Miami, FL

A taste of Latin-American Miami with chef Michelle Bernstein

Published

1 year ago

November 21, 2024

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A taste of Latin-American Miami with chef Michelle Bernstein

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This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to Miami

I was born and raised in South Florida, which carries a lot of cachet in this city of transients, visitors from everywhere and multi-ethnic languages, flavours, sounds and cultures. This town is so much bigger than the Miami I grew up in. We ate a lot of Cuban food, which was the primary Latin- American cuisine represented in Miami at the time, as well as my mother’s Argentine/American-Jewish recipes. But today you can taste it all here. We were always known for having some of the best Cuban food and drink in the country (I believe we still reign supreme) but with the influx of so many Venezuelans, Colombians, Nicaraguans and so on, we now have so many choices, and they are just as delicious and as vibrant as the people.

Michelle Bernstein in her new Coral Gables restaurant, Sra Martinez

Here are just a few of my favourite Latin American places. Some I grew up enjoying, while others are more recent.

Puerto Sagua

700 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139

One of the city’s oldest and most traditional Cuban restaurants happens to be on South Beach. For me, Puerto Sagua’s food has always been something that vuelve a la vida (brings you back to life). Everything is delicious, affordable and you never know who might be sitting at the counter sipping on a café con leche or digging into the ropa vieja (beef and tomato stew). It’s old school, and I love that it doesn’t change (aesthetically or deliciously). I always get the fish soup; they specialise in seafood, but you can’t really go wrong. Stick to the classics as they are the best. puertosagua.org; Directions

Wolf of Tacos

locations around Miami

A woman’s hands spooning salsa onto a taco at Wolf of Tacos — ‘The tacos and salsas make me and my husband swoon,’ says Bernstein of the Miami pop-up © James Jackman

The only place on my list that is not a bricks-and-mortar restaurant, but this pop-up is so good I felt it was a must. The wolf, chef Eduardo Lara, is so very talented. His tacos and salsas make me and my husband and business partner, David, swoon. David is from Oaxaca in Mexico, and he is not easy to please when it comes to tacos — it’s his favourite dish. Come ready to stand in line (it moves quickly) and, if Eduardo is making it, be sure to get the gaonera, with melting cheese and thinly sliced beef filet (though anything else he’s making that day will be outstanding). He and his business partner Pablo Reyes are always there, and they give great attention to service, even though you’re outside eating on paper. Follow them to know where they will be @wolfoftacos. thewolfoftacos.com

Madroño

10780 West Flagler Street, Miami, FL 33174

Just thinking about Madroño makes my mouth water. It’s a clean and bright little family-owned Nicaraguan restaurant that is so unassuming you will be surprised at the colours and flavours that come out of the kitchen. Everything is so fresh and well prepared. I recommend ordering the repocheta, a tortilla filled with cheese and melted on the plancha, topped with my absolute favourite kind of shredded pickled-cabbage slaw, which is used on a lot of Nicaraguan dishes. I go for the meat dishes because they are so flavourful and fun, and you can’t beat the prices. Have a sangria with your meal and a flan before you leave. madronorestaurant.com; Directions

La Camaronera

1952 West Flagler Street, Miami, FL 33135

A woman standing at a high table in Miami’s La Camaronera restaurant, with its blue and steel industrial decor and a whiteboard above a fish counter covered with graffiti-style illustrations — . . . a seafood restaurant that Bernstein has visited since she was a young child

I’ve been going to this no-frills Cuban seafood restaurant since I was about five years old. It’s the type of place where you see everyone from truck drivers and families to people in suits having business meetings. It serves its own catch, including stone crab and other seafood and fish of the day, but go for the crispy shrimp with delicate Cuban spices or the minuta sandwich (a tiny, whole but totally boneless and butterflied fried snapper on Cuban bread with onions, ketchup and mayo) — it’s heaven on earth. The owners, the Garcia family, changed the decor a few years ago, adding tables and chairs to the stand-up-only bar I grew up at. But none of the recipes have changed, and the owners are the children of the original founders. It’s all in the family! lacamaronera.com; Directions

Bandeja Paisa

9511 West Flagler Street, Miami, FL 33174

This family-owned Colombian restaurant has been around for about 15 years. The servers treat their customers like family and help you order — and there’s always a lot of food on each plate. Just wait until you receive your bandeja paisa. The platters of steaks, chicharrónes, chorizos, rice, egg, tostones, avocado . . . there’s more, and it’s all delicious.

Paisa is bustling — it’s always busy, always tasty. Be ready for bright lights from games on the television, loud music or just a lot of people, and it’s all worth it. The ajiaco (not your typical chicken soup) is always one of my favourites. Order more than you can eat and take it home to feast on over the next few days. bandejapaisa.com; Directions

Salmon & Salmon

2907 North-West 7th Street, Miami, FL 33125

The interior of Peruvian restaurant Salmon & Salmon, with a varnished timber wall on which hang a colourful abstract painting and plates — . . . at Salmon & Salmon, one of Bernstein’s favourite Peruvian restaurants in Miami

Small, family-owned and refined, Salmon & Salmon is one of my favourite Peruvian restaurants in Miami. What I love about it is that if you ask a local Peruvian where to get great ceviche or lomo saltado (a creole Chinese-Peruvian dish with steak, fries and tons of flavour), this is the place they will always recommend. My favourites include any ceviche they serve, though the mixto (mixed ceviche with seafood and fish) and the chicha morada (purple-corn juice) are not to be missed. Nor are the sudado (poached fish in the most amazing broth with rice) or the seafood, which is served crunchy and fried — somehow greaseless but tasty. And the service is the best. instagram.com/salmonsalmonmiami; Directions

Michelle Bernstein is a James Beard award-winning chef and restaurateur from Miami. Her new restaurant, Sra. Martinez, opens this winter in Coral Gables

What are your favourite Latin-American restaurants in Miami? Tell us in the comments below. And follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @FTGlobetrotter

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Miami, FL

Tua Tagovailoa will return to Miami for preseason contest against Dolphins

Published

3 hours ago

May 14, 2026

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Tua Tagovailoa will return to Miami for preseason contest against Dolphins

The full 2026 NFL schedule was released on Thursday night — including dates and times for all 17 regular season Miami Dolphins games. However, following that release, the NFL also released preseason schedules for all teams — and a familiar face will be returning to Miami to face-off against the team that made him the #5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was released by the Dolphins this offseason, but quickly found a new home in Atlanta with the Falcons. During the final week of preseason action, Tagovailoa will be returning to South Florida when the Falcons play the Dolphins on Friday, August 28th at 7:00 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium.

It is not uncommon for NFL teams to practice against each other for a few days leading up to a preseason showdown, so Tagovailoa may find himself on familiar ground for longer than one game if the Dolphins and Falcons choose to mix it up in Miami Gardens ahead of their Week 3 preseason tilt.

Of course, plenty of teams rest starters during the final week of the preseason, so Tagovailoa may not actually end up seeing the playing field when the game kicks off, but seeing the former first-rounder on the sidelines again in Miami — albeit on the visiting sideline this time around — will be a peculiar sight nonetheless.

We will continue to keep you updated on all things Miami Dolphins as the march towards the preseason — and regular season — continues on through the summer.

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Miami, FL

Miami residents sue over land for Trump presidential library

Published

15 hours ago

May 14, 2026

Press Room

Miami residents sue over land for Trump presidential library

A group of Miami residents has filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump and the state of Florida over a land giveaway for his proposed presidential library.

Almost three acres of prime waterfront land that once belonged to Miami Dade College (MDC) was illegally gifted to the US president by Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, the lawsuit states.

It cites the domestic emoluments clause of the US constitution that prohibits a sitting president from receiving any personal gain, profit or advantage from their position.

The action was brought in US district court for the southern district of Florida by the Washington DC-based Constitutional Accountability Center (CAC) on behalf of plaintiffs including an MDC student, a Miami non-profit, and residents, who state the land “is no longer available to serve MDC’s student community and downtown Miami”.

Instead, the filing states, “the land will house a Trump hotel that brings riches to the President”.

Plans for the “gaudy” project were unveiled in March, to be built next to Miami’s iconic Freedom Tower, the historical landmark and community art museum. A giant golden statue of the president will stand before a 50-story tower block that will feature the controversial $400m Boeing “flying palace” jumbo jet gifted to him by Qatar, but not yet in service, in its cavernous lobby.

At the time, Trump said the building was “most likely going to be a hotel”.

The land on which it will sit, the lawsuit said, is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

“Rather than prevent President Trump from using the gifted land for personal gain, Florida … required that the conveyed land include only ‘components of a Presidential library, museum, and/or center’, leaving the door open for the President to develop the property in any way he sees fit,” the CAC said in a statement.

The library has already been the subject of one lawsuit that claimed MDC trustees, most of them handpicked by DeSantis, erred by originally handing the land to the state in September during an unadvertised meeting with no public discussion.

The board held a do-over in December, and voted unanimously to proceed with the transfer.

The Guardian has contacted the Trump Presidential Library Foundation and DeSantis’s office for comment.

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Miami, FL

Inter Miami CF scores three late goals to defeat FC Cincinnati, 5-3

Published

1 day ago

May 13, 2026

Press Room

Inter Miami CF scores three late goals to defeat FC Cincinnati, 5-3

To no one’s surprise, FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami CF engaged in a scorefest May 13 at TQL Stadium.

A hat trick by one of the best goalscorers in the history of the game, Lionel Messi, sparked Miami to a 5-3 win. Miami scored three times from the 79th minute on to come from behind.

A sellout crowd of 25,513 witnessed the showdown, the club’s sixth home sellout of the season.

FC Cincinnati falls to 4-5-4, staying at 16 points, taking its first loss since April 4 at Red Bull New York. Miami improves to 7-2-4 for 25 points, improving to 7-1-1 on the road this season. Miami moved into second place in the Eastern Conference behind Nashville. Cincinnati started the night tied for fifth but could drop depending on games later on.

Second half highlights as FC Cincinnati squandered a late lead

Cincinnati took a 3-2 lead in the 64th minute.

Evander fired a rocket from the top of the 18 into the top left corner. Deneky passed ahead to him, then he maneuvered around two defenders, and no one stepped up to him. It is Evander’s seventh goal of the season.

Miami tied it in the 80th minute, 3-3.

After a Cincy turnover, Rodrigo De Paul quickly found Messi in transition, who delivered to Mateo Silvetti. Silvetti, playing his first game in a month, maneuvered in space and scored from the top of the box for his fourth of the season.

Miami took a 4-3 lead in the 83rd. A Messi free kick from 35 yds was saved by Cincy keeper Roman Celentano. He collided with Andrei Chirila, which knocked the ball out of his hands. Miami’s German Berterame pounced on the rebound to give Miami the lead, his fourth goal of the season.

Chirila landed hard after the collision and was taken out of the game.

Miami took a 5-3 lead when Messi made a sliding shot after a cross from Silvetti. The ball went off the post, then off Roman Celentano, who was on his stomach trying to get the ball, then in. Messi was credited with the goal and a hat trick.

FC Cincinnati took a 2-1 lead in the 49th minute.

Pavel Bucha scored from close range. He took a crossing pass from Bryan Ramirez after Denkey found him on the left side in transition.

It was Bucha’s second goal of the MLS season and the second assist for Ramirez. Bucha was hit in the head late in the first half and examined by trainers, but stayed in the game.

Moments later, Messi had a free kick from 30 yards saved by Celentano.

Messi scored again in the 56th minute to tie it, 2-2. He had a nice give-and-go with Rodrigo De Paul, who dribbled near the end line and crossed to him from the right side. Messi was unmarked and scored easily from near the penalty spot.

In the 62nd minute, Luis Suarez missed an open shot that Celentano saved, set up by a quick transition by Miami.

Miami ended with 17 shots to 10 for Cincinnati, six on target. After an even first half, Miami controlled the expected-goals mark, with 4 to 1.6 for the home team.

First half highlights

Messi scored from close range in the 24th off a turnover by Matt Miazga. Miazga tried to pass to a teammate on the side but the pass went straight to Messi.

He had a goal in the fifth minute waved off by offsides.

In the 32nd minute, Cincinnati won a corner kick, which Evander placed right in front of the goal line but the ball was cleared away.

In the 42nd minute, a Kevin Denkey penalty kick tied it up. Denkey drew the PK after collecting a good pass into the box by Pavel Bucha and being grabbed by Gonzalo Lujan. Denkey converted for his team-high eighth goal of the season.

The first half was tied 1-1 and virtually even on statistics. Both sides had seven shots, one on goal, and 1.1 expected goals. Neither keeper made a save.

What’s next for FC Cincinnati?

Cincinnati heads to the West Coast to play San Diego FC 9:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16. It is the first meeting between the teams. San Diego, 3-5-4 for 13 points, was set to play Austin later May 13. Cincinnati will leave for California on May 14.

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