Madroño Restaurant

"It’s easy to oversimplify Nicaraguan food and assume it can all fit neatly in a styrofoam box. But Madroño is the best example of how incredibly nuanced and diverse Nicaraguan restaurants can be. This classic spot serves unfussy comfort food in a white tablecloth environment worthy of celebrating your niece’s First Communion. If you're here with a group, get the bandeja, a lazy susan filled with the most popular dishes from the entire left side of the menu. No matter who you're here with, end with a Pio V for dessert. And if you're celebrating a birthday, expect an aggressive amount of colorful streamers to be thrown in your general direction." - ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo, mariana trabanino

"Any loyal patron of the fritanga understands the glory of a Nicaraguan churrasco. If you want to be converted—or just reminded of this cut's greatness—go to Madroño. The marinade they use on this demands a non-disclosure agreement from the kitchen staff. It's juicier than the gossip Teresa dropped in the group chat about her ex-husband's new girlfriend. And (apparently) unlike his new paramour, this churrasco is seasoned, tender, and won’t drain your bank account." - virginia otazo, ryan pfeffer, mariana trabanino

"You’ve been tasked with organizing a double date with just two hours' notice, there’s a birthday involved, and you’re stressed. The solution is this Nicaraguan restaurant. This place is walk-in only and you might have to wait. But things move quickly and ordering for four is as simple as saying, “Can I have one bandeja please?” It’s a lazy susan filled with dishes like indio viejo, queso frito, chicharrones, grilled beef, chicken, and pork among a mountain of other delicious things. After bellies are full, pretend to go to the bathroom so you can sneakily tell your server it's Todd's birthday. Prepare for streamers, sparklers, and a very loud birthday chant." - mariana trabanino, ryan pfeffer

"Similar to your grandparents’ 2004 Hyundai Sonata, Madroño will never let you down. The Nicaraguan restaurant is mostly quiet, but they’ll get appropriately rowdy for the fun grandparents. For birthdays, they blast “Las Mañanitas” and throw streamers on your table—but only if that’s what you want. If Grandma Betty just wants to celebrate with a teeny sparkler on her Pio V (outstanding rum cake), they can do that, too." - mariana trabanino, virginia otazo

"If your only experience of Nicaraguan food is a 24-hour fritanga, you really need to go to Madroño. Located in Sweetwater, the heart of the Nica expat community, this restaurant is so chic that you’ll think it was plucked from the Design District and dropped into a strip mall next to a Sedano’s. Madroño’s menu features a lot of Nicaraguan classics done better than anywhere else in Miami, and you can sense the attention to every detail in every dish. The tajadas are crunchy and never greasy, you can taste each individual grain of rice in the gallo pinto, and every element of their nacatamal is flawless. While we still love our fritangas, it’s hard not to think about Madroño’s meltingly tender carne asada whenever we’re lining up for a styrofoam box from a steam counter." - carlos c olaechea, virginia otazo