Habana Vieja Restaurant

"If you’re going to order vaca frita anywhere in Miami, it should be here. It’s our favorite. And most of the credit goes to the onions. They taste like they’ve been sitting in a pool of vinegar, just waiting for the moment they reach the perfect flavor to be dropped on crispy strips of beef. All those tart juices roll into every crevice of shredded meat. We dream about this vaca frita—it haunts us for days—not unlike the smell of mojo that emanates from our bodies after we consume it." - virginia otazo

"This casual Cuban restaurant isn’t over-hyping its stature in Miami’s saturated Cuban food scene. They don't claim to be kings or magicians. They're not trying to be a palace or line their tables in white linen. They keep it simple, straightforward, and just make the best vaca frita in Miami (fighting words, we know). You’re going to want to come here on a weekday between 5pm and 7pm for the early dinner special: a soup of the day, large entree of your choice, two sides, dessert, and a glass of house wine filled to the brim—all for only about $12. " - virginia otazo, ryan pfeffer

"This casual Cuban restaurant keeps it simple, straightforward, and makes the best vaca frita in Miami (fighting words, we know). You’re going to want to come here on a weekday for their “Business Lunch” menu, where everything on the twenty-item menu is under $14 from noon to 5pm, including that vaca frita. Another thing worth getting on the table: the crispy mariquitas served with a garlicky mojo." - virginia otazo, ryan pfeffer

"The service isn’t perfect, but Habana Vieja nails classic Cuban dishes like few others in town, including the city’s most mouth-puckering vaca frita. If guavas are in season, order the guava shells with cream cheese for dessert. It’s an old school Cuban dessert with pieces of guava simmered in sugar next to a triangular chunk of cream cheese—the epitome of Cuban cuisine’s love of sweet and salty combinations—and the great grandfather of all those pastelitos de guayaba y queso we love. Grab a seat at the bar with the regulars and you’ll feel like you’re on the porch of a Cuban farmhouse." - virginia otazo