“The World’s Most Famous Cuban Restaurant”...and our fans’ most recommended Miami restaurant. Founded in 1971 by a Cuban refugee who bought a spot for a restaurant on Calle Ocho and named it after the French mirrors etched into the walls. For more than fifty years, this is where the Cuban diaspora has gathered - for cafecitos through the ventanita walk-up window and for ropa vieja, croquetas, and steak in the mirrored dining room. Celebrities eat here. Presidents campaign here. The James Beard Foundation named it an American Classic. A Miami experience wouldn’t be complete without it.

Fans recommend: Vaca frita. Palomilla steak. Ropa vieja. Pan con bistec.

If Versailles is the most famous Cuban restaurant, Sanguich is the most famous Cuban sandwich - maybe our most recommended sandwich in any host city. The shop opened in a shipping container on Calle Ocho in 2017 and now has five locations around the city. The secret to the sanguich? Make everything from scratch. The ham is brined for days. The lechon is marinated for 24 hours. The mustard and pickles are made in-house. The bread is brushed with rendered lard before pressing. Michelin Bib Gourmand four years running. Men in Blazers Gourmand now.

Fans Recommend: Cuban Sanguich. Croqueta Preparada Sanguich

You can’t say you’ve had all the best Cuban food in Miami without stopping at the West Miami institution that is Islas Canarias. The croqueta kings since 1977 — ask any local and they’ll tell you the same thing. The ham croquetas are made in-house from original family recipes: golden and crispy outside, creamy within. The full menu runs deep into classic Cuban - vaca frita, oxtail stew, fried whole snapper, bistec empanizado - but the croquetas are the reason people drive to Westchester. Grab some with a cafecito and your afternoon is all set.

Fans recommend: Croquetas.

Our Cuban tour ends with a place to get dinner and a show - Cafe La Trova in Little Havana. Opened in 2019 by a legendary cantinero and a James Beard Award-winning chef, La Trova is the upscale end of Little Havana's Cuban experience. The Cuban-inspired food is fine-dining quality - croquetas, empanadas, skirt steak ropa vieja. The drinks set up is elite. The bartenders are suited up, mixing classic daiquiris and mojitos with the ceremony of old Havana. And the music sets the ideal Miami atmosphere — live trova musicians play every night. Local fans recommended it a ton. Dress code enforced. If you’re trying to feel a little fancy during your tournament trip, this is the spot.

Fans recommend: Croquetas. Empanadas.

Before Wynwood had murals, before it had galleries, there was Enriqueta's. Owned originally by Jose Luis Pla and now run by his daughters, this counter-service sandwich shop has been feeding construction workers, galleristas, food critics, and celebrities from the same short-order kitchen for decades. Our fans specifically called out the pan con bistec - steak, onions, potato sticks, and Swiss cheese on Cuban bread - and the Croqueta Preparada, a Cuban sandwich with a croqueta pressed inside (which is madness). The only thing more beautiful than the food is the artwork on the building and the Dwyane Wade mural inside. Closes for regular service at 3pm, grab takeout til 9pm.

Fans recommend: Tostón sandwich. Pan con bistec.

A diner on Biscayne Boulevard that dates back to the 1960s and is one of our fans’ most beloved Miami breakfast icons. All booths, all-day breakfast, and all-world size omelettes exactly how you’d want at your classic diner. They’ve got no Instagram and a bare-bones website, yet one of the final scenes of the Oscar-winning movie “Moonlight” was shot here in 2016. One of the beautifully archaic juxtapositions in a city that’s filled with combinations of old and new. Opens at 7am, closes at 3:30pm.

One of our fans’ favorite breakfast spots in the city is the Venezuelan panadería and cafe Caracas Bakery. Founded by a Venezuelan father-and-son team in 2014, their concept is Venezuelan-French — croissants and baguettes made with the technique of a Paris boulangerie and the flavors of Caracas. The cachito de jamón, a buttery pastry packed with savory ham, is the signature. James Beard nominated twice for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker. The MiMo location on Biscayne has an open kitchen where you can watch the bakers work.

Fans recommend: Tequeños. Cachito de jamón. Pan dulce.

Your Miami bagel king: El Bagel. A local shop born from a food truck, everything is done in-house — they mix, shape, hand-roll, slow ferment, and bake every bagel. These guys are serving breakfast and sandwiches every day until they sell out. Bon Appétit named it one of the best bagels outside New York in 2023. They also now have a space in the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Legit excellent bagelry in Miami. Order online ahead — weekend waits can stretch over an hour, and like we said, they sell out. Closed Tuesdays.

It’s a Miami Beach icon and the elder statesman of Miami seafood - our fans made sure we had Joe’s Stone Crab on our list. Opened as a lunch counter in 1913 (!), before Miami Beach even had paved roads (!!), it’s still owned by the same family over 100 years later and has grown to legendary status. It’s been Michelin recommended, it’s been named a James Beard American Classic, and is now one of Men in Blazer’s Starting XI. The treble. The stars can’t always align - stone crabs are unfortunately out of season during the summer…but the lobster rolls, fried chicken, and key-lime pie will not be.

Fans recommend: Stone crabs. Fried chicken. Lobster roll.

A vibey, one-of-a-kind low-and-slow BBQ joint with great cocktails and amazing desert…Apocalypse BBQ is a Miami-only combination that our fans are obsessed with. They serve up what they call “Miami Style” BBQ. That means Cornbread Churros. Brisket Empanadas. CAFECITO RIBS. Their combo of traditional BBQ techniques with Cuban flair and creativity has made this place pop since it opened in 2022. Come early - there’s a decent line on the weekends, but they hand out free beer while you wait…so hopefully the line is really long! Usually closed Mondays and Tuesdays, but let’s hope they let it rip for the World Cup.

Fans recommend: Cafecito ribs.

Our first Miami triple threat is local gem Gramps Getaway: it’s one of the rare spots to get high praise as a watering hole, as a place to watch the game, and as a must-eat. With the Wynwood location closing in January, the waterfront outpost in Key Biscayne takes all the shine, as it should. Right on the Rickenbacker Causeway, you’ve got an open-air palapa bar with views of the Brickell skyline and a food menu that’s absolutely stacked. Smash burgers, blackened fish sandwiches, conch fritters, smoked fish dip, oysters, lobster rolls. Elite beach bar vibes with a well above average restaurant.

Fans Recommend: Lobster rolls.

A “subtroppi honki tonk” in the historic DuPont Building downtown, Over Under straddles the line between DRINK and EAT, and it’s worthy of inclusion in both. Our fans said it’s a great watering hole, so we filed it in the libations column — but the food is serious enough that Miami New Times awarded it Best Chicken Sandwich in 2025. This place really leans into the Florida of it all wonderfully — a neon mosquito behind the bar, fried alligator on the menu, burgers made with local beef. Come for drinks, stay for dinner, end up doing karaoke. Open until 3am Thursday through Saturday.

One of our fans’ favorite Miami dives is a strip-mall brewpub and pizzeria named after Japanese kaiju — Strange Beast. House-brewed beers on tap and gas-fired pizzas, all with Godzilla v. Mothra energy. Happy hour weekdays 5 to 8pm, $20 bottomless mimosas on Sundays. Karaoke. Trivia. Dog-friendly patio. Get stuck in at a real and real weird local Miami gem. Open until 2am on weekends.

Another rec that finds itself firmly in two categories is a legendary Coral Gables bar named simply…the Bar. It earned the title by default: when it opened in 1946, it was the only bar in a previously dry town. It’s a soccer spot that can carry a big crowd to watch games — it’s the Arsenal headquarters in Miami — but it originally started as a beer hall, and that’s still the spirit of the place, an awesome space to gather and drink. Another great Miami neighborhood bar that has all the food, screens, and space you need.

Founded in 2005 by Miami-raised siblings from Cuba, Tinta y Café — meaning “Ink and Coffee” — is an elevation of the ventanitas (walk-up windows) Miami is known for. They took the window concept and turned it into a full coffee shop that also makes a hell of a Cubano. Ventanita gigante. Cafecitos and croquetas in the morning, more cafecito and sandwiches in the afternoon. Michelin Bib Gourmand. MiB approved. Open til 5pm on weekdays, 4pm on weekends.

Miami is a coffee and cafecito town, so we had to get in another coffee recommendation. This one is the first specialty roaster in the city — Panther Coffee. Founded in 2010 in Wynwood, just after the opening of the Wynwood Walls graffiti museum, Panther’s been roasting small-batch single-origin beans in the neighborhood since it was still a raw, industrial space. It’s been recognized quite a bit since then, including multiple publications saying it’s one of the best coffee spots in the world. It’s been so good for so long in Miami that they’ve got five locations across the city, plus local shops in Traverse City, MI, and Greenwich Village in NYC.

El rey of watching fútbol en Miami is of course…a German bierhaus. Fritz & Franz in Coral Gables is our fans’ undisputed belt-holder among soccer bars in the city. A Miami bierhaus and sports bar that’s been around since 1997 and is beloved by the community, this place was recommended more than anywhere else to watch the beautiful game. We’re talking German beers, schnitzel, sausages, long communal tables, and the “largest indoor screen in Miami.” They will go jamón for the World Cup, as you would expect — they’re already planning on shutting down the street outside and making the whole thing a block party for straight tourney.

A family-owned, authentic Irish pub in downtown Miami across from the courthouse, the Auld Dubliner makes the esteemed shortlist of Vice City soccer bars. The Miami Celtic Supporters Club calls it home, which should give you all the validation you need for the place. It has all the trimmings of an authentic Irish pub, including the shepherd's pie and the atmosphere. Our fans called it out as a prime place to be during the games, but also a good pregame option if you want to get to the stadium (15 miles north) from downtown. A train and shuttle or rideshare are going to be your best options from anywhere, but a spot like the Auld Dubs isn’t a bad starting point.

The official Liverpool bar of Miami, run by a true Liverpudlian — Mickey — holds down the soccer watching on Miami Beach and is one of our most recommended bars for soccer. It’s got the English pub roots to make a Liverpool fan feel at home, but levels up with just the right amount of Miami sports bar shine. Craft cocktails, local brews, great food…throw in some live music and a last call that doesn’t ring until 4am on weekends and you’ve got the perfect South Beach version of a great soccer bar. Also noted as a good pregame match option.

The first sports bar in Wynwood, our local fans said it needed to be on the list. This is your space eater sports bar executed at a high level - 70+ TVs, a massive outdoor patio, and a sneaker-themed interior decked out with rare kicks and one-of-a-kind art. You can even get cocktails in ceramic glasses shaped like Jordan 1s. The energy is high, the crowd is international, and for the Cup this will be one of the loudest rooms in the city. If you’re with a group, this is the place that can hold everyone.

A Coral Gables neighborhood bar with a great gameday breakfast that’s also one of Miami’s best soccer-watching spots. The Brightside was transplanted to Coral Way by a New Yorker who bartended for ten years in Manhattan before moving to Miami and building the bar the area was missing. It’s both a Man U bar and a Buffalo Bills bar — a combo that, in America, usually means people who are very fun to watch a game with. The happy hour running every day from 4pm to 7 and all day Tuesday (!) confirms the excellent vibes. Feel the Western New York roots with their signature Beef on Weck sandwich.

An extra entry into our Drink five-a-side, our fans made sure we included the downtown gem Lost Boy Dry Goods. Maybe the only soccer bar in history that started out as a denim shop, it officially became a bar in 2018 and has been an under-the-radar downtown go-to ever since. It resides in the historic Alfred duPont Building on Flagler Street, one block from the courthouse. The energy is English pub meets Colorado saloon: a long wooden bar, vintage cowboy boots on the shelf, and an old piano in the middle of the room. Throw in some pool tables and awesome pizza on top. Open until 3am Monday through Saturday.

We asked which Miami tourist spots are actually worth checking out, and one of the overwhelming recommendations was the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens on the water in Coconut Grove. Built around 1916 as the winter estate of the agricultural industrialist James Deering, Vizcaya was designed to look like an old-school Italian villa — 34 decorated rooms, ten acres of formal Italian Renaissance gardens, and a mangrove shoreline on Biscayne Bay. At the time construction began, Miami had a population of around 10,000. More than 1,000 workers built it. Deering was a true Great Gatsby figure — unmarried, fond of lavish parties, and reportedly smuggling drinks through Prohibition for his guests. A National Historic Landmark that’s great to walk around and chill or snap some pics for the ‘gram. They also do a great farmer’s market on Sundays.

Our fan’s most recommended bookstore — and one of the most recommended places in general — is the Miami literary institution Books & Books. Mitchell Kaplan opened the first Books & Books in 1982 when he was 24…33 years later in 2015, Publishers Weekly named it Bookstore of the Year. That first shop in Coral Gables is still in the 1927 Mediterranean-style building on Aragon Avenue with original tile floors, beamed ceilings, and floor-to-ceiling dark-wood bookshelves. Throw in a full-service cafe, a bar, and an open-air courtyard and you have one beautiful place to grab some books and a coffee or drink.

Our fans’ favorite Miami record shop? Sweat Records in Little Haiti. A vinyl shop and event space that has been a part of the Miami music scene since 2005, Sweat’s got new vinyl, used vinyl, local zines, turntables, and a stage that has hosted everything from tiny touring punk bands to Iggy Pop (who also happens to be a big fan). The staff is great, the shop is cool, the selection is unreal…and it’s all right next door to a great pub.

A third-generation family-owned sneaker shop that has been in downtown Miami since 1979, Shoe Gallery has become the premier spot for local sneakerheads, with the latest shoe drops, lifestyle footwear, apparel, and accessory labels. It’s the only sneaker shop our local fans recommended. They’ve got an awesome store space, and they do tons of collabs and events at the shop and around the community. If you’re into sneakers and killing time between matches, go check out some of Miami’s local culture at a downtown legend.

A classic-cars-and-vintage-guitars shop in Wynwood, Walt Grace is a truly unique Miami spot our fans love. The owner quit his advertising job to start this dream shop in 2017 — he named it after the John Mayer song of the same name — and almost a decade later it’s one of the cooler spots in one of Miami’s coolest neighborhoods. Vintage exotic cars on the floor, rare vintage guitars on the walls, and a cafe inside with great coffee. Guitar World named it one of the five best guitar stores on the planet. Another only-in-Miami combo spot that is more than worth a pop-in while you’re here.