Five Things I Ate in South Beach 🌴

I went to see F1 Racing and lived to tell the tale.

Hello and welcome back to Five Things I Ate! This week, we survived Newark airport and a weekend in South Beach. Read past posts here, and please follow my Instagram, @fivethingsiate.

Iced honeycomb latte with oat milk at Maman South Beach

100 Collins Ave Unit 11, Miami Beach, FL 33139

This has been officially one of the longest weeks of my life. It contained, among other things, an emergency hospital visit (not me), an unforgettable F1 race, a 5-hour flight delay trying to come home to the hellscape that is Newark airport, and a Pulitzer win for a project I dedicated more than a year of my life to, followed by some deeply disappointing workplace events. How did I hold it all together? This honeycomb latte. Now, you absolutely don’t need to fly all the way to Miami to get a coffee at Maman, a NYC chain, but I have a rule of only treating myself to cafe coffee when I’m traveling, since I don’t want to make a habit of hemorrhaging money. Apparently the honeycomb latte is Maman’s signature drink. With a salted tahini and honey sauce, and topped with sesame seeds, it was the perfect sweet-and-salty combo to combat the Floridian humidity after a flight. 10/10, I’d even get it at home on occasion.

Guava overnight oats at Maman South Beach

100 Collins Ave Unit 11, Miami Beach, FL 33139

The first two days of our Miami trip, we were confined to a food radius of a few blocks due to a busy schedule, so I didn’t have any time to explore local cuisine (which is what I prefer to do). I totally understand the optics of flying to Miami and choosing to eat at a NYC bakery chain several days in a row. That being said, I love routine, and I was absolutely obsessed with these overnight oats. I would eat them every day if I could, and I’m not a breakfast person at all. I normally never eat overnight oats (it’s a lot like chia seed pudding for me – a thing that really speaks to me mentally and emotionally but never quite tastes right), but these were layered with guava filling. If you tell me to jump for guava, I will ask: How high? I was surprised to see this was not a local Miami menu item but in fact is available in select Manhattan locations, so I may have to visit Maman at home to pay $11 for oatmeal.

Chocolate pot de creme with donuts at Azabu Miami Beach

161 Ocean Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33139

This is another food place within the same few blocks radius, but stumbling into Azabu – which was located inside a Marriott Hotel – was a great find. I’d never heard of Azabu before, but apparently the original location was in New York. This was a stellar meal, totally unexpected. Friendly, fast service, large outdoor seating, and fresh fish. The price was reasonable for the quality. Highlights included wagyu gyoza appetizer, chicken skewers with perfect char, and a blackberry mocktail. But my favorite thing? The fresh fried donuts we got for dessert came with a chocolate pot de creme and jam. The donuts were piping hot and reminded me of zeppoles at the Italian Fair.

Churros at Lolo’s Surf Cantina

161 Ocean Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33139

Speaking of freshly fried desserts – the churros at Lolo’s Surf Cantina (again, very close by) were spectacular. This casual Mexican joint is an amazing underrated gem in the area! Everything was wonderful, including very friendly service. The elotes were fresh, and the steak salad I got was excellent and HUGE, with lots of charred steak. But the churros… they came out piping hot and custardy inside. I miss them now.

Cafe con leche at Las Olas Cafe

644 6th St, Miami Beach, FL 33139

I had to save the best for last. On the only day that I had a meal to explore, I insisted on going to Las Olas Cafe, recommended by my friend from Miami. I was so glad we walked those extra blocks in the humidity. Las Olas was worth the sunburn, and more. The Cuban food in Miami really is exceptional and I’m glad I didn’t leave without trying it. I had a sampling of croquetas (amazing), my friend got arepas with cheese (bomb), and of course I had to get a guava pastelito. Of course, me being a Coffee Girlie, I was beyond excited to try the Cuban coffee! Since I’m also a huge moka pot fan (it’s my favorite coffee device – affordable, reliable, indestructible, I’ll sing its praises from any rooftop) I wanted to see how the Cubans did it. The cafe con leche was out of this world. It’s really a shame it was 85 degrees outside because the hot coffee was exceptional. It had such a caremly toasty flavor and was perfectly sweet, 10/10. I want to make it at home.

XOXO,

Soph

P.S. Do you know how to make Cuban cafe con leche? Or have a place to get it in NYC? Reveal your secrets to me. You can reply directly to this email.