Want chicken and waffles with a side of tostones? Try soul food with a twist in this Liberty City restaurant

Come to iKrave, a no-frills neighborhood joint in Liberty City, for a fix of Southern soul food and wash it down with a mason jar of lemonade with a splash of watermelon juice. Owners are Eric and Sheena Vandyke along with Sheena’s sister Micaela Guzman. The sisters’ dad, Jorge Guzman is Puerto Rican and Honduran and grew up in his fathers’ Miami restaurant. When the sisters pursued their dream to open last March he came on board as chef after working in hotel restaurants 30 years. Growing up, Sheena loved cooking with her maternal grandmother in Greenville, Alabama and came up with the name saying “like an iPhone, we satisfy cravings.”

Share These Dishes

There are no appetizers so just dig in. Saturday and Sunday mornings mean egg and grits combos with a choice of bacon, smoked sausage, salmon croquettes, corned beef hash or falling-off-the bone stewed oxtails, the house specialty. There could also be fried grouper fingers or stewed conch.

Your group should order several waffles dusted in powdered sugar. Get them topped with fried chicken strips, wings, drumsticks or the boom. The latter is grilled breast with red and orange peppers and onions. The big boy brings a T-bone steak with one side. Specials might be oxtail with pasta or baked spaghetti topped with a gooey layer of melted cheese.

Sides include tostones, stewed collard greens, candied yams and rice of the day. This is usually yellow Spanish-style or with black or red beans. Eric’s grandma Babble’s brown stewed chicken is a riff on the Caribbean dish of chicken rubbed in spices and hot peppers, browned in hot oil and then stewed slowly. Or try the creamy shrimp cooked in a sauce enriched with cream cheese over grits. Outposts are in the works to open in North Miami and Miami Gardens to spread the gospel of soul food.

Save Room For Dessert

Choose a sweet waffle with a vanilla glaze. There’s red velvet, Oreo, and white chocolate delight with white chocolate chips and pecans. The inner child won’t be able to resist the waffle embedded with Fruity Pebbles cereal.

iKrave

Address: 4799 NW 7th Avenue, Suite a, Liberty City

Contact: 786-747-4161

Hours: Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

FYI: Free parking in front