Miami Spice Latin American Restaurants

Greater Miami and Miami Beach is a melting pot of Latin American and Caribbean cultures, and one of the best ways to experience it is through the food. As Miami Spice Restaurant Months unfolds in August and September, it’s prime time to explore all the vibrant flavors of Latin America with discounted prix-fixe menus at top dining destinations. Start planning with our guide to the best Miami Spice restaurants serving Latin American cuisine.

Café La Trova

A collaboration between James Beard Award winning chef Michelle Bernstein and master mixologist Julio Cabrero, Café La Trova celebrates Cuban culture through cuisine, cantinero-style cocktails and live music in the heart of Miami’s Little Havana.

When it’s offered: During Miami Spice, enjoy a special $50 set dinner menu and a lively night out Sunday through Thursday.

What we’re ordering: Take your pick from empanadas, croquetas or seared calamari to start, and then move onto entrees like skirt steak ropa vieja, local snapper filet escabeche or the braised mojo-marinated lechon pork shoulder. For dessert, choose from flan de flaca, Michy’s bread pudding or arroz con leche.

Tin Tin

From the team behind Miami’s beloved Tinta y Café, Tin Tin is an exciting new Little Havana restaurant specializing in creative Cuban cuisine with a touch of French and Italian influences in a homey, welcoming setting.

When it’s offered: Choose from a special $65 dinner menu Tuesday through Saturday or a $40 Sunday brunch menu.

What we’re ordering: At dinner, start with the Cuban sandwich wagyu beef carpaccio prepared with a lechon tonnato sauce or the malanga gnocchi cacio e pepe before moving onto entrees like pan-roasted grouper with chorizo cream or banana leaf-wrapped pan-roasted chicken. For dessert, the maduro tres leches is a revelation, and Tinta’s flan is hard to beat.

Brunch highlights include a Cuban riff on the classic bacon, egg and cheese (BEC), which includes guava preserves and Swiss on Sullivan Street brioche.

Matador Room

When an opportunity to dine at a Jean-Georges restaurant during Miami Spice arises, don’t hesitate to snag a reservation. Sultry, midcentury-inspired Matador Room is the acclaimed chef’s pan-Caribbean restaurant inside the fabulous Miami Beach EDITION in Mid Beach.

When it’s offered: The $65 dinner menu is available all week long, and the $40 brunch menu is offered Friday through Sunday.

What we’re ordering: Highlights include the Cinco Jotas jamon and Manchego fritters, chipotle chicken tacos, charred octopus a la plancha and the chef’s famed arroz con pollo with crackling skin and lemon zest.

For brunch, indulge in everything from huevos rancheros to coconut pancakes and avocado toast. Dessert highlights include churros, tres leches and a warm Valrhona chocolate cake.

Quinto

A rustic-upscale Latin American restaurant inside the luxurious East, Miami Hotel in Brickell, Quinto specializes in open-flame parrilla grilling.

When it’s offered: The $40 Miami Spice lunch menu is available Monday through Friday.

What we’re ordering: Start with prime steak carpaccio or roasted calabaza squash with brown butter, cashew yogurt, pistachio crumble, mint salad and parmesan cheese. Entrée choices include a pizette with prime skirt steak, salsa bianca and balsamic glaze; adobo-roasted cauliflower, or homemade spaghetti in wine jus and basil sauce with mushrooms, truffle and aged parmesan. For dessert, choose between budin de tres leches or crème brûlée.

The Mexican

The Mexican serves upscale Northern Mexican cuisine on Brickell Key with floor-to-ceiling views of the Downtown Miami skyline just across the water. Ideal for dates, group outings or any occasion, the restaurant is divided into five dining rooms, each with its own unique atmosphere.

When it’s offered: During Miami Spice, enjoy a special $65 dinner menu and $40 lunch menu Tuesday through Friday.

What we’re ordering: Start with the aguachile verde de camaron or tortilla soup with roasted pulled chicken, then move onto entrees like suizas de pollo with salsa verde cremosa and queso cotija, a 6-ounce petit wagyu filet or crispy marlin tacos with tangy slaw and pickled red onion. For dessert, order the quatro leches topped with elderflower-soaked berries or the dark chocolate cake with candied pecan pepitas.

Jarana

Jarana is an ode to Peruvian cuisine by acclaimed chef Gastón Acurio inside a colorful and approachable dining room in Aventura. The menu is a fusion of traditional Peruvian recipes with Japanese, Chinese and Italian influences, while the atmosphere reflects the lively vibe of a traditional Peruvian “Jarana,” a celebration marked by abundant food, soulful music and spirited libations.

When it’s offered: A special $50 dinner menu is available Sunday through Thursday.

What we’re ordering: Start with the layered potato and chicken causa, crispy wanton tuna tacos or thinly sliced octopus in a creamy black olive sauce. Entrees include a classic sauteed beef tenderloin lomo saltado or the Josper-baked rice with shrimp, octopus and calamari. For dessert, enjoy suspero limeño egg yolk custard or milhojas fresa pastry with vanilla cream and berries.

Tacos Atarantados

Originally from Mexico, Tacos Atarantados is a casual cocktail bar and taqueria in Wynwood with authentic plates, serious flavors and a carnivorous approach. The concept is known for its juicy, marinated meats cooked on a trompo, the iconic Mexican method of slow-roasting on a vertical rotisserie.

When it’s offered: The $40 Miami Spice lunch menu is available all week long.

What we’re ordering: Start with the papas enchiladas con carne fries smothered in carne asada or the frijoles Atarantados bean stew with bacon and chorizo. Then choose two tacos, including sliced beef ribeye in a flour tortilla, slow-cooked suadero beef in a corn tortilla and sliced beef ribeye in a flour tortilla with a gooey cheese crust. For dessert, it’s your choice between the churro or the dulce de leche truffle taco.