Little Havana’s hipster hotel opens a ‘veg-forward’ restaurant. Avocado toast is on the menu, obviously

Little Havana’s first hip hotel, Life House, is opening its equally hip “veg-forward” cafe, Parcela, on March 22.

Not exactly a hub of vegetarian food, Little Havana is about to get schooled on the “modern plant-forward approach” that’s not entirely far removed because it’s inspired by the urban agriculture movement of Havana, Cuba.

Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, some of Parcela’s signature dishes include Florida Aguqcate, a dish that’s hard to pronounce, but entirely vegan with True Loaf multi-grain toast, Florida avocado, roasted tomato, cucumber and hemp seed mix; Pan con Bistec which can be ordered with churrasco if you desire or Adasha for the vegan twist; and an assortment of pastelitos like the vegan pastelito de mamey con queso.

There’s more meat to be found here, so fret not. The Mallorca breakfast dish serves free-range eggs with Proper Wynwood Porter Sausage. Sandwiches, salads and bowls are available on the all-day menu from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and there’s even a specialty coffee program with local partner Per’La Roasters and JoJo Tea brewing classic Cuban faves and new creations by their very own head barista, Sara Ypsilanti.

The wine program is biodynamic, natural and organic highlighting vintages produced in Spain and Latin America crafted with sustainable practices in mind, and the beer list is a rotating one featuring locally crafted brews. Brian Griffiths, alum of the Broken Shaker, is leading the culinary and bar programs here and says he sees Little Havana as an “unconventional location full of potential and undiscovered by today’s traveler.”

Griffiths spent considerable time researching ingredients that could be sourced locally and with strong ties to Little Havana culture. “We’ll be sourcing edible ingredients from our forthcoming rooftop food forest to highlight our overarching urban agriculture inspiration,” Griffith says.

“We’ve partnered with some of Miami’s finest purveyors including Per’La Specialty Roasters, JoJo Tea, True Loaf Bakery and Bloodless Vegan to feature an all day, flexible menu with Cuban coffees, pastries and breakfast options in the morning with light lunch and dinner items into the evening.”

Little Havana Life House

528 SW 9th Ave., Miami; www.lifehousehotels.com

This story was originally published March 13, 2019 at 11:08 AM.