Old Havana set-dressing on Española Way, a churrasco that earns the hype, and a frozen piña colada the size of your head.
Havana 1957 has a few locations across South Florida; the Española Way spot in Miami Beach is the one to do — a pedestrian-only block of Spanish-Mediterranean buildings from the 1920s, dressed up like pre-revolution Havana. Tile floors, mahogany bar, sepia photos of 1950s Cuba, son cubano on the speakers. Walk-in friendly, lively past midnight.
The Churrasco
Order the churrasco. It's a Cuban-style skirt steak — long, thin, hard-seared over an open flame, sliced against the grain, topped with sautéed sweet onions. It comes on a wooden board with two sauces: bright green chimichurri (parsley, garlic, oregano, vinegar, oil) and a deep, smoky house criolla. Crusted outside, pink and tender inside, fat rendered just right. With a side of black beans and rice (moros y cristianos) and a basket of crisp yuca fries, it's the whole table sorted.
The Drink
The frozen piña colada arrives in a goblet roughly the size of your head — pineapple wedges around the rim, two straws, Bacardi heavy. Order one to share. The mojitos and daiquiris are also exactly what you want them to be.
Sunrise on South Beach
After dinner, walk five minutes east and you're on the sand. Come back at sunrise — the Atlantic at 6:45 a.m., clouds catching the first light, the beach mostly empty except for a few runners.
— Jasmine
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