Most important meal of the day? Maybe. Most delicious? Heck yeah, especially when you’re gearing up for a big day exploring Miami Beach. You wanna fill up, and you want what you eat to be authentic local cuisine that bursts with the flavors of South Florida. Whether you’re looking for a weekend brunch restaurant with your friends, cheap breakfast options in South Beach or Little Havana, all-day breakfast, restaurants serving avocado toast, French toast, Cuban bread toast, or any kind of toast at all, we’ve got you covered. These are a few well-established and beloved breakfast joints where you can eat like a local, not a tourist.
Big Pink
First up, an art deco staple of the Miami scene, as iconic a hangout as you could hope to find in this ever-changing town. With a menu so long you’ll be too hungry to read all the way through, this comfort-food diner with its eye-catching sign out front is right on Collins Ave, occupying prime real estate for people-watching as well as chowing. From waffles and plate-sized pancakes to Big Pink granola, Eggs Benedict (add fried chicken if you really want to indulge), to breakfast burritos or even pulled pork omelets, you’re definitely going to leave with the tanks topped off.
Roasters and Toasters
A Jewish Deli serving bagels and lox in Miami? You bet your tuchas! This staple of New York City-style Jewish comfort food in Miami has a few branches around town, and when you’re craving smoked fish, matzo brei (think French toast but made with crumbled matzo crackers and more egg), cheese blintzes, challah French toast – or even a pastrami sandwich (hey, we won’t judge if you have one for breakfast) – this is your go-to. Grab a bagel and a schmear, and enjoy watching the locals eating their nova-and-egg scrambles like the New York ex-pats they probably are.
News Café
If you’re not too busy watching the food disappear off your plate, look around you at the scenery when you stop for breakfast at News Café. This sidewalk café is absolutely one of the primo spots for people-watching in the art deco district of Miami Beach, and it’s been that way since 1988. Open 24 hours, you don’t have to hit the spot just at breakfast. Grab a periodical (it’s not called “News” for nothing), some coffee, and an omelet, and start your day in the heart of Ocean Drive, alive to your surroundings and ready to go.
Enriqueta’s Sandwich Shop
There’s no breakfast like a Cuban breakfast, and no place does it better than Enriqueta’s. Get yourself a café con leche and dip your buttered Cuban toast in the warm fragrant goodness while you wait for your gooey, yummy breakfast sandwich to go. It’s a no-frills slice of real Miami life, where actual folk who live and work here get their breakfasts to go from the pickup window. There’s indoor seating as well, if you’re lucky enough to grab a counter stool.
Sergio’s Cuban Café
Another authentic and absolutely delicious Cuban-style breakfast option is Sergio’s, with several locations around Miami. Since 1975 they have been serving up traditional breakfast the way Cuban Americans like it – scrambled eggs with ham diced in, real, artisan-brewed Cuban coffee and buttery Cuban toast; maduros (plantains) and string potatoes, French toast with coconut flakes and guava syrup… the choices go on and on. On the way out, be sure to grab a homemade pastry for the road.
Breakfast in Miami Beach is a never-ending culinary adventure. There’s no way to hit every hot spot, or try every option, but when you want an old-school experience, these fab five should get you started.
