Miami Essentials

By Amy Driscoll and Larry Lebowitz, FrontDoor.com | Published: 11/19/2008

Grab a bite or sip on authentic Cuban coffee at one of Miami's many cafes.

Food and Drink Essentials: Best Places to...

BUY GROCERIES

• Laurenzo's Italian Market, 16385 W. Dixie Highway, North Miami Beach
  Since 1951, Laurenzo's has been supplying fresh pasta, meats and fish to the Miami area. With a green market adjacent and a small indoor cafe, it's a great place to eat lunch and shop.

• Epicure Market, 1656 Alton Road, Miami Beach, and 18236 Collins Ave., Sunny Isles Beach
  Along with high-end gourmet food and organics, the South Beach market also has a small cafe inside with a great cheese and wine selection and out-of-this-world desserts. Try the key lime pie.

• Gardner's Market, 7301 SW 57th Ave., South Miami
  This cute little gourmet shop has a couple of tables for in-house munchies.

BUY FRUIT AND VEGGIES

• Robert Is Here, 19200 SW 344th St., Homestead
  It's worth the trip. This landmark in the agricultural area offers fresh-from-the-field veggies, local honey and the best key lime milkshakes.

• El Palacio De Los Jugos, 5721 W. Flagler St., Miami
  This gathering place for Cuban exiles is so much more than a fresh-fruit "juice palace." Check out the fully stocked produce market. Sample the excellent batidos (shakes) and some of the best fried plantains in town.

GRAB A LATE NIGHT BITE

• Hiro's Yakko-San, 17040-46 West Dixie Highway, North Miami Beach
  This authentic, but incredibly affordable, Japanese restaurant is the late-night haunt for off-duty sushi chefs and Miami foodies. Food and Wine just named it one of the best restaurants in the United States. Insider's tip: If you're in a small party, ask for a seat at the bar and watch Hiro's excellent crew work their magic while sucking down a "flight'' of sake samples.

• Yambo Restaurant Tipico Nicaraguense, 1643 SW First St., Miami
  Figuring out how to order at this 24/7 restaurant with one of the craziest outdoor dining areas you'll ever encounter can be a bit daunting for those who don't speak a lick of Spanish. But the food, plentiful and cheap, is well worth it. Don't miss the pescazones, fried potato balls brimming with chayote and cheese. It also has an original Ms. Pac-Man machine.

GRAB AN EARLY BITE

• Happy Wine, 5792 SW Eighth St., Miami
  Grab a bottle off the shelves, pay a $1 corkage fee, grab a seat at one of the tables made from casks and crates and then dig into some of the best tapas in town. On Saturday afternoons, Cuban musicians provide a live soundtrack.

• Garcia's Seafood Grille & Fish Market, 398 NW River Drive, Miami
  Garcia's is home of Miami's best grouper sandwich. Take a lazy, long lunch on the "working" end of the Miami River. Enjoy your black beans and rice and a chilled beer on the waterfront deck as a freighter bound for Haiti passes by. It's a lunchtime favorite for cops, judges, firefighters and local politicians.

SIP A LATTE

There are plenty of strip malls and shopping centers for cafe fiends to find their Starbucks and other franchised baristavilles. But if you really want that authentic Miami-style jolt of caffeine, you need to learn your way around the Cuban cafe culture. Read Local Life and Lore in Miami.

<< Shopping Essentials I Entertainment Essentials >>

Comments