20 Best Restaurants in Little Havana (2026) 🇨🇺

By Fernando Yemail, owner of Out.Miami and a Miami yacht captain and broker.

The 20 best restaurants in Little Havana for 2026, from Versailles and Café La Trova to Salvadoran, Nicaraguan and Spanish kitchens on Calle Ocho.

🇨🇺 20 restaurants · 📅 Checked September 2026

The best restaurants in Little Havana in 2026 run from Versailles and Café La Trova to Sanguich's cured-in-house cubano, Tín Tín's modern Cuban cooking and the Salvadoran, Nicaraguan and Spanish kitchens that make Calle Ocho more than a Cuban street. This guide covers 20 restaurants, built from The Infatuation, Yelp's 2026 rankings, Calle Ocho News and Time Out, and every one was checked as open in September 2026.

Pick your meal

• Cuban institutions: Versailles, Café La Trova, Old's Havana, Ball & Chain, El Cristo, Islas Canarias
• Sandwiches and quick bites: Sanguich de Miami, El Rey de las Fritas, La Camaronera, Azúcar Ice Cream
• Modern Cuban: Tín Tín, Palma, Habana con B, Sala'o, Calle Dragones
• Beyond Cuban: El Rincón Asturiano, Fritanga Caña Brava, El Atlacatl, Lung Yai Thai Tapas
• Drinks and live music: Café La Trova, Ball & Chain, Cubata

Before you go

• Timing: Viernes Culturales, the last Friday of the month, fills Calle Ocho with music and street stalls.
• Queues: Sanguich, La Camaronera and Azúcar all have lines at peak times, and all move quickly.
• Service charges: several restaurants here add an automatic service charge, so check the bill before tipping again.
• Parking: street parking is tight on Calle Ocho, and the side streets south of 8th are usually easier.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best restaurant in Little Havana?

Versailles is the institution, Café La Trova is the best night out, and Sanguich de Miami makes the best Cuban sandwich in the city.

Where can I hear live Cuban music in Little Havana?

Café La Trova and Ball & Chain both have live music most nights, and Cubata and Old's Havana add it several evenings a week.

Is Little Havana only Cuban food?

No. El Rincón Asturiano is Asturian Spanish, Fritanga Caña Brava is Nicaraguan, El Atlacatl is Salvadoran and Lung Yai serves Thai food on Calle Ocho.

Where should I eat cheaply in Little Havana?

El Rey de las Fritas, La Camaronera, Fritanga Caña Brava and El Cristo all keep prices low.

How did you choose these restaurants?

Every pick comes from current 2026 sources and our own local knowledge, and each one was checked as open on Google in September 2026. See how we rank our guides for the full method.

More Miami dining

See the best Cuban restaurants in Miami, the 60 best restaurants in Miami, restaurants in Brickell and the best happy hours in Miami, and read how we rank our guides.

Compare at a glance

1. 1. Versailles

   The best-known Cuban restaurant in the country, on Calle Ocho since 1971 and as much a political landmark as a dining room. Order a cortadito at the walk-up window, ropa vieja inside, and listen to the argument at the counter. Budget-friendly. Open daily, opening as early as 8am and closing as late as 1am on Friday and Saturday.

   ✅ Best for: the Cuban institution · 📍 3555 SW 8th St, Little Havana

2. 2. Café La Trova

   A bar and restaurant where cantinero bartenders perform while they pour, with live music most nights. Ranked 42nd on North America's 50 Best Bars, and the mojitos live up to it. On the pricier side. Open daily, opening as early as 4pm and closing as late as 2am on Friday and Saturday.

   ✅ Best for: cocktails and live Cuban music · 📍 971 S.W. 8th St., Little Havana

3. 3. Sanguich de Miami

   A sandwich shop where the bread is baked and the ham cured in house, which is why the cubano here is regularly called the city's best. Batidos too, and a counter rather than a dining room. Moderately priced. Open daily, 10am to 6pm.

   ✅ Best for: the best Cuban sandwich · 📍 2057 S.W. 8th St., Little Havana

4. 4. Old's Havana

   A Calle Ocho restaurant and bar with live Cuban music, a long mojito list and a kitchen that holds up under the crowds. One of the busiest rooms in the neighbourhood, open until midnight. Moderately priced. Open daily, opening as early as 11am and closing as late as midnight on Friday and Saturday.

   ✅ Best for: a Cuban night out · 📍 1442 SW 8th St, Little Havana

5. 5. Ball & Chain

   A Calle Ocho landmark first opened in 1935, with a pineapple-shaped stage in the back garden, live salsa and a crowd that dances rather than watches. Moderately priced. Open daily, opening as early as 11am and closing as late as 3am on Friday and Saturday.

   ✅ Best for: dancing to live salsa · 📍 1513 SW 8th St, Little Havana

6. 6. Tín Tín

   A chef-driven Cuban restaurant from the Tinta y Café team, serving ropa vieja Wellington, croquetas and creative cocktails in a room that stays casual. One of the highest-rated restaurants on Calle Ocho. On the pricier side. Open daily except Monday, opening as early as 11am and closing as late as 10pm on Tuesday to Saturday.

   ✅ Best for: a modern Cuban date night · 📍 2555 SW 8th St Ste 101, Little Havana

7. 7. Cubata

   A Cuban and Spanish tapas restaurant with live music, a dog-friendly terrace and a happy hour that runs every afternoon. Croquetas, olives and octopus are the dishes regulars order. Moderately priced. Open daily, opening as early as 11am and closing as late as 2am on Thursday to Saturday.

   ✅ Best for: tapas and a daily happy hour · 📍 1605 SW 8th St, Little Havana

8. 8. Habana con B

   A contemporary Cuban restaurant on Calle Ocho, brighter and more designed than the neighbourhood's older rooms, with classics handled carefully. Moderately priced. Open daily except Monday and Tuesday, opening as early as 10am and closing as late as 11pm on Saturday.

   ✅ Best for: a modern Cuban dinner · 📍 1005 SW 8th St, Little Havana

9. 9. Sala'o

   A Cuban restaurant and bar named after Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea, with seafood-led cooking and live music through the week. Moderately priced. Open daily, opening as early as noon and closing as late as 2am on Friday and Saturday.

   ✅ Best for: Cuban seafood and live music · 📍 1642 SW 8th St, Little Havana

10. 10. Palma

    A Calle Ocho restaurant pairing Cuban roots with modern technique in a room that stays warm and unfussy, a good dinner that is not a tourist set piece. A splurge. Open Wednesday to Saturday, 6pm to 10pm.

    ✅ Best for: contemporary Cuban cooking · 📍 240 NW 8th Ave, Little Havana

11. 11. Calle Dragones

    A restaurant built around the Cuban-Chinese cooking of Havana's Barrio Chino, a genuinely distinct menu in a neighbourhood full of the same classics. Open daily except Monday and Tuesday, opening as early as 11am and closing as late as 1am on Friday and Saturday.

    ✅ Best for: Cuban-Chinese history · 📍 1036 SW 8th St, Little Havana

12. 12. El Cristo Restaurant

    A family-run Calle Ocho restaurant serving the classics from breakfast until late, with the Trio Cubano the dish to order if you cannot choose. Open to 1am on weekends. Moderately priced. Open daily, opening as early as 9am and closing as late as 1am on Friday and Saturday.

    ✅ Best for: a proper Cuban plate · 📍 1543 SW 8th St, Little Havana

13. 13. El Rey de las Fritas

    The benchmark for the frita, the Cuban burger topped with shoestring potatoes, served since 1976. Fast, cheap, and a batido on the side. Budget-friendly. Open daily, 8am to 10:30pm.

    ✅ Best for: the Cuban burger · 📍 1821 SW 8th St, Little Havana

14. 14. Islas Canarias

    A long-running Cuban restaurant known for its croquetas and chicharrones with fried yuca, and generous portions at prices that have not chased the rest of the city. Budget-friendly. Open daily, opening as early as 7am and closing as late as 10pm on Friday and Saturday.

    ✅ Best for: croquetas and chicharrones · 📍 3804 SW 137th Ave, Little Havana

15. 15. La Camaronera

    A fish market and seafood counter run by the same family since 1976, where the pan con minuta, a fried snapper sandwich, is the order. Stand at the counter and expect a queue. Moderately priced. Open daily, opening as early as 11:30am and closing as late as 8:30pm on Friday and Saturday.

    ✅ Best for: a fried fish sandwich · 📍 , Little Havana

16. 16. El Rincón Asturiano

    An Asturian restaurant serving fabada, chorizo a la sidra and seafood parrilla, with staff and ingredients from northern Spain. A reminder that Little Havana is not only Cuban. Open daily, opening as early as 11:30am and closing as late as 10pm on Thursday to Saturday.

    ✅ Best for: Spanish cooking, not Cuban · 📍 225 SW 17th Ave, Little Havana

17. 17. Fritanga Caña Brava

    A Nicaraguan fritanga serving carne asada, gallo pinto, fried cheese and tropical juices from early morning until evening. Cheap, busy and generous. Budget-friendly. Open daily, 6am to 9pm.

    ✅ Best for: Nicaraguan comfort food · 📍 2361 NW 7th St, Little Havana

18. 18. El Atlacatl

    A Salvadoran restaurant on the western end of Calle Ocho serving pupusas, tamal de elote and parrilladas, open from 8am until midnight every day. Moderately priced. Open daily, 8am to midnight.

    ✅ Best for: Salvadoran pupusas · 📍 3199 SW 8th St, Little Havana

19. 19. Lung Yai Thai Tapas

    A small Thai restaurant serving curries and noodles with real heat, run to its own rules: you order once, so plan the table's order before you start. Worth it for the crab fried rice. Moderately priced. Open daily except Monday, opening as early as noon and closing as late as 11pm on Friday and Saturday.

    ✅ Best for: Thai food on Calle Ocho · 📍 1731 S.W. 8th St., Little Havana

20. 20. Azúcar Ice Cream

    A tiny Calle Ocho ice cream shop making Cuban flavours in house, led by Abuela María, which combines guava, cream cheese and María cookies. Expect a queue and very little seating. Open daily, opening as early as 11am and closing as late as 11pm on Thursday to Saturday.

    ✅ Best for: Cuban ice cream · 📍 1503 SW 8th St, Little Havana