Photo courtesy of Tâm Tâm

How to Spend a Perfect 72 Hours Eating Your Way Through Miami

By Lyssa Goldberg, a Miami-based writer and content strategist who loves telling stories about food and travel. You can find her byline in U.S. News & World Report, The Points Guy, Parade, Time Out, and more.

Updated: May 20, 2026

In Miami, we shift with the sun: Cuban coffee shots on the beach as the first rays shine through, lunch looking out at the bay, cocktails as the light starts to soften, and dinner somewhere that keeps the night going long after the plates are cleared. You can build an entire trip around the city’s art, shopping, architecture, and beaches — and you should — but we’d argue the best way to understand Miami’s culture is to eat your way through it.

And the options, of course, are endless. You’ll find plenty to plan around in our monthly Hit List, along with our Miami restaurant guides by neighborhood, cuisine and occasion. But if you’ve only got 72 hours, this is a good place to begin.

For the sake of this guide to eating your way through Miami, we’re assuming you’re here for a long weekend, arriving Friday morning and heading out Sunday evening. That gives you just enough time to explore Miami’s creative core and the beaches, and still sneak a peek at the city’s greener, more local-feeling corners — with a stellar lineup of meals, snacks, drinks and cafecito along the way.

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An Appetite For Adventure

Sunday: Miami Like a Local

Photo by Juanchi Aguiree, courtesy of Tinta y Cafe

Tinta y Café Design District

Cuban Coffee & Community

After conquering the must-do tourist centers, trade the obvious Miami postcard for the places locals actually gravitate to on the weekends: the Gables and Grove. Start at Tinta y Café, a homey Cuban coffeehouse that feels part mid-century Miami living room, part modern Latin cafeteria. Order a plate of eggs with tostada (here, it’s a baguette instead of classic Cuban bread), add on a couple of ham-packed croquetas (among our favorites in the city), and get there early if you want to beat the weekend rush. Then stroll through the European-feeling Coral Gables streets, where Mediterranean-inspired architecture and a century-old tree canopy makes Miami feel older and more cinematic.

Walk-ins only.

Bayshore Club Miami Coconut Grove

Seafood by the Marina

Lush, bohemian, and bordering the water, Coconut Grove is Coral Gables’ easier, breezier neighbor. Settle in for an alfresco lunch at Bayshore Club, where the fresh seafood, coastal cooking, and bay views do most of the work for you. Order the smoked wahoo fish dip, something from the raw bar, or the full photo-worthy drink cooler filled with chilled shellfish if it’s feeling like that kind of afternoon.

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Le Specialita Café & Market Coconut Grove

Photo courtesy of Le Specialità Café & Market

Afternoon Pick-Me-Up

After lunch, stroll the Grove’s waterfront walking paths, parks, marina docks, and shaded streets until the afternoon heat wins. Then duck into Le Specialità Café & Market for an espresso pick-me-up or a cooling gelato break. The Cipriani family connection gives the place a polished Italian feel, but the goal here is simple: recharge before your final dinner.

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Daniel’s Miami Coral Gables

Farewell Feast

End your Miami trip on a high note at Daniel’s, a steakhouse from a local hospitality team that knows how to make dinner feel like an occasion. This isn’t your standard chophouse: The seafood, steaks, produce, pastas, and sides all get serious attention, with sourcing from top Florida farmers and fishermen alongside premium cuts from around the world. Come for the steak, but save room for the playful comforts, like organic chicken nuggets with caviar or DIY soft-serve sundaes.

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