11 Miami Restaurants Where You’ll Want To Become A Regular

At most places we eat, we are merely customers. But there are some restaurants where we strive to become more than that—spots where we desperately want to have conversations with our servers about their nine cats or earn nicknames like “Medium Rare Marvin” and “Two Straw Sally.” These are the restaurants where we want to become regulars. Maybe it’s because the food is so good or maybe it’s because there’s just something familial about the atmosphere. Either way, we plan on coming back to these restaurants until they know our first name.

THE SPOTS

Frenchie's Diner

At this French bistro in Coral Gables , if they don’t know you, they’re good at pretending they do with a convincing, “Good to see you.” Go a couple of times a month and they might start sharing recipes with you. If you’ve eaten enough escargot and steak tartare here, you’ll hopefully get your photo pinned on a corkboard. But the way you know you’ve really made it is when you get your own nameplate at the bar. So keep coming back and eating crackly-skinned duck confit under the gentle red glow of Frenchie’s dining room until that day comes.

Caffe Abbracci

Since 1989, this classic Italian spot in Coral Gables has been where business folk broker deals over plates of carpaccio and families maintain Sunday night veal parmesan traditions. You’re treated with familiarity, whether they know you or not—but if they do, service is so personable they probably remember your high school GPA. Becoming an Abbracci regular is for those who love a good routine, where your table is always ready for you and your favorite server (who’s been there for 15 years) already knows what you’ll order because you’ve been ordering the same ravioli since you were 12. But now that you’re older, you can add a martini at the bar to your repertoire.

La Viña Aragon

We once sat next to an empty table with covered dishes and the words “ocupado” scribbled on a paper napkin here. It was probably the table of some mystery VIP who no doubt eats the same thing there every day. Maybe that will be you someday—we think it serves Miami’s best Cuban food so it shouldn’t be hard to keep coming back. This Cuban restaurant has been around since the ‘80s and few restaurants (or their prices) are as genuinely, delightfully stuck in time as La Viña Aragon. Regulars here always have cash on hand for crispy vaca frita and crunchy pollo empanizado, because this Hialeah spot also still lives in a world where credit cards don’t exist.

Zitz Sum

Learning to love this Coral Gables restaurant means accepting change, because the Zitz Sum menu changes on pretty much a daily basis. You almost have to be a regular here to experience all its glory. They have the energy of a mad scientist, and if you’re a willing participant, their experiments and trials with food are worth the repeat trips. Your rewards for loyalty may include unbelievably good ramen that appears randomly throughout the year and a last-minute dim sum brunch you know about because you’ve come to realize that you need to turn on post notifications for their Instagram account or risk missing out on something amazing.

ViceVersa

ViceVersa is an Italian aperitivo bar where servers greet you with the kind of enthusiasm that usually only appears when you spot a beagle puppy on morning walks. They have a sixth sense for when you’re on the last three sips of negroni and will probably commit your favorite crudo to memory by your third visit. The bar opened in the summer of 2024, but it already feels like an essential Downtown spot for office workers wanting to wipe the boredom from their eyes after a long day of “strategic planning.” ViceVersa’s mortadella pizza is another great reason to keep coming back (even on a weekend).

Shore To Door Fish Market

The menu at Shore to Door isn’t written down. Instead the owner of this Coconut Grove seafood market—who might be in the middle of cleaning a fish—will tell you what came in off the boat that morning. It could be fried corvina bites, whole yellowtail snapper, wahoo fish dip, or a dozen other sea creatures. But it will be delicious, and you can eat it in their fantastic backyard, with mismatched furniture and an atmosphere that feels very Bimini. If you want a beer, just pop open the cooler and help yourself.

Baker & Barista

The owners of this Buena Vista bakery (a baker and a barista) have truly impressive memories. After about three visits, not only will they start to remember you and your face, but they will also remember how long it's been since you last visited. Plus, what you ordered last time. They use this information to do two things. First, they'll urge you to come more frequently (listen to them). And they'll also guide you towards things you haven't tried before. Don't be surprised if one of those pastries you haven't tried yet works its way into your takeout box.

The Cafe At Books & Books

The Coral Gables Books & Books is the best Books & Books in Miami. It’s not because of the food or coffee (those things are fine). The reason you’re coming to this bookstore again and again is because it’s one of the few quiet places in Miami where you can sip tea, read a book, and meet nice folks who enjoy doing the same. They have a beautiful courtyard that looks like it was ripped out of a quaint Spanish town and a very friendly staff that’ll give you a mason jar filled to the brim with water right when you sit down. It’s a rare peaceful corner of Miami that’s great for getting work done, catching up with your soft-spoken friends, and fueling your unsustainable habit of buying books with irresistibly cute covers.

Jimmy's East-Side Diner

Whether you’re brutally hungover or just ready to demolish a plate full of eggs, sausage, and hash browns on a Sunday morning—Jimmy’s is the neighborhood diner that everyone needs in their life. It’s the restaurant equivalent of a womb for people who truly love breakfast and unlimited coffee. It’s safe and warm and there’s enough room under the booths for a quick nap if you drank half a bottle of tequila last night. All diners tend to feel like places where you'd aspire to be a regular, but Jimmy's is our favorite.

Cafe Croissant

The only way to tell apart the twin chefs at Cafe Croissant is if you become a regular. The French breakfast spot on Coral Way is too easy to visit on a weekly basis. They serve a hearty breakfast that includes three eggs any style, a side of fries, fruit, or salad (get the fries), and a quarter of baguette for about $12. They also make excellent quiches, crepes, and wonky croissants perfect for dipping into your coffee. If you come by yourself, sit at the counter and chat with the sweet servers who will make adorable designs on your cappuccino if they like you. It’s a wonderfully affordable way to start every morning and maybe after 10 visits, you’ll be able to differentiate the twins.

Franky's Deli Warehouse

Franky’s feels like the kind of place you’d find in Brooklyn. Until you realize their Italian sub is made with cuban bread, and then you remember you’re in Hialeah. They make great, ruler-sized sandwiches that are delicious, filling, and just under $10. The family-owned sandwich shop is incredibly friendly and gives you a hole-punch card for a free sandwich after your 10th visit. So really, it’s economically responsible to become a regular at this place.