How to eat great, cheap food in Miami: 10 places under $20
Miami makes it easy to splurge on a great meal.
But sometimes you can’t splurge. You want great food, a night off from the kitchen, and, as Kevin Hart says, the way your bank account is set up, you don’t want to have to transfer from savings to checking before calling in an order.
Fortunately, Miami also makes it easy to dine on a budget. Even if you’re comfortable only ordering takeout during the pandemic, Miami’s best restaurants have found smart ways to choose what foods travel best.
And you don’t have to limit yourself to croquetas, empanadas and coladas — although these are Miami’s spirit foods. Peruvian ceviche, Jamaican rundown stew, Thai drunken noodles, and, yes, exceptional Cuban sandwiches and tasty little sliders are all likely within a short drive.
So here are just 10 favorite places, with links to their menus, where you can order a great meal for $20.
Atchana’s Homegrown Thai
My oldest daughter had always cringed at Thai food — until she ate at Atchana with me during a dining review. Interestingly, though, the cuisine is not adapted for the American palate at Atchana, from the Thai beef jerky to the Bangkok wings and pad Thai. Go for the Thai beef noodle bowl or the pad kee mao drunken noodles with chicken and basil for $15. Even for dinner, a heaping bowl of noodle goodness is still under $20.
3194 Commodore Plaza, Coconut Grove. 305-774-0404; Atchanas.com
Clive’s Café
For 38 years, Pearline “Miss Pearl” Murray rained down flavorful Jamaican brown stews at her Wynwood location of Clive’s. And when developers forced her out in 2014, she consolidated at the second location in Little Haiti and never skipped a beat. A huge helping of curried goat, saucy when poured over rice and peas, with a side of sweet plantains, will run you 15 bucks. Sub out brown stew chicken, jerked chicken or pork for less than $13. In a rush? Order a golden, flaky Jamaican patty and stuff it inside a baked-to-order hunk of yeasty coco bread (it’s not on the menu; ask for it), and you have a meal to keep you full the rest of the day for about four bucks.
5890 NW Second Ave., Little Haiti; Clivescafe.com. 305-757-6512
Empanada Harry’s
No need to hit several bakeries to buy your favorite empanadas when Empanada Harry’s bakes them all in one place, including authentic Peruvian dusted in powdered sugar, crispy Colombian corn, hearty Venezuelan, and even riffs from the baker that include things like a Cuban sandwich empanada with pork, ham and pickles. Most empanadas are $3, so you can take a culinary tour of Latin America for well under $20. Harry Coleman and wife Michelle also make such a fantastic tres leches, $4.50, (made with Flor de Caña rum) that I drive 30 minutes west for it on special occasions.
4009 SW 152nd Ave., west Kendall. 786-313-3888; Empanadaharrys.com
Itamae
The Chang family, dad Fernando and children Val and Nando, were such a hit in a Design District food hall that they opened a standalone restaurant. There the James Beard award nominated siblings create possibly Miami’s best Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei cuisine, from a wide selection of tiraditos and ceviches made with daily catches to signature sushi rolls. The pulpo al olivo roll made with the catch of the day and avocados is topped with dime-thin octopus slices and drizzled in olive aioli and their signature leche de tigre and minced red onion. It’s $16 well spent.
140 NE 39th St., Design District; Itamaemiami.com
Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza
This pizza is so good the U.S. government granted the pizzaiolo Renato Viola an O-1 visa for “individuals with extraordinary ability,” to bring his pizza making skills stateside. He’s an actual pizza genius. For $13, you get a thin-crusted, Neapolitan-style pie made to serve one (two if you’re not so hungry) all to yourself. My favorite is the Carlos (not named for me) with spicy chorizo. Even the “exceptional” pies, shaped into stars where each peak is stuffed with delicious ricotta cheese, cost less than $18. Neapolitan pies are best fresh out of the oven to your mouth, so I say do order up and find a park nearby where you can feast.
Several locations including the original, 1680 Michigan Ave. #101, Miami Beach; Mistero1.com
Panolo at Union Beer Store
Bartender Adrian Castro, who goes by the Scarface character Manolo at the pro-wrestling themed bar, makes a we’re-not-worthy take on a steak sandwich from Mary’s Coin Laundry, another Miami institution. His version is heightened with garlic-mayo, and the Que Eso includes a slab of salty Nicaraguan queso frito and crispy papitas (that are actually hash browns). Pair an $11 panolo (or a Que Eso for $12.50) with a $6 beer to go and you have a combo that’s tough to beat. Available Thursday and Friday at Union Beer Store.
1547 SW Eighth St., Little Havana; Instagram.com/_panolos_/
Royal Castle
The employee who integrated Royal Castle’s once-vast chain became the sole owner of the last remaining of this burger slider spot. Now James N. Brimberry has handed over the reins to his grandson, also named James, to be the caretaker of this Miami gem. Order a six-pack of sliders on pillowy, toasted bread for $8.75 ($9.50 with cheese) with honest-to-goodness birch beer for 2 bucks. It’s a Miami classic.
2700 NW 79th St., Miami. 305-696-8241; menu
Taqueria Los Potrillos
I must have ordered every taco on the menu at Los Potrillos and each one has come bursting with flavors, from take-a-chance lengua and tripa to the American-palate-friendly carnitas, carne asada and al pastor. Their salsas are fresh and spicy. And their double-tortilla tacos are served hot off the griddle. Three tacos will run you less than $10 (priced between $2.50-$3.25 each) and a massive burrito will set you back $7. I can’t get enough of this place.
3937 NW Seventh St., Miami. 305-456-2002; Taquerialospotrillos.negocio.site
Tinta y Café
This a perfect spot for fluffy egg breakfasts and incredible sandwiches. Their cafe con leche is sweet and creamy, maybe the best I’ve had that doesn’t come out of my kitchen. But I’m also a sandwich guy, and I love several of their creations. The $10 Bori — prosciutto and eggs on a toasted baguette — is my go-to breakfast favorite. My recent obsession is a massive $13 sammie they call the Madurito, stuffed with roasted pork, caramelized onions, cantimpalo chorizo, Swiss cheese, garlic aioli and diced sweet plantains for savory-sweet punch. Originally in Coral Gables, they also just opened a Miami Shores location.
1315 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables. 305-285-0101
9840 NE Second Ave., Miami Shores; TintayCafe.co (no m)
United States Burger Service
I hate burgers you have to eat with a knife and fork — food designed for Instagram rather than human mouths. And that’s why I loved the burgers that Mikey Mayta and his wife, Keily Vasquez, create at USBS, which stands for United States Burger Service, a play on the Postal Service, because this is fast food done right. You’d expect nothing less from a couple of Michelle Bernstein alums. Their unassuming little burgers are presented simply, but there is a lifetime of talent and technique in their creation. They use a special beef blend ground in house, topped with their own Priority Sauce (a mayo-mustard base with a French onion soup flavor), a fontina-cheddar Government Cheese, and serve them on poppy seed buns they bake themselves. Pair a $7.50 burger with “Insurance” — house-made fries that require four days preparation to fry up crispy, yet meaty on the inside for $3.50. Consider paying the $1 “Southern Tariff” for seasoned fries that come with Green Goddess dipping sauce.
8300 NE Second Ave., Little Haiti in The Citadel food hall. Instagram.com/usbsmiami
This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
