Miami certainly has no shortage of brunch options on the weekend, but I’m usually looking for something simpler in the morning: a good bagel, a stack of pancakes, or eggs from a diner that has been serving them forever. These are seven of my favorite places to get breakfast around town.
Café Croissant
Café Croissant was my go-to breakfast spot when I lived within walking distance, and I probably went twice a month. It’s a little French diner run by twin chefs, usually with the Today Show on one television and a sporting event on the other. You can order a croque madame or La Parisienne, a savory crepe filled with ham or turkey, Swiss cheese, and a fried egg, then get a café con leche because this is still Miami. The food is simple and well-priced, and I miss having it so close.
Pro Tip: The guava-and-cheese croissant and café con leche make a very good pair.
1684 Coral Way, Miami, FL 33145
Caracas Bakery
For a long time, I didn’t think I was hip enough to have breakfast at Caracas Bakery. It felt like one of those places where everyone else would somehow know what to order. Once I finally went, I got it. The sandwiches are great, the pastries are interesting, and the Venezuelan-French combination works. Two breakfast highlights include B.E.C. comes on a sweet potato bun with soft-scrambled eggs, bacon, and American cheese, while the Croix Sandwich puts eggs, avocado, tomato, and cheese on a croissant. There are three locations now, so clearly I wasn’t the only person won over.
Pro Tip: The full breakfast menu is only served at the MiMo location.
@caracas.bakery // 7884 NW 52nd St., Doral; 7283 Biscayne Blvd., MiMo; 72 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables
Chug’s Diner
I had breakfast at Chug’s Diner on the morning of my wedding and brought about 15 people with me. I asked to swap the bread on my sandwich, and the restaurant refused, even after I pointed out that I was the bride. I still chuckle about it to this day — I mean how serious do you need to take your breakfast sandwiches, but I digress — Chug’s remains one of my favorite breakfast spots in the Grove. I’ve been a fan since the original location had about three seats to its name, and with hearty portions, great breakfast sandwiches, and a cast-iron pancake cooked with clarified butter and maple syrup, I see why there is always a wait.
Pro Tip: The menu means it when it says no substitutions.
@chugsdiner // 3444 Main Hwy., Suite 21, Coconut Grove
El Bagel
El Bagel means “the bagel,” in case you never put that together. I give it a lot of credit for bringing a real bagel culture to Miami, and I’ve followed it since the food-truck days. The bagels are great, and there is still a constant line at both the MiMo and Coconut Grove locations. The BEC comes with maple bacon, fried eggs, and American cheese, while the Lox Supreme is loaded with locally smoked lox, cucumber, dill, pickled onion, tomato, capers, and cream cheese. The King Guava, made with guava marmalade, cream cheese, potato sticks, and a fried egg, is the very Miami-coded order to get.
Pro Tip: Get the BEC on a rosemary sea-salt bagel.
@elbagel // 6910 Biscayne Blvd., MiMo; 3015 Grand Ave., Suite 122, Coconut Grove
Stadium Diner
Miami has far fewer greasy-spoon diners than it did 10 or 15 years ago, and that is a shame. IMHO, diner food remains one of the best hangover treatments available. Stadium Diner is in Miami Gardens one of the last standing diners, and not especially close to much besides Hard Rock Stadium and, apparently, my house. The service is quick and friendly, the prices are fair, and the breakfast menu covers corned beef hash, Belgian waffles, and a short stack with two eggs and your choice of smoked sausage or ham. It feels old-school because it is actually is old-school — not some manufactured version of it.
Pro Tip: Stop in before a Dolphins or UM game to line your stomach before all that tailgating.
@stadium.diner // 19904 NW 2nd Ave., Miami Gardens
Tina in the Gables
Tina in the Gables has received a ton of attention since opening, and the lines outside suggest the hype hasn’t slowed down. The team behind Miami Slice and La Latina serves a small all-day brunch menu with brioche French toast covered in salted-butter maple syrup and orange zest, plus smashed Peruvian potatoes fried in tallow and served with romesco. The soft-shell crab sandwich comes on a brioche bun with mango pico de gallo and tartar sauce. There’s also maple-candied bacon and an iced Gables Café Crème if breakfast requires both sugar and caffeine.
Pro Tip: Get there before 10 a.m. Tina is walk-in only.
@tinainthegables // 4700 S. Le Jeune Rd., Coral Gables
Zak the Baker
Zak the Baker is a classic for a reason. The bread is obviously the main draw, but the breakfast menu has plenty going on too. The Eggs Florentine puts poached eggs, kale, and avocado hollandaise over a crispy yuca latka, while the challah French toast comes with orange-brown-butter syrup, mascarpone, and pecan crumble. Even 10+ years, the Wynwood café still fills up in the morning with neighborhood regulars and half of Miami’s creative class eating breakfast before work.
Pro Tip: Like a good proper kosher spot, Zak is closed on Saturdays.
@zakthebaker // 295 NW 26th St., Wynwood