Travel Diary Pt 2: Miami Eats

If you caught my beach obsessed post about my first days in Miami, here’s one that talks about all the food we consumed. It’s always overwhelming trying to research the best places to eat in a new city, so I relied on recommendations from friends, blog posts like this one from my blogger friend The Fashion Hour, and what the locals were recommending.

Joe’s Stone Crab (11 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139) was first! Most places around Miami Beach are going to be pricey, but this is definitely a spot worth checking out. When more than three people say you need to go, you go. It’s been around for over a 100 years and is known for their delicious stone crabs, caught fresh in Miami. This was our dinner destination on our first night.

The place was HUGE. Our waitress Christine helped us navigate the menu and not over order. The four of us split two soups (which was really enough for the four people). The Clam Chowder was amazing and so flavorful. It was a thick soup, not watery at all. The crab bisque was ok. It was creamier and sweeter than I liked.

Instead of going for the main combos which were easily $60+ a person, our waitress recommended we get a pound of the Stone crab grilled with a garlic sauce, and the Alaskan Crab Claws served chilled along with two sides. I preferred the claws over the stone crab. I like the sweeter flavor of the meat rather than a salty stone crabs. The stone crab is still great, just different.

It was actually the perfect amount for us in addition to the hash browns and the grilled tomatoes. Seeing other tables order a whole combo platter would’ve been WAY too much food per person, especially with as filling as the creamy soups were beforehand. We actually had leftovers to take home too.

This key lime pie was bomb. It wasn’t overly tangy and had the perfect balance of sweetness and citrus. I pretty much ate the majority of this slice. Sorry friends. Haha.

Suviche (1119 16th Street, Miami Beach) was our dinner destination Saturday night. It’s a Peruvian and Asian fusion restaurant. We intended to go to Ceviche105, but ended up here instead. The concept is cool, with build your own ceviche bowls, sushi rolls, and signature dishes. It was good, but it wasn’t great. Not a spot I’d recommend worth visiting. There are many other options I think are worth your money and taste buds.

Little Havana is a bit of a trek outside of Miami Beach. If you want a taste of  Cuban life, you can walk the 3-4 block area and check out the different stores on Calle Ocho. The neighborhood is sketchy, so be wary.

El Gallito Bakery (1551 SW 27th Ave, Miami, FL 33145) was a recommendation from my friend Natalie of The Fashion Hour. There was so much to choose from and the nice lady indulged us as we communicated in broken Spanglish and finally settled on a few choiced bites.

We didn’t want to stuff ourselves and took a few bites of different baked goods and pastries. We tried a carne and chorizo empanada, guava pastry, and guava and cheese pastry with cafe con leche and cafe cubano. All this was $7. Everything was dirt cheap.

Next to El Gallito was another restaurant. It looked like a buffet version of every single Cuban food you could think of. We settled for small tasting of some really succulent and crispy chicacronnes. Amazing.

Next, we lyfted to Versaille (3555 Southwest 8th Street, Miami, Florida 33135-4196), a very famous touristy spot. Think of it as the Cafe du Monde of Little Havana. The line was out the door, but the wait wasn’t too bad. We walked next door to their little cafe and enjoyed some Sugar Cane Juice while we waited.

At this point, we weren’t super stuffed and decided to share the Seafood Paella, because why the heck not?! It had squid, clams, octopus, generous servings of shrimp, lobster, fish, and chicken. The saffron rice was flavorful and addicting. To order, they require a 2 person minimum at $25 bucks a head. We ordered the minimum and it seriously could feed 5+ people. The serving size was unreal.

Yardbird (1600 Lenox Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139)
Back to the trendier part of Miami, Yardbird was THE recommendation for really solid fried chicken. We drove past it the previous night and saw how packed the restaurant was and hoped that was an indication on the food quality. I think we had our fill of seafood for the moment and craved something hot and southern.

To start we had their version of a caesar salad and a smoked and roasted bone marrow.

Wasn’t in love with the caesar salad. Just give me all the dressing.

The bone marrow comes with a sweet onion marmalade and country toast. It was incredibly fatty which I liked, but that’s not everyones preference.

This 5 cheese mac n cheese was good. It mellowed out the richness, but wished it was a little creamier.

For our entrees, we split the Crispy Chicken biscuits with pepper jelly and the Lewellyn’s Fine Fried Chicken.

If you’re a fan of Chik Fil A, this is your dish. The portion was pretty large and the chicken had great flavor. The mix of salty, savory and sweet with the added flavors in the biscuit was delicious.

The fried chicken was solid. The breading was light and flavorful. The spices and flavors also resonated in the meat. It wasn’t overly crispy and hit the spot. I love fried chicken and they did good!

[Tweet “Biggest tip to eating in Miami, is not eating with your eyes.”]

The key to eating well in Miami is to not eat with your eyes. Especially when traveling and away from the comforts of a big bed, the last thing you want is to feel sluggish and tired after a huge meal. The four of did well to split a lot of different things and get a taste of it all. With limited belly space, you have to make it count. So glad we were able to walk and dance it off each day. I’m sure I clocked in at least 13K.

[Tweet “Miami Food Guide”]

I’m sure I missed some great spots in Miami for eats. Where should I visit on my next trip? Comment below. I’d love to hear your recommendations!