Florida is always a good call for some winter sun and Miami has a lot to offer as a city.
📝 Miami is a lot more than South Beach. Make sure to explore Downtown, Wynwood, Little Havana and Design District too.
📝The Cuban influence is very strong here so you’ll definitely want to try some Cuban food. Only 25% of the city speak English as a first language, whereas 76% of the city speak Spanish.
📝 Miami has loads of great Airbnb options in new condos which have rooftop pools, and gyms, so are as good as hotels. I recommend staying in South Beach, Downtown or Wynwood.
📝 Drinking; Mac’s Club Deuce on South Beach is my favourite dive bar in town, The Broken Shaker is cool poolside bar in South Beach too, Ball & Chain for live music and mojitos in Little Havana although it’s not cheap, Bodega Taqueria y Tequila for a secret bar behind a fridge door.
📝 Miami has a lot beautiful art deco architecture on South Beach. Go for a walk down Ocean Boulevard then loop round Collins Avenue.
📝 Key Largo is only just over an hour drive from Miami if you fancy getting out of the city soaking up the island vibe.
📝 If you want to watch live sport then Miami has a few options; Miami Heat (basketball) are probably the most popular team in the city and the most centrally based, American football is a superior sport but the Dolphins stadium is quite far north from the city, Florida Marlins baseball team play in Little Havana.
1. Joe’s Stone Crab
📍Probably the most iconic restaurant in Miami. Joe’s Stone Crab started back in 1913 and little has changed since then. They often attributed as stating the Miami stone crab craze. Famous diners include Al Capone, who used to dine here regularly whenever he was in the city. One interesting thing about stone crab is that you just harvest the claw instead of killing the crab. After releasing it back into the wild, another claw has fully grown back after a few months. Stone crab claws with a mustard sauce is the thing to get here, but the fried chicken is a close second. Creamed spinach, coleslaw hash browns, roasted tomatoes are all worth an order from the sides menu.
2. Maimi Slice
📍Midtown. Miami Slice is currently the most sought after pizza in Miami. They only open 17:00-21:00 and there are always queues. The Venezuelan owners previously owned an arepa shop in the same space, but when covid hit, pivoted to making New York style pizza which they sold through instagram and it blew up. My favourite was the pepperoni with hot honey (even though it came to just under $14 after adding the basil and stracciatella which is ridiculous), but the leeks and bacon pizza, and la salsera were amazing too. Slices start at $5.75-$10.75 without any extras. To bag a pizza or a few slices I recommend arriving before 16:15, putting your name down, and grabbing a couple of beers at the Mexican spot next door. If you don’t get in the first batch you’ll be waiting a minimum 45 minutes before you’re in.
3. Old Greg’s
📍Design District. Another covid success story. Old Greg’s just call it a square pie but I’d probably describe it as sourdough Detroit. The sauce is incredibly rich and base is super crispy. It’s a damn good pizza. Old Greg’s started doing pop-ups over the pandemic and had so much success they quickly opened a bricks and mortar restaurant in Miami’s Design District (which from what I saw is basically mainly high-end fashion shops & art galleries). The waitress assured us that the name of the restaurant is the nickname of the one of the owners (Greg Tetzner) and not a Mighty Boosh reference (she didn’t know what that was). I’m however still not so sure as the WiFi name was ‘I’m old Greg!’.
4. La Sandwicherie
📍South Beach. A South Beach institution since 1988. Open 07:00-05:00 daily (only closing for two hours) and conveniently situated opposite Mac’s Club Deuce (the best dive bar in town). Make sure to smother your sandwich in their French dressing.
5. Tam Tam
📍Down Town. Tam Tam started life as a Vietnamese supper club before they opened up a restaurant in Down Town Miami. The food is a cut above your average Vietnamese restaurant. The star of the show for me was the goat curry noodles, but I think the wings and lotus salad are a must too. There are so many things I loved about this spot from the menu to the Vietnamese-style plastic stools out front, neon lit bar and karaoke bathroom. Greta food, great service. Well worth adding to your Miami hit-list.
6. Zak the Baker
📍Wynwood. You’ll find bread from this popular kosher baker in restaurants across the city. They also have a a successful standalone shop. Expect his signature breads and an assortment of soups, bagels, sandwiches, and pastries.
7. Fratesi Pizza
📍Downtown. Fratesi serve an incredible thin & crispy ‘bar pizza’. It kind of reminded me of Romana-style. They currently pop-up every Sunday at Tam Tam (the best Vietnamese in town). It took almost an hour for the pizza to come after sitting down (I heard they can only cook two at a time) but it was worth the wait. Just make sure you order starters and a some of their square focaccia so you aren’t waiting hungry.
8. Sanguich De Miami
📍Little Havana. There are a lot of places to get a Cubano sandwich in Miami but Sanguich is often mentioned as one of the best. Everything inside the sandwiches, from the pork to the ham to the mustard, is made on-site. They also serve great croquetas with a green dip too.
8. The Wolf of Tacos
📍Wyndwood. There are a lot of taco spots in Miami but not many of them worth a damn. This taco stand is currently popping up at J. Wakefield Brewery and Dante’s Hifi (check Instagram for their whereabouts). The tacos aren’t cheap at $5 a pop but they are good. The Al Pastor and steak tacos were my favourite. They have a great selection of homemade salsas too.
9. Publix
📍Multiple Locations. Florida’s best supermarket chain and my favourite supermarket in the world. The cooked food section here is incredible, specifically the chicken tenders and subs. The best item might be the buffalo chicken sub which is absolutely loaded.
10. Knaus Berry Farm
📍Silver Palm. Not technically Miami but only a 30-minute drive or so. Go for some of the best cinnamon buns in the world. Buy them by the whole or half dozen. You can also do strawberry picking here if you’re into that lame ass shit.
11. Rosie’s
📍Little River. When looking up best brunch spots in Miami, Rosie’s came up a lot. They’re another pandemic success story that started doing pop-ups in 2020. They still move location a lot but are currently in Little River. The lemon ricotta pancakes are the must-order item for me.
12. Hometown BBQ Miami
📍 Allapattah. New York City’s favourite bbq spot is now Miami’s favourite too. Hometown Barbecue, located in the Allapattah neighborhood, is the second restaurant from Billy Durney. I thought the food was good, but it wasn’t up there with my favourite Texas BBQ spots. The brisket wasn’t quite as fatty/melt in your mouth as I wanted and the sausage was a little on the dry side. We also tried a much-hyped broccoli dish which I wished I passed on for something more delicious. The cornbread with honey butter and pork ribs were on point though.
13. Over Under
📍Down Town. I love a bar that makes a good burger. Smashed Florida beef patty with American cheese, grilled onions and thousand island. The rest of the dishes on the menu are Floridian-inspired too like gator nuggets with tartare sauce, Treasure Coast oysters, and sour orange pie (their take on a key lime pie). Happy hour 17:00-19:00 daily.
14. Jimmy’s Eastside Dinner
📍Upper East Side. You know I’m a sucker for a classic American diner. I went for breakfast 2 at with two eggs, country sausage, hashbrowns, toast & OJ. I don’t know why we can’t get great hashbrowns like this in the UK but we’re missing out. Jimmy’s is known for being featured in the Oscar- winning movie ‘Moonlight’.
15. El Rey De Las Fritas
📍Little Havana. El Rey De Las Fritas have been serving Cuban frita (hamburgers topped with grilled onions and fries) in Little Havana for 40+ years. I got mine with an egg on top too. The place feels like stepping in a Cuban time warp. Worth a visit if you’re exploring Little Havana.
16. Eleventh Street Pizza
📍Midtown. Another NY-style pizzeria serving round and aware pies by the slice. I liked the wild shroom topped with maitake mushrooms, thyme, garlic, shallot, mozzarella, garlic confit, caramelized onions, parsley, and sourdough breadcrumbs.
17. Enriqueta’s
📍Wynwood. Enriqueta’s is an old-school Cuban sandwich spot on the outskirts of Wynwood. They have a large selection of sandwiches here. I went for the Cubano with croquetas inside. It was stacked but a little on the dry side. The palace has a great neighbourhood vibe to it though. They also serve a breakfast of eggs, ham, croquetas, and toast.
18. Yardbird
📍South Beach. A good spot for brunch on South Beach. The star of the show here is the fried chicken. The most popular way to get it is with waffles and watermelon. It’s a little touristy and has the feel of a big chain now they’ve started expanding to other cities.
19. Pack Supermarket
📍 El Portal. Those in the know, know this Little Haiti supermarket is where to go for top-notch fried chicken. Well-seasoned, crispy, and affordable, folks flock here for the real deal.
20. Arbetter’s
📍Olympia Heights. A family-run road-side hot dog restaurant for over 60+ years. They’re famous for their chilli hot dogs herring. For something more adventurous try the Zelda with everything on it. For sides you can get minor corn dogs, fries, tots, and onion rings.
James Dimitri 