restaurant serves up classic American comfort food-think fried chicken, meatloaf and mac and cheese. Its cozy interior, plush sofas and roof-top lounge with giant day beds make it a great place to recuperate before the next party session.
560 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach 33139
305 672 3663
Stylish waterfront shopping, eating and entertainment complex next to Bayfront Park. Some excellent restaurants, especially seafood, and classy individual shops and boutiques alongside some familiar big-chain favourites (Gap, Disney Store etc). There’s live entertainment most afternoons and evenings.
Bayside is also home to a number of boat tour operators, if you want a close-up view of the homes of Miami's rich and famous.
Next to AA Arena (where the Miami Heat play) on US1;
www.baysidemarketplace.com
A seafood restaurant located on the Miami River serving fresh fish, key lime pie, cold beer and Cuban food with a very laid-back atmosphere.
398 Northwest North River Drive; tel: 375 0765
It's a small pub with the best burgers, chicken wings and the coldest draft beer in town. It also has a pool table. It's not located in the popular tourist areas of Miami, it's south in the suburbs.
10417 South Dixie Highway; tel: 305-284-9296
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