13 Best Hidden Gem Restaurants in Miami

Miami, a city once known for its nightclubs and a scattering of noteworthy restaurants has blossomed into what some are calling “Lower, Lower Manhattan.” Gone are the days when local gourmands had to trek to New York City, Chicago, or LA to get up close and personal with the world’s best chefs — and we’ve got the Michelin stars to prove it. Of course, fancy is as fancy does. Everyone’s list of favorite restaurants contains places we unsuspectingly discovered on familiar turf, only to find ourselves embarking on a long-term culinary relationship. The humble taco joint that transports us to a cantina in a dusty Mexican village. The mom-and-pop sandwich shop whose offerings put the swankiest high-priced delis to shame. The all-night café that makes us feel like a character in a great novel.

There’s a term to describe these singular finds. We call them “hidden gems.” And here in Miami, a city that’s as flashy as they come, there are tons of them just waiting to be discovered.

Below, listed in alphabetical order, are 13 of those wonderful but underrated establishments, Miami's best-hidden gems.

Babe's Meat & Counter

9216 SW 156th St., Miami
786-429-1315
babefroman.com

Melanie Schoendorfer and her husband, Jason, know their meats. The couple emerged on the South Florida food scene in 2013, offering housemade smoked sausages, specialty bacon, and handcrafted artisan sandwiches via pop-ups at the Pinecrest Farmers' Market and local breweries. What began as a side hustle turned into a full-fledged business in 2018 when the duo opened Babe's Meat & Counter in Palmetto Bay, expanding their menu with a curated selection of high-end specialty meats. Today, a butcher counter doubles as a breakfast and lunch spot, offering charcuterie, sausages, and sandwiches built around premium cuts. The most popular menu item is the burger, made from meat that's ground in house each day.

The Butcher Shop and Deli

14235 S. Dixie Hwy., Palmetto Bay
305-253-9525

This old-fashioned meat counter and Cuban deli is a Pinecrest hidden gem, offering casual bites like pan con lechón and some of the best breakfasts in the area. Whether you stop by for breakfast or lunch or arrange for them to cater your Nochebuena, this unpretentious hole in the wall is guaranteed to satisfy.

Don Maguey Mexican Restaurant

4747 W. Flagler St., Miami
786-558-5650

instagram.com/donmaguey305
Don Maguey is an excellent Oaxacan/Mexican gem in the Flagami area. As soon as you walk in, you know you're in for a treat. The place is small but quaint, and the complimentary chips are delicious. Expect authentic, flavorful, and juicy dishes like its tacos and quesadillas. The service, welcoming the minute you walk through the door, is a rarity in these harried times.

El Carajo International Tapas & Wine

2465 SW 17th Ave., Coral Gables
305-856-2424
el-carajo.com

Some of the best tapas in Miami can be found in a gas station convenience store at the corner of South Dixie Highway and SW 17th Avenue. Past the shelves of motor oil, sodas, and potato chips, you'll find El Carajo, a thoroughly charming wine and tapas bar that offers a 2,000-bottle wine list and a roster of tapas and main plates that's nearly as extensive. Even better, wine and food alike are exceptional values. The tabla de carne, an assortment of grilled skirt steak, lamb and pork chops, chicken breast, sausages, potatoes, and roasted peppers, will easily feed three hungry diners. Finish with a rich, creamy guanabana flan.

Enriqueta's Sandwich Shop

186 NE 29th St., Miami
305-573-4681

A simple sandwich shop at the confluence where Wynwood, Midtown Miami, and Edgewater meet, Enriqueta's remains a holdout in the race to turn Miami into a sea of condominiums and Lululemons. The restaurant is one of the most democratic in the city; its clientele a steady stream of construction workers, galleristas, tourists, and dwellers of the aforementioned condos (David Beckham once paid a visit), all dropping by for their cafecito fixes and Cuban sandwiches here — with a bonus in the form of croquetas pressed into the bread along with the meat and cheese.

Golden Rule Seafood

17505 S. Dixie Hwy., Palmetto Bay
305-235-0661
goldenruleseafood.com

If you can't cast a line off your very own 40-foot catamaran, Golden Rule Seafood is the next best thing. This family-owned purveyor has been around since 1943, serving up fresh fish, stone crab, lobster, oysters, live blue crabs, shrimp, and all other forms of the ocean's bounty. So, if you're in Palmetto Bay and craving a little something from the sea, you know where to go. If you prefer pre-cooked eats, they'll even steam your seafood onsite for you. And if you're too tempted to wait until you get home, there are tables where you can sit and crack, squeeze and drool your way through a set of stone crab claws.

Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant

8461 SW 132nd St., Pinecrest
786-242-4444
guadalajaramiami.com

Unabashedly bright décor and an invitingly open layout elevate Guadalajara above the Tex-Mex run-of-the-mill. Yes, the expected offerings dominate the menu. But Guadalajara goes a step beyond by offering authentic fare. Patrons looking for a light meal would do well with the caldo de res (beef stew), which comes with slices of lime and freshly made tortillas. The tamales are delicious and filling — steamed cornmeal stuffed with perfectly spiced pork and drizzled with creamy sauce. The most impressive dish is the whole red snapper, marinated with spices and onions, deep fried, and served with your choice of sides.

Happy Wine in the Grove

2833 Bird Ave., Coconut Grove
305-460-9939
happywinemiami.com

Happy Wine is more wine shop than anything else (and the bottle and case prices are among the lowest), but it's also part wine bar, where you can sit down and enjoy your wine with tapas and sandwiches at tables made from casks, crates, and a door-size plank of wood propped up by barrels at each end. A generous pour of the wine du jour is an inarguably great deal if you're imbibing by the glass, but most patrons prefer to pluck a bottle from the shelves. The sandwiches here feature fresh baguettes with a choice of seven fillings, including ham, turkey, prosciutto, and grilled chicken.

Mary's Coin Laundry (Mary's Cafe)

2542 SW 27th Ave., Miami
305-443-6672

Mary's Coin Laundry and Cafeteria opened in 1982 as a simple washhouse. It was converted from a plant nursery and Bahamian-style wooden shack that had been around 55 years. Owner Victor Sanchez, a construction worker and son-in-law of the Mary for whom the place is named, noticed that young people preferred to wash their clothes at night, so he added a coffee window. Through the years, the building has grown, and the coffee window has become a café. Around 2001, the joint began 24-hour service, and today, it's a beacon for late-night grub. It attracts everyone from cops to drunks and viejitos to kids and early risers. Whether you feel like downing a medianoche sandwich of ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard, sipping a cup of café con leche, ordering a choripan, or slurping a deliciously creamy mamey milkshake, this is the only place in Miami where you can catch a whiff of detergent and butter in the wee hours — which, oddly enough, makes it oh so very 305.

Matsuri

5759 Bird Rd., Miami
305-663-1615
matsurimiami.com

Since 1988, Matsuri, tucked in the middle of a random strip mall on Bird Road just west of Coral Gables, has been one of the best places in Miami for authentic — and astonishingly affordable — sushi. The menu contains dozens of options, ranging from soups and tempura to sashimi plates to deep-fried seafood and à la carte sushi and sashimi. The biggest draw, however, is the numerous traditional Japanese delicacies rarely found in the United States. They're often scrawled on the specials board at the front of the dining room, where you'll see everything from ankimo monkfish liver (often likened to foie gras) to nama uni, sparkling-fresh sea urchin that tastes like a delicate custard with a salty kick. Also always available: toro, the buttery tuna belly, at far friendlier prices than you'll see at higher-profile Miami restaurants.

Mi Rinconcito Mexicano

1961 SW Eighth St., Miami
305-644-4015

The sparsely decorated Mi Rinconcito is set up as though the only reason in the world that restaurants exist is for people to sit down with one another and enjoy food, drink, and company — just like in Mexico. The fare, too, touts the stripped-down appeal of real south-of-the-border cantinas. Guests begin with complimentary thick tortilla chips and thin, potent red salsa. Tacos translate to soft corn tortillas rolled around your choice of savorily marinated pork, full, game-flavored lamb, slightly spicy tongue, ground beef, chicken, chorizo, and so forth. Only onions and cilantro are tucked into the wrap with the meat. A wedge of lime and a fiery poke of hot sauce are available if requested. Other offerings include quesadillas, flautas, sopes, and home-cooked specialties such as pozole: a hearty, richly spiced stew of pork, ham hock, and hominy. One of Rinconcito's beers will befriend this fare better than horchata, but still sample the homemade cinnamon-spiked rice drink, even if for dessert.

Original Big Tomato

12447 S. Dixie Hwy., Pinecrest
305-233-3344
originalbigtomato.com

The Original Big Tomato was founded in 1994 to serve high-quality and unique pizzas of the thick-crust variety. (They were the first pizza joint in Miami to do so before others became known foccacia-based pizzas in the past decade.) Since then, the menu has expanded to include delicious salads, healthy wraps, oven-roasted chicken wings, and panini sandwiches. But it all started with the pizzas. Food editor Nicole Lopez-Alvar has fond memories of her mother's signature Big Tomato order: classic margarita pizza with goat cheese on its rich, thick dough. Big Tomato's dough is made fresh daily, and if you are vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free, the restaurant offers many options.

Shaddai Fine Lebanese Cuisine

9519 S. Dixie Hwy., Pinecrest
786-401-7714
shaddaimiami.com

Tucked away in the corner of a Pinecrest strip mall is the urban culinary oasis, Shaddai Fine Lebanese Cuisine. You'll find three floor lamps of varying heights and colors, three wooden camel statues, and a wall adorned with three swords. Nearby are three booths. Are these trios symbolic of the Holy Trinity? Perhaps. The Bethlehem-born owner, Anton Sammour, known as Chef Tony, has been cooking Lebanese food since he was 8 years old. His wife, Elizabeth, who works the front of the house, is from Guatemala. If you make it through the plethora of appetizers, you will be greeted by kebabs, lemon chicken, rack of lamb, and spicy fish. You might also be greeted by a server saying, "Con permiso," as she reaches to fill your water, reminding you that you're still in Miami and not at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Sea and the Middle East. Service may be slow, but for now, there's only one person in the kitchen, and he says, "I would rather have people wait a bit longer than have a bad meal."