Miami has food from every World Cup country. Here’s where to find it.
Miami is so cosmopolitan a city that not only can you find people from all over the world, you can find good examples of their cuisine, too.
We found a person living in South Florida from each of the 32 countries competing in this year’s World Cup, which begins June 14. Among other things Miami Herald staff writer Michelle Kaufman asked them was which South Florida restaurant best represents their country’s food. (In a rare case where they were stumped, we found them a delicious alternative.)
RELATED: Meet South Florida’s World Cup fans
RELATED: 2018 World Cup Fan Guide: Everything You Need to Know
From Argentina to Tunesia, here’s where to find the flavors of the Copa:
ARGENTINA
The fan: Gabriel Baldassini, 47. Lives in Pinecrest, since 2001.
Best local spot to get Argentine food: The Knife, at Bayside and Hollywood.
602 E Hallandale Beach Blvd, Hallandale Beach
AUSTRALIA
A post shared by EDGE Steak & Bar (@edgemiami) on Jan 20, 2018 at 8:03am PST
The fan: Nick Sharp, 35. Lives in Miami, for 6 years
Best local spot to get Australian food: (Best/Only) Threefold Café in South Miami and Edge Steak & Bar.
Edge Steak & Bar in the Four Seasons: 1435 Brickell Ave, Miami
BELGIUM
The fan: Guillaume Bourgoignie, 18. Lives in South Miami. Born here. His father is Belgian.
Best local spot to get Belgian food: Le Pain Quotidien in Coconut Grove.
BRAZIL
The fan: Suzana Fleury Delgado, 32. Lives in Kendall, since 1990
Best local spot to get Brazilian food: Tutto Pizza on Key Biscayne, exactly like the pizza you get in Brazil with chicken and catupiry cheese. Texas de Brazil for authentic churrascaria.
328 Crandon Blvd #111, Key Biscayne. Tuttopizzapasta.com/
RELATED: Bar Da Vila cooks up Brazilian favorites in downtown
RELATED: Want a big juicy platter of meat? Go immediately to these Brazilian restaurants
COLOMBIA
A post shared by Mondongos Miami (@mondongos_miami) on May 18, 2018 at 10:05am PDT
The fan: Martin Londono, 17. Lives in Coral Gables
Best local spots to get Colombian food: Mondongo’s and Monserrate in Doral.
Mondongo’s Restaurante: 3500 NW 87th Ave, Doral. http://www.mimonserrate.com/
Monserrate: 9545 NW 41st St, Doral
COSTA RICA
Gustan?
Posted by Jose Carrazana on Sunday, March 4, 2018
The fan: Wendy Vargas, 40. Lives in West Miami, moved here in 1990
Best local spot to get Costa Rican food: Nothing Costa Rican, but Salvadoran or Honduran is very similar with tamales and arepas. (Editor’s note: Tamales are big in Costa Rican food culture, so may we suggest the ones from La Ultima Parada [The Last Stop] on Flagler. The grocery store is named because it used to be the last stop on the edge of development. That has changed. But their tasty tamales have not.)
CROATIA
The fan: Kruno Krslovic, 62. Lives in Boynton Beach, moved to South Florida 1977.
Best local spot to get Croatian food: Bura in Lighthouse Point. Similar to Italian food.
2014 E Sample Rd, Pompano Beach
DENMARK
A post shared by Two Chefs Restaurant Miami (@twochefsrestaurant) on May 23, 2018 at 8:52am PDT
The fan: Thomas Krough-Poulsen, 55. Lives in Coconut Grove, moved here 1986.
Best local spot to get Danish food: Two Chefs, off US-1 in South Miami. Their chef is Danish.
8287 S Dixie Hwy, Miami. http://www.twochefsrestaurant.com/
EGYPT
The fan: Hesham Ali, 50. Moved here in 1998. Lives in Davie.
Best local spot to get Egyptian food in South Florida: Al Salam and Al Natour in Fort Lauderdale.
Al Salam: 1816 N University Dr, Plantation. http://www.alsalam-restaurant.com/
Al Natour: 1787 N University Dr, Plantation. http://www.alnatourrestaurant.com/
ENGLAND
Happy Friday! #fishandchips are half off for #lunch until 3pm!
A post shared by John Martins Irish Pub (@johnmartinsmia) on May 18, 2018 at 8:29am PDT
The fan: Richard Hubbard, 56. Lives in Kendall, in Miami since 1987
Best local spot to get English food: British Depot in Fort Lauderdale for pies, chocolates, teas. I used to own Hubbard’s Cupboard on Sunset and 117th Avenue. Good bangers and mash at John Martin’s in Coral Gables.
John Martin’s: 253 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables. http://www.johnmartins.com/home
FRANCE
A post shared by Le Bouchon Du Grove (@bouchondugrove) on May 22, 2018 at 3:39pm PDT
The fan: Georges Farge, 48. Lives in Brickell, been in Miami 25 years.
Best local spot to get French food: Now that I’m closed, I’ll say Le Bouchon du Grove. (Farge was the founder and longtime restaurateur of George’s on Sunset, which closed June 3.)
Le Bouchon du Grove: 3430 Main Hwy, Miami. https://lebouchondugrove.com/
GERMANY
Schnitzel Fiesta all night long #tuesdaymotivation #schnitzel #special #bierhaus #coralgables #miami
A post shared by FritzandFranzBierhaus (@fritzandfranzbierhaus) on Mar 13, 2018 at 1:38pm PDT
The fan: Willy Schaugg, 54. Lives in the Dadeland area, since 2012.
Best local spot to get German food: Fritz and Franz in Coral Gables.
Fritz & Franz: 60 Merrick Way, Coral Gables. http://bierhaus.cc/2017/main/bierhaus.html
ICELAND
The fan: Olaf Skulasson, 52. Lives in Delray Beach, moved to South Florida 1997.
Best local spot to get Icelandic food: Whole Foods has lamb from Iceland September to October. And now you can get our yogurt, skyr, in most stores.
IRAN
The fan: Mohsen Massoudi, 62. Lives in Hollywood, moved here 1980.
Best local spot to get Iranian food: Rumi on US-1 and 124th Street and the Kaspian-Persian Grill in Fort Lauderdale.
Rumi Persian Grill: 12257 S Dixie Hwy, Pinecrest
JAPAN
The fan: Kai Ito, 23. Recent graduate of University of Miami
Best local spot to get Japanese food: Matsuri on Bird Road. All Japanese people in Miami go there.
5759 Bird Rd, Miami
MOROCCO
The fan: Mohamed Benjelloun, 58. Lives in Miami, moved here 1989.
Best local spot to get Moroccan food: Not many Moroccan restaurants in Miami, mostly Mediterranean food (Shaddai Fine Lebanese Cuisine).
(Editor’s note: Fooq’s downtown is owned by David Foulquier, whose blend of his Moroccan and Parisian cuisine [and parentage] helped him to be named a Forbes magazine 30 Under 30. RELATED: Fooq’s fuses Moroccan, Parisian cuisine)
Fooq’s: 1035 North Miami Ave., Miami. 786-536-2749, fooqsmiami.com
MEXICO
Posted by Casa Frida Mexican Cuisine on Friday, August 21, 2015
The fan: Omar Garcia, 28. Lives in Tamarac. In South Florida since 2011.
Best local spot to get Mexican food: Casa Frida (Oakland and Federal Hwy in Fort Lauderdale).
3206, 5441 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale. http://www.casafridamexicancuisine.com/
NIGERIA
The fan: Tusin “Tumak” Makinde, 55. Lives in Hialeah.
Best local spot to get Nigerian food: Moji African, of course.
827 NW 119th St, North Miami. http://mojiafricanrestaurant.com/
PANAMA
The fan: Lilibeth Fermin. Lives in Broward County, since 2013.
Best local spot to get Panamanian food in South Florida: I have not found a Panamanian restaurant in South Florida.
(Editor’s Note: We haven’t found one either. But several other countries do make solid renditions of Panamanian dishes. Carimañolas are a type of meat-filled yuca fritter that is also popular in Colombia. Doral’s Narcobollo does a solid job with them. Hojaldras are a savory dough pancake that Nicaraguens also eat. Pinolandia, I’m told, does a tasty version, slathered in a kind of cream cheese.)
Narcobollo: 2557 NW 79th Ave, Doral
Pinolandia, several locations: http://www.pinolandia.com/
PERU
So good! Who’s having some causa today? Let us know!
A post shared by Dr. Limon (@drlimonofficial) on May 18, 2018 at 9:26am PDT
The fan: Augusto Luna, 46. Lives in Kendall, since 1986
Best local spot to get Peruvian food: Dr. Limon Ceviche Bar, Ceviche 105
Dr. Limon: multiple locations. http://doctorlimon.com/
Ceviche 105: multiple locations. http://www.ceviche105.com/site/
POLAND
The fan: Michal Gorszczaryk, 21. Lives in Fort Lauderdale, since 2017
Best local place to get Polish food: I go to Costco and buy beef, sausage, pancakes, but it’s not the same as my grandmother’s cooking. (Editor’s note: Don’t have a Polish grandma? Try Old World Polish Deli in Pompano Beach.)
1390 S. Federal Hwy, Pompano Beach. http://www.oldworldpolishdeli.com/
PORTUGAL
The fan: Ricardo Costa, 40. Lives in Miami. Moved here 14 years ago
Best local spot to get Portuguese food: Old Lisbon, Coral Way
1698 SW 22nd St, Miami. http://oldlisbonrestaurants.com/
RUSSIA
Delicious beef short ribs you can expect at Tatiana!
A post shared by Tatiana Restaurant & Nightclub (@tatianarestaurant) on Jun 28, 2015 at 1:47pm PDT
The fan: Mike Lashoff, 64. Lives in Boca Raton. Moved to USA in 1978, to South Florida in 2005.
Best local spot to get Russian food: Tatiana Restaurant in Hallandale, great food and a big show.
1710 E Hallandale Beach Blvd, Hallandale Beach
SAUDI ARABIA
The fan: Feras Almadhi, 27. Lives in Coral Gables, since 2015
Best local spot to get Saudi Arabian food: The best Arabic food overall is at Al Amir on Bird Road in Miami and Al Natour and Al Salam in Fort Lauderdale.
Al-Amir: 6420 Bird Rd, Miami.
SENEGAL
The fan: Mame Sow, 31. Lives in downtown Miami, moved here 2016
Best local spot to get Senegalese food: No restaurants, but I used baobab fruit for one of the desserts I made for the restaurant. Baobob is popular in Senegal. The fruit looks like a green coconut, with a dry powder inside. We call it “Pain de Singe”, which means Monkey Bread. (Editor’s note: Sow is the pastry chef at Norman Van Aken’s new Wynwood restaurant, Three, where her influence is felt in the kitchen. There is a Senegalese-inspired whole snapper on the menu.)
SERBIA
The fan: Vedran Coso, 31. Lives: North Bay Village, four years
Best local spot to get Serbian food: Lime Tree Lounge in Miami Beach. They have Balkan nights. Serbian music. Traditional drink — Rakija.
SWITZERLAND
The fan: Uwe Fischer, 53. Lives in Coral Gables, since 2014
Best local spot to get Swiss food: The Swiss-American Club meets at Fritz & Franz in Coral Gables. The club is 75 years old. We have 150 members.
SOUTH KOREA
Showing the Stove Top BBQ some love… Galbi (Short Rib) is good but Samgyupsal (Pork Belly) is just as good. Let's get cooking!
Posted by Gabose Korean & Japanese Restaurant on Monday, May 16, 2016
The fan: Bok An, 45. Lives in Pinecrest, in Miami since 1983
Best local spot to get Korean food: Gabose in Lauderhill, authentic Korean food.
4991 N University Dr, Lauderhill. Gabose on Facebook
SPAIN
The fan: Antonio Marques, 20. Lives in South Miami
Best local spot to get Spanish food: Casa Juancho
2436 SW 8th St, Miami. http://www.casajuancho.com/
SWEDEN
The fan: Isabel Russo, 46. Lives in South Miami, moved here 1991.
Best local spot to get Swedish food: Ikea furniture store. They have a restaurant with traditional dishes like Gravlax, Swedish meatballs. Peel and eat shrimp on an egg sandwich — Raksmorgas.
Ikea Miami, 1801 NW 117th Ave, Miami.
(Editor’s note: Drive north to Palm Beach county and you’ll find a surprising number of hidden Swedish outposts. If you happen to be in West Palm, try Johan’s Joe, a Swedish coffeehouse and café. They have Swedish pancakes, smoked salmon croissants and pickled herring, if that’s your thing.)
Johan’s Joe: 401 S Dixie Highway Ste. 3, West Palm Beach. http://johansjoe.com/
TUNISIA
A post shared by Alloy Bistro Gourmet (@alloybistromiami) on Apr 18, 2018 at 3:14pm PDT
The fan: Tarek Douihech, 49. Lives in Miami Beach, since 1993.
Best local spot to get Tunisian food: Café Roval, Alloy Bistro downtown. French-Tunisian cuisine.
Alloy Bistro: 154 SE First Ave., Miami
Cafe Roval: 5808 NE 4th Ct, Miami
RELATED: Alloy Bistro brings great chemistry to downtown
RELATED: Cafe Roval has charming atmosphere with standard fare
URUGUAY
The fan: Fernando Abella, 55. Lives in Coral Gables, since 2003
Best local spot to get Uruguayan food: Dona Tota on Bird Road. It has all the Uruguayan cuts of beef, sausage, and very good salads. (Editor’s note: Dona Tota has recently closed. But a great example of upscale Uruguayan is Quinto La Huella in Brickell.)
RELATED: Quinto La Huella brings Uruguayan grilling to Brickell
This story was originally published June 5, 2018 at 8:06 AM.