La Fresa Francesa

"La Fresa Francesa looks like a whimsical Parisian souvenir shop designed by a Hialeah abuela. With its old timey French music and flowery tablecloths, you will not find a cuter weekend brunch in Miami. If you're looking for a filling morning plate, get the quack madame. Tender duck is pressed between cheesy sourdough so deliciously heavy you’ll need to take ujjayi breaths between bites. Their spinach galette has cloves of garlic confit tucked in the savory crepe’s crevices—it’s like a glorious Easter egg hunt for your taste buds. To drink, get the Hialeah helicopter latte, a double espresso with evaporated milk and mounds of sugar that will make you fly (and possibly crash a few hours later)." - ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo, mariana trabanino

"Of all the steak frites in Miami, La Fresa makes our favorite. The que cute Hialeah French spot knows how to get the most out of its juicy hanger steak. It's seared hard, but every bite is juicy and tender. Get a forkful of fries, steak, and dunk it in their housemade aioli. The steak is also available for brunch with a fried egg and crispy potatoes for an intensely hearty (and delicious) morning start." - virginia otazo, ryan pfeffer, mariana trabanino

"La Fresa Francesa is a French restaurant that feels like a multi-abuela design collaboration. The three distinct dining rooms have a cluttered charm that makes this place the epicenter of Hialeah date nights. The art ranges from Girl With A Pearl Earring to random needlepoint landscapes, and doilies are abundant. But the food is also worthy of an important night with someone you like. It's mostly straightforward (and very good) takes on classic French bistro dishes: steak frites, cassoulet de toulouse, French onion soup. But La Fresa's location in one of Miami’s most Cuban neighborhoods is evident in dishes like the foie gras and guayaba pastelito. " - ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo

"You expect to find certain things in Hialeah, but an adorable French bistro is not one of them. And yet, La Fresa makes so much sense to anyone who grew up in Miami. The cluttered dining rooms feel like a multi-abuela design collaboration, and while the really good food is mostly straightforward takes on classic bistro dishes, La Fresa’s location in one of Miami’s most Cuban neighborhoods does come through with a few wonderful moments of guava. One such case, the pastelito de foie gras and guayaba, is the most brilliantly Miami thing we’ve ever eaten. This is the kind of place you will sorely miss if you ever move to another city. " - ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo, mariana trabanino

"This Hialeah French restaurant seems designed to trigger core memories for anyone who’s ever been overfed while getting their cheeks pinched in a grandparent's cluttered living room. So, just about every major culture on the Miami pie chart. And La Fresa’s discovery that foie gras and guava go so well together inside a pastelito should be international news. This could be one of Miami’s greatest contributions to the planet. We need to get this pastelito a director of communications." - virginia otazo, mariana trabanino, ryan pfeffer