“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” You’ve likely heard that common saying in some form or another. Whether breakfast actually is the most important is arguable, but there’s no denying it can set the tone for the rest of the day. So why not treat yourself? Check out these seven best breakfast restaurants in Miami for a fun start to your day:
Café Bastille
If your budget doesn’t allow for an impromptu trip to France, the next best thing is a visit to Downtown Miami’s Café Bastille. The French eatery serves all-day breakfast, so you can chow down on pancakes, benedicts, and all your favorites at any time of the day. Sweet, savory, in between… No matter your preference, Café Bastille has something for you.
If you like to start your days on the sweeter side, the café offers sugary delights in spades. Stuffed Nutella French toast and red velvet pancakes are among the more decadent sights here, while simple fare like Greek yogurt and croissants with jam make for lighter options.
Savory palates have even more selections to choose from, including the eatery’s popular open-face croissant Benedicts; you can get yours with proteins like smoked salmon, cajun shrimp, and turkey. Other favorites are the restaurant’s signature crepes with fillings like country ham and chicken as well as the croque monsieur and croque madame.
Café Bastille is located at 248 SE 1st Street, Miami, FL 33131. For more information, visit their official website.
Cecile Bakery + Café
South Miami residents know that one of the best breakfast spots in the area is Cecile Bakery + Café – the cozy café is always packed. If you’re in a hurry, grabbing and going is ideal; you can load up on palmiers, bread pudding, Danish, macarons, and other treats for you, the family, or the office. Should you have time, however, we recommend sticking around for a table. Items like the Eggs Benedict croissant, Iberico eggs, and avocado mash toast are best enjoyed at a leisurely pace with a nice espresso; this place is just so homey. Pro tip: Get a jar of their jams for the road.
Cecile Bakery + Café is located at 5744 Sunset Drive, South Miami, FL 33143. For more information, visit their official website.
El Bagel
El Bagel is a Miami success story. This ode to bagel sandwiches started out as a food truck, making weekly appearances at local hangouts like Boxelder in Wynwood and Vice City Bean in Downtown Miami. The lines were sometimes outrageous, but the sandwiches lived up to the hype; seeing the same faces—and a ton of new faces—every week was a testament to the quality.
El Bagel has doubled down on the success with their brick-and-mortar store in the MiMo area, which is open bright and early for breakfast. The menu features crowd favorites like the King Guava—a sweet and salty mix of guava marmalade, plain cream cheese, fried egg, and potato stixx—and the Las Tardes, a thin-sliced turkey and house-made tomato jam delight.
Should you prefer something lighter, El Bagel offers their bagels by themselves with a range of schmears including roasted veg and scallion. You can also order add-ons like lox, whitefish salad, and tried-and-true bacon. Just an FYI: Wait times can still be a bit long (sometimes up to several hours) and El Bagel can sell out fast, so prepare accordingly.
El Bagel is located at 6910 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL 33138. For more information, visit their official website.
Empanada Harry’s
When it comes to empanadas, Empanada Harry’s has one of the largest selections in the city. Expect to find traditional fillings like beef and chicken, as well as more unique offerings like jackfruit, Philly cheesesteak, pepperoni pizza, white cheese, and much much more. The main attraction are the empanadas – of course – but this West Kendall staple also offers hearty morning plates like egg sandwiches and Belgian waffles plus Venezuelan and Spanish-inspired platters. We’re typically wary of places that have a little bit of everything, but everything here is so darn good.
Empanada Harry’s is located at 4009 SW 152nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33185. For more information, visit their official website.
Greenstreet Café
Day or night, you can count on Coconut Grove’s Greenstreet Café to serve up your satisfying grub. The neighborhood institution offers a wide range of breakfast options for discerning palates, including Nutella-filled French toast, cinnamon roll pancakes, housemade muffins, and organic granola.
Not everything here falls on the sweeter side, though: Hefty selections like the goat cheese and tomato omelet, steak and eggs, and the nova platter are just a taste of the plentiful savory selections. Feeling like a cocktail? Bloody Marys, mimosas, and frosé are all available during breakfast hours, as well as certain cocktails like espresso martinis. This place has everything – even boba tea!
Greenstreet Café is located at 3468 Main Highway, Miami, FL 33133. For more information, visit their official website.
Mama Leone
For a quick breakfast grab-and-go option, Mama Leone hits the spot. Whether you visit the original Edgewater location or the latest Little River location, you’ll encounter a breadth of pastries that will make your taste buds dance – and your dentist wince.
You can stick to tried-and-true favorites like plain and chocolate croissants or check out specialties like bomolone Nutella (Nutella-stuffed Italian donuts), pear cake, pistachio crostata, and fresh fruit mini cakes. For something more substantial, consider the focacce selection, which come filled with ham and cheese, mortadella, and other delights.
Mama Leone has two locations in Miami. For more information, visit their official website.
Tinta y Café
Cuban restaurants are a dime a dozen in Miami, but Tinta y Café is among the best. This Coral Gables (and Miami Shores) business serves up all the Cuban classics like tostadas, croquetas, pastelitos along with a variety of delectable hot plates. The appropriately named Breakfast Sandwich is a beast with egg, ham, cheese, and strawberry preserve on medianoche bread. The Huevones section of the menu features equally sizeable egg sandwiches that can be made to your liking; we suggest opting for a croissant as your bread option for some nice texture.
More impressive than the food is the coffee. Frank, the resident coffee expert, is a master at café con leches and other Cuban staples. Ask for him at the window and get yourself some grab-and-go goodies for the road to go along with your coffee. If it’s especially hot outside, order an iced café con leche—you may even like it better than the regular version!
Tinta y Café has two locations in Miami. For more information, visit their official website.
