The First Restaurant I Visit Every Time I Land In Miami

The best restaurant in Miami to introduce yourself to Cuban cuisine.

There’s nothing worse than being hangry while traveling. My two-and-a-half-hour flight from DC to Miami sounds bearable, but it’s not just those couple of hours one has to bear through. There’s waking up early to arrive two hours before boarding, getting through the dreaded TSA, and finally arriving but then having to deal with long car rental lines. By the time my boyfriend and I get into our rental, we have one thing on our mind; Food. And not just any food, Versailles food.

Versailles is a cultural landmark that sits proudly on Calle Ocho with a giant sign proclaiming it as The World’s Most Famous Cuban Restaurant. It’s a restaurant, cafe, and bakery all in one offering traditional Cuban cuisine. Upon approaching the restaurant, Cubans and tourists alike chat outside the cafe with their cafecitos and pastries. Feet anxiously tap and voices rise as the caffeine energizes the customers.

I was introduced to this restaurant on my very first Miami trip. It was 2014, I was eighteen years old, and touring around Calle Ocho with my mom and family friend. I remember the noticeably different atmosphere waiting for a table there versus one back home. The loud chatter of parties that hovered around the hostess overshadowed my usual experience of quiet restaurant goers in Maryland. However, the large portion sizes and endless options of traditional Cuban foods were unforgettable. Year after year I’d return with my boyfriend for fancy date nights or casual lunches.

This year’s Miami trip is the first time it had a quiet feel since we arrived on a random weekday. We waited on the front checker floored terrace and snapped some pictures to distract from our hunger. I could already taste the oxtail and croquettes in my taste buds. I swear I started salivating from the excitement alone. “Carlos!” The hostess finally called out and broke us out of our famished daze. We rushed forward alongside another party… also named Carlos. We were swiftly rejected as they entered.  Any minute now I thought to myself for comfort. “Carlos!” This time we knew it was our turn. We strode into the vintage French decor reminiscent of Cuba’s old glam aesthetic. The sea of velvet green chairs created a decadent ambiance that calmed our starving minds. With fewer customers, the mirrored walls enlarged the space that glistened under a golden ceiling and sparkling chandeliers.

We began with fresh watermelon juice to quench our parched mouths. I sipped down the red-pink drink as if it were an elixir that I never wanted to end. Fresh juice has never tasted so gratifying after two hours spent in a lagging car rental line. The cool sweetness dissipated my hangry mood long enough to wait for my favorite Cuban appetizer; croquetas. Croquetas are rolls of finely ground meat deep-fried in a crispy breaded crust and are worth every crunch!

My eager fingers meet the bumpy crisp cylinder not caring which meat I’d have first. . A modest grin forms as I slowly bring the steaming treat to my mouth. To my surprise, it’s a delicious chicken croquette. After my first bite, I struggled to contain the joy of my first croquette in over a year. I giggle quietly to myself as Carlos stares at me; admired yet slightly confused.  My joy follows as I munch through the pork and codfish croquette.  

Our first Miami meal is not over yet as Carlos and I still have our entree. It’s a no-brainer that oxtail, rice, and plantain would be the most savory and filling dish for us. It’s a meat that is to be devoured and sucked off the bone, sauce and all. The oxtail arrives in a deep dish steaming in its savory brown gravy. The rice and plantain glisten in a separate round plate. I instinctively dip my spoon into the oxtail sauce and pour it onto the mound of rice so it’s nice and flavored to pair with my meat and plantain. Carlos and I allowed the aroma to greet us before digging in. Bite by bite I dig my fork into the oxtail, rice, then plantain in rotation until there’s barely any meat on the tailbone. That’s when it’s time to suck off the remaining bits off of the bone, to be officially done. 

The difference in our energy when arriving as opposed to leaving was like night and day. Our heavy-lidded eyes were now bright and our disheveled walk became light. Versailles lifted away our weariness through its luscious setting and wafts of savory food. The pleasure of having a restaurant where you can eat all the treats you’d eat at home as a kid never gets old. 

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