The 15 best Little Havana restaurants to visit in Miami

Before chef Michelle Bernstein and bartender Julio Cabrera came together to open Café La Trova, a spot with top-notch Cuban music, cocktails and food was just a thing we wished existed. Sure, plenty of places had one or two of those, but the pairing of Bernstein and Cabrera is nothing short of magic manifested in mouthwatering paella croquetas, the Instagrammable Chancleta cocktail and so much more, all contained in a beautifully evocative space.

This quaint, 25-seat restaurant serves an edited menu of classic Cuban sandwiches and made-to-order batidos (Cuban milkshakes, for the uninitiated). Naturally, the best Cubano in Miami resides here. It consists of mostly housemade ingredients—cured ham, pork brined in-house, fresh pickles and artisanal mustard—plus crusty Cuban bread made specifically to Sanguich's specifications.

La Camaronera is a Little Havana institution. The family-owned Cuban fish shack has been doling out all sorts of fried items from the sea, from lobster poppers and fish fingers to popcorn shrimp, for decades. It’s been featured on the Food Network and nearly every person in Miami has tried it and vouched for its greatness: the pan con minuta. Fried snapper on a lightly toasted Cuban roll is the holy grail of fish sandwiches.

Chef Bas’ ode to his native Thailand is a compact restaurant serving above-average curries you will most definitely have to stand in line to try. But every single one is worth it. Part of the shtick here is that you’re only allowed to order once, so make sure the pad see ew with beef and khao soi gai find their way to your table. One’s a noodle dish and the other is a golden curry, and both will blow you away.

The only rooftop bar and restaurant in Little Havana sits away from the action on Calle Ocho and offers stellar views of its much glitzier neighbor to the east, Brickell. It’s a gorgeous garden setting dotted with oversized umbrellas and comfy patio furniture, where it’s easy to spend hours sipping on mezcal cocktails and noshing on the tasty veggie-forward fare, such as grilled mushrooms and an heirloom tomato salad—both fresh and bursting with flavor.

The most famous Cuban restaurant in the world. Really, it says so on the sign. If you didn’t try a Cubano at Versailles, were you even in Miami? Hardly. The Little Havana institution also has the most famous coffee window in the city, swarming with ex-pats and adorable octogenarians sipping their daily cafecito.

One of the city’s original purveyors of juicy Cuban burgers—whose name translates to mean King of the Fritas— reigns supreme in these parts. Trust El Rey for a consistently delicious sandwich made up of a chorizo-beer patty between toasted Cuban bread and topped with shoestring fries. It’s simple yet simply outstanding.

After winning its yearlong fight with the city, Ball & Chain returned in 2021 with the intention of looking and feeling exactly as it has since Billie Holiday sang on its stage. The place is best known for the music, including a house band that starts at noon, but it also serves up decent plates of ropa vieja and camarones enchilado. Yeah, there are better-pressed Cuban sandwiches elsewhere, but few restaurants capture old-school Little Havana better.

The massive mural of Ernest Hemingway’s bearded mug might give the place a bit of a Cuba-via-Disney feel. But the big plates of fried and stewed seafood are legit. So are the sounds of the Cuban bands that bring in the tourists from way down the calle.

This sliver of a sushi restaurant on Calle Ocho proffers pleasant service and fresh sushi. Rolls and pieces are available a la carte but the omakase dinner is the way to go here. It's a generous tasting menu served at the counter, and reservations are a must as there are only eight seats per service. Ahi allows BYO and the staff will be happy to chill your bottle while you dine.

This gritty-looking gastropub decked in graffiti has all the makings of a hip Wynwood restaurant, but you’ll find it deep in Little Havana (and a second location now in Doral). It’s a choose-your-adventure kind of dining experience thanks to a vast Latin-fusion menu. Steer Cuban with an order of the lechón buns and vaca frita tostones; go Asian with the wok-charred Brussels sprouts, or try a mix of several cuisines with a serving of the tasty shrimp po’ boy tacos.

This bare-bones Mexican restaurant on Calle Ocho ticks all the boxes: cheap, oversize dishes and a statue of La Virgen de Guadalupe, to whom we pray for the bounty Mi Rinconcito bestows on all its hungry diners. The heaping portions of delicious Mexican food served here are not just a bargain (you can easily feed a family of four for $20) but they’re also really tasty.

An unassuming shopping plaza hides a traditional Colombian restaurant that serves big plates of the country’s classics and also as a meeting place for Colombian immigrants. If you find yourself unable to pick from the endless items on its huge menu, go for the bandeja paisa, a put-everything-on-it plate that captures many of the country’s signature dishes. 901 SW 8th St

Resembling an old Spanish castle, this charming Little Havana institution beams with live music, chatty servers and large parties tucking into giant paellas. You don’t go to Casa Juancho unless you’re celebrating something or prepared to spend a lot. If the latter is a concern, trust that the ratio of price to fun will always be favorable and the award-winning seafood paella dependably satisfying.

A taste of South Beach in Little Havana, this Mexican-themed supper club goes from low-key restaurant to full-on party the later it gets. Fuel up with mini tacos, crudos and assorted Latin fare, plus tequila and mezcal cocktails. Burn off dinner dancing all night to reggaeton at El Santo’s not-so-hidden backroom, El Diablo.