DK Travel : Miami : Downtown and Little Havana

A little rundown, this part of Miami is a foreign land for most Americans, but – if you are willing to make the cultural adjustment – it is a fascinating land. Here along the Miami River is where it all started in the late 1800s, but it took the arrival of Cuban exiles from the 1950s on for Miami to come into its own as a world player. On these brash streets, you will see that the influx from countries to the south has yet to abate and that the face of Miami is more Latino each day.

The Top 10 sights of Little Havana are covered on (see Calle Ocho, Little Havana)

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Nicaragua Bakery

Both a bakery and a snack bar-café for trying typical Nicaraguan treats such as fried plantain, fried pork rinds, nacatamal (Nicaraguan tamale), or pan de pico (a very rich cheese bread).
Old Cuba, The Collection

This welcoming little store specializes in Cuban art, music, books, and clothing, as well as dominoes, coffee-makers, and fine cigars. The owner, Jackie Perez, also promotes a ministreet-festival of the arts held on the last Friday of each month.
Old Lisbon

A taste of Portuguese cuisine, with sardinhas assadas (grilled sardines), salada polvo (octopus salad), mussels, squid, and assorted cheeses.
Performance Space 742

The first Saturday of every month is “Surreal Saturday” in the experimental performance arena, with four featured performances of music, dance, theater, and poetry inside, and a DJ artist scratching tunes outside. Also rhumba and drumming jam sessions.
Porcão

This Brazilian supper club and bar features some of the best live Brazilian music in town, especially when sultry singer Rose Max performs: Thur and Fri Happy Hours.
Teatro de Bellas Artes

This Calle Ocho venue presents eight Spanish plays and musicals a year. Most of the plays are Spanish originals, but there are also plays in translation, such as Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire .
Teatro Ocho

Home to the Hispanic Theater Guild, which regularly presents Spanish-language theater. Its directors try to choose topical plays that will stir public opinion and become a force for renewal in the Cuban community.
US Federal Courthouse

This imposing Neo-Classical edifice, finished in 1931, has hosted a number of high-profile trials, including that of Manuel Noriega, the former Panamanian president, in 1990. The spartan jail cell where he awaited trial on international drug-trafficking charges is also in this building. The main attraction is the secondfloor mural entitled Law Guides Florida’s Progress , designed by Denman Fink, famous for his work in Coral Gables. It depicts Florida’s evolution from a tropical backwater to one of America’s most prosperous states.
Venevision

Latin stage productions, including comedy, make this popular with locals.
Versailles

A Little Havana institution, Versailles is actually a Cuban diner in a very sleek guise (see Versailles Restaurant & Versailles, Little Havana).

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Restaurant price categories

For a three-course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal), taxes and extra charges.
- under $20
- $20–$40
- $40–$55
- $55–$80
- over $80