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Welcome back to Food Crawls, a series in which Eater Miami staffers guide you (virtually) on various food (and booze) crawls in the Miami area.
When we go out, we often find ourselves wanting to try more than one restaurant or bar at a time — a drink and a snack here, another drink and perhaps a dessert there — and want to share our favorite multi-stop combinations with you. These crawls are meant to be relatively walkable, and the amount of food and drink is meant to correspond roughly to a couple of average appetites (so bring a friend), although your mileage may vary. Email us if there’s a particular theme, specific dish or drink, or neighborhood you’d like to see covered in a future installment.
Once upon a time Downtown Miami wasn’t the kind of place where people would go to hang out. There’s always been tons of one-off miscellaneous shops selling luggage and old cell phones and office buildings full of finance-types who would head over to Brickell to grab a drink after work before commuting home. Lately downtown is going through a renaissance and is really holding its own as a neighborhood to spend time in. From early morning coffee to late night drinks and everything in between — here’s how to spend a day in Downtown Miami.
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10 a.m. - Jump start the day at All Day
Start the day downtown at All Day (1035 N Miami Avenue) with a drip coffee and a Runny & Everything, a breakfast sandwich with a sunny side up egg, Miami Smoker’s bacon, sharp cheddar, lettuce, heirloom tomato, garlic aioli on a Zak the Baker everything brioche bun. Featured coffee rotates regularly, but there’s always a range for every coffee drinker’s palette. Get some work done while getting a jolt of caffeine.
10 minute Uber
12 p.m. - Stop at Fratelli Milano for lunch
Head to the center of downtown for an Italian lunch at Fratelli Milano (213 SE 1st Street). Twin chefs Roberto and Emanuele Bearzi have been serving fresh pasta alongside all the Italian hits for two decades. One makes the pasta and the other handles the pastry. The eggplant parmesan is some of the best in Miami. Protip: don’t skip the bread and sauce that’s brought to the table upon arrival, in fact — ask for two orders of the sauce, it’s just that good.
2 minute walk
2 p.m. - Afternoon pick-me-up at Eternity Roasters
After a food coma inducing meal, walk down the block to Eternity Roasters (117 SE 2nd Avenue) for a cup of pour over coffee. At Eternity Roasters, San Fran native Chris Johnson and Colombia native Cristina Garces handle small batch roasting on-site and make each cup of pour over one at a time for a custom experience. Coffees range from Colombian roasts to Ethiopian to seasonal espressos.
3 minute walk
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4 p.m. - Happy hour at Lost Boy Dry Goods
Happy hour starts early at Lost Boy Dry Goods (157 E Flagler Street). This spot gives off serious downtown vibes, just not the kind Downtown Miami is used to. From 4 to 8 p.m. enjoy half priced drinks that are anything but standard — order a Penicillin or a Hemingway Daiquiri for under $7. Grab a sandwich like the Cajun Turkey with cajun smoked turkey, Swiss, tomato, alfalfa sprouts, stone sauce, served on baguette with choice of chips to help soak up the copious amounts of happy houring.
5 minute walk
6:30 p.m. - NIU Kitchen for dinner
NIU Kitchen (134 NE 2nd Avenue) is tiny restaurant that is home to huge Catalan flavors. Executive chef Deme Lomas and his team have mastered Spanish style tapas and pair them with a killer wine list. Make a reservation or be prepared to wait as a walk-in, NIU Kitchen is one of Downtown Miami’s best gems.
5 minute walk
9 p.m. - After dinner drinks at Jaguar Sun
Jaguar Sun (230 NE 4th Street) can be found in the back of X Miami’s lobby. Whether it’s a glass of obscure wine or a cleverly curated cocktail, imbibers are encouraged to try something new. Try the boozy Disco Politician made with both rum and mezcal. If anyone has a second wind and is looking for something to snack on, don’t overlook the parker house rolls served with beef jus.
3 minute walk
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11 p.m. - Late night dancing and drinks at Mama Tried
It’s time to dance off some of those drinks (and order a few more) at Mama Tried (207 NE 1st Street). This retro bar will leave patrons with “no regrets” as they drink under the bar’s starry sky.
5 minute Uber
2 a.m. - Grab a nightcap at The Corner
Venture back to where the day began and have a final drink at The Corner (1035 N Miami Avenue). This relaxed come-as-you-are bar is a staple in Downtown Miami that’s open until 8 a.m. Chances are it’s going to take a few minutes to make it to the bar to order a drink, but the people watching in the meantime makes it totally worth while.