Love Life Cafe is a breath of healthy fresh air in Miami's overwrought dining scene, thanks to its tasty, cruelty-free, plant-based menu. Owners Veronica Menin and Diego Tosoni wanted to bring healthy food that people actually want to eat to Miami. And they succeeded. Love Life Cafe is the kind of spot where vegans flock but everyone approves of it. All of the dishes are as creative as they are delicious, and you can pair them with wines, cocktails, or mocktails. Expect a pleasant meal with solid customer service and reasonable prices.

Is your bestie's new venture into vegetarianism making it a challenge to go out to dinner together these days? It's safe to say they'll find something they'll love on the menu at Blue Collar in MiMo. It's home to some of the absolute best veggie plates in Miami-Dade County — you won't miss meat for even a second. Options range from red beets with goat cheese and caramelized Brussels sprouts to charred sweet potato with chili brown butter and artfully sautéed mushrooms. There are also daily specials, like matzo ball soup and mushroom and goat cheese croquettes with fig jam. And if that's not cutting it for you, by the time you read this, Blue Collar probably will have moved across the street from its original home at the Biscayne Hotel to fancier digs with an expanded menu at the address listed here.

Clive's Cafe was a beloved hole-in-the-wall for homestyle Jamaican food with a long history in Wynwood before all of the art and then smoke shops. But now it has a new home in nearby Little River for those craving a taste of the Caribbean. Clive's serves all the staples like saucy curry goat, flavorful oxtail smothered in the most savory gravy, and jerk chicken that's perfectly seasoned and charred — each one is no-need-for-a-knife tender. Everything is served with hearty portions of rice and peas and plenty of other side-dish options. Just know whether you want to dine in or out, because that determines where you're going to stand to place your order.

It began almost 50 years ago with little more than a croqueta and a dream. Now, the Cuban restaurant Sergio's has 13 locations with authentic and time-honored menus filled with tasty, inexpensive, and nostalgic Cuban food. Naturally, they won New Times' "Best Croquetas" in 2022 — and now they have taken the main trophy. You can swing by for a proper Cuban breakfast (eggs, bacon, tostada, and a café con leche smooth as Chinese silk). Salty and soulful sopa de pollo heals the soul, and the housemade ropa vieja and vaca frita are emotional, stick-to-your-ribs cooking. And if you want to go modernized, try the croqueta pizza and picadillo flatbread. So many newer fancy restaurants with Michelin nods may be the jewels of Miami, but Sergio's is our city's heart.

Tex-Mex in Miami is best served in Homestead. For almost 40 years, family-owned Casita Tejas has been serving the best authentic, hearty Mexican plates down south, and they don't skip on the rice and beans. The colorful, plastic tablecloths set the stage for culinary satisfaction. You get free salsa and chips, but the move is to start with an order of super nachos to share. You can feast on the most popular menu item, the burrito norteño, a steak fajita with grilled onions, rice, and cilantro smothered with a flavorful salsa suiza and topped with melted Monterey jack cheese. Or enjoy other stand-outs, including a whole deep-fried red snapper and the chicken mole.

The best Colombian restaurant in Miami is a food truck. Why? Because if Colombia could be distilled to its very culinary essence, Frutiparty would encapsulate every inch of the South American nation's cuisine. Rightly a favorite among locals, this Kendall food truck boasts everything from Colombian perros (hot dogs with everything from melted cheese, bacon, and mayo-ketchup), to salpicón (a fruit cocktail/slushie with condensed milk) to arepas, and much more. Not only is the cuisine delicious, but the presentation of dishes is almost always an eye-catching surprise. If you're lucky, one of your Colombian friends will have already taken you here, but if not, be sure to stop by for a visit and get ready for a true taste of Bogota. Que chimba!

Part of a larger chain of restaurants and markets with locations throughout Miami, Graziano's Mercado in Coral Gables is a place for all occasions. It's a casual eatery with the upscale vibe the City Beautiful is known for. Order at the counter and savor a delicious steak or milanesa, or check out the tastes of the Salta region of northwest Argentina with the restaurant's tasting menu. A panini or empanadas will satisfy your meaty lunch cravings, and don't forget to grab a bottle of dry Argentine red wine on your way out.

Miami's Peruvian food scene is probably the best in the country, with plenty of adventurous chefs offering experimental takes on the South American nation's distinctive cuisine. Sometimes, however, like when you have the whole family out for a meal, you can't go wrong with the classics. And if you're looking to enjoy a great lomo saltado or ceviche plate in unpretentious settings, Sabor á Peru in Edgewater is calling your name. It's no-frills, but it is Peruvian comfort food at its finest.

In a city filled with glitzy French restaurants that claim to be authentic (yet seem anything but), Café Pastis is a welcomed respite. This truly authentic, relaxed, and humble French restaurant is a cherished neighborhood dining experience. Located in the heart of South Miami, Café Pastis is a quaint little bistro reminiscent of the charming neighborhood eateries of the Provence region in the South of France. Marseille-born chef Philippe Jacquet serves the most delicious French onion soup this side of U.S. 1 and the most delectable steak frites.

The Basque Country takes its food seriously, so naturally, Chef Xabi does, too. Hailing from San Sebastián — a gastronomic oasis in the heart of the region that's known for having more Michelin stars per square meter than anywhere else in the world — Xabi aims to transport diners to the world-renowned culinary destination in Northern Spain. The restaurant, which sits on a quiet street in Coconut Grove, embraces the region's lively traditions and passion for quality ingredients — from its succulent txuleton, the region's famous Fred Flintstone-esque bone-in ribeye, to its charred roasted octopus with sweet potato, mouthwatering Iberian ham croquetas, and, of course, the star of the show: the creamy Basque cheesecake.