You can't spend two weeks in Miami and leave without eating a Cuban sandwich. It would feel like…read morevisiting Philadelphia without trying a cheesesteak or New Orleans without ordering gumbo. Fortunately, a coworker pointed me toward Latin American Grill in Miami Lakes, just a few minutes from our hotel. It turned out to be exactly the sendoff I was hoping for. We started with the Sopa de Pollo, a bowl that made it immediately clear this kitchen isn't interested in shortcuts. Large chunks of chicken, tender vegetables, and noodles floated in a broth with remarkable depth. It wasn't simply chicken soup, it was the kind of soup that makes you wonder why every other version tastes so timid. A squeeze of fresh lime added just enough brightness to wake up every spoonful without distracting from the richness of the broth. Then came the reason for the visit. The Medianoche. I've always preferred the sweeter cousin of the traditional Cuban sandwich, and Latin American Grill makes a terrific one. Thick slices of ham and juicy mojo pork were layered with Swiss cheese, mustard, and pickles before being pressed between soft, sweet bread until the outside turned beautifully crisp. Every ingredient had a purpose. The pork brought richness, the ham added salt, the mustard and pickles cut through the fat with welcome acidity, and the sweet bread tied everything together. It's one of those sandwiches that reminds you how satisfying simplicity can be when every component is done well. Sometimes the best restaurant recommendations don't come from guidebooks or social media. They come from someone who simply says, "You should eat here." In this case, they were absolutely right. A great Cuban sandwich doesn't need reinvention. It just needs great ingredients, careful execution, and a hot press. Latin American Grill delivers all three.

Excellent sandwiches, coffee and pastries. My server, Monica, was fantastic. The best lunch spot…read morein Miami Gardens.

Absolutely amazing Nicaragua cuisine!!! Couldn't stop eating it was so delicious!! The place itself…read moreis very fancy and high end. It was a bit pricey but worth it for sure. The location is really nice in the Miami Lakes area. Lots of shopping and cafes near by. The service was excellent and pretty fast.

Located in the heart of Miami Lakes - and near the cow fields - this El Novillo location was where…read moreI enjoyed my employer's Christmas lunch yesterday. Though they have a preset menu for corporate type events, our boss was generous enough to let us select off the open menu. The decor is made to look like the inside of a hacienda with the tile roofs and stucco columns (yes you tell I'm a structural engineer :) The music was mostly 80s ballads, and service was very attentive. They even brought one of the desserts with a candle for a colleague's birthday, and took our group's photo. We started with a couple of baskets of buttered herbed Cuban bread and dipping chimichurri, as well as an appetizer sampler including refried beans, fried cheese and tequenos. The fried cheese was served on a little piece of pita bread and is a must try. I also enjoyed the refried bean soup, especially when dipped with plantain chips. As far as my main course, everyone knows how much I love cows! I enjoyed a sizable piece of churrasco, juicy even at medium well, sweet plantains and moros (here they serve it with red beans instead of black beans) and crispy house-made plantain chips. The Tres leches was also very fluffy, with a lot of cream and perfect enough to send me to a nice little after lunch nap. I also washed it down with Cortadito.

In the 7 years that Francisca has been at Main Street, I had never visited and I only live blocks…read moreaway. To my surprise this place blew me away. I had always pictured it as a fast food setting but it's not. Everything we ordered was delicious. Their chicken recipe is fantastic. The Coconut Lemonade was spectacular. Ambiance was modern and cozy. The service was first class. She explained the menu to us along with pictures of every dish. Who does that?? We felt so relaxed and satisfied. Can't wait to go again. Our server Crissel was an angel. She's a natural! Ask for the half off cocktails. Not sure of the times. Go and enjoy!

I've eaten at their Doral location - as well as gotten takeout from their popup(?) in Wynwood, and…read moreit's always been a solid meal. I had a chance to check out their Miami Lakes location Saturday to "balance out" after a cocktail tasting event at nearby venue. Their rotisserie chicken - even the half chicken portion - is pretty sizeable and well flavored with a tasty citrusy, tangy flavor, and the tequenos are my favorite side, right up there with the sweet plantains that came with the chicken. My server was really pleasant and attentive, and they even saved my souvenir bag from the cocktail event. The restaurant itself was clean, well maintained, and with plenty of windows to look out over the Miami Lakes street scene. One thing I would improve is with the extra fee for the nata (butter) sauce to dip the tequenos. It comes with a green sauce (cilantro?) that I am just not a fan off. I did ask my server to take it off and substitute it with the, and found out that it is a bit extra. I mean, it is a substitution. It's not like I'm asking an extra sauce.

This is my second time going to Dr. Limón in Miami Lakes and again I wasn't disappointed! The…read morelayout and decorations of the place are so fun and fit the aesthetic of the business. Our server was also amazing and gave great recommendations! I got a choice and my dad got pescado a lo macho! Definitely would go again and try other meals that they offer!

We recently ordered food from this location. They had some really good B1G1 deals on DoorDash. The…read morefood was good. Had the papas huancaina, tallarines huancaina with breaded chicken (loved it) and fish ceviche. We also ordered the Lomo saltado, would've liked a little more meat.

Empanadas are SOOOOOO damn good Lots of filling inside &…read morehuge! Crispy outside & soft, warm inside with a generous amount of shredded beef Hot sauce pairs so well The service was so good! Lady who helped me was so nice & sweet!! I don't speak Spanish but in that moment I forgot because she was so sweet!!! We communicated to the best of our abilities & it worked out so well. 10/10 will be back!!!

I have been a faithful customer for over 20 years. I have recommended friends and family to your…read moreestablishment. Today I marked the end of my giving them business. I have attached a copy of my invoice to show how ridiculous their pricing has become. I frequent another Colombian bakery now that sells the same for half the cost. Shame on you for gouging your clients.

We decided to eat at this restaurant for lunch. The service was phenomenal, the venue is small but…read morevery comfortable. We ordered "sancocho de res" and the mojarra (fish), every bite of our food was amazing. The salad and the tostones were great too. As for drinks we ordered "agua panela" and they were the perfect complement for our lunch. The outstanding and friendly service provided by Diana was also appreciated. I highly recommend to visit this restaurant!

Great Service and Traditional neighborhood Colombian food! Traditional ambience. Liver and onions…read moredoes the trick if you're have the acquired taste

Amazing place! Food is the best, service is great and it is very consistent. I don't love their…read morebreakfast choices, but lunch and dinner are amazing. Bring cash, no credit cards.

Supporting local businesses is my jam and this place delivered. The food was fresh, great and…read moredelicious. The portions are big. I had the grilled chicken and my guest had the breaded steak. The rice and beans was so good and the plantains were cooked perfectly and thin. Great spot for sure and the ambiance is laid back and filled with locals, so you know it's good. The service, by Ana, was nice and we will go back for sure!

Great food, friendly staff and family friendly restaurant. Great ambiance, they had live music…read moreSaturday night. Portions are huge.

My experience here has been only through Uber Eats, whether ordering lunch for work or sending a…read morecare package of malanga puree to a very dear friend when she was indisposed. However, from both experiences, this is a solid spot when you're craving Cuban comfort food. My most recent order was lunch for myself today. I have a Fitness challenge coming up at OTF I need to bulk up more than my usual salad and chopchops. I ordered their pollo à la plancha (grilled chicken), moros rice and tostones. My order was a pretty good size came delivered at a good temperature. I will say the order was mostly rice, but the grilled chicken breast was bad enough and had a nicely tangy citrus marinade plus lots of little onions. This is a spot you can't go wrong with for the classics!

For a city built on layers of culture, language, and food, Miami has a way of making cravings feel…read moreinevitable. This week, ours happened to be arepas. Maybe it was the World Cup atmosphere, with fans from every corner of the globe pouring into town. Maybe it was simply surrendering to the Latin heartbeat that drives so much of this city. Whatever the reason, we found ourselves at Bocas Grill in Miami Gardens. The restaurant wears its intentions proudly. The menu stretches in every direction, but one message rises above the noise. "In Arepas We Trust" is splashed across the wall. It is both slogan and challenge. We accepted. An order of sweet plantains with cheese arrived first, still steaming from the fryer. The plantains were caramelized and sweet, the shredded cheese providing the salty counterpoint that makes the combination so addictive. Simple, familiar, and satisfying. For my entrée, I ordered the Simon Bolivar arepa, a hulking creation stuffed with sliced picanha, shredded cheese, and pico de gallo. Calling it a sandwich would be misleading. This thing arrived looking less like a handheld meal and more like an engineering project. The corn cake itself had excellent flavor, earthy and sweet in the way a good arepa should be. The picanha was cooked to a beautiful medium-rare, juicy and deeply beefy. The only issue was its texture. The steak slices were just chewy enough that each bite threatened to pull half the filling out with it, leaving me in a tug-of-war between my teeth and the arepa. My wife ordered the Wok Smoked Shrimp arepa, another generously stuffed creation. The shrimp seemed endless, piled high with tomatoes and a cilantro crema that brought brightness to every bite. I searched for the promised smokiness and found very little of it, but the shrimp themselves were cooked properly, firm with a pleasant snap. Combined with the crema, they made for a flavorful and satisfying filling. Bocas Grill understands something many restaurants forget. If you are going to build your reputation on one item, that item should feel abundant. These arepas do. They are overstuffed, messy, and unapologetically generous. Did they satisfy the craving? Absolutely. When a craving for arepas hits, Bocas Grill is more than capable of answering the call.

My boyfriend and I stopped by Bocas Grill Miami Gardens for lunch, and it definitely delivered on…read moreboth flavor and portions. We ordered the Fritanga Bowl and the Grilled Chicken Bowl, and both were honestly so satisfying. The Grilled Chicken Bowl is loaded with grilled chicken breast, chorizo, white rice, sweet plantains with llanero cheese, a fried egg, fresh lettuce mix, pico de gallo, and their green sauce -- basically the perfect mix of savory, sweet, and fresh in one bowl. The Fritanga Bowl was just as good -- packed with flavor, hearty, and one of those dishes that leaves you full and happy. Both bowls felt like comfort food but elevated, with generous portions and great presentation. One thing to keep in mind: if you come during lunch hour, be ready to wait a bit. It looked like there were only two servers handling the floor, so service can slow down when it gets busy. But to be fair, they were doing their best and were still very kind and attentive. Overall, delicious food, solid portions, and good prices for what you get. Perfect spot when you're craving a satisfying, flavorful bite without breaking the bank. Definitely worth it -- just bring a little patience during peak lunch hours.

Delicious yummy Cuban breakfast or more brunch Delicious…read moreand giant egg omelette and of course you have to have the toast and cafecito. Totally recommend. They are very kind and pleasant since I walked in and they gave us amazing recommendations such as the giant egg breakfast. The red is super neat and clean.

It's so sad to notice the quality of this local hometown favorite drop so drastically. While the…read moreservers , waiters were kind and welcoming the food was just truly disappointing. My family and I used to order form here weekly and it was truly like a reminiscing moment for us of our grandmas old cooking. But the last two times we have come we are so disgusted with the food. Our daughter's palomilla legitimately tasted and looked like lab grown engineered meat. There was no taste, color or consistency of in bistec de palomilla. It was so weird to see the this on the plate. Honestly. The chicken vaca frita is our family favorite. This was good. They put like an entire onion topped on top to hide the very small amount of chicken actually served. But taste and consistency were solid to their original serving. We are so saddened by the regression of this restaurant. This was always our favorite place to have a taste of home. I hope that management realizes that while I'm certain food costs are high - that quality and the experience of the customer matter too. Unfortunately we will be divorcing Casavana and going back to Las Vegas and Latin America.