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Playa Cafe

4.2 (624 reviews)
InexpensiveCuban, Latin American
Open 7:00 am - 4:00 AM (Next day)
Updated 3 months ago

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Playa Cafe Photos

Business Info

PLAYA CAFE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Divey
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Playa Cafe

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Menu 1
Alysha J.

Look no further for authentic Cuban food. It gives diner vibes. Order to eat in for a quick bite or order to go. They give a discount to state employees so it is always busy but the food is cooked quickly. Perfection takes time. They are my go to breakfast spot in Miami. If the Cuban sandwich had a MOJO sauce it would be a 5!! I like my sandwich saucy and moist. My family all loved their Cubano as they were.

Cuban sandwich combo.
Raul O.

Good place to eat in Miami Beach and affordable prices as well. Love the Cuban sandwiches. Recommend this little gem. Popular with locals and tourists. Check them out.

cuban sandwich
Christopher M.

stopped by for a quick breakfast and probably had one of the best cuban sandwiches ever! prices are super cheap too given the location. worker was very kind and also referred to me as papá which was nice

Pupusa
Julia M.

Very unassuming place, but had delicious cheese pupusas! The ladies were very friendly and kind, and the bathroom was clean.

Cortadito
Clarissa V.

I'm back in after 10 years and it's as delicious and super local as usual. Came back for lunch later with my partner too. Cortadito and juices are always my favorite stop here with out all the tourists and touristy prices

best tamale in miami
Jason C.

Best cafe in Miami. Go get your pastele tamale fix. Also, good soup. Make sure to get a tamale before they sell out.

a man sitting at a counter with a beverage dispenser
Reshonda S.

I went to this cafe late Sunday night, around 10:30pm. They are very reasonably priced compared to other places. We ordered the steak plate (comes with 3 sides per order) and the chicken breast plate. The food tasted great. The chicken was a little dry, but the spicy sauce and flavorful rice makes up for it. The steak was very good. I would have loved to return for their fresh squeezed juice the next day, but service was not good. The two-star rating is for the service. The food is a 4, the service was a 1. I didn't feel welcome in this restaurant. Not one server spoke upon arrival or while sitting at the bar for 15 minutes. We went to the register to order, and the woman was snippy and not friendly. We waited 30-40 minutes for the food, then I noticed that it had been sitting on the back counter for 10 minutes before she finally brought it over. Not sure what the purpose of the unfriendliness was, as we waited quietly and patiently; but I will not return. There are too many other Cuban options around the corner.

Menu
Dani G.

EVERYTHING WAS AMAZING HERE! I read reviews before going here and I had pretty decent expectations but wow what an incredible find. This is authentic and flavorful. The staff were kind and welcoming. From the outside looking in, it doesn't look like much but absolutely immaculate food. I have zero complaints and there's nothing I can think of that would have made it better. I will definitely return here when I visit Miami again.

Menu
KayAnna S.

A chill location to experience great Cuban food in South Beach. Easy to walk to and there is Bar top seating or you could easily take it to go. Everyone is extremely friendly and make great suggestions! Most agree that you can't go wrong with any option. I loved my chicken fajitas and the butter avocado and fresh tortilla gave it the extra mile. The fajita sauce was just too good. The yellow rice was a great side, very fresh rice too. My friends had the Cuban and chicken sandwiches. Both loved them and I definitely enjoyed the Cuban sandwich as well. Honestly you can't go wrong with any choice.

Philly Cheese Steak
Natalie J.

This is your typical mama y papa estilo Cubano sandwich shop. None of the South Beach I'm in Miami fufu vibes but on some real authentic Cubano vibe with the ladies cracking jokes and chisme behind the counter as you drink your cafecito con leche. We had the Philly Cheesesteak and the Sandwich Cubano. Both hearty and filling, reasonably priced without breaking the bank, and more satisfying than some of the other high priced restaurants nearby. You can tell its a local spot as the ladies behind the counter knew the customers by name and by order. I even got to know the man they call "El Profesor." Listen, whoever this man was, it was a moment and the ladies there love giving him a hard time in the most we appreciate and love you manner. To be a regular here would be nice. It's not fancy by any means, and is quite small with counter space in two areas. Def a place that is busy in the morning but so glad we tried it. Menu is large, I don't think you can go wrong with anything and there is def something there for everybody. We ordered a side of plantains and even that was enough to share with 4 people. They weren't sweet but that has nothing to do with establishment. May not have been the season yet for them. A place I'd come back to after a night of dancing to get a morning fix and cafe con chisme.

Chicken Soft Tacos
Genesis T.

This family owned and operated Playa Cafe offers excellent home style cooking food, and friendly customer service thats populat to locals and tourists alike. Located in the heart of South Beach, this is an excellent choice if you're craving for Caribbean, Latin, Spanish, Cuban anf Central American Cuisine. They also serve their breakfast combos with fresh coffee choices and freshly squeezed orange juice. They also serve sandwiches, tacos, tamales, wraps, salads, croquetas, empanadas and desserts like flan, caramel cakes, arroz con leche, bread pudding and tres leches. One of my favorit meql is the Arroz con Calamares which is just rice cooked with squid meat and squid ink. It is very tasty and the meat is cooked to perfection. Beef and Chicken Fajitas were good too and it is served with your choice of 2 sides with these to chiose from, white rice, yellow rice, salad, plantain, french fries and black beans It is located in 15th Street Washington Avenue, a few minutes walk from the beach, hotels and Lincoln Road Shopping Center.

Jacqueline F.

We were in South Beach and needed breakfast but wanted someplace low key and not really foofoo but still wanted that South Beach vibe. Get my drift? We found this little hole in the wall restaurant that was literally right around the corner from our hotel on Collins Ave but tucked away so it wasn't too busy. Definitely a locals spot! If you're looking for a good Cuban breakfast place that's nice on the pockets, you found the right place. We were pleasantly surprised by how good the food was here. My husband got the steak and eggs with a side of beans, plantain, and fried cheese. Delicious! I had to make him share with me because I just got bacon and eggs lol. Their bread was also surprisingly good - just buttered and toasted to perfection. Their orange juice is freshly squeezed along with the smoothies that they offer. I would definitely come here again!!

Cool sign  Translation in English  If you drink to forget,them you need to pay first. lol
Chris C.

Walking the Miami south beach area looked up playa ...on yelp GB PS sent me down the street...had to check out...stop by while taco hoping..order the 3 tacos with meat and a corona beer shared with wife was very tasty and service was very polite and courteous . Their breakfast menu looks good I want to try..if I get a chance when I am in Miami...and the price is right for area

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6 months ago

Miami Beach's hidden gem! EXCELLENT, FLAVORFUL and AFFORDABLE FOOD!! I recommend the Pupusas, Baleadas, Ceibenos, Carne Asada and Sancocho!!

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Havana Vieja Latin Restaurant Miami Beach - Havana Vieja - Latin Restaurant Miami Beach

Havana Vieja Latin Restaurant Miami Beach

(673 reviews)

$$

Awesome tacos! Great staff and service. We cant wait to return for happy hour!!!…read more Cute decor and expansive menu. Definitely something for everyone's taste

This was my last sit down restaurant stop before returning home. Two of my closest friends…read morerecommended I come here, and so I was excited for my friends and I to try it. We were happily greeted when we arrived and told we could sit wherever we liked. There are plenty of tables outside and inside, and I hear it gets busy. Thank goodness it was a Monday early afternoon. We grabbed a nice table outside among a bunch of Cuban neon signs and pictures. At the time we came, we could choose between breakfast and lunch. I decided to get the Cuban breakfast with a guava smoothie. The platter was a 5 out of 5 for me. I loved the pork belly, the eggs, the potatoes, and the salad! And the smoothie was refreshing, though I wish there was an option to mix the flavors. Do you know how good a mango guava smoothie would have been?! My girlfriend got the same thing that I did, but they completely forgot it. She didn't receive hers until 15 minutes later... And though it seems like a simple request, they would not honor her request to swap out the potatoes for toast. They offered a free dessert which was nice due to the error, but we agreed we've had way better tres leches cake, haha. That incident aside, the restaurant was very nice. I hear they have live salsa on some nights and I know It gets busy. I would love to check that out sometime!

Havana 1957

Havana 1957

(3.9k reviews)

$$

If you're debating whether to eat at Havana 1957, let me save you some time: go hungry and wear…read morestretchy pants. We ordered the Cuban sandwich and the Cuban burger, and honestly both were dangerously good. The Cuban sandwich was exactly what you hope for -- crispy bread, perfectly pressed, packed with flavor, and the kind of sandwich that makes you pause mid-bite and just nod at the person across from you like "yep... this was the right decision." The Cuban burger was also fantastic -- juicy, flavorful, and big enough that you start questioning whether you should have skipped breakfast. The area around the restaurant was great too. Nice vibe, good energy, and perfect for walking around before or after eating... which you will probably need to do after finishing that burger. The servers were good -- friendly, attentive, and thankfully didn't judge us for attacking the food like we hadn't eaten in three business days. Overall the place has a fun atmosphere, great Cuban comfort food, and the kind of menu that makes you want to come back just to try the things you didn't order the first time. Highly recommend... just be prepared to leave full and slightly considering a nap. 10/10 would happily destroy another Cuban sandwich there again.

Una cosa que no nos pareció fue que cuando pedimos mesa, la hostes nos preguntó si teníamos…read morereservación y le dijimos que no. Dijo que no había mesa disponible y ya, no salió de ella decir quieren ponerse en la lista de espera para una mesa oh algo. Nada, nosotras fuimos que le dijimos que si nos podía poner en la lista si no, creo que no nos hubiera ofrecido mesa. Pero a pesar de eso la comida estuvo deliciosa. Era mi primera vez comiendo comida cubana y wow estuvo riquísimo. También era mi primera vez probando el lechón y estuvo fenomenal. Todo muy rico y el mesero muy atento y amable con nosotras.

YUCA 105 - Combo dessert

YUCA 105

(447 reviews)

$$$

I chose Yuca 105 for our first girl's night out in Miami Beach. What a great way to kick off our…read morevacation! The fusion of Peruvian and Cuban was excellent and the atmosphere was sexy and vibrant. I had to try their piscojito cocktail which is a fusion of a mojito and pisco sour. Loved it!! We got a variety of dishes to share: octopus appetizer (Revolucion de Pulpo), Inka Maki (an interesting octopus roll), traditional ceviche, a chicken dish and the skirt steak (Churrasco a lo Pobre). Everything was excellent and teaming with nuances of flavors. The only gripe is the chicken was a bit dry but still good. As the evening progressed, live singing and music commenced. They were a talented pair singing song requests. The ambience and stage here make this place fun and also perfect for a date. Our server and staff was also very friendly, upbeat and solicitous. I would love to return and repeat this experience next time I'm in Miami Beach!

Below average. Super disappointing. Cuban and Peruvian clearly don't mix well. The lomo saltado was…read morejust odd, meat was chewy and under seasoned. The ceviche was average ( we tried 4), ropa vieja also average. Jalea again average and unremarkable. The most disappointing and borderline disgusting was the tacu tacu, fish wasn't fresh, scallops were chewy and under cooked. Overall a shame when compared to the highly superior Ceviche 105. Yuck. Stay away. Don't waste your money. Manager was rude as hell. Apparently we are wrong in not liking plates of dog shit.

Mehzcla Restaurant South Beach

Mehzcla Restaurant South Beach

(57 reviews)

We were looking for something quick, easy, and very local to where we were staying in South Beach…read moreafter dropping big coin the night before. I did a search on Yelp and came across Mehzcla which had a number of high rated reviews. I always read the bad reviews to see what people are complaining about but do so with a grain of salt. The complaints were regarding service and price, which I will address. Mehzcla is the hotel restaurant for the Lord Balfour and consists of patio seating and seats in the lobby and lobby bar. The night we went, there was bartender/server and another server handling the restaurant. It wasn't terribly busy and looked like a number of people were just having drinks on the patio where we sat which provided great people watching on Ocean Drive. They have a happy hour with $10 mixed drinks, appetizers, and meals that runs until 8 pm. The restaurant is billed as Latin but I'd say it was more of pub fare with maybe a Latin flare. The two servers rotated taking care of us and were polite, friendly, but hard to find from time to time. We ordered mixed drinks which could have used more alcohol but were tasty. I had a mescal margherita with a spiced rim (which I had to request and describe). Had the hot fried chicken sandwich and had no complaints about the chicken. The sandwich came with fries which were pretty good. Only complaint is that I like to have my fries spiced up, which most restaurants can accommodate. I asked the server for my fries to be spiced and gave several options on how to do it. Fries came out plain with no explanation why my request was not accommodated. Had the churros for dessert. Three large churros covered in cinnamon sugar with chocolate and Carmel dipping sauce. The churros were good except one was a little over cooked. It was an ok experience for something quick and not having to spend a ton of money. Still much better options in SoBe.

This is a nice little place just off the beach. Connected to the Balfour hotel. I got the chicken…read moreflatbread which has hummus in it. It was very good. Fair warning it does get a bit messy. The service was very good and they don't hesitant to give you various options. Great place for people watching on a nice patio if you like being outside.

Playa Cafe - cuban - Updated May 2026

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