Downtown Miami Budget Eating Guide

Here at WHAT MIAMI we understand the importance of an affordable meal. Whether you are a resident or tourist, we know that there is nothing better than satisfying your hunger on a budget – it makes both the wallet and the belly feel quite satisfied. Therefore, we have created the ultimate What To Eat in Downtown Miami – Budget Restaurant Guide.

Restaurants in South Florida range from outstanding to awful, cheap to exorbitant – and Downtown Miami is no different. Here’s the quick low down on downtown’s best places to satisfy your appetite, and your wallet!

BREAKFAST

Any good day starts with a solid breakfast, so after a long and loud night, everyone should head over to S&S Diner – arguably one of the best breakfast spots in downtown, if not all of Miami. Operating inside of an original depression-era building, this hole-in-the-wall has been serving home cooked American meals since 1938.

Another delicious and authentic option is to hit up one of the many Latin cafeterias in and around downtown. A typical Cuban breakfast consists of tostada (toast and butter), pastelitos (pastries), and delicious Cuban coffee: cortadito (with milk) or cafe cubano (straight black and sweet) are typical ways to ask for your coffee or ask for a delicious colada – for those not afraid of real coffee! Manolo y Rene Cafeteria’s amazing coffee is mentioned below, or you can check out the all-new New York Bagel Deli on Flagler Street to get some bagels with your coffee.

LUNCH

Once we get past breakfast, downtown is the spot for those looking for that Latin flavor. WHAT MIAMI favorite Cvi.Che 105 is hands down one of the best Peruvian restaurants in the city. Run by two locals, this restaurant serves up some amazing traditional dishes that will surely have you coming back for more. Don’t miss the Lomo Saltado – a saucy dish made with fries, steak, rice and delicious herbs – priced around $12. Overall, prices are rather affordable and the portions are generous at this amazing local gem. If you’ve never tried Ceviche (raw fish cooked in lime juice) then this is the place for it – but that’s a little pricier!

If you gotta get your Omega-3 fixin’ stop by Iron Sushi right next to the Starbucks Coffee at the corner of S.E. 1st Street & S.E. 3rd Avenue – only two block from Bayfront Park where you can catch some beautiful views of the Biscayne Bay and Port of Miami. We recommend the sushi which is of great quality and price, but stay away from their hot dishes!

If you’re looking for that real American burger for your day’s protein intake then stop by Tobacco Road and have yourself one huge, delicious burger, served alongside a generous side of fries. This place serves up some of the best burgers, steaks and ribs in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. Don’t miss their $5 lunch Monday through Wednesday – an unbeatable value!

Of course no trip to Miami is complete without eating some of the local delicacies offered by the Atlantic Ocean. We recommend you skip the expensive joints and head over to one of our favorite spots in Miami, Garcia’s Seafood Grille & Fish, one of the best and most affordable seafood restaurants in Miami. For those of you on a budget we recommend the Grouper or Mahi-Mahi sandwiches (both fresh Miami fish) for about $10 dollars. With a location along the Miami River and its own fishing fleet, you cannot go wrong with this place. If you’d rather take the some fish home to cook, you can do that! Garcia’s seafood market sells freshly caught fish, stone crabs and other delicacies of the sea.

DINNER

For an early dinner, come check out Thai Angel, a truly hidden downtown gem located in an intimate food court. Traditional Thai dishes are all offered at very reasonable prices without slacking on the quality. Here you’ll find Thai cuisine classics such as several Curry specialties, Spring/Summer rolls, delicious coconut milk Tom Kha Kai soup and many other dishes for $12 or less. The staff here is incredibly nice and the food is great – you will love it.

Tobacco Road is also definitely recommended for their dinner specials Tuesday – Thursday. Why? For $13 you can get yourself a buttered 1.25 lbs. Maine Lobster with 2 sides (Tue), $11 gets you ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT BBQ Ribs with a side (Wed), and you can get yourself a juicy 16 oz. T-Bone Steak with a side for $11 (Thu). There’s a 2-drink minimum with each of these, but the drinks and beers are all priced fairly in this joint. Make sure to call in ahead if you want to get in on that lobster deal, you gotta reserve them before they sell out!

LATE NIGHT

After dinner, be sure to hit the little corner café called Manolo y Rene Cafeteria. Located right across the street from Cvi.che 105, this little spot serves amazing and super cheap ($1) Cuban coffee all day and all night. From cortaditos to cafe con leche, this is the place to go if you need a quick wake-me-up at any time of the day. You can also check out Café Tony right down the street from there, where you can get some decent deli sandwich along with American coffee. Both of these places are opened 24 hours a day, everyday!

You can also stop by La Moon Colombian “restaurant” for some inexpensive eats at all times of the night. La Moon is a very affordable hotspot to end up crashing at, and recover after a late night of partying in downtown. You’ll clog up your arteries with huge portions of tasty food but you won’t regret it!

PIZZA

It’s so hard to find good pizza delivery… Luckily, we’ve got an amazing family-owned joint for ya! If you are staying in the Downtown Miami/Brickel area, we recommend you call up Pieducks Pizza for some really great quality pies. Fresh, real ingredients, and authentically brick-oven baked! Pieducks delivers to the Brickell and Downtown areas but dine-in and take-out are also available – save that delivery money!

For a middle-of-the-night pizza slice, try Mama Caruso’s Pizzeria in the Brickell area, close to many of the live music spots which are always kickin’ (Tobacco Road, Transit Lounge…). This pizza spot is often a hangover life-saver at 4 am, take it from us!

DRINKS

If you cannot make it all the way to Miami Beach to get your drinking on then come check out two of downtown’s best places to grab a cold one: Waxy O’Connors and Transit Lounge – both located in the Brickell area, within quick walking distance of the FREE Metromover to get you home safe & drunk – and not broke!

Waxy O’Connor’s Irish Pub is about as authentic as it gets in Miami. The pub is located along the Miami River, stays open very late (4am or so), and offers a genuine pub atmosphere with a good selection of beer.

Transit Lounge offers a different vibe, it was recently named best lounge in all of Miami, but that doesn’t mean they are snobbish about it – they never charge a cover and the staff is cool tempered. This is a WHAT MIAMI favorite and it is one of the few places in Miami where you just can check out awesome live bands and where you can’t have a bad time!

If you want to stay closer to Biscayne Boulevard then stop by Sharkey’s Beer & Wine, a small bar located within the Bayside Marketplace – alongside other restaurants, bars, and shops. This place is tiny but it is outdoors, on the water, and offers a great selection of beers and snacks at fair prices. The place is not opened very late but definitely recommended for a quick stop!

Despite our lack of pubs, Miami is packed with bars, lounges, and clubs to drink at. Surely, you’ll stumble into several on your walk to and from the concert (particularly in Brickell). Just beware of the price tag on the martinis!

LAST THOUGHTS…

We hope you enjoy these recommendations, please let us know if you enjoyed them, and leave a review for the establishments that you especially enjoyed! If none of these tickle your fancy, please be sure to check out the Miami Restaurant Directory for a complete listing of all establishments in the Magic City. If you happen to stop by Miami Beach then make sure to check out our Miami Beach Budget Eating Guide.

Something you want to keep in mind when trying to please your wallet is to use public transportation! Make sure to check out our Transportation page for a complete listing of all Metrorail and Metromover stations which will get you to everywhere you need to go around downtown.