Great Cuban food isn’t hard to come by in our city. Neither is great Cuban coffee. Check out this round up of some of our favorite spots to get your sweet, sweet caffeine fix. Just be careful. It’s strong.
Mi Colombia Cafeteria Y Restaurante
This hole-in-the-wall is where you can get some of the best Colombian food in Miami. It’s delicious and cheap, with a friendly staff and homey feel. It’s been owned by the same family for three generations, after all. One reader suggests a hearty calentado for breakfast with jugo de mora and pan de bono.
Reader suggestion
What they do: Colombian food
Website: Visit Here
Price: Under $10
Phone: 305-867-1013
Hours: Daily, 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Address:
702 71st St., Miami Beach, FL 33141
Cachito Coffee and Bakery
The coffee at this Argentinean cafe always hits the spot, whether you order an espresso, cortadito, cappuccino, or basic black coffee. Pair it with one of their excellent pastries (everything from croissants to empanadas to alfajores) or breakfast sandwiches and you’re set for the day. They also do fresh-pressed juices. It’s a good spot to post up with your laptop and bang out some work, well-caffeinated.
Reader suggestion
What they do: Coffee, Argentine pastries
Website: Visit Here
Price: $1-$10.50
Phone: 305-868-3554
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Address:
251 71 St., Miami Beach
Manolo y Rene Cafeteria
Craving a delicious cubano at 3 in the morning? Look no further. This iconic hole-in-the-wall Downtown spot’s been serving up cafecitos and medianoches 24 hours a day for almost 40 years. Serving up fresh sandwiches like pollo a la plancha and pan con tortilla, at just $5 a pop you can have two. They’ve also got one of the best café con leches in town. But be prepared with some dollar dollar bills, ya’ll, because this spot is cash only. The good news is you won’t really need that many bills.
Website: Visit Here
Price: $2.75-$7.75
Phone: 305-358-4488
Address:
281 N.E. 1st St.
Pasión del Cielo Coffee
This cute corner cafe is a must visit. Pasión is the perfect spot to sip on a cup of coffee from around the world while having a meeting, reading a great book (that you just bought from Books & Books), or working on the next great American novel. We highly recommend that you work with the baristas to develop a coffee blend to match your taste. They’ll grind your beans to order.
What they do: Coffee, cafe
Website: Visit Here
Price: $3-$10
Phone: 305-448-0007
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Sunday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Address:
100 Giralda Ave
La Carreta
It may not have the global fame of Versailles, but most locals know La Carreta for better food and better cafecito than its more iconic neighbor. It’s clearly a recipe for success, as there are now eight other locations in addition to the original Calle Ocho outpost — including at Mercy Hospital, Dolphin Mall, and Miami International Airport.
What they do: Cuban food
Website: Visit Here
Price: $2-$18
Phone: 305-444-7501
Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 12 a.m.
Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3 a.m.
Address:
3632 SW 8 St.
Versailles
We can’t write about Little Havana without writing about Versailles. It may not be the best Cuban restaurant in town, but it’s definitely the most iconic. You can tell because every presidential candidate shows up here for a cafecito at some point, because every time Fidel farts the place gets swamped with news trucks, and because you’re always going to wait a bit, even though it’s an enormous place. Take your gringo friends from out of town here for their first shot of cafecito. Eat the vaca frita, the medianoche, some croqueticas, un pastelito … all the classics are decent. You will know you’ve become a real Miamian when the waitresses give you the Spanish menu and start “mi cielo”-ing you.
What they do: Cuban food, cafecito
Website: Visit Here
Price: $5-$15
Phone: 305-444-0240
Hours: Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Friday, 8 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.
Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3:30 a.m.
Sunday, 9 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Address:
3555 SW 8 St.
Panther Coffee
This coffee shop has become the default spot for local digital nomads. The setup is very welcoming for diving into a project or having a causal coffee meeting. All walks of life come through the shop, from celebrities to the mayor, making the people watching a form of entertainment unto itself. The soundtrack, ranging from indie rock to 90s hip hop, is always friendly on the ears.
What they do: Coffee
Website: Visit Here
Price: $3-$10
Phone: 305-677-3952
Hours: Daily, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m
Address:
1875 Purdy Ave, Miami Beach