2.5 stars because of the horrible bathrooms, but since yelp doesn't let us give half stars for reviews, I'm rounding up for the food & service. My visit to La Carreta on Calle Ocho was an experience of all sorts, to say the least. I was likely drawn by the big restaurant sign, advertising "CUBAN CUISINE" and the colorful rooster statue at the foot of the stairs to the entrance. The venue, itself, is a good size, giving the impression that it welcomes plenty of patrons at a time. With its wood fixtures and clay-like roofing, guests are immersed in a diner with a hacienda-style setting. The eatery can house many with its plenty tables, booths, and bar seating, each set with paper placemats. Think Denny's in Havana. To add to the setting, the warm and friendly staff is mostly Spanish-speaking and their menus are also fully written in Spanish. No worries, though - gringos can request for an English version. The extensive menu offers classic Cuban fare at bargain prices. Expect large portions on the plates. For a fast, inexpensive dinner or lunch, it's pretty decent [diner] food and your tummy will agree...as long as you avoid the restroom. So yeah, the food and service are good, but the bathrooms are FILTHY & DISGUSTING. Who wants to see unflushed toilets of dung in bathrooms of eateries?! I nearly vomited the lunch I had just eaten...and I'm getting nauseous now from writing about this memory, GROSS! Seriously, I left the restaurant traumatized and with a queasy stomach. Hopefully, the bathrooms are not terrible on a regular basis. read more

La Carreta - From front to back; Vaca Frita, Frijoles Negros, Ensalada "La Carreta" - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

The food was average. The ice tea did not taste like ice tea. The drinks came to the table with no ice almost. The waitress Aliane A kept bringing things on her tray but would never serve them on our table. I ordered a Coke, brought it with her, but never served the coke ... she walked away with it! She kept stopping to talk to a gentlemen across the room and was standing there just comfy chatting without even checking with us to see if we needed anything. She brought the bread basket at the end when we had already finished our meal. Awful service! read more

La Carreta - Worst waitress in Miami!! - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

Food was excellent. Wait was 20 minutes our server was very polite . We were at Versailles across the street and the wait was 2 hours. The food is the same at our hotel the guy that checked us in recommended this place. So glad he did excellent. read more

La Carreta - Cuban Calle Ocho Sandwich - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

Mi primera visita a La Carreta superó mis expectativas, especialmente en cuanto a precios. Un sándwich cubano de pan con lechón costó solo $8 y era tan grande que entre dos fue suficiente. La relación calidad-precio es excelente. Además, disfrutamos de un café y postre, y la cuenta final fue muy razonable. Es un lugar ideal para almorzar, con buenos precios y un servicio excelente. El ambiente también es muy divertido. Definitivamente, La Carreta es una opción destacada para comer en la zona. read more

La Carreta - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

Quick service with good food and good prices. Very authentic cuban food and atmosphere. read more

La Carreta - The La Carreta Sandwich - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

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I was craving a Cuban breakfast when I decided to visit Little Havana. Everything here from the Cafe con Leche to breakfast was flavorful and amazingly priced. Our server was welcoming and attentive throughout. The guava and guava and cheese pastries are a must try. read more

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Cuban classic in the heart of Calle ocho. We stopped in for a light breakfast and got exactly what we wanted. Be forewarned, service is notoriously slow at this location but it was fine for us since we weren't in a hurry. The place feels like an old-school diner in a lot of ways but I love it. Café con leche was hot, strong & sweet, pastelitos de carne were flaky and delicious, and the tostada was perfect. Can't go wrong with breakfast here! read more

La Carreta - Pastelitos de carne - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

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"La Carreta" is #1 place you should visit to have a taste of Miami! This is an incredible Cuban cuisine you definitely should try! Love the vibe and customer service is amazing! Our server Eriel was so wonderful! Thank you so much we can't be happier! Can't wait to be back! read more

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Excellent food. Excellent pricing and that grandma homemade feeling. The service, food and ambiance never disappoint. Always visit the Calle 8 location when visiting Miami. read more

We love La Carreta, whenever we come into Miami, we make sure to go here. The food is so tasty, starting with the Cuban bread all the way through to the Tres Leches. read more

Last night I passed by and purchased a Cuban sandwich, which undoubtedly is the worse I have ever ever attempted to eat. Gone are the times of amazing delicious sandwiches. Only the memories of those glory years linger. Adding insult to shame, I found remains of wax paper, which means it was premaHow sad. I highly recommend that you go somewhere else. As for myself I will never go back. read more

Food was honestly meh. Primary ordered came out okay, nothing that I would rave about. Secondary meal items were cold at best and unenjoyable. waiter took forever to bring the food and forget most of what we ordered. read more

Food was serve cold not fresh .My husbands food was also cold . Waitress needs training in being attentive with patrons

This place is really good if you like Cuban food, have also another kind of plates. The amount of the food is big and the taste is very good, the environment is nice and a little quiet, maybe because was Monday night, the service is good but it could be better. And one important detail, you get the food really fast read more

La Carreta - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

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As a tourist I must say the food was good that we ate at the restaurant . The food...however the older woman that took our order at that to go window was horrible very short tempered ; if you asked about the food and what it consisted of she would be very annoyed. Customer Service was not good at all. Horrible! read more

Wow!!! Amazing!!! The food is great. This is truly authentic Cuban food. The ropa veija was absolutely fantastic. The service was also amazing. Nothing fancy. Just very simply great Cuban food. I would definitely eat here again. read more

Stoppped by for a quick breakfast to La Carreta on a Saturday morning around 11am. We got seated right away. Although service and food was prompt, the food did not meet expectations. read more

La Carreta - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

LocatedAcross the street from Versailles on 8th street. Has not been updated in a while. Quick service good Cuban food. Not as touristy or as nice as Versailles. read more

Meh, just ok. It's been ages that we don't go to La Carreta. I guess it's a good thing, because typically that's where we go after a service at the funeral home. We went in the other day, on a weekend, for a late lunch/ early dinner. It was fairly full, but we were seated right away. We got water right away, then the server came to take our order. She seemed a bit frustrated that we were not all ready to order at that exact moment. So I guess she figured that she would make us wait longer than necessary once we were ready. While taking our order, she would not even look at us. she was constantly scanning the room. The food came out fairly quick though, but she was busy chatting with other servers to even bother checking on satisfaction. On to the food. Not much to say really. Everything was pretty bland. I ordered Vaca Frita which pretty much didn't taste like anything. My husband's pork chunks were dry, but did have a bit of flavor. One day, I will figure out the difference between Moros & Congri. We got the red bean variety and the white rice would probably have more flavor. The best thing we had? Was my granddaughter's grilled cheese sandwich! read more

This place its been in location for decades compare to other Cuban restaurants in area food average.Now when it comes to their coffee best in town they even have their own coffee brand name carreta read more

Came for breakfast! Loved it and love their portions! Apparently all of their plates are huge portions. Looking at everything coming out of the kitchen proved it! Everything looks great. Got to come back! read more

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They have excellent food and the absolute BEST cordatitos ever. I recommend the Cuban sampler and the oxtail!

The restaurant hosts immediately evaluate customers for whether or not they are high tip value ...I don't mind except I am seated at crappy tables in the bar (I assure you I am the actual over tipper-by far) this is not the worst of it- not only is this profiling, but the food is actually hideous...don't waste your time and money - seriously! read more

OK, I love Cuban food. I eat it every chance I get in my hometown of Austin TX. And, here I was - finally in Little Havana in Miami - at the Valhalla of Cuban food. I was expecting it to be amazing. What I got was, on pretty much all points, worse than the Cuban food I can get in Austin. (whaaaaaaaat? you say. I said it, too.). Honestly, so disappointing. The yuca con mojo was gluey. The vaca frita was dried out. The congris was somehow tasteless. The camarones al ajillo had some gloppy sauce, and even the Cuban sandwich was boring / sub-par to one I'd gotten in the Austin *airport.*. What the actual heck?? The only standouts in the entire meal were the maduros and the meat-filled croquetas appetizers. Also, they had some nice cocktails, including a particularly good spicy margarita and guava mojito. But, come on, La Carreta, please live up to your rep!! read more

Always delicious Cuban food Nice to see not much changes.... The chicken and the wagon wheels are still outside....and the food still tastes the same We had arroz con pollo and ropa vieja. For authentic Cuban food this is the place. read more

What happened? Pretty much horrible. Cold food. Wasn't a full rest either. Should have give across the street. Picadillo was a cold mess floating in oil. The Moros were so old it was pretty gross how the grease stuck the roof of your mouth. The tamale... Dios mío... corn in a corn husk. No meat and not seasoned. What happened? Really read more

La Carreta - Meatless unseasoned corn in a husk which were made last week and Microwaved tonight. - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

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Dining at La Carreta in Miami's Little Havana is such a treat. My bf and I went at nighttime at around 9 pm on a weekday and service was still impeccable and fast! The ambiance was better than a diner (made it seem like it was a night out) but there was a homey and casual vibe thanks to the helpful Spanish speaking employees, unique decorations, and fun salsa music. The menu is fairly priced (with the exception of the churrasco we ordered - which was at MP). The food we ordered was authentically Cuban, vibrantly tasteful, and felt like home cooking. Would definitely go again, be sure to try out the batido de mamey and the classic arroz blanco con frijoles negros! read more

I went with the family after leaving MIA, trying to kill time while waiting for rush hour to subside. My guests had the churrasco and I shared a pan con lechon with my Maritza. I'm guessing the pork had been on dry heat for hours as it was barely edible, tough, and quite dry. Definitely, not delicious. Also, the bread seemed old and hard. Barely any onions and no mayo to be seen. Asking for some onions, seemed like a great bother. Other than that the waiter was accommodating and was tipped properly. My guests enjoyed the churrasco, but I believe it was subpar. There are too many good places on Calle Ocho to go here. Over $100 for a sandwich, 2 churrasco, and 3 beer. Find another place Publix would be a great choice for a delicious sandwich read more

This is my absolute favorite place to go for Cuban food. I use to purposefully fly American airlines to eat at the airport location. I love everything but, my favorite dish is the imperial rice. Give La Carreta a try! read more

La Carreta - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

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My husband was craving some authentic Cuban food. So, we stopped by La Carreta. It was not a busy time and we were seated quickly. Unfortunately, they didn't serve what my husband wanted, which was a liver steak. He ordered masitas, and I ordered lechon asado. Hot butter Cuban bread came quickly and we were patiently waiting for our food. Once our food came, I noticed that my food was lukewarm. Some of the pieces of pork were not hot enough to be soft, and I noticed some grease started to get hardened. I had to ask our waiter to heat the food. He took my plate and came back with warm food. However, it was still not hot. But I was hungry and I ate it like it. I guess they make food ahead and don't bother to heat up? I was a bit disappointed. I go to the restaurant to eat hot food....not lukewarm ones. The flavor was ok. My husband seemed to enjoy his food. I am not sure this incident is due to short staff like everywhere else. But if this is their standard now, I won't go back. read more

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This is an original for me !!! Authentic ropa vieja with right rice and beans !!! Yummmy go try it

Ok, let's get some facts out of the way. Yes. I am crazy. Why? Because I will drive from Boynton Beach to Miami so I can eat at this place. Cuban food is among my top 3. I love Cuban restaurants, the energy of the people, servers, and just the atmosphere as a whole just re-energizes me in addition to the amazing food. I'm a pretty loyal dude. So if I like a place, yes I can try different dishes in different places but I'll come and visit your place again if I like your food. What can I tell ya, I'm a renaissance guy. The servers are all nice, if your server doesn't come to your table to check up on you then another one picks up and checks on you, I love that. So you're never feeling neglected. Sitting at the table is the first step, you get pieces of cuban bread which I can live on. Delicious! I ordered the Vaca Frita. I've been to a few cuban restaurants but the Vaca Frita from here, according to my palate, takes the food Oscars. I indulged heavily in sin while here. Cuban bread, Vaca Frita, glass of water, Jupiña to wash it down AND a Tres Leches!! Lawd! I couldn't breathe afterwards, even unbuttoning my jeans didn't help. But it was worth it. The dopamine spike of satisfaction was pure bliss. Amazing food Energetic Environment Great Service Satisfaction Being able to breathe after eating read more

La Carreta - La Carrera - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

For starters, it's been about a year or two since I've ordered from this location. One, I asked to add bread to my order when I arrived, she said it comes from the kitchen like that and she can't change anything. Fine. No issue except when she kept giving me excuses when I'm just trying to pay. Go outside and try and order bread, woman was too busy closing out tabs than to take my order. Waited almost five minutes as she ignored me, left. Then I get home, missing item. When I called they kept asking to give credit or to drive back for the coffee. Was on hold for almost ten minutes. This place has gone the drain. read more

I went with my family and the service was terrible the forgot on of the orders and then I spent 30 minutes watching everybody eat while I starve. Terrible service read more

Best espresso on the planet earth! Empanadas are absolutely lit! Please make sure to ask about the coffees before ordering they are very informative Everyone at the patio are regulars and they make you feel like family! read more

La Carreta - Cortadito + Cafe con Leche - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

Such a great experience here!! The ropa vieja was good. the future was a little bland. The flan was great also. But the best part of this restaurant was our waitress, Adriana!!!! read more

La Carreta - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

Went to La Carreta and asked what they recommended as I haven't been here for a while. They stated the churrasco, as it is a house specialty. I said "sure! Medium please". When it arrived I was excited. It looked great. It turned out to be very overcooked and tasted terrible. Literally the worst churrasco I've ever had in my life. The margarita was good. This review has one star due to the margarita. The waitress arrived, saw I hadn't even touched the churrasco but had eaten the plantains and the rice and black beans that i ordered and didn't even care to ask me what was wrong with the steak. The apathy was palpable. I just asked for the check and left. Don't go here, they don't care. I will not be returning. It's a shame because I've had La Carreta many times before. I guess the quality just didn't recover after Covid. I left a $5.00 tip on a $40.00 tab and I usually tip at least 20% to 25%. It was an almost complete disappointment. They phoned it in... read more

Unfortunately the food was not great. I had a bistec empanzado with yellow rice and plantains. My daughter had a papaya smoothie and a fricase de pollo. The food quality was just not there. The meat was chewy and hard and my daughter ended up with diarrhea the next day. Servers were nice, but not really attentive. The ambience was also ok. I remember this being a great restaurant once, but now it just seems dated and not really worth coming back to. read more

Traveling through, I figured I would go where the locals eat, definitely not a tourist trap, the food and coffee were very good and authentic atmosphere read more

La Carreta - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

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I've been to this place two times and great food good service on both occasion Also great sangria read more