This Oakland Park restaurant has an extensive menu that will give you a taste of the diversity of Haitian cuisine. Typical breakfast dishes can include spicy spaghetti or polenta with a zesty stew, as well as an egg sandwich on warm Creole bread. Lunch and dinner options include favorites like griot and legim, as well as the elusive lalo stew made with jute leaves. Wash it all down with one of their signature cocktails like the Haitian Martini.

Located inside Hollywood’s Yellow Green Farmer’s Market, this weekends-only stall specializes in meticulously prepared Haitian specialties with a creative touch. Nani’s offers filling meals like spiced meatballs and black mushroom rice, as well as an innovative list of patties that include fillings of shrimp, cheese, and squash. If you need a little pick me up, the stall also brews organic Haitian coffee.

While vegetarians can feel left out with the patty selection at many Haitian bakeries, La Bakerie in Miramar offers a spinach variety, as well as one filled with guava. It is also one of the few bakeries to offer whole wheat Creole bread and rolls. Don’t forget to get a crispy “beef tongue” (langue de boeuf) cookie for the road, but don’t worry about the name. No cows were harmed in making them.

Haitian cuisine is usually served out of informal eateries in Miami, but Chef Ivan Dorvil is looking to change that with his more upscale Ivan’s Cookhouse. The Food Network’s Chopped winner offers guests his refined renditions of Haitian staples like griot, akra fritters, and pasta with smoked herring, as well as Asian-inspired creations. A selection of tropical cocktails adds a refreshing element to Chef Dorvil’s spicy cuisine.

Haitians love their veggies, and there is no better way to experience that love than in a comforting plate of legim. Lecap in North Miami serves up an exceptional version of this dish in which eggplant, cabbage, chayote squash, carrots, and a myriad of other vegetables are slowly braised together with beef, rendering a velvety stew with layers upon layers of flavor. For the full experience, pair it with a side of djon djon rice seasoned with what many call the truffle of the Caribbean.

If the words “pork” and “deep-fried” make your mouth water, then you owe it to yourself to try griot. Chez Madame John’s is perhaps the best place to sample it, though it pays to have a little patience here. Every serving of slowly braised pork chunks is fried to order until perfectly crispy, and this eatery takes no shortcuts. If pork isn’t your thing, try the tassot in which goat, beef, or turkey replaces the pork.

Savvy locals know that HFC (Haitian Fried Chicken) can give other versions of the fried bird a run for their money. If you’re new to HFC, let Pack Super Market be your delicious introduction. Don’t expect white meat at this takeout window as chicken here almost always means marinated drumsticks dredged in cornstarch to give them a light and crispy crust. Don’t forget your side of fried plantains and spicy pikliz slaw.

This Little Haiti takeout restaurant has been around for years offering huge portions of Creole favorites. What makes this place unique is that you can enjoy your meal in its lakou (courtyard) surrounded by tropical trees, colorful murals, and a rooster or two. The comforting food and relaxed al fresco ambiance give you the feeling of being at a Haitian grandma’s house in the countryside. Make sure to check the restaurant’s website for an eclectic lineup of live music.

Think of this place as your local one stop shop for Haitian snacks. Its all-natural ice creams in flavors like soursop and passion fruit are legendary, but don’t let that be the only thing you get here. Lakay also serves up some of the tastiest Haitian patties in town, as well as a selection of spiced cookies and cakes, including gingery, gluten free bonbon lamidon cookies that melt in your mouth.

Haitian cuisine features a lot of expertly prepared seafood and Chef Creole’s multiple locations throughout Miami are ideal places to sample dishes like fried snapper and tender grilled conch. It is Chef Wilkinson Sejour’s “creolification” of non-Haitian seafood specialties, however, that makes his restaurants a uniquely Miami institution. The conch salad and conch fritters are must-have examples of Chef Sejour’s culinary fusion.

This Miami Beach mainstay has long been considered the go-to introduction to Haitian cuisine for locals and tourists, alike. It offers solid versions of Creole classics, as well as one of Miami’s best mojitos made with Haiti’s treasured Barbancourt rum. However, it is the restaurant’s colorful ambiance and frequent cultural presentations, including a yearly Vodou ritual reenactment, that make it a complete cultural immersion.