MIAGuide
Where To Eat At (Almost) Every Metrorail Stop In Miami
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Compared to other major cities, our mass transit system is on the struggle bus. Could it be better? Absolutely. Will they ever expand the rail to Miami Beach? God only knows. But here’s the good news: You can ride the Metrorail (and Metromover) around Miami-Dade County and never be far from at least one great restaurant. In fact, nothing on this guide is more than a ten-minute walk from each station. And the best part: no traffic. Just remember, not all Metrorail ticketing machines accept cards, so bring cash.
Dadeland North Station
The moment you hop off the Metrorail, you’re in Kendall’s Dadeland Station—a convenient stop with a Target and Dick’s Sporting Goods in case you need new towels or a fishing rod for some reason. Also in Dadeland Station: Lan Pan-Asian Cafe, a small restaurant on the ground floor of the shopping center that’s been serving East Asian and Southeast Asian food since 1999. Pop in for lunch or dinner and order a delicious red sea roll with fried shrimp and spicy tuna, or order a bubble tea at their takeout window and cool down on a hot day.
Dadeland South Station
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc
Ghee Indian Kitchen is just a five-minute walk from the station. It’s our favorite Indian restaurant in town—and one of the best restaurants in Miami. Ghee’s menu changes often, but if available, order the yellowfin tuna bhel, turmeric marinated local fish, and all the naans that can fit on the table. Then hop back on the Metrorail and whiz by US1 traffic while you comfortably digest your feast on the way home.
This barbecue spot is actually older than the Metrorail, and has been a Kendall staple for over seventy years. It’s also just a two-minute walk from the Dadeland South station. Dine in and enjoy pulled pork and baby back ribs in a log cabin that would make Lincoln jealous, or take it to-go on the train and let the smell of smoked meats make your fellow passengers jealous.
South Miami Station
If you’re willing to cross US1 from the South Miami station (please look both ways and use the crosswalk on Sunset Drive), you can go visit Fox’s. Here, you can enjoy a heavy dose of local nostalgia, a very solid old fashioned, and (our favorite thing on the menu) thumb bits—juicy filet tips on toasted garlic bread. It’s about a ten-minute walk—a straight shot down US1.
University Station
Lucky for university student parents and you, Orno is just an eight-minute walk from University station. It’s a solid option for business meals, dinner with parents, or group dinners. You can get roasted and grilled small plates or a tasty flat iron steak. Mamey, its sister restaurant, serves Caribbean-inspired food and is conveniently in the same building. If you arrive at Happy Hour, check out Mamey’s rooftop.
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings
If you're looking for lunch, you'll find Jholano’s right across the street from Orno. It's located in an apartment complex, operating behind a red door with a faded sign from the previous occupant. It doesn’t look like a restaurant, but override your hesitation against breaking and entering and you’ll find a small counter serving a dozen stellar Italian sandwiches.
Douglas Road Station
This spot is Permanently Closed.
Douglas Road station is about five blocks east of the Shops At Merrick Park, which is where you’ll find Brasserie Central—a French restaurant with a killer boeuf bourguignon and steak tartare. You can pretend you’ve taken the Paris Métro instead of the Miami one while you sip pastis at their bar. Then feel free to peruse the Louis Vuitton store in Neiman Marcus while you try not to burp on expensive purses.
Coconut Grove Station
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings
It’s a five-minute walk from the Coconut Grove station to Coral Bagels. This classic spot does a great diner-style breakfast. Inside, there are orange walls and red booths where you (and a few hungover UM students) can order pancakes and really tasty bagels.
Hop off at the Coconut Grove station, walk ten minutes east along SW 28th Lane, and you’ll see The Daily Bread in a little plaza on your right. It’s a reliable, casual Middle Eastern lunch spot in Coconut Grove that’s part restaurant, part market, and has delicious salads, platters, and pita wraps. You can also order falafel, kafta, shawarma. Bring a bag in case you want to buy some pantry items.
Vizcaya Station
photo credit: Tasty Planet
Doggi’s on Coral Way is perfect for a casual lunch or dinner—especially if you're really hungry. Grab yourself a huge Venezuelan arepa, hot dog, or generously stuffed pepito at the small restaurant. And make use of those squeeze bottles filled with sauce on each table.
Brickell Station
If you’re on the hunt for tasty Neapolitan pizza, exit the Brickell station and walk three blocks north. Here, you’ll find Stanzione 87, a little Brickell pizzeria that serves delicious margherita pizzas, salads, and Italian subs—like the morty with mortadella, smoked mozzarella, and pistachio pesto. If you’re in the mood for something different, try the oddly refreshing lemon and burrata white pizza with a glass of natural wine. It's a cute date spot too.
Financial District Station
If you’re meeting clients at The Four Seasons, double check it’s at the hotel in Brickell (not a landscaping company in Jersey), then make reservations at Edge Steak & Bar. Prepare to drop some cash on tons of meat—like a charcuterie plate full of house sausage and various hams or entrees like seared wagyu churrasco. Just try not to get your meat-sweats on any passengers on the ride back.
Fifth Street Station
photo credit: Michael Stavaridis
This is our favorite restaurant in Brickell. And it’s just a two-minute walk from Fifth Street station. This place is always a good call, regardless if you’re looking for a seafood-heavy dinner or Happy Hour oysters. It’s a classic by Brickell standards and remains one of the best (and least pretentious) restaurants in the neighborhood.
Government Center Station
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings
This Downtown taqueria is just three short blocks from the Government Center station. It’s basically a fast food taco spot—in the best possible way. They specialize in al pastor tacos and have just three tacos on the menu—all pork and all fast. This is a great option if you work Downtown and are looking for a quick and quiet lunch near the Metrorail.
photo credit: Merritt Smail
Motek Cafe is an Israeli restaurant two and a half blocks from the Government Center station. It’s buried inside a huge Downtown building full of diamond shops. We really like their crispy chicken schnitzel sandwich and the arayes burger, handheld beef-stuffed pitas that come with a side of crispy fries. And if you’re not self-conscious about walking around with a bottle of wine, the indoor restaurant is also BYOB with no corkage fee.
First Street Station
Bali Café is a little cash-only Indonesian spot right across the street from First Street station. You can get some very generous portions of dishes you won’t find done this well anywhere else in the area. The menu includes dumplings and sushi rolls—but you should focus on their signature Indonesian dishes, like the nasi goreng special. It comes on a little cafeteria-style tray with separated portions of fried rice, coconut chicken curry, and a tender pile of rendang.
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings
First Street station is just a block away from amazing bar food. Over Under is a narrow cocktail bar that serves one of the best cheeseburger and fried chicken sandwiches in Miami. This place somehow has the DNA of a dive bar, upscale cocktail bar, and a very good restaurant all rolled into one. Order a martini, and you’ll be buzzing like their neon mosquito sign on the Metrorail ride home.
College Bayside Station
To find Jaguar Sun, you’re looking for a Downtown residential building around the corner from the College Bayside stop with a lit sign that says “cocktails.” And yes, you can have delicious cocktails here, but if you sit in the little dining room, it feels more like a restaurant than a bar. The menu is pasta-focused and one of our favorite places for a fun dinner. It’s upbeat enough to make you feel like you went out, but won’t have you waking up the next morning with ringing in your ears.
photo credit: Rami Sabban
Ben’s is, unfortunately, located deep within the bowels of Bayside Marketplace. But the pizza counter makes a really solid New York-style slice. It’s greasy (in a good way), has a crisp crust, and they keep it simple with the toppings. Plus, there are some waterfront tables you can eat at.
Museum Park Station
At Pérez Art Museum, you’ll find excellent family-friendly art exhibitions and Verde—a restaurant that has one of the city’s best views of Biscayne Bay and is casual enough to show up in shorts and a tank top. They’re a solid lunch option for salads, sandwiches, and pizzas—plus weekend brunch. And if you take the Metrorail, you can skip that whole car seat debacle.
School Board Station
This Argentinian restaurant is just one block south of the School Board station on the northern edge of Downtown. There’s lots of wine (including really great wine cocktails), solid empanadas, and a variety of tasty red meat. But the space also has a fun secret lair vibe—the dining room is located behind a sliding bookshelf—and there’s occasional live music, too. It’s a good choice for a date or fun group dinner.
Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre Station
photo credit: Rami Sabban
It’s about an eight-minute walk from the Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre station to this Downtown pizzeria. They do square and round pies here. Our favorite is the pepperoni and hot honey, which comes topped with Calabrian chili paste, caramelized onions, and little pepperoni cups. They also have indoor and (weather permitting) outdoor seating where you can enjoy your pizza with a bottle of wine.
photo credit: Tasty Planet
Five blocks away is also Jackson Soul Food—an Overtown institution. As the name implies, they’re known for soul food, but they’re only open until 2pm Wednesday to Friday and 5pm on weekends, so you’re coming here for breakfast, lunch, or brunch. One of the best things you can get is their fried catfish, which makes for an excellent breakfast if paired with a couple eggs and bacon.
Santa Clara Station
photo credit: Emily Schindler
This barbecue joint is one block north of the Santa Clara station. It’s in a huge warehouse and serves outstanding versions of ribs, brisket, mole-dusted wings, and a delicious smoked turkey BLT. It’s a great spot to visit before or after checking out the Rubell Museum, which is just another block north.
Civic Center Station
If you’re in need of urgent medical attention, please don’t take the Metrorail to Jackson Hospital. But if you’re visiting for any other reason, then check out Gregs Cookout on the south side of the hospital’s campus. Order their glossy wings with spicy mango habanero sauce or juicy griot that comes with your choice of rice, fried plantains, spicy pikliz, and a small side of chicken broth. If only hospital food was this good.
Allapattah Station
It’s a two-and-a-half block walk from the Allapattah station to this restaurant and nightclub. They serve great Dominican food—like stewed oxtail and chicken tamales. There are plenty of tables, but we like eating at the bar. And while it definitely looks like you’re dining in a nightclub, weekdays here don’t feel clubby. Even on weekends, when they have live music, it’s a lot more like eating at a house party than a club.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Station
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc
It’s a three-and-a-half block walk to some of the best soul food in Miami. People line up here after church in their Sunday best for short ribs, oxtails, chitterlings, collard greens, and mac and cheese. It’s a big takeout operation, but they have a small dining room with a few tables. They’re open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but try to come early because they run out of daily specials fast.
Northside Station
photo credit: Tasty Planet
Coming in at ten minutes, this is the longest walk on our Metrorail tour, but it’s a straight shot east on NW 79th Street. Royal Castle is a fast food joint that’s been around since 1958 and once had over 150 locations. This is the last one left. It's open 24/7 and has a basic breakfast menu, some sandwiches, and (what they’re famous for) tasty sliders they sell in “six packs”.
Tri-Rail Station
This is where everyone at the Tri-Rail Metrorail stop goes for a quick bite. And while there’s no shortage of Cuban restaurants in Hialeah, this one is right across the street, has a delicious pan con bistec, and a cortadito so strong it could revive that old iPod you keep in a box somewhere.
Hialeah Station
The Frances Restaurant, Bakery, Gelateria (as its name suggests) serves food, baked goods, and gelato. It’s a Cuban spot in Hialeah with a small dining room, bakery counter, and ice cream parlor. We love their andaluz sandwich, which comes with your choice of pork or chicken. The pistachio gelato is made in house, and it’s the best way to cool down on a hot Hialeah day.
