Walking Tours in Miami
Where to Eat After the Tour in Miami
Paola Bortolin
There’s something about spending the day touring around under the hot sun that works up a serious appetite. Fortunately, whether it’s South Beach or North Beach, there’s plenty of places to grab a bite after our Must See Miami Art Deco Walking: Art Deco Gems & Jewels with this guide on where to eat after the tour in Miami.
However, finding the best restaurants in Miami Beach where to eat after the tour can be challenging since this area can be a minefield filled with tourist traps. Most of us know to avoid Ocean Drive, or risk paying $75 for a margarita that is not supposed to be that color. It is still hard to figure out which places are only in business thanks to the occasional wandering tourist and which actually serve good food.
Luckily, we got you this guide to hearty local favorites in a casual atmosphere that won’t break the bank, and have actually great food. The list includes the oldest diner in Miami Beach, a fried chicken favorite, an Israeli/Mediterranean oasis, an old-school Cuban cafeteria, trendy vegan and the best pizza in a hidden spot, among other gems.
There are a couple of tips that you should take into account to avoid disappointment. First, service is unpredictable: sometimes great, sometimes awful. Keep an eye on every item on the check for the correct total. Sometimes mistakes happen.
Additionally, see if an automatic tip, which is usually between 18%-20%, has already been added to your final check. Not all but many restaurants in Miami have this policy so make sure you won’t be adding another 20% on top of the automatic 20% tip.
Finally, don’t miss out on the amazing Happy Hour Deals at some of these restaurants to save even more. Ask for the Happy Hour menu.
However, finding the best restaurants in Miami Beach where to eat after the tour can be challenging since this area can be a minefield filled with tourist traps. Most of us know to avoid Ocean Drive, or risk paying $75 for a margarita that is not supposed to be that color. It is still hard to figure out which places are only in business thanks to the occasional wandering tourist and which actually serve good food.
Luckily, we got you this guide to hearty local favorites in a casual atmosphere that won’t break the bank, and have actually great food. The list includes the oldest diner in Miami Beach, a fried chicken favorite, an Israeli/Mediterranean oasis, an old-school Cuban cafeteria, trendy vegan and the best pizza in a hidden spot, among other gems.
There are a couple of tips that you should take into account to avoid disappointment. First, service is unpredictable: sometimes great, sometimes awful. Keep an eye on every item on the check for the correct total. Sometimes mistakes happen.
Additionally, see if an automatic tip, which is usually between 18%-20%, has already been added to your final check. Not all but many restaurants in Miami have this policy so make sure you won’t be adding another 20% on top of the automatic 20% tip.
Finally, don’t miss out on the amazing Happy Hour Deals at some of these restaurants to save even more. Ask for the Happy Hour menu.
644 6th St, Miami Beach
Cuisine: Cuban / American
No day in Miami would be complete without the smell of café Cubano in the air, and Las Olas Café has the most potent version in Miami Beach. Las Olas Cafe is where the locals eat.
Las Olas is a solid Cuban cafeteria in South Beach where you can grab not only coffee, empanadas, croquetas, stuffed type of dumpling, smoothies and freshly squeezed juices but also homemade hearty meals such as braised lamb shank, rice bowls with beef, chicken or pork, seafood dishes and one of the best Cuban sandwiches in town.
Order from the take-out window, or step inside and the staff will create you a plate of the day’s hot fare.
Click on the links to check out their menu and pictures.
Hours: Monday-Saturday 8am-9pm; Sunday closed.
700 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
Cuisine: Cuban
A down-home Cuban diner, Puerto Sagua has been serving authentic Cuban food in the heart of South Beach since 1968. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, find friendly service in a casual setting.
The seafood-heavy menu is huge, but also has plenty of Cuban classics such as pressed Cuban sandwiches stuffed with ham, pork and cheese, ropa vieja, shredded beef ‘Cuban style’, and the tasty picadillo, ground beef ‘Spanish style’ with rice, black beans and sweet plantains.
Don’t forget to try their Cuban coffee.
Click on the links for their menu and pictures.
Hours: Daily 7am-11pm
1065 Washington Ave., Miami Beach
Cuisine: American
This classic Art Deco Paramount dining car served up traditional diner fare in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania from 1948 to 1992, before being shipped to the heart of South Beach’s Art Deco district.
11th St Diner has all the components of the American diner: a long counter, red-and-white booths, Formica tabletops, and a menu full with burgers, Buffalo wings, barbecue ribs, BLT’s, and homemade specials.
Highlights include the Argentinian skirt steak, oven roasted turkey, patty melt, hot turkey sandwich, Monte Christo, and brownie hot fudge sundae. They also have great malts and milkshakes.
But their signature dish is the apple raisin pork chop featured in Guy Fieri’s show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. An adjoining room features a full bar and jukebox.
Click on the links for their menu and pictures.
Hours: Daily 8AM-11:45PM
864 Commerce St., Miami Beach
Cuisine: Israeli / Mediteranean
Enjoy a menu of Mediterranean and Israeli comfort food surrounded by flowering magenta bougainvillea.
Abbalé, derived from the Hebrew word for “father”, serves the food that the restauranteurs serve to their families at home. Start with the “Holy Grail” of tahini, grated tomato, and green harissa served with fire-baked pita.
Follow with shakshuka, a baked Mediterranean egg dish, or a roasted local fish. Abbalé’s Mediterranean dishes are perfect for Miami’s climate, served in a beautiful setting.
Click on the links for their menu and pictures.
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11AM-4:30PM, 5:30PM-10PM; Sunday 9AM-7PM; Monday Closed.
11 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach
Cuisine: Takeout Seafood / American
Not to be confused with Joe’s Stone Crab Restaurant formal dining room, the Joe's Take Away next door is a casual and charming 80-seat market with a full bar and coffee bar.
Joe’s Take Away evolved from a back door at the kitchen for those tasty claws and sides in 1987 driven by demand from the public to avoid the sometimes long wait and more formal setting.
The Take Away menu includes all the Joe’s signature items: stone crabs, hash browns, coleslaw, creamed spinach, and key lime pie. It also offers an extensive selection of specialty dishes such as lobster Reuben, their famous fried chicken, shrimp and scallop ceviche, and lobster rolls.
Also find a variety of wines and desserts. Grab a nice haul and head over to South Pointe Park for the ideal Miami waterside picnic.
Hours: Wed to Sun 11:30am to 9:00pm.
229 14th St., Miami Beach
Cuisine: Sandwiches
It’s hard not to cross paths with this little sidewalk sandwich café. It’s the perfect spot to grab a sandwich after the tour, eat at the leather stools on the counter or take it to the park for a picnic.
This French-owned counter restaurant, located in an alley off 14th Street, may not look like much, but it offers some of the best sandwiches in South Florida. Crispy, flaky French bread is the basis for the sandwich.
From there, you can add your choice of meat, cheese, or a combination such as ham, turkey, roast beef, salami, Swiss cheese, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, and pork.
Next choose toppings such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and cornichons. Next come the garnishes, vinaigrette and you got a great sandwich. La Sandwicherie has expanded to additional locations, but the South Beach shop is the original.
Click on the links for their menu and pictures.
Hours: Open everyday from 7AM - 5AM.
1680 Michigan Ave, suite 101, Miami Beach
Cuisine: Pizza
Hidden inside a Miami Beach office building with no sign out front, this pizza joint can be a bit hard to find, however, it’s totally worth going on this treasure hunt.
This is because Miami-area folks with a taste for Neapolitan pizza already know Mister 01 lives up to its name as one of the best pizza places in Miami. Mister 01 uses only the finest and freshest ingredients and most of them are imported from Italy or locally sourced.
The artisanal pizza is a delicate thin crust style with very light dough, which is prepared and rests for a minimum of 72 hours before being served. Besides the traditional and special pizzas, they have a large selection of salads, calzone, antipasti, including a Nutella pizza as well.
HAPPY HOUR: Don’t miss their Wine Specials Monday through Friday from 3pm-6pm where all wine bottles or glasses are 50% off.
Click on the links for their menu and pictures.
Hours: Monday – Friday 11:30AM-11PM; Saturday-Sunday 12PM-11PM.
1787 Purdy Ave., Miami Beach
Cuisine: Seafood
James Beard nominees and both Top Chef alumni serve fresh local seafood in the heart of Miami Beach’s Sunset Harbour neighborhood. Stiltsville Fish Bar is housed inside a quaint 1940s structure, the warm, nautically inspired space is lovely for seafood lovers.
About 115 pounds of seafood is delivered daily by fishermen from Key West, Key Largo, and Miami which are displayed in a bathtub filled with ice, Florida lobster tail, oysters, royal red shrimp, and local snapper ceviche.
You can also dig into some delicious sides and apps like sweet corn spoon bread, and smoked fish dip. The famed fried chicken also makes an appearance as an entrée. Brined for 24 hours, the bird is crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. It’s worth a try despite the restaurant’s seafood focus.
HAPPY HOUR: The restaurant offers several happy hour deals such as $6 select wines by the glass and $5 all draft beers on weekdays from 3pm-7pm. Mondays is ½ off all bottles of wine. Tuesday is $2 tacos from 4pm-7pm dine-in only. Wednesday is $2 oyster night from 4pm-7pm dine-in only, and Thursday is seasonal crab night from 4pm-7pm dine-in only.
Click on the link for the menu and pictures.
Hours: Monday-Friday 12PM-10PM; Friday 12PM-11PM; Saturday 11AM-11PM; Sunday 11AM-10PM.
723 Lincoln Ln, Miami Beach
Cuisine: Various | Food Hall
To get a comprehensive taste of Miami all under one roof, head to Lincoln Eatery packing 16 eateries and a bar into one food hall.
The food hall showcases some of the finest local chefs’ food stands. The lineup includes Indian dishes, Japanese sushi, Peruvian ceviches to Italian, fresh garden bowls and gelato.
Need more? Check out Miami Vice Canteen, the bar that pays homage to Miami Beach in the 1980s immersing guests into pop culture during the late 20th century with decor and memorabilia from popular television programs filmed in Miami Beach during the 70s and 80s.
Finding your favorite foods, pastries, and libations under one roof is almost too good to be true, but these are a collection of acclaimed restaurants all in one place.
HAPPY HOURS: Wednesday thru Sunday from 2pm-7pm.
Hours: Daily 7:30AM-9:30PM.
959 West Ave, Miami Beach
Cuisine: Health / Vegetarian / Vegan
Pura Vida has multiple locations across Miami but this location offers the largest outdoor dining area, including covered boho lounge benches. Since its inception in 2012, Pura Vida has become a fixture on the local wellness-focused dining scene.
The concept is known for its all-day breakfast menu, which includes a range of raw vegan and gluten-free options, organic acaí bowls, fresh-squeezed juices, superfood smoothies, salads and wraps.
Go for the mango salmon bowl made with oven roasted salmon, quinoa, arugula, avocado, cherry tomato, pickled cabbage, mango and herbs. The restaurant uses local and organic ingredients whenever possible.
Click on the links for menu and pictures.
Hours: Daily 8AM-8PM; Sunday 8AM-5PM.
1229 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach
Cuisine: Argentinian / Italian / Spanish
Panizza, located on a relatively quiet block of Lincoln Road, is a small bistro known for its Latin comfort food. Menu items show Italian, Spanish and Argentine influences in the empanadas, savory pies, pastas and omelets.
The paninis include steak, chicken Milanese, and veggie burgers, while the more affordable miga sandwiches are available in different varieties.
Dessert offerings include freshly baked pastries and cakes. Don’t skip on the excellent coffee. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
HAPPY HOUR: every day 4pm-7pm offering $5 Tapas and discounted drinks. Additionally, they have $10 Pasta all day on Wednesdays.
Click on the links for menu and pictures.
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 8AM-10PM; Friday and Saturday 8AM-11PM.
1580 Washington Ave., Miami Beach
Cuisine: Peruvian
El Chalan on the Beach was around way before the Peruvian food craze hit all corners of Miami, and has been delighting Miami Beach locals and visitors with fresh seafood and Peruvian specialties at reasonable prices since 1997.
This is a family-owned restaurant and portions are very generous and always accompanied by a basket of fresh baked bread and spicy green aji. Apart form a huge menu offering not only seafood and ceviches as well as Asian-inspired chaufas, Peruvian style fried rice, and assorted steak and chicken dishes as well as the traditional huancaina potatoes.
El Chalan has very affordable items such as daily soups for about $6.95 and a selection of grilled fish or meat sandwiches starting at $13.95.
Click on the link for menu and pictures.
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11AM-10PM; Friday and Saturday 11AM-11PM.
1600 Lenox Ave., Miami Beach
Cuisine: Southern Comfort
Top Chef finalist Jeff McInnis’ Southern-style restaurant has many locations around the world, but the South Beach Yardbird started it all.
Fried chicken is the main attraction here, and the best way to get it is in the chicken ‘n’ watermelon ‘n’ waffles. Some other popular items include baskets of house-made buttermilk biscuits served with honey butter and jam, shrimp n’ grits, bowls with maple-glazed doughnuts garnished with crisp bacon, and the five-cheese mac ‘n’ cheese.
Beyond the soul food of brunch, lunch and supper menus, the restaurant boasts one of the largest bourbon collections in the area and a comprehensive cocktail program.
HAPPY HOUR: Monday – Friday 4pm-7pm features selected bourbon and beer for $7, cocktails $9 and selected southern bites from $5-$9.
Click on the links for menu and pictures.
Hours: Monday-Thursday 11AM-10PM; Friday 11AM-11PM; Saturday 10AM-11PM; Sunday 10AM-10PM.
40 South Pointe Dr., Miami Beach
Cuisine: Seafood
The Lobster Shack is a family-owned business serving up no-frills, good ol’ lobster rolls. Literally steps from the beach, The Shack serves just about everything you would expect from a classic New England eatery.
Splurge on fresh East Coast oysters, clam chowder, lobster bisque, tacos, rolls, and live Maine lobsters. Some crowd favorites include the Cajun Lobster roll, King Crab roll, The Classic or you can opt for the South Beach roll with chilled and lightly dressed lobster, bacon, avocado, and slaw.
Not in the mood for seafood? They also offer all-beef hot dogs, burgers, and grilled cheese sammies.
Click on the links for menu and pictures.
Hours: Daily 11AM-12AM.
5600 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
Cuisine: South Florida Bistro Cuisine
Café Bernie, located on Millionaire’s Row, offers celebrated Chef Bernie Matz’s South Florida Bistro Cuisine and a full bar with craft cocktails with one of the best waterfront views in South Florida.
The menu is locally inspired and prepared with fresh, seasonal ingredients. Take in the view while enjoying seafood specialties such as Mango Bang Shrimp or their famous Bacalao croquetas, or cod dumplings.
The menu is filled with standards like salads, pizza, burgers and fried chicken. Don’t skip on premium fish sandwiches like the Lincoln Road Fried Grouper or the Soft-Shell Crab. End your meal with a staple dessert like the Florida Key Lime Pie.
Take bus 120 from South Beach to Collins Ave Stop #5601. Pay for the bus ride with Apple or Google Pay. Or take the free Miami Beach Trolley.
HAPPY HOUR: daily 4pm-6pm with $8 deals.
Click on the links for menu and pictures.
Hours: Tuesday-Friday 11:30AM-10PM; Saturday 11AM-10PM; Sunday 11AM-9PM; Monday Closed.
