I’m not sure why it took me so long to make it to Miami. It’s been on my bucket list for YEARS but I was always a little intimidated by it. I knew I’d love the bright colors and beautiful Art Deco architecture, but I wasn’t sure if I’d be overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of the city. Each year for my birthday in February, my husband and I take a trip to the South for some warm weather and sunshine. We’ve made our way through all of the East Coast cities, from Wilmington, NC to Charleston, SC to Savannah, GA and finally St. Augustine, FL. Miami was really the last big one we hadn’t made it to yet so this was the year!

Whenever I’m traveling to bigger cities, I love to take a food tour. We took one in Porto, Portugal (you can read more about it here!), as well as a super fun Port wine and vineyard tour in the Douro Valley in Portugal too. You can read more about it on our blog here! We’re hoping to visit New Orleans later this year and I definitely want to take one there! When I saw that there was a Little Havana Food and Walking Tour in Miami, I signed up as soon as I could! I’ve heard so much about Little Havana and it was honestly one of the highlights of our trip. It’s such an interesting and historical part of the city and it truly feels like you’re stepping back in time. There’s even a park called Domino Park where older men play dominos! Every restaurant and bar has an incredible history behind it and you can even see people rolling cigars in the cigar shops. One of the most interesting parts of visiting Miami was that it didn’t feel like I was in the United States at all. It was such a beautiful and unique blend of cultures. There were so many different languages being spoken as we wandered the streets and we encountered people from all over the world. There were so many delicious restaurants with sidewalk patios and people sipping wine at all times of the day. It was so refreshing because it was like visiting Europe only I didn’t have to leave the country!

I’ve been on a few food tours and I can definitely say this one included the most food and drinks so far. We were stuffed by the end of it! Our tour guide was Helena and she knew everything about the area and the history behind Little Havana and how the area began. She was super sweet and happy to answer any questions we had. She made everyone laugh the whole time but was also very in tune with how serious the impact of the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Revolution were on the area and the locals.

The group met outside of the Tower Theatre which was right in the center of the action of Little Havana. Our tour started at 5 pm so we got to watch the area’s nightlife slowly start to come to life. Helena gave us a little bit of history about the Tower Theatre and then we headed across the street to our first stop, El Cristo Restaurant. We got to try some (super strong) Cuban coffee, which definitely kept us going the rest of the evening! And then we were each given a rather large empanada that was incredibly delicious while Helena told us a bit about Cuban coffee and the staples of Cuban cuisine.

We then made a stop at Clandestino’s Cigars where we go to see a woman rolling cigars while Helena walked us through the process. It was amazing how many generations back the woman’s family history went with cigar rolling. She definitely knew what she was doing and it was a surprisingly interesting activity to watch! We were given a few minutes to shop and of course, I picked up a cigar to bring home for my dad. 🙂

Our next stop was CubaTa Tapas Y Vinos for a Mojito and a traditional Cubano sandwich! I was looking forward to this the most because I love Mojito’s and it definitely quenched my thirst after a long day in the hot Miami sunshine. My only qualm is that I wish I could have had another! The Cubano sandwich was the best one we had the whole time we were in Miami too. It was so delicious and the bread was amazing. On our way out, we passed by the Ball & Chain, an incredibly famous rum bar that often has live Cuban music. It’s has an insane history with musicians like Billie Holiday and Chet Baker playing there, not to mention that it has quite a shady history with mobs and illegal gambling. Chris and I actually popped in there after the food tour for a rum flight and enjoyed some amazing local music and culture. Make sure to stop in here for a drink after the tour! It’s a such a fun place.

Helena led us by Domino Park before grabbing a super tasty guava pastry at Party Cake Bakery. It was the perfect sweet treat after the Mojito. On our way to our last food spot, we stopped by the Bay of Pigs monument and Helena told us some interesting facts about the invasion and how it affected the community and the culture of Little Havana today.

We ended the night with some of the most delicious ice cream I’ve ever had at Azucar Ice Cream Company. We got to try the Abuela Maria flavor and I highly recommend trying this flavor if you ever go to Azucar! It has a vanilla ice cream base with guava chunks and marmalade, cream cheese, and Maria cookies. I love an ice cream with crunchy cookies and it was just “simply divine” as my grandmother loves to say!

The tour ended here but as I mentioned, we weren’t ready to go back to our hotel in South Beach quite yet, so we ended the night at Ball & Chain for a rum flight. The rum flight included a LOT of rum so we only got one and split it. It was the perfect way to finish celebrating our visit to Little Havana.

If you are in Miami, you just have to take this tour. If you’re interested in booking the same tour that we did, you can find it on Viator here! We learned so much and it was the one thing from our trip that we can’t stop telling everyone about. Little Havana is such a unique area and I truly don’t think there’s anywhere else like it in the United States. It’s incredibly special and I hope it always stays that way. We had the best time in Miami and I’ll be writing a post about our Gator Tour and Airboat Ride in the Everglades soon too so make sure to check back! You can book that tour on Viator too. You can find out more about it here!

If you’re looking for affordable hotel recommendations, we stayed at the Kasa La Flora in Miami Beach. We had a lovely, super clean, large room and we were in a great area with easy access to the beach (only 1 block!) and close to tons of amazing restaurants. We walked pretty much everywhere the whole trip. I also considered staying in the Barcelona Studios Guesthouse because they apparently have a bunch of cats that roam the cute courtyard! I’ll definitely be staying there next time! We did have to take an Uber to the Little Havana tour though because it is downtown. Just something to keep in mind! 🙂

Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy travels!

❤ Myles Katherine