Finest Foods >>

• BEST HOT DOG OR HOT DOG STAND
  Dogma
  Dogma, a chic little eatery on a rapidly developing stretch of Biscayne Boulevard, is anything but pedantic and boring. The hot dogs are served up in an array of fanciful arrangements, from the health-conscious Athens (which overflows with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, olives, and feta cheese) to... More >>
• BEST CHICKEN WINGS
  Fu Manchu Chinese Restaurant
  Chicken wings, before the Atkins diet revolution, were thought to be evil. Munch on them, it was believed, and as sure as the grease on your chinny chin-chin, you'd morph into fat tub. But all that has changed now. Fat ain't all that bad and Fu Manchu's version of chicken wings, fried in peanut... More >>
• BEST HAMBURGER
  Sheldon's Drugs and Sundries
  This posthumous award honors the 55-year-old Surfside institution that closed its doors May 6 after Toby and Ethyl Spector -- son and widow of store namesake Sheldon Spector, who died in 1998 -- realized they couldn't pay their bills. The Spectors had an agreement with their long-time landlord,... More >>
• BEST FALAFEL
  Pasha's
  The chickpea is to Middle Eastern cuisine what plantains are to Caribbean food. Dietary staple and base ingredient for foundation foods such as hummus and falafel, this lowly, bland legume soaks up flavor like a sponge, and finds exquisite expression when mashed, spiced, fried, and mixed with... More >>
• BEST FISH SANDWICH
  Café Sambal
  Whenever you have a basically Asian-themed cuisine, such as that offered at the casual, all-day Café Sambal, some clown will refuse to go along with the program, instead wandering around the menu to find the tuna melt and fries. The version served here is worth the excursion, though, as... More >>
• BEST MICROBREWED BEER
  The Abbey
  Way too many would-be beer lovers have been turned off by microbreweries. If it's not the beers that taste like soap because of poor brewing, it's the atmosphere that seems ordered from the fern bar catalogue. The Abbey, which last won Best Microbrewed Beer in 1999, refreshingly avoids both... More >>
• BEST CAFE CUBANO
  Charlotte Bakery
  There's nothing Cuban about Cuban coffee. The beans are grown in Brazil or Colombia, the coffee machine is made in Italy, and the person who serves it to you from a sidewalk cafeteria window is most likely going to be from Nicaragua, Argentina, or anywhere else but Cuba. The saying holds true... More >>
• BEST CHOCOLATE
  The Melting Pot
  There are a few of these fondue franchises across the country and a new one at 15700 Biscayne Blvd., but we here in the Magic City already have the biggest, most expensive one. A one-million-dollar, freestanding building houses us as we indulge in the guiltiest of pleasures -- chocolate. Imagine... More >>
• BEST ICE CREAM PARLOR
  Cold Stone Creamery
  Urban myth has it that on every corner up North there's a bar waiting to warm up its shivering patrons with alcoholic libations. Wouldn't it make similar sense for every block in Miami to have an ice cream shop waiting to shiver up its customers instead? Is opening a beer bottle so much easier... More >>
• BEST TACO
  Taquerias El Mexicano
  While some of the tacos (cow brain and pork intestine) on this menu would make good practice for potential Fear Factor contestants, Taquerias El Mexicano does offer a delectable array of tacos for the average eater, such as chicken chunks, carnitas, picadillo, and seasoned pork. For breakfast,... More >>
• BEST HEALTHY FAST FOOD
  Natural Chicken Grill & Chicken Kitchen
  Remember the old adage, fake it till you make it? Well, the folks over at Natural Chicken Grill really take it to heart. It's not enough that these restaurants bear an uncanny resemblance to Chicken Kitchen, but on their Website they blatantly and falsely claim to have won this award last year.... More >>
• BEST TAPAS
  Casa Panza
  Anyone who has spent some time in Spain will no doubt have a thing or two to say about the Spanish chispa (which can translate very idiomatically to wit, charm, or drunkenness). That warm-blooded verve mixed with an unmatched zest for life can at times so infect the very fiber of our being that... More >>
• BEST CAVIAR
  Marky's
  Almost twenty years ago Mark Zaslavsky and Mark Gelman opened what has become one of the finest caviar businesses anywhere. Except it isn't one business. There's the exceptional retail section (known by insiders as "the Russian store," although it caters to many Eastern Europeans and anyone else... More >>
• BEST GELATO
  Dolce Vita
  Julio Bertoni is a third-generation Italo-Argentine ice cream maker. So he knows what he's doing. From the fresh ingredients -- he buys his fruit from the gourmet Epicure market -- to what he calls his secret recipe, Bertoni and his workers maintain strict quality control as they squeeze out... More >>
• BEST CEVICHE
  OLA
  Since the preservative practice of "cooking" seafood with a salt/herb/chili/citrus marinade most likely originated in Latin America, centuries ago, there are naturally many restaurants in Miami that serve good ceviches. But let's face it: Douglas Rodriguez wrote the book. That's The Great... More >>
• BEST ASIAN GROCERY
  Asia Market
  In a neighborhood where Jamaican curries outnumber most other culinary options, Asia Market stocks a fine assortment of scotch bonnet-based hot sauces and sweet tamarind by the pound as a concession to the local populace. But the real treasure in this store is the extensive selection of all... More >>
• BEST BLACK BEAN SOUP
  Puerto Sagua
  Puerto Sagua, an all-night Cuban diner, is a sort of refuge from the South Beach scene (and has been for 35 years, since long before there was a South Beach scene). Need a respite from all that sunshine and silicone? Cool off in Puerto Sagua and grab a cheap lunch. Need to fortify your stomach... More >>
• BEST FRENCH FRIES
  Les Halles
  Patriots might be disappointed to know the French didn't invent French fries, so the whole wartime freedom fries propaganda campaign was a waste, erroneously disparaging an innocent food. The word "french" in fries has more to do with the thin cut of the potato than with our insolent non-allies.... More >>
• BEST BAKERY
  Icebox Cafe
  As the name suggests, the place serves not just dessert but the rest of the meal (and though the food is quite good, it's possible to just walk in off the street and get a table, even on weekends, due to its location half a block off Lincoln Road rather than in the middle of the mall's madness).... More >>
• BEST CROISSANT
  La Brioche Dorée
  When this tiny bakery/café changed ownership last year, croissant connoisseurs mourned. How could the flaky French breakfast treats possibly remain Miami's most melt-in-your-mouth buttery? By retaining the same recipe, it turns out, as well as the same baker whose light touch for pastry... More >>
• BEST BREAD
  Atlanta Bread Company
  What could be more at the forefront of baking than the ingenuity displayed by those at Atlanta Bread Company? This restaurant is redefining the boundaries of bread. No more will dough aficionados be constrained to thinking that sliced bread is the greatest triumph since.... One of ABC's more... More >>
• BEST SOUP KITCHEN
  Missionary of Charity
  The sisters serve several hundred meals a day, sponsor on-site visiting nurses twice a week, and will soon offer shelter for 25 women and 10 children. When Mother Teresa visited Miami in 1974, she established the Missionary of Charity in one of downtown's grimmest quarters. Early in the morning,... More >>
• BEST CAFE CON LECHE
  La Carreta
  Your mother. Duh. And there's this woman at the hidden snack counter inside Chuck's Laundry on Red Road who will customize the amount of sugar, steamy milk, and "espresso" to launch a Jungian dream of drowning in caffeine (if you ever get to sleep). But blindfold-tested, any proper... More >>
• BEST CORN ON THE COB
  Miami Springs River Festival
  Every April for the past two decades Miami Springs, our own version of Mayberry, has celebrated the river that runs through it with a street party that fills the famous circle in the northeast corner of town -- where most of the businesses are -- and extends out along the streets and into the... More >>
• BEST GREEK MARKET (3 Comments)
  Hellas Imports: Greek Food Specialties
  When Pheofanis "Frankie" Rigalos opened a pizza stand in Hollywood 30 years ago, he immediately ran into a problem. He simply couldn't find the high-quality ingredients he needed. His son, Bobby, picks up the story: "He started going to New York, but even there he couldn't get everything he... More >>
• BEST TURKEY BURGER
  The Secret Sandwich Co.
  Everyone knows the high quality of this eatery. It was recognized last year for Best Flan and Best Sandwich Name (Bay of Pig). But with arteries clogging from fat and cholesterol levels soaring and, oh no, mad cow disease, beef's been taking a beating. Fortunately the S.S. is way ahead of the... More >>
• BEST CHEESE
  The cheese course at Azul
  The low-carb revolution has left dessert in the dust. More Americans are doing what Europeans have done for so many years: savoring high-protein, high-fat cheese at the end of a meal instead of indulging in sugary sweets. At the Mandarin Oriental's marvelous restaurant Azul, fromage is presented... More >>
• BEST CUBAN SANDWICH
  El Palacio De Los Jugos
  For more than two decades, lovers of the Cuban sandwich have made their way to the charming cafeteria on Flagler with the Spanish name that translates into the Palace of Juice. Covered in palm branches and bamboo, the cafeteria is famous for an infinite selection of freshly squeezed tropical... More >>
• BEST CAESAR SALAD
  Soyka
  Talk about your power dressing. While the suits are likely to be seen mixing it up with the beatniks in this converted warehouse on the edge of an up-and-coming arts and design district, your eyes will be fixed upon your plate should you order one of several caesar salads from Soyka's stable... More >>
• BEST SEAFOOD LINGUINE
  Basilico Ristorante
  The fam just jet in from the Left Coast, with that dreadful stopover in Houston? Get them away from the fumes and across the street (with a few twists and turns) for a cozy (fifteen tables) gourmet dinner with five-star service courtesy of the Gonzalez family. The Argentine folks opened Basilico... More >>
• BEST FOOD IN A BAR
  Hooligan's Pub & Oyster Bar
  Face it, when you're drinking to get drunk -- and Hooligan's is a good place to do just that -- delicate crab, feta, and watercress tapas with a kiwi raspberry reduction vinaigrette are just not going to quell incipient waves of gut-rotting liquor nausea. Hooligan's offers substantial portions... More >>
• BEST KEY LIME PIE
  Blond Giraffe Key Lime Pie Factory
  Brazilian natives Roberto and Tania Madeira opened a health food store in Key West in 1997. "We made the most boring, healthy food," Tania readily admits. That all changed when they won the city's Best Key Lime Pie contest in 1999 with a recipe handed down from Tania's 88-year-old grandmother.... More >>
• BEST CONCH FRITTER
  Flanigan's
  It is hard finding a seafood restaurant that cooks conch fritters actually loaded with conch. But for decades, South Florida's homegrown seafood restaurant chain has been serving up the most delectable conch fritters north of Key West. Unlike most places that serve up the fritters in tiny... More >>
• BEST GOURMET GROCERY
  Laurenzo's Italian Market
  Just as Gandhi said you can judge a civilization by how it treats its animals, so we can judge a grocery by the way it treats its pasta lovers. Laurenzo's lacks some items considered standard fare for gourmet markets. Its selection of cheeses, imported chocolates, and prepared foods is a little... More >>
• BEST MEDIANOCHE SANDWICH
  Latin American Cafeteria
  Yes, the LAC is the indigenous Miami version of a Denny's or an IHOP, but they know their proletariat comfort foods. Ask anyone with an obsession for medianoches and they will tell you the LAC has the rules down to perfection: Make them greasy and filling, with a pleasing balance of saltiness... More >>
• BEST SUSHI
  Siam River
  He's young. He's energetic enough to hound Miami fishing boat captains every day for the most sparkling local catches. He's compulsive enough to haunt Miami's university libraries uncovering the undersea world's deepest secrets. To be honest, he's a complete bleeding madman on the subject of... More >>
• BEST DESSERTS
  Barton G the Restaurant
  There's not a molten chocolate cake (the tired dessert that has been erupting on restaurant tables since the late 1990s) anywhere in sight here. Just an inventive variety of goodies including a giant cloud of cotton candy accompanied by truffle-filled popcorn balls; pints of handmade ice cream... More >>
• BEST PREPARED FOOD
  The Mercado at Mundo
  In addition to an expansive, stylish sit-down restaurant, Norman Van Aken's new Latin-influenced global brasserie Mundo has a sort of secret space: Tucked to one side is a limited but growing take-out market. Van Aken is, of course, the recipe mastermind. But the hands-on magician in the... More >>
• BEST CROQUETAS
  Sergio's
  A couple of croquetas from Sergio's are a meal all by themselves. They're not the bite-size variety found at typical Spanish bakeries. But that's not what makes them the best. To begin with, let's acknowledge that a wiener-shaped conglomerate of ground, breaded, fried ham byproduct isn't the... More >>
• BEST HOMEMADE PASTA
  Nunzio's Italian Ristorante
  On a busy night, it wouldn't be unusual to see Papa Nunzio struggling with two shopping carts filled with fresh ingredients from the Publix across the way in the same shopping center. Mama Nunzio would most likely be in the kitchen yelling in Italian at her staff to cook faster, and their sons... More >>
• BEST EDIBLE PLANTS
  Fruit and Spice Park
  The tastiest spot in the nation, let alone Miami, is a 35-acre public park in the heart of the Redland. Fruit and Spice Park has been tempting the palates of adventurous locals for 60 years with more than 500 varieties of exotic edible plants. Lychee, sapodilla, Malay apple, paradise nut, and... More >>
• BEST FRESH SEAFOOD
  Captain Jim's
  This place's actual full name is Captain Jim Hanson's Seafood Market and Restaurant. But no one would waste time wrapping their mouths around that moniker when they could be wrapping their mouths around Captain Jim's grouper sandwich. The size is impressive (two fillets) and so are the... More >>
• BEST PORK CHOP
  Ortanique on the Mile
  Some diners are scared off by this Coral Gables success story's fancy-schmancy menu and upscale service and ambiance. The few others who avoid it are people who want more food than garnish on their plate. Both groups should go anyway for one simple reason: the pork chop. How simple is that? And... More >>
• BEST SALADS
  La Baguette French Bakery
  Loyal clientele have been lured to this little storefront on Biscayne for years. Authentic baguettes, quiches, and French pastries are baked daily in their ovens. But one of the great attractions here is a trio of classic salads served in a pain de campagne (a crusty country loaf). Giant... More >>
• BEST KOSHER BAKERY
  Abraham's Bakery
  When Miami Beach was known as God's Waiting Room, it was filled with the most heavenly treats. Hamantaschen, rugelach, and almond horns were enjoyed by area sweet tooths of all faiths. But with the slow migration of Miami-Dade's Jewish culture to points north, so went the traditional bakeries.... More >>
• BEST DELICATESSEN
  The Grateful Deli
  You won't find the Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test at the Grateful Deli, but you will encounter subs, cold-cut meats, and other delicious treats of psychedelic proportions. The joint's smallest bread size is a ten-inch hoagie. This deli also offers rye-wheat tortilla wraps for its patrons who are... More >>
• BEST BLAST FROM THE PAST
  Hialeah Dairy Queen
  You're sixteen. You slip on your best bell-bottom pants and hop in your '67 Malibu. You pick up your date, hit Burger King for dinner, and head to the drive-in theater for a double feature (one monster movie, the other a bikini fest sans plot). Then you roll into your neighborhood Dairy Queen... More >>
• BEST PIZZA
  Spris
  Miami's pizza wars continue to heat up, as more and more establishments heat up the wood ovens necessary to produce the fragrantly flavorful charred crusts that characterize authentic Italian pizza. Still the Lincoln Road area continues to be the explosion's epicenter, and its sidewalk tables on... More >>
• Personal Best
  Kevin Cory
  Talk about running with scissors. Bratty Kevin Cory runs around with a knife -- sometimes more than one, and not of the butter variety. The chef at Siam River sushi bar, Cory puts his sharp tongue and sharp blade to use talking, dishing, and serving the most innovative, undoubtedly freshest... More >>