“Long on rumor, short on memory, overbuilt on the chimera of runaway money,” Joan Didion wrote of the northernmost city of the Caribbean. Fanning outward from the towering condos of Brickell and South Beach’s sequined pointillism are those neighborhoods that truly creolize Miami: communities from all over the Western tropics, principally of Cubans, Haitians, and Venezuelans. Mingled with North Americans and Europeans who just couldn’t bother with winters, the local cuisine offers a huge variety, with trendy eateries opening weekly alongside hole-in-the-wall gems.

BREAKFAST

Jimmy’s Eastside Diner

Just a little bit North of ICA Miami is the “MiMo” (Miami Modern) neighborhood along Biscayne Boulevard, famous for its the Art Deco motels built in the 1950s on a palm-lined shopping strip. Here, you’ll find Jimmy's Eastside Diner, whose interior and waiters seem to not have changed for decades. Famously staging the erotically charged love scene-cum-onion-frying of Barry Jenkins’s Moonlight (2016) it is a great place to get eggs and hash browns. 7201 Biscayne Blvd, Miami

Caracas Bakery

When you are looking for a breakfast that does not send you right back to sleep, head one block farther north to Caracas Bakery. First established in Doral, in the Southwestern part of Miami and named after the Venezuelan capital, the café offers outstanding sourdough sandwiches, viennoiserie, and French baguettes. 7283 Biscayne Blvd, Miami

El Bagel

If you’re looking for a classic American breakfast item with a modern Miami twist, El Bagel is right down the street. Try the Nova Lox, locally smoked over orange and grapefruit wood. 6910 Biscayne Blvd, Miami

Zak the Baker

For those whose cravings for good bread outweigh any fear of Wynwood tourism, Zak the Baker has excellent baguettes and cinnamon buns. 295 NW 26th St, Miami

LUNCH

Sanguich De Miami

If you’re craving a classic Cuban sandwich, Sanguich De Miami (pronounced “Sandwich”) is the spot – or, spots, as the chain has outlets in Little Haiti, Calle Ocho, Coral Gables, and Bayside.

Photo: Stephanie Seidel

Chef Creole

If I have time for a longer lunch break, my favorite place is Chef Creole. Located in the heart of little Haiti, they serve the best fried shrimp with rice and beans, swamped in a housemade sauce. While you wait, you can browse through their photo wall of fame, where The Fugees’ Lauryn Hill and Miami rapper Rick Ross pose with Chef Wilkinson Sejour. The adjacent patio is thatched with palm tree leaves, and at times adorned with acrylic paintings of Prince. 200 NW 54th St, Miami

La Camaronera Seafood Joint and Fish Market
Another great place to get super fresh fish is La Camoranera Seafood Joint and Fish Market in a strip mall Little Havana. Founded by the eleven Garcia brothers after they emigrated from Cuba, this place started as a wholesaler first equipped with deep fryers and a counter in 1976. Reputedly serving the best fried shrimp in Miami, I think their pan con minuta – fried snapper filet in a bun with tartar sauce – is even better. They certainly do have the best key lime pie in Miami – a Floridian version of a lemon tarte. 1952 W Flagler St, Miami

DINNER

Joe’s Stone Crab

South Beach has tons of restaurants. Certainly not an insider tip, but just as certainly a must-see, is Joe’s Stone Crab. What Musso & Frank’s is to Los Angeles, Joe’s is to Miami Beach. Almost as old as the city itself, their list of guests includes Joseph Kennedy, Barbra Streisand, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Joe’s is also the “inventor” of stonecrab – a Floridian specialty of black-tipped crab claws – which are served, in a distinctly 1950s vibe, by liveried waiters to diners on dark-green leather couches. My favorites: an extra dirty martini and stuffies (filled and baked clams). 11 Washington Ave, Miami Beach

Sabor a Peru

If you prefer a $20 dinner to a $200 one, Sabor a Peru on Biscayne Boulevard is a cinch. Incredibly fresh ceviche and huge piles of fried rice come with ice-cold Peruvian beer. If you get the yuca fries, ask for cilantro sauce. Make sure to bring a scarf and pullover – Miami restaurants tend to feel Arctic inside. 2927 Biscayne Blvd, Miami

Fiorito

If you’re not the type for seafood, then I'd recommend you a good Argentinian steak. Super casual but also really good is Fiorito, which also serves an excellent Empanada de Choclo – an open pastry filled with corn and cheese. 5555 NE 2nd Ave, Miami

DRINKS

The Corner

Starting with their extended Happy Hour (from 4 to 8), when beers will run you $3 and jumbo hot dogs $4, The Corner is a great place for an after-work drink. Later in the evening, the crowd of the neighboring industrial-size clubs gradually takes over. 1035 N Miami Ave, Miami

The Abbey

If you’re craving a fresh draft beer after leaving the Convention Center, you can’t go wrong with The Abbey. 1115-1117 16th St, Miami Beach

A La Folie

If you’re more into wine, head to A La Folie, a small French Café on Espagnola Way, for a glass of rosé. 516 Española Wy, Miami Beach

Michael’s Genuine Food

Outside fair week, the best Happy Hour spot after finishing my workday is Michael’s Genuine Food. They have a rotating selection of house cocktails (I highly recommend the “Literally Good,” with mezqual and passion fruit) and solid bar snacks (try the chicken-liver crostini or the home-made falafel). 130 NE 40th St, Miami

HANGOUT

Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens

If you’ve seen enough art and are tired of the beach and roaring traffic, go browse Miami’s quietly wilder side: Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens. This huge park opened in 1938, initiated by a group of passionate plant collectors and designed by William Lyman Phillips, a protege of landscape architecture’s founder, Frederick Law Olmsted. The park is filled with palm trees, orchids, and the great floral miscellany of the tropics. You’ll run into a bunch of iguanas that can grow to quite impressive sizes, sometimes also a saltwater crocodile. In the butterfly garden, you can see giant Atlas moths and watch critters emerge from their cocoons, which is pretty sci-fi. 10901 Old Cutler Rd, Coral Gables

Portrait of Stephanie Seidel. © Gesi Schilling

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