As of late May, right around the corner to E11even, is the unlikeliest of newcomers: All Day, part coffee house, part restaurant, and part aspirant game changer.
The brainchild of Panther Coffee alum and 2014 Eater Young Gun, Camila Ramos, along with Chris MacLeod (who owns neighboring The Corner), All Day's airy, minimalist vibe is a stark contrast to its surroundings — let alone the glitz of Miami in general. Outfitted with mismatched vintage glasses, reclaimed branches slung from the ceiling, and golden flatware, the decor looks like it fell right out of an Instagram picture.
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[Interior of All Day]
Walking into the space, it’s hard to miss the green neon sign that serves as a menu and lights up the ten different coffee options, which read as one liners: Double Shot, Pour Over, Nitro, #2 & Milk and so on. They are basic descriptors of their preparation style, whether it is espresso-based drink, like the double shot, or a more traditional brew, such as the pour over. But as Ramos or any of the baristas will explain, they are much more than that.
"Our coffee menu is intended to find the exact drink that someone wants," Ramos tells Eater. "For example, the ‘#2 & MILK' is designed to guide a guest to the exact coffee to milk ratio they want, as well as their preferred texture of milk," she adds, referring to the double espresso shot based drink, which the #2 was named after.
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[Coffee counter at All Day]
Speaking of milk texture, it’s a thing and alive and well at All Day. Upon ordering, guests are walked through the coffee process by a very well-educated barista, and offered the option of going more "wet," which Ramos describes is more milky preparation, while "dry" has more "microfoam" — different than the "styrofoam" type milk you can find as certain mass retailers around town, Ramos adds.
But it’s all not serious coffee. Some of the most popular drinks are iced and somewhat quirky options. Standouts for the summer months include the "Royal Tea," which is created with coffee fruit peel (the shell of the coffee bean), cane sugar, and evaporated milk that's all pushed through nitrogen to help create a creamy texture. Ramos adds that the surprise hit is All Day’s rotating mystery drink, currently the rosemary cold brew limeade, which has been so in-demand it might just become a permanent staple on the menu. And the menu isn't all coffee either. Tea, freshly made juice, and snowcones are also available; beer, and an extensive champagne menu will arrive in the coming weeks.
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[Clockwise from top: custom La Marzocco Strada espresso machine, rosemary cold brew limeade, #2 & Milk]
Self-dubbed as a "multi-roaster coffee shop," All Day sources small-batch beans from across the globe. Camber from Washington, Spyhouse from Minnesota, Counter Culture from North Carolina, Revelator from Alabama, Toby’s Estate from New York, and Per’la from Florida are among the current roster.
Coffees are prepared on the largest La Marzocco Strada espresso machine in the world
Coffees are prepared on the largest La Marzocco Strada espresso machine in the world, which was custom made just for All Day. Decked out in gold detailing and the store's dragon logo, the machine allows for meticulous pressure control as the shot pours. Ramos explains that this helps create a very exact extraction process and espresso texture.
But one of the biggest surprises is the extensive food menu that All Day offers. The full kitchen cranks out an egg-heavy all-day menu created by Charles Lutka, who previously did stints at New York's Michelin-starred Marea and at Gigi in Miami before coming to All Day.
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[Food spread at All Day]
Two egg sandwiches are the most popular menu items. The first, "One-Handed", is made with a marbled egg, housemade sage sausage and served on a homemade English muffin. The other, "Runny & Everything", is a hybrid BLT with a fried egg and sharp gouda nestled inside an everything bagel bun. Zak the Baker makes the bagel bun just for All Day.
All Day's version of avocado toast freshens up the usual approach with pickled onions and puffed quinoa. Meanwhile, a subtle nod to Ramos' Cuban roots can be found throughout. There is tres leches French toast, a croqueta-filled sandwich topped with egg and spread on Cuban toast, and frijoles negros are an optional side. After 5 p.m., the menu gets a few more nighttime additions like sous vide egg yolk with steak tartare and a soft boiled egg with caviar.
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[Clockwise from the top: assortment of pastries, jelly and Bavarian cream filled doughnuts, homemade Hostess inspired cupcake and house-made Twix.]
Desserts go the nostalgic route. The options rotate frequently but expect to find sweet items like jelly and bavarian cream doughnuts, homemade "Hostess" cupcakes filled with marshmallow fluff, homemade "Twix" bars, and flakey, croissant-like pastries filled with Nutella. Ramon tells Eater that they are baked on-site daily by a popular pastry chef in the area who moonlights at All Day. They had to keep coy on his or her identity.
So how has All Day fared so far in the unlikeliest of neighborhoods? According to Ramos they're drawing in a diverse crowd from industry types, to young professionals and even families, and also bonding with the neighbors. "We sell our nitro coffee by the half-gallon to the staff at E11even reguarly," says Ramos with a slight laugh.
All photography: [Giovanny Gutierrez/Chat Chow TV]