Miami - Calle Ocho

You can for sure get by living here in Little Havana without having to speak any English.  Another thing to notice is that places like here that have a heavy immigrant population don’t seem to have as bad a labor shortage for hourly workers as other places in the country right now.  Just beyond the main drag you can definitely see that this is a working class neighborhood.

Instead of driving, got here by riding those CitiBikes from downtown and stopped in the Goodwill just to cool off in the AC since it was right next to the bike docking station. It was actually a pretty nice store.  I would shop there if I lived here.

If you keep going west down Calle Ocho (8th St) it becomes Tamiami Trail and will take you all the way into the Everglades and eventually to Naples on the other side of the state.

Calle Ocho is another place in Miami that has also revitalized and is nicer than it used to be.  Tourist and locals will come here to enjoy the lively atmosphere, the good food, and the place has some nightlife now. Every block pretty much has several cigar shops so they must be able to do some brisk business with the tourists. 

Among the Cuban shops and restaurants you will also find some Chinese restaurants sprinkled in as there was some Chinese influx into Cuba during the communist heyday.

The most active part of Calle Ocho is between SW 13th and SW 21st Avenues.  Old traditions like Domino Park still exist here and of course…..there are chickens running around town.

Versaille Restaurant

Perhaps the most famous Cuban restaurant? Their notoriety is well deserved as this place delivers. It’s not located in the heart of Calle Ocho and it is further west than you would want to walk from the main part of Little Havana (especially on a hot day). It is well worth the Uber ride.

One of the things I came to Miami for was the Cuban pastries. The meat pastelitos, cheese pastries, and croquetas are hard to find anywhere else even in this globalized world (especially ones made well). You can see in the bakery display window above the large amount of choices they offer.

It is also very affordable. The spread above with all the pastries, media noche sandwich, and colada coffee costs around $16. This place is for the people and they keep the prices low for their community. Even more amazing is that they have a stand at the airport and they charge about the same prices even there, which accordingly results in long lines at the airport.

Aside note on the Cuban colada coffees: Everywhere I go, when I order one, they give me like 8 thimble cups for sharing even though it’s just for 2 people. They must think I am much more sociable than I am.

The building the restaurant resides in is pretty big. On one side is the bakery section with the baked goods, sandwiches, ice cream, and coffees. There is an area in between the buildings that has overflow seating for the bakery. On the other side is the proper sit down restaurant where you can order all the Cuban classics as well as another small coffee stand with some baked goods and also their souvenir store.

This is a must stop for your Cuban food experience in Miami.

El Rey De Las Fritas

Another gem in Little Havana. This one you can actually walk to as you go a little bit further west from the main action on Calle Ocho. They are famous for their “Cuban Burger” which is spiced ground beef smashed grilled and served with onions and fried shoestring potatoes.

They are tasty, affordable and come in a few varieties. Maybe kind of like a Cuban White Castle, but much higher quality.

They offer a full menu of other items but most people come for these burgers. I also love the long serpentine bar that they have to be able to squeeze in more people at the counter.

El Pub Restaurant

If you can’t make it out to Versaille, then I would recommend this place in the heart of Calle Ocho (or go to both like I did!). The place was busy that day as they had the $5 Mojito Monday going on.

Another item I came to Miami for was the mariquitas, thin plantain chips deep fried and served with garlic and olive oil mojo sauce. Mucho tasty but you will feel the garlic for the rest of the day.

This place is affordably priced with a great menu right in the middle of all the action in Little Havana.

We popped in here for a colada, those mariquitas, and a media noche (yes - I ate a lot of media noches and drank a lot of coladas but in my defense it was over several days). Our meal was good timing as we were able to wait out the typical Miami afternoon rain shower while we were eating.

La Colada

This was our first stop in Little Havana. A coffee felt like a good way to start the day before food and adult drinks. I figured that they would have a good cup of Cuban coffee if they go bragging about it and it did not disappoint.

Coffee was very good and they talked me into the version with condensed milk instead of sugar - so it was a little like a Vietnamese coffee. It was also pretty strong as I felt my heartrate increase which is rare now due to my high tolerance for caffeine.

Unfortunately their pastry delivery that day was late so was not able to sample and baked goods.

Guantanamera Cigars

Stopped in here to beat the heat for a while and figured I might as well indulge in a cigar and drink. They sell their own brand of cigars there and the beer was a Hatuey on draft (even though it’s in a Stella glass).

As mentioned before, they have a ton of cigar shops in this area but not that many cigar bars. Most are just smoking lounges or have coffee but no alcohol so this place stands out a bit as you can get a drink as well as enjoy the live music that they have.

Ball & Chain

This is a popular live music spot in Calle Ocho and very much adds to the vibrancy of the street. They have great bands playing by the window so the music spills out outside for everyone to enjoy.

Again - another revitalization project as the bar restores a historic music venue. The place has a Caribbean themed menu and drinks. They also have a large outdoor seating area but it wasn’t open the day that I was there.

They claim to have the “world’s best mojito” and I am pretty much whatever when people claim “world’s best” - like how good can a mojito be? Anyway - theirs was fine and tasty.

Party Cake Bakery

Stopped in here for a Cuban pastry break and they had really good pastelitos. Only issue I had was that their AC was pretty weak and it was literally hotter inside than outside (and it was pretty hot outside that day). So, good bakery but I would do take out on a hot day.