120 June 27- July 3, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times b e s T o f m i a m i ® 2 0 2 4 BEST MAC & CHEESE Ms. Cheezious 7418 Biscayne Boulevard Miami, 33138 305-989-4019 mscheezious.com It’s no surprise that Ms. Cheezious touts the best mac & cheese. The Little River establish- ment is expert in all tasty things cheesy and gooey. They use a creamy Gouda base and shell pasta macaroni to make their classic order. But Ms. Cheezious goes above and beyond for this classic American meal. For instance, they make the “Mackin Melt,” which pairs mac & cheese with house-cured bacon sandwiched between two slices of toasted sourdough bread. And you can add your own toppings to customize your ultimate comfort food — blue cheese, green on- ions, some more of that crisp bacon. This is your world, and your cheesy macaroni is just in it. BEST TACOS The Taco Stand 313 NW 25th Street Miami, 33127 786-580-4948 and 2063 SW Eighth Street Miami, 33135 786-963-6030 letstaco.com Want a taco with Southern Cali cred, but right here in Miami? The Taco Stand is your spot. And the long line of folks also hungry for afford- able, warm, housemade corn tortillas at its Wynwood location is evidence of this being the best in town. Taco types include carne asada, al pastor, Baja, mushroom, mahi mahi, and even cactus, AKA the nopal taco for $3.35. The real winner is the camarón, a spicy grilled shrimp taco with cheese, avocado, and cabbage, topped with a spicy chipotle sauce. Still hungry after downing a few tacos? Try the mar y tierra fries with grilled shrimp and Angus steak on a bed of french fries with guacamole, sour cream, and cheese. And if the lines in Wynwood are too long, no worries. Earlier this year, the chain ex- panded to a second local location on Calle Ocho. BEST TOSTADA Tinta y Café 1315 Ponce de Leon Boulevard Coral Gables, 33134 305-285-0101 and 9840 NE Second Avenue Miami Shores, 33134 305-456-0137 tintaycafe.co Sure, even bad tostada gets the job done, but how is flaccid Cuban bread with bald spots and artificial butter supposed to get you through the whole day? With a good tostada, the bread needs to be pressed tightly, like coal turning into a diamond, flat as Death Valley, and buttery as hell. The quality mantequilla should seep through the bread like waterlogged wood. Hold my cafecito, someone! Tinta y Café knows the rules well. The café has been giving a modernist touch to the classics for almost twenty years. Try the housemade Cuban bread pressed thin and crisp but with a chewy crumb. It’s the abso- lute perfect juxtaposition to a silly sweet café con leche. One bite makes the adage true: Noth- ing is better than bread and butter. BEST EMPANADAS Punta Lara 5026 NE Second Avenue, Suite 301 Miami, 33137 786-317-4544 instagram.com/puntalaradeli The Argentina-style empanada can be a sober affair of baked pastry stuffed with savory but never spicy picadillo or other predictable flavor combinations. So, a proper “best” empanada is defined in the details, which they observe at Punta Lara in Buena Vista. They make the dough and fillings by hand daily, cook to order — even if it means customers have to wait seven minutes — and make sure each empanada has uniform bubbly char spots from the industrial 500-degree toaster oven. The owners are from landlocked Córdoba but named their restau- rant Punta Lara after the seaside city to show- case the maritime origins of the empanada itself. The tuna gallega is the go-to order here, made with savory tuna ragout with onion, red pepper, briny olives, egg, and a pastry crust that is thin and delicate yet somehow maintains a crisp outer layer and a chewy inner layer. Add a side of chimichurri or sriracha, pair with an $11 imported tall boy of hazy IPA from Argentina’s Temple brewery, and consume it all under the shady banyan in dreamy Upper Buena Vista. BEST CROQUETAS Dos Croquetas 3 area locations, including: 10505 SW 40th Street Miami, 33165 305-912-3672 doscroquetas.com Between local staples like Vicky Bakery and Pinecrest Bakery, you can get your pick of cro- quetas here in Miami. But no one is doing it as right as Dos Croquetas, a Cuban restaurant put- ting its modern spin on the classic Latin hors d’oeuvres. The self-proclaimed “croqueta bar” has locations in both Little Havana and Bird Road and a pop-up in Hialeah, where custom- ers can sample different handmade croquetas, from classic ham or cheese to new culinary takes including mac & cheese and medianoche croquetas. They also offer a decent Cuban sandwich, Cuban fritanga wrap, or areparada sandwich, all of which build on the brand’s fa- vorite delicacy. These delectable croquetas can even be shipped nationally for friends or family looking for a taste of the Magic City. For those
