Caballo Viejo Restaurant

Awarded by New Times for having the Best Arepas in 2009, this small, nondescript eatery is situated in a small strip mall. You’d never guess the goodies that await you inside. The place is loaded with indigenous crafts and trinkets, and the staff is friendly and helpful to newbies – someone will gladly explain any […]

Canton Palace

A neighborhood Chinese restaurant that caters to a mostly Asian clientele, Canton Palace has one of the best dim sums around. There are, of course, Americanized Chinese dishes available, so you can still find honey garlic chicken and beef with broccoli on a printed menu. It would be a shame to visit Canton Palace and […]

Casa Lario’s

Though Casa Larios’ claim to celebrity fame is that Gloria Estefan launched her career here, the real draws are the close-to-homemade Cuban staples. Dishes include ample servings of fried pork, roast chicken, and rice and beans. The moist, sweet plantains are actually better than many an abuelita’s home cooking. (But don’t tell her!) Regulars like […]

Chinese Guy Chi-town Restaurant

When searching for a traditional Chinese restaurant, Western diners often take the presence of Chinese customers as a good sign. West Miami-Dade’s Chinese Guy is beloved by the countless Chinese students who attend the University of Miami and Florida International University. The eatery’s owners are Tianjin natives Kun Bao and Yanan Cai. When Bao arrived […]

Chuck Wagon Restaurant

In Miami you can get a pan Cubano and café con leche just about anyplace, but an American breakfast requires a bit of a search. So lovers of corned beef hash and biscuits with gravy, rejoice, because Chuck Wagon can satisfy your yearnings for a great morning meal. The menu offers an abundance of choices: […]

Covadonga

Rigged out in shipboard gear, this fine seafood restaurant has earned its spars and stripes. You almost expect the creaking of the hull and the tang of salt air; instead, you get the horns and exhaust from SW Eighth Street and one of the best Cuban meals in the city. For starters, try the clams […]

Doggi Style

Unless you’re a male bunny named Romeo, Don Juan, or Thumper, humping in public is a pretty crass act. That is, unless you’re eating something utterly delicious. In that case, the impulse might happen unconsciously. That’s why we suggest bringing your mom, boss, kindergarten teacher, or favorite nun to Doggi Style. It’s a clean, little […]

Don Toston & Dona Arepa

Like Valentine’s Day mystery chocolates or great novels, it’s what’s on the inside that counts when it comes to arepas. Sure, a good one calls for a perfectly charred and crunchy corn shell. But any half-decent cook who has wandered through Caracas or Bogot

Dragon 1 Chinese Restaurant

At Dragon 1 Chinese Restaurant, it’s important not to be fooled by the crumpled menu or the mismatched lavender and green banquettes. The mess of notebooks, crumbs, and takeout boxes piled behind the register should be only a distraction. Owner Alan Zhang is cooking some of Miami’s most intense, flavorful Chinese food. Though he was […]