Want access to our Best Of picks from your smartphone? Download our free Best Of app for the iPhone or Android phone from the App Store or Google Play.
There's no doubt Miami is a late night town. With a large European and Latin American influence, we rarely think of dinner before 9 p.m. -- long after most of America is in bed for the night. And with a booming nightlife scene, we're thinking of food well into the next day.
When Taco Bell and Denny's doesn't satisfy your late night cravings, try these nocturnal spots.
10. Otentic
This little French gem on South Beach is often overlooked by late night clubgoers in search of a slice of mediocre pizza. That's great for the rest of us hungry zombies who love the fact that this bistro serves quiche ($6.95), farmer steak with bleu cheese sauce ($12.95), and smoked salmon crepes ($9.05) well into the night. Otentic is open until 1 a.m. Sunday thruThursday, and until 5 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
9. La Moon
If we could make the perfect drunk food, it would be La Moon's giant perro Colombianos ($4.95) and supermoon perros, topped with bacon and a quail egg ($5.99). Where else can you get a meal that's salty, fatty, and cheap in a place that's open until the birds start singing in the trees? La Moon is open until 6 a.m. every day but Sunday, when it closes at a respectable 1 a.m.
8. David's Cafe II
The counter-service adjacent to the dining room at David's on Meridian stays open 24-hours a day, allowing for an all-night parade of club kids, police officers, insomniacs, and bleary-eyed tourists -- all looking for a decent media noche ($6.55) or a strong dose of cafe Cubano that will allow them to make the trek home in one piece.
7. La Sandwicherie
It's four in the morning and you have a hankering for some pate on French bread. Normally you'd be out of luck until about noon...but not in Miami. La Sandwicherie's been catering to the cravings of discerning drunks, students, hipsters, and in-the-biz workers for years with custom-made sandwiches until 5 a.m. daily. Sandwiches filled with pate ($7.70), French salami ($7.50), smoked salmon ($7.30), or any other endless combination of meats and cheeses are made on buttery croissants or fresh French bread and satisfy your sleepless artistic soul.
6. Tobacco Road
Where can you get slow cooked brisket or ribs at 2 a.m. with a few shots of Bourbon on the side? None other than the Road, where you can also scarf down a death burger, wings, or salads until 3 a.m. Monday thru Saturday (kitchen closes at midnight on Sunday).
5. Versailles
If you find yourself in mid-Miami in the middle of the night jonesing for some local gossip and coffee, you need look no further than Versailles. For forty years this restaurant has been catering to night-birds of all ages who heed the siren song of a well-made Cuban sandwich ($6.95) and political chatter. Open until 3:30 a.m. during the week, 4:30 a.m. Saturday, and 2:30 a.m. on Sunday.
4. Yambo
If your mom's kitchen was open 24 horas-al-dia, your mom would be named Yambo. This Nicaraguan garden of comfort food delights features an insane amount of bric-a-brac that can turn a rave-inspired trip a little trippier, but work through the panic and order some carne asada ($6) or beef fajitas ($6.50). See? You just needed some home-style cooking to mellow your stoned ass out.
3. The Corner
The Corner just looks like a place you want to stumble into in the middle of the night -- it's a stone's throw from the clubs and stripper bars of downtown Miami, making it the perfect port in a storm. Open until 5 a.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. on weekends, this is the place to soak up the night's booze with a plate of deviled eggs ($5), a dish of smokey weenies ($6), or the perfect BLT made with applewood smoked bacon.
2. Gigi
It's a well known fact that noodles are a favorite drunk food, so we basically thank our personal god for Gigi on a regular basis. Who doesn't love a steaming bowl of shrimp udon ($15) or some steak chow fun ($16) to sop up the poisons of our transgressions? It's a little like rehab in a bowl. Open Sunday and Monday until midnight, Tuesday thru Wednesday until 3 a.m., and Friday and Saturday until 5 a.m.
1. Chow Down Grill
Forget eggs from a greasy spoon diner...we want steamed dumplings and sushi in the wee hours of the morning! Chow Down's Josh Marcus has discovered our weakness for after-hours sushi and Chinese food and is clearly taking advantage of our hearts and stomachs by serving us house-made lo-mein ($10.95), pho ($11.95), and a full-blown sushi and sashimi menu -- all until 5 a.m. daily. We're hooked like the yellowtail on our plate.
Follow Short Order on Facebook and Twitter @Short_Order.
