Best Inexpensive Restaurant 2024 | Enriqueta's Sandwich Shop | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Miami | Miami New Times
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This simple Cuban sandwich shop is tough to spot these days now that it's eclipsed by high-rise buildings that developers continue to erect around it. But that hasn't stopped it from staying one of the most popular dining destinations in the area, and not just for natives. Soccer superstar David Beckham even credits the shop for teaching him how to make the perfect espumita with his cafecito when he first moved to town. But it's not a place for the super-rich. It's for the people. Enriqueta's is one of the few places where you can still score a solid breakfast or lunch for under $10. The cramped but comfy enough dining area and counter feature kitschy Florida placemats on which the servers will set down $9 classic sandwiches like pan con bistec, Cuban, and medianoche. The daily specials are hardier with rice, beans, and salad alongside your entrée for way less than $20. Of course, a little pick-me-up via the beloved ventanita is an easier way to score a taste of Enriqueta's.

Myles Restaurant Group

Okay, caaaalm down. Yes, there are a ton of great restaurants in Miami Beach, we know! But there's a reason Big Pink's been around for almost 30 years and is still thriving. Big portions. Friendly staff. Vibrant atmosphere. And options, options, options. This classic SoBe diner knows what it has that other trendy spots on the beach don't. If you're in the mood for good, old-fashioned American fare that won't cost a small fortune, this bright, bubbling pink corner on South Beach will welcome you in — flip-flops, messy hair, farmer's tan, and all. Their menu has every classic diner item you can imagine, and then some. Just a few blocks from the sand, Big Pink is a prime location to start your beach day with brunch or end it with one of the best burgers on the island and a specialty cocktail because why not? And for the late-night partiers looking for post-clubbing fries, you'll be glad this diner stays open till 5:30 a.m. on weekends — a true restaurant for the people.

Photo courtesy of Doya

With modern Aegean cuisine hailing from the shores of Greece and Turkey, Doya inspires with its dishes and its setup. Maybe it's the bohemian decor, impressive wooden tables, lush patio for dining al fresco, and giant windows that usher in the perfect amount of light from dawn to dusk, but this is one of the most handsome restaurants in Wynwood. And the food is divine. You're guaranteed to savor both big and small plates, from branzino ceviche to the baked feta. Make sure to order meats and veggies prepared over wood fire and coals, lending a distinct flavor that will ship you off mentally to a sea-sprayed, sparkling evening on the Aegean Sea.

Best Restaurant (Design District/Midtown)

Tablé by Bachour

Tablé by Bachour photo

Upon its early 2023 arrival in the Design District, Tablé by Bachour was a breath of fresh air on many levels. First and foremost, walking in and seeing an expanse of the most pizzazz-ed French petits gateaux is truly breathtaking. It should be expected from the restaurant's namesake, Antonio Bachour, who is a true pastry icon in and beyond Miami. And dare we say it, compared to its high-dollar neighbors, Tablé by Bachour is a bargain for its quality. Offerings include an $18 truffle butter-dashed breakfast sandwich and $42 king salmon with avocado hummus. As the Design District blossoms, Tablé by Bachour truly feels like it will be part of the neighborhood's fabric for quite some time to come.

Best Restaurant (MiMo/Little River)

Phuc Yea

Photo by CandaceWest.com

Being able to say you're one of the longest-standing restaurants in any area of Miami is a feat unto itself, but managing to be the best — that's quite an accomplishment. Phuc Yea is exactly that in MiMo. Owners Cesar Zapata and Ani Meinhold have crafted a menu that seamlessly blends Vietnamese and Colombian flavors with dishes like caramel chicken wings or the pho-spiced, hickory-smoked whole beef short rib. Let yourself be engulfed in the warm and welcoming environment enhanced by a hip-hop playlist, inventive cocktail program, and top-notch service. Whether you opt to sit on the patio with its red lanterns overhead or inside with stylish wallpaper and large, eclectic artworks, Phuc Yea looks and feels as cool as its quirky moniker would suggest. On that point, "phuc" actually means blessings and prosperity in Vietnamese. So, I guess, a phuc you to you, friend. Phuc you.

Photo by Douglas Markowitz

There are certainly swankier, trendier, and pricier restaurants in downtown Miami, but Bali Cafe still manages to outcompete them all by combining the simple pleasures of a reasonably priced neighborhood restaurant with the bold flavors of Indonesian food, a rare cuisine in this city. The lure is as much its interior, decorated with Barong masks and ephemera, as its delicious and artfully plated food. The nasi goreng platter, delivering several small dishes like shrimp crackers, rendang beef, and the namesake fried rice in a sumptuous bento box, is a beautiful signature.

Sereia photo

You may not think of naming a new kid on the block as the "best," but Sereia really is that girl. Lauded Portuguese chef Henrique Sá Pessoa of two Michelin-starred Alma opened Sereia in May, and has it all. Guests are greeted by a serene ambiance with subtle, subliminal nods to the ocean. Sereia does mean siren, after all, and the dining room does a great job of showcasing that. But you'll be writing home about the food. Sá Pessoa's bacalhau à brás, a salted cod concoction with shoestring potatoes and egg, is a thing of beauty. And the arroz de pato, a duck rice with smoked bacon chorizo, will have you booking a flight to Lisbon.

Photo by Michael Pissari

Forget your passport. LPM offers an easier way to transport you to the French Riviera with its bold 20th-century artwork, 19th-century gilt and harlequin mirrors, floor-to-ceiling windows, and niçoise cuisine. The fine dining here is centered around fresh ingredients, tastes, and textures central to the Mediterranean and Southern France. The menu may sound somewhat simple compared to nearby hotspots, but the focus is on quality and authenticity. There's the buttery escargot, cauliflower salad with caraway dressing, carpaccios galore, and housemade veal ragout and pappardelle pasta, to name a few. The cocktail menu is steeped in creativity, like the bon tai, featuring Coconut Cartel rum, Cointreau, and raspberry and pistachio flavors. Each table has a fresh tomato and lemon centerpiece for guests to cut up themselves and pair with olive oil and a freshly baked baguette.

Photo courtesy of Fiola
Fiola's bar

With a seemingly nonstop influx of restaurateurs opening trendy dining "concepts" in Miami, Coral Gables mainstay Fiola is a refreshing, no-frills fine dining experience with classic Italian fare. A second location of Chef Fabio Trabocchi's Michelin-starred spot in D.C., Miami's Fiola boasts a Michelin recommendation, and after one meal there, it'll be obvious why. Though anchored in rich tradition and authenticity, the menus change seasonally to highlight the best local ingredients. Simple white tablecloths, glassware, and wood floors allow the exceptional food to be the center of attention. Pricey but not exorbitant, Fiola is unpretentious, gimmick-free, and boasts excellent service.

Photo by David Beltran

Leave it to a comically tiny Japanese eatery served by a Colombian chef to grab this year's best restaurant in South Miami-Dade. Cafe Oriental serves premium Japanese classics with the friendliest service north of the equator. The mom (Selina Siu) and pop (Juan Gomez) spot doesn't serve sushi; instead, they offer ramen, katsu curry, onigiri (stuffed rice balls wrapped in seaweed), and karaage (succulent fried chicken bites). Gomez, who worked in Japanese restaurants as a chef for years, adds touches from Latin America, like a tangy, crunchy pineapple chayote salad. The star of the menu is arguably the ramen that includes a creamy tonkotsu broth cooked for 18 hours and poured into a bowl with the classic fixings, like pork and a runny egg. Forget a ten-course omakase menu for $300. Go slurp noodles and eat with wooden chopsticks on a plastic green park bench when Cafe Oriental gives you real bites from Japan.

Best Of Miami®

Best Of Miami®