The Best Spanish Restaurants In Miami

Miami is blessed with a healthy mix of contemporary and traditional Spanish food. You can eat scallop carpaccio and black truffle ragù at Edan Bistro or chorizo-wrapped figs at a gas station on US1. But they all have one very important Spanish thing in common: a deep love of jamon. The spots on this guide are everywhere, from North Miami to Bird Road, and are as diverse as the regions of Spain. Each has something different to offer: tapas, Basque cheesecakes, fancy emulsions, and live flamenco. Just know that our Miami tardiness combined with Spain’s “no pasa nada” attitude means the show never starts on time.

THE SPOTS

9.2

Edan Bistro

$$$$Perfect For:LunchCasual Dinners

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Edan Bistro is a prime example of modern Spanish food. The restaurant doesn’t look like much, but the Basque spot in North Miami is better than the type of fine dining restaurants that want you to walk in the front door dressed like you're trying to crash a wedding. Edan reminds us of the best contemporary restaurants in San Sebastian, where chefs greet you with coffee and send you off with wine after dropping by the table with croquetas and ribeyes you’ll remember for a lifetime. Go for dinner, but come back for brunch and, eventually, the eight-course tasting menu. It includes the best steak in Miami and ends with a gooey Basque cheesecake—also the best version in town.

8.6

El Rincón Asturiano

$$$$Perfect For:Casual DinnersDinner with the ParentsSmall Plates

In one of El Rincon Asturiano’s four small dining rooms, there’s a chair with the words “Pedro Almodovar” scribbled on the back, next to one that says “Lorca.” But you don’t have to be a famous Spaniard to eat here. You just have to love traditional Spanish tapas like gambas al ajillo, chorizo a la sidra, or huevos estrellados. El Rincon Asturiano does that better than anyone else in Miami. There's nothing new or flashy about this Little Havana spot. It's probably where your friend’s Ciudadrealeño dad hangs out to drink Albariño and split a big bowl of almejas con jamon with his friends. He’s most likely been coming here since it opened in 1995 and hopes to one day have a chair with his name on it.

8.4

NIU Kitchen

$$$$Perfect For:Date NightsDrinking Great Wine

There are a lot of old school spots on this guide. But NIU Kitchen is less a place for dads and more a place for dates. The menu doesn't change much and there are some dishes we'll always order here, like the cold tomato soup with a dollop of frozen "mustard ice cream" in the center—a perfect Miami soup. The clams come in a delicious picada sauce, and demand an extra side of bread, which is unfortunately not free here. Anything with rice, like their paella or arròs sec, is great. And you should be drinking wine (they also have a wine bar a few doors down that we love). Service moves at a classicly Spanish leisurely pace, so don't come in a rush.

8.4

Los Gallegos

$$$$Perfect For:Dinner with the ParentsCasual DinnersSmall Plates

Los Gallegos is one of those Spanish restaurants your tio Raimundo and his friends already know about. The kind you’d find in Galicia, where the only wine options are house red or white, hearty stews act like a relief from the rain, and octopus is king. The Bird Road spot has a small dining room lined with pastoral paintings and families eating pulpo a la gallega drenched in olive oil, paprika, and salt. They’ve got the right idea: everything with the word “gallego” or “gallega” is amazing here. Start with caldo gallego, then move on to an indulgent filet topped with serrano ham, melted manchego cheese, and a mushroom sauce. Los Gallegos is the perfect place to bring your family for a nice dinner, including that uncle who knows his Spanish food.

8.4

Casa Juancho

$$$$Perfect For:Classic EstablishmentBig Groups

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This Little Havana classic feels like a Disney pavilion. There are stained glass windows, a low wooden ceiling, mounted trophy animals, and a running waterfall by the entrance. Servers are dressed in red traje corto outfits and a wandering troupe of guitarists serenade guests as they eat gambas al ajillo. But this is a locals spot, not a tourist trap. The paellas are delicious, so is the crema catalana, and the servers have been working here since the '80s. It’s a great option for big groups and events. The food is a bit pricier than other Spanish restaurants around town, but it's been honed with the kind of precision you can only get after four successful decades of wedding rehearsals and subsequent anniversaries.

8.4

La Vasca Deli

$$$$Perfect For:Dinner with the ParentsSmall PlatesLunch

When your dad and his retired friends disappear every Friday around lunch, they’re probably at La Vasca. The Spanish spot next to Versailles doubles as a tiny market and even smaller restaurant, where tapas are shared in a cramped room flanked by TVs playing soccer and more wine than you could drink in 100 lifetimes. You’ll have to walk past the deli counter full of cheese and round the corner by a shelf of tinned mussels to find a table (and there aren’t very many). So call to make reservations because eight out of the 10 are usually reserved by regulars, families eating tortillas, and groups of older gentlemen sharing a whole cochinillo you have to pre-ordered a day in advance.

8.2

Lili’s Mediterranean Food

$$$$Perfect For:Small PlatesCasual DinnersLive Music

It says Mediterranean, but Lili’s just serves Spanish food—and great Spanish food. Which is surprising coming from a place playing a looped video of an astronaut canoeing down a fluorescent river. The small restaurant is decorated in what we're calling cosmic surrealism. Everything from the walls to the pendant lights and booths are black. You feel like you’re eating gambas al ajillo suspended in space, surrounded by Dalí paintings. Luckily the great tapas anchor you back to a delicious reality, like piquillo peppers stuffed with creamy bacalao and covered in a warm red sauce. On Saturdays, a live band plays jazz or baladas, but they should be playing David Bowie because the room is a space oddity and the tapas are out of this world.

8.1

Descorche

$$$$Perfect For:Business MealsCasual Dinners

Descorche cares about its regulars. If you go often enough, they’ll not only anticipate your order, they’ll help you strategize when to drop off sizzling plates of grilled octopus and boards of jamon iberico when your client arrives. We’ve seen it happen. But even if you’re not trying to close a deal, you should still come here to share a paella descorche. Their signature meaty paella comes with pancetta, sausage, chicken thigh, and black pudding surrounded by al dente saffron rice. It’s just what you want to be eating in this old school spot that’s separated into two dining rooms by swinging saloon doors. Plus, you’ll all have enough leftovers for breakfast tomorrow.

8.0

El Carajo

$$$$Perfect For:Casual DinnersUnique Dining Experiences

Gas station food usually evokes images of wrinkly old hot dogs rotating on metal rollers. And while the Mobil on US1 in Coconut Grove certainly has its fair share of candy and cigarettes, it’s also home to El Carajo. You’ll forget where you are as soon as you step into the dining room, which looks like a Spanish plaza, surrounded by painted bricks and fake balconies. Pick out a bottle of wine from their giant selection and start with a big tabla of manchego cheese, jamon serrano, chorizo, and quince before moving on to sweet bacon-wrapped dates and plump gambas al ajillo, which are both under $15. But El Carajo isn’t just great for tapas. They also have tender lamb chops with manchego potato terrine and paellas perfect for big group celebrations.

8.0

Kebo

$$$$Perfect For:Sitting OutsideDinner with the ParentsDate Nights

The seafood at this Spanish restaurant in Key Biscayne is worth the anxiety of dodging key rats on golf carts in the Key Colony Plaza parking lot. The restaurant’s owner is part of its charm. He swings from table to table pouring wine and bragging about the restaurant’s charcoal grill. That’s where the turbot, branzino, and octopus get their smoky flavors. We especially love the charred prawns, which are sweet, juicy, and served head-on. And rice dishes like their cheesy risotto with shredded oxtail are fabulous too. Just always start your meal with fresh pan con tomate on airy pan de cristal and creamy croquetas de jamon. There’s also a great patio for those winter months when the cool breeze and kids on school break are out in full force.

7.9

Happy Wine Calle Ocho

$$$$Perfect For:Drinks & A Light BiteLive Music

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There are two Happy Wines in Miami. This is the happier of the two—the one on Calle Ocho where the walls are more scribbled on than a dive bar bathroom stall. This Spanish spot is a great place to eat tapas with friends while listening to live music. Start by picking a bottle from their racks. They’re all marked at retail prices (you just have to pay an additional $10 fee). Then grab a table near the stage and enjoy croquetas with cherry salsa and octopus a la parrilla with smoky romesco while listening to performers sing everything from flamenco to yacht rock. The place gets loud and crowded with West Miami parents on date night and millennials who grew up coming here (probably because their parents couldn’t find a babysitter).

7.9

Las Tapas De Rosa

$$$$Perfect For:Dinner with the ParentsCasual Dinners

A good rule for ordering from Rosa's gigantic Spanish menu is: if it’s stewy or saucy, it’s delicious. The Little Havana restaurant is a bit deceiving. The entrance looks like a small market, but there are two dining rooms past the wall of tinned fish where you can sit and eat oxtail stew. That’s our favorite dish here. The meat is covered in a thick red wine sauce and surrounded by salty potatoes. But if you're a fan of tripe, order the callos a la madrileña. Pieces of tripe you barely have to chew mingle with bits of sausage in a hearty stew you can soak up with free bread. This food makes us wish Miami was colder.

7.8

La Taberna Giralda

$$$$Perfect For:Live MusicSmall PlatesCasual Dinners

La Taberna isn’t serving the best Spanish food in Miami, but it’s hard to get mad when the check arrives: $65 for five generous portions of good (but not mind-blowing) tapas—in Coral Gables—is rare enough to celebrate. Order the chistorras al cava. This smoky sausage is cooked in Spanish sparkling wine, arrives sizzling at the table, and turns heads like a Chili's fajita. We also really like their patatas bravas, which unlike so many others we’ve had around town, are actually brava with a nice kick. And then there’s the live flamenco music. Like most things in Spain (and Miami), it doesn’t always start on time, but you’ll definitely be dancing happily along to it when you get that check.

7.6

El Pimiento Restaurant

$$$$Perfect For:Live MusicSmall Plates

The reason you come to El Pimiento is for the live flamenco on Thursdays. The singing and dancing starts at 7pm, so make reservations because the Miami Lakes spot only has about a dozen tables. The dining room is bordered by twinkle lights and full of nicknacks, like Spanish hand fans and medieval weapons hanging on the walls. But there are also decent tapas too, like garbanzos fritos. They have a strong pepper flavor (fitting for a place named after the vegetable) and are really loaded with chorizo and smoky paprika. Other dishes like the filetillo con salsa cabrales are a miss. Still, if you’re looking for a restaurant that can awaken your inner duende while you munch on tapas, El Pimiento is a solid choice.