It's not uncommon to catch a group of college kids crowded around Bagel Cove's take-out window at 3 a.m. on any given weekend. Behind the clear glass are metal baskets stocked with hand-rolled bagels and buckets of cream cheese, sliced tomatoes, capers, lox, and lettuce. When hunger strikes in the middle of the night, this New York-style delicatessen on Biscayne Boulevard in Aventura slings hot bagels smeared with house-made cream cheese and runny eggs. As the only deli open 24 hours a day in Miami-Dade County, Bagel Cove, which opened in the early '90s, fills orders for bagel sandwiches while baking dough for the next day. There are nearly two dozen bagel flavors ($2.75 and up), including everything, pumpernickel, onion, and salt, and even more sandwich combinations, including nova cream cheese spread, Nutella and bananas, and egg and cheese. The shop's dining room is open from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily; the take-out window opens at 4 p.m. and closes the following morning when the full-service restaurant reopens at 6:30.
Readers' choice: El Bagel