If you're asking where to eat in Miami, the first answer most visitors get is Ocean Drive. Walk it for the neon and the Art Deco buildings. Then eat somewhere else.
The restaurants with a host outside handing you a menu are selling you the view, not the food. Locals eat at Cuban counters, Caribbean kitchens, soul food brunches and spots you'd never find by walking the strip. I put fifteen of them in my Miami guide. Four of them I'll give you for free right here.
01El Palacio de los Jugos: the $7 breakfast
Best cheap breakfast in Miami · Cuban
- Cuban bread
- Butter
- Eggs
- 6 bacon
- Ham
- Fries
- Cafecito
This is the cheapest big breakfast in Miami, and it isn't close. For about five to seven dollars you get a whole loaf of Cuban bread with butter, eggs, six pieces of bacon, ham, fries and a cafecito. El Palacio has been a Miami institution since the 1970s, with fresh tropical juices, batidos and Cuban classics served fast at the counter. You will not find more food for less money anywhere in this city.
Local tip: know your order before you reach the front, and add a mamey batido if you've never had one.
02Dukunoo Jamaican Kitchen: Jamaican food in Wynwood
Best Jamaican food in Wynwood
Dukunoo is a Black-owned Jamaican kitchen that brought real island food to Wynwood. The jerk platter comes with jerk pork, half a jerk chicken, sweet plantains, hard dough bread and roasted corn in coconut, and the jerk is cooked at a stand outside. Their motto is "come fi di food, stay fi di vibes," and they mean it: there's a full bar and music all night.
Local tip: it's steps from the Wynwood Walls, so eat here before you go out in Wynwood.
03Nikki Beach: go before it's gone
Best beach club brunch in Miami · South of Fifth
Nikki Beach has been Miami's original beach club since 1998: white daybeds on the sand, a DJ, and a Sunday brunch that turns into a party. Under a settlement with the City of Miami Beach, it's set to close for good on August 6, 2027, when a new operator takes over the site. If it's on your list, this is the year.
Local tip: Sunday is the main event. Book a daybed if you want to stay all day.
04Moshi Moshi: where Miami eats at 4 a.m.
Best late-night food in Miami
When the club lets out, this is where the night ends. Moshi Moshi serves sushi, ramen and sake every night until 5 a.m., and it's been a Miami after-hours favorite for years.
Local tip: there are three locations, so go to whichever is closest to where your night ends.
✦Inside the guide
Every spot gets its own page
The other 11 spots
Only in the guide
These are the places I only share in the guide. Here's what's waiting for you:
- A Cuban counter for a real cafecitoIn the guide
- The brunch where your face goes on your latteIn the guide
- A soul food brunch with live jazzIn the guide
- A Puerto Rican brunch spot with huge platesIn the guide
- An all-day brunch with a weekend DJIn the guide
- My pick for the best seafood in Miami for the priceIn the guide
- A waterfront dinner with the whole skylineIn the guide
- The Miami classic on the water everybody goes toIn the guide
- A dinner worth dressing up forIn the guide
- A Southern comfort spot with chandeliers and a DJIn the guide
- A cute dinner that won't wreck your budgetIn the guide
Each one comes with exactly what to order and one tip only a local would tell you.
Miami: Where Locals Actually Eat
15 spots, what to order at each one, a ready-made 5-day Miami eating plan for a birthday or girls' trip, and the local tips nobody tells tourists.
Download the guideMiami food FAQ
Is it worth eating on Ocean Drive?
Walk it for the Art Deco buildings and the people-watching, but most locals eat elsewhere. You'll usually pay more for the view than for the food.
Where can I get a cheap breakfast in Miami?
El Palacio de los Jugos. A big Cuban breakfast with bread, eggs, bacon, ham, fries and a cafecito runs about $5 to $7.
Where can I eat late at night in Miami?
Moshi Moshi serves sushi, ramen and sake until 5 a.m. every day at its South Beach, Brickell and MiMo locations.
Is Nikki Beach Miami closing?
Yes. Nikki Beach at 1 Ocean Drive is set to stay open until August 6, 2027, when a new operator takes over the site.
Where is the best Jamaican food in Wynwood?
Dukunoo Jamaican Kitchen at 316 NW 24th St, steps from the Wynwood Walls. Get the jerk platter or the oxtail.
Hours and prices change, so check with each restaurant before you go. Every spot here was chosen by me, and none of them paid to be included.