Miami's Best Cuban Coffee: Five Places to Fuel Up

By Miami New Times Staff Wed., Jan. 25 2012 at 9:11 AM

It's the crack of dawn and somehow you are hearing roosters crow though you are nowhere near a farm. You have a crazy morning ahead dealing with an especially difficult client and you realize the rooster you hear crowing is actually your brain periodically sobbing inside your head. A cup of coffee would help, but el Americano no vale.

Coffee is an indelible aspect of Cuban, and by extension, Miami culture. Cuban coffee is usually made from Bustelo or Pilon, both owned by Miami-based Rowland Coffee Roasters, a company founded by a family of Cuban exiles. There is no shortage of places in the area to find an acceptable cup of coffee. But what do you do when just "acceptable" won't cut it?

You visit one of these:

Photo by Kareem Shaker

5. La Carreta
Popular for its varying, yet very affordable specials menu, La Carreta has been stuffing patron's faces with delicious Cuban coffee since the first location opened its doors in 1972. Now with eight locations (including an airport café at Miami International) sprawled all over Miami and South Broward Counties, it's even more convenient to get your colada fix. Though not outrageous, La Carreta's prices are slightly higher than the remaining four on the list, but the stuff comes in larger cups.

Photo by Kareem Shaker

4. El Pub
Family owned and operated in the heart of Little Havana, El Pub takes you from the streets of Miami to the heart of pre-Castro Cuba in just a few steps. Pictures of 1950's Cuba, a hand-painted mural of the island and baseball posters advertising assorted teams litter the walls. The coffee beans are cooked and ground on the premises for an unmistakably genuine flavor. The coffee and steamed milk always come separate in large cups, allowing you to mix and blend as you please.

Location Info

Venue

Map

La Carreta

8650 Bird Road, Miami, FL

Category: Restaurant

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Tags:

Casa Larios, El Cristo, El Pub, Islas Canarias, La Carreta

We Recommend

J Billa

Epy Cafe formerly known as CJ's Cafe located in the heart of North Bay Village's Treasure Island is one of the BEST cups of cafe con leche and cuban coffee I have ever had the pleasure of drinking. Not to mention the most delicious empanadas in the entire universe. Nobody comes close. GVP for life!

Whatugot_4me

Nothing like a good cup of coffee to help recover from a long night.. which is the case anytime I am in Miami.. nice work!!!!

Robert

Great information! I really like the layout and the easy breakdown of this article. Great job Kareem Shaker

Worldmediamanagement

Your story is lacking updated information. The world of Cuban Coffee changed about a year ago when the owners of Pilon/Bustelo sold their company to jelly manufacturing giant Smuckers. Since that time, the blend of the coffee has been diluted and the service aspects became a headache for coffee shops and restaurants. They fired many long time employees and replaced them with folks that know nothing about the Cuban Coffee Business.

Along comes All Coffee Company. They are now one of the leading Cuban Coffee Roasters and sellers in the market. They have taken over some of the key Cuban Coffee locations like Versailles and La Carreta and are growing by leaps and bounds, replacing the rapidly fading Bustelo/Pilon Brand. They have partnered with food distribution giant Sysco to make their brand reach a wider customer base and are also growing in the retail market through Navarro's Stores and Sedanos Markets.

Worldmediamanagement

Adbe33015

you forgot David's cafe!!!

Ha!

In the Bank Atlantic building in Brickell there is a cafeteria that makes the BOMBEST coffee I have had the pleasure to try. They do it with love. For real. AND you can choose between like 3 different sugars. My workday is highly more unenjoyable if I don't pass by there.

It is the 3rd cafeteria in the building btw!

Chris H.

Rojo Cuban Coffee Company downtown Miami across from Lime has awesome coffee as well. There "Mama's Cortadito" is delicious.

anon_e_m00se

Generally agree but Sergio's has some good cafe con leche. For me it's generally La Carreta or Islas but I'll drink the stuff from almost any window around the County.

anon1

Who cares. Five parts sugar, one part coffee. Yuck.

NikkiH

Sadly, you left out a relative newcomer, downtown's Roho Cuban Coffee on Flagler Street across from Macy's. Not only is their coffee outstanding, but the folks who run the place are super-friendly and efficient. It's truly an oasis and I am hopeful that downtowners will embrace it properly.

Robert

I disagree I use to have my office on 223 east flagler and visited there and it was not worth mentioning.