South Florida’s 14 Essential Haitian Restaurants (2024)

This Oakland Park restaurant has an extensive menu that will give you a taste of the diversity of Haitian cuisine. Typical breakfast dishes can include spicy spaghetti or polenta with a zesty stew, as well as an egg sandwich on warm Creole bread. Lunch and dinner options include favorites like griot and legim, as well as the elusive lalo stew made with jute leaves. Wash it all down with one of their signature co*cktails like the Haitian Martini.

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Located inside Hollywood’s Yellow Green Farmer’s Market, this weekends-only stall specializes in meticulously prepared Haitian specialties with a creative touch. Nani’s offers filling meals like spiced meatballs and black mushroom rice, as well as an innovative list of patties that include fillings of shrimp, cheese, and squash. If you need a little pick me up, the stall also brews organic Haitian coffee.

• Open in Google Maps

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While vegetarians can feel left out with the patty selection at many Haitian bakeries, La Bakerie in Miramar offers a spinach variety, as well as one filled with guava. It is also one of the few bakeries to offer whole wheat Creole bread and rolls. Don’t forget to get a crispy “beef tongue” (langue de boeuf) cookie for the road, but don’t worry about the name. No cows were harmed in making them.

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Yelp

The southern Haitian town of Jacmel is famous for its colorful arts and crafts, and this restaurant’s display of traditional paintings, sculptures, and masks will transport you there. Expect well-executed Haitian classics like griot and oxtail stew along with typical sides of beans and rice. Make sure to stop by on a weekend for bouillon, a rich beef and vegetable soup, or a spicy take on macaroni and cheese.

• Open in Google Maps

Yelp

Haitian cuisine is usually served out of informal eateries in Miami, but Chef Ivan Dorvil is looking to change that with his more upscale Ivan’s Cookhouse. The Food Network’s Chopped winner offers guests his refined renditions of Haitian staples like griot, akra fritters, and pasta with smoked herring, as well as Asian-inspired creations. A selection of tropical co*cktails adds a refreshing element to Chef Dorvil’s spicy cuisine.

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Haitians love their veggies, and there is no better way to experience that love than in a comforting plate of legim. Lecap in North Miami serves up an exceptional version of this dish in which eggplant, cabbage, chayote squash, carrots, and a myriad of other vegetables are slowly braised together with beef, rendering a velvety stew with layers upon layers of flavor. For the full experience, pair it with a side of djon djon rice seasoned with what many call the truffle of the Caribbean.

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This North Miami eatery specializes in some of Haiti’s more sophisticated specialties. Order at the counter, grab a table, and sip on the restaurant’s signature “atomic juice” while waiting on your order to arrive. Sunday mornings are reserved for soup joumou, a silky pumpkin soup with pasta, beef, and root vegetables. Sunday afternoons are when you can enjoy the restaurant’s specialty of chicken in cashew sauce. Each day at L’Auberge offers a different delicious surprise, so make sure to ask for the daily specials.

• Open in Google Maps

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If the words “pork” and “deep-fried” make your mouth water, then you owe it to yourself to try griot. Chez Madame John’s is perhaps the best place to sample it, though it pays to have a little patience here. Every serving of slowly braised pork chunks is fried to order until perfectly crispy, and this eatery takes no shortcuts. If pork isn’t your thing, try the tassot in which goat, beef, or turkey replaces the pork.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Eater

Savvy locals know that HFC (Haitian Fried Chicken) can give other versions of the fried bird a run for their money. If you’re new to HFC, let Pack Super Market be your delicious introduction. Don’t expect white meat at this takeout window as chicken here almost always means marinated drumsticks dredged in cornstarch to give them a light and crispy crust. Don’t forget your side of fried plantains and spicy pikliz slaw.

• Open in Google Maps

Miami New Times/Kristin Bjørnsen

This Little Haiti takeout restaurant has been around for years offering huge portions of Creole favorites. What makes this place unique is that you can enjoy your meal in its lakou (courtyard) surrounded by tropical trees, colorful murals, and a rooster or two. The comforting food and relaxed al fresco ambiance give you the feeling of being at a Haitian grandma’s house in the countryside. Make sure to check the restaurant’s website for an eclectic lineup of live music.

• Open in Google Maps

Do not confuse Haitian patties (pate in Haitian Creole) with the Jamaican meat pies. Instead, imagine buttery layers of puff pastry encasing spicy minced beef, chicken, turkey, salted cod, or smoked herring. These addictive snacks are continuously coming out of the oven at this Little Haiti institution, along with a variety of almond-infused cakes, gingery cashew pralines, and warm loaves of Creole bread.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Google

Think of this place as your local one stop shop for Haitian snacks. Its all-natural ice creams in flavors like soursop and passion fruit are legendary, but don’t let that be the only thing you get here. Lakay also serves up some of the tastiest Haitian patties in town, as well as a selection of spiced cookies and cakes, including gingery, gluten free bonbon lamidon cookies that melt in your mouth.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Eater

Haitian cuisine features a lot of expertly prepared seafood and Chef Creole’s multiple locations throughout Miami are ideal places to sample dishes like fried snapper and tender grilled conch. It is Chef Wilkinson Sejour’s “creolification” of non-Haitian seafood specialties, however, that makes his restaurants a uniquely Miami institution. The conch salad and conch fritters are must-have examples of Chef Sejour’s culinary fusion.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

SoulofAmerica.org

This Miami Beach mainstay has long been considered the go-to introduction to Haitian cuisine for locals and tourists, alike. It offers solid versions of Creole classics, as well as one of Miami’s best mojitos made with Haiti’s treasured Barbancourt rum. However, it is the restaurant’s colorful ambiance and frequent cultural presentations, including a yearly Vodou ritual reenactment, that make it a complete cultural immersion.

• Book with OpenTable
• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

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This Oakland Park restaurant has an extensive menu that will give you a taste of the diversity of Haitian cuisine. Typical breakfast dishes can include spicy spaghetti or polenta with a zesty stew, as well as an egg sandwich on warm Creole bread. Lunch and dinner options include favorites like griot and legim, as well as the elusive lalo stew made with jute leaves. Wash it all down with one of their signature co*cktails like the Haitian Martini.

• Open in Google Maps

Located inside Hollywood’s Yellow Green Farmer’s Market, this weekends-only stall specializes in meticulously prepared Haitian specialties with a creative touch. Nani’s offers filling meals like spiced meatballs and black mushroom rice, as well as an innovative list of patties that include fillings of shrimp, cheese, and squash. If you need a little pick me up, the stall also brews organic Haitian coffee.

• Open in Google Maps

Facebook

While vegetarians can feel left out with the patty selection at many Haitian bakeries, La Bakerie in Miramar offers a spinach variety, as well as one filled with guava. It is also one of the few bakeries to offer whole wheat Creole bread and rolls. Don’t forget to get a crispy “beef tongue” (langue de boeuf) cookie for the road, but don’t worry about the name. No cows were harmed in making them.

• Open in Google Maps

Yelp

The southern Haitian town of Jacmel is famous for its colorful arts and crafts, and this restaurant’s display of traditional paintings, sculptures, and masks will transport you there. Expect well-executed Haitian classics like griot and oxtail stew along with typical sides of beans and rice. Make sure to stop by on a weekend for bouillon, a rich beef and vegetable soup, or a spicy take on macaroni and cheese.

• Open in Google Maps

Yelp

Haitian cuisine is usually served out of informal eateries in Miami, but Chef Ivan Dorvil is looking to change that with his more upscale Ivan’s Cookhouse. The Food Network’s Chopped winner offers guests his refined renditions of Haitian staples like griot, akra fritters, and pasta with smoked herring, as well as Asian-inspired creations. A selection of tropical co*cktails adds a refreshing element to Chef Dorvil’s spicy cuisine.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Haitians love their veggies, and there is no better way to experience that love than in a comforting plate of legim. Lecap in North Miami serves up an exceptional version of this dish in which eggplant, cabbage, chayote squash, carrots, and a myriad of other vegetables are slowly braised together with beef, rendering a velvety stew with layers upon layers of flavor. For the full experience, pair it with a side of djon djon rice seasoned with what many call the truffle of the Caribbean.

• Open in Google Maps

This North Miami eatery specializes in some of Haiti’s more sophisticated specialties. Order at the counter, grab a table, and sip on the restaurant’s signature “atomic juice” while waiting on your order to arrive. Sunday mornings are reserved for soup joumou, a silky pumpkin soup with pasta, beef, and root vegetables. Sunday afternoons are when you can enjoy the restaurant’s specialty of chicken in cashew sauce. Each day at L’Auberge offers a different delicious surprise, so make sure to ask for the daily specials.

• Open in Google Maps

Google

If the words “pork” and “deep-fried” make your mouth water, then you owe it to yourself to try griot. Chez Madame John’s is perhaps the best place to sample it, though it pays to have a little patience here. Every serving of slowly braised pork chunks is fried to order until perfectly crispy, and this eatery takes no shortcuts. If pork isn’t your thing, try the tassot in which goat, beef, or turkey replaces the pork.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Eater

Savvy locals know that HFC (Haitian Fried Chicken) can give other versions of the fried bird a run for their money. If you’re new to HFC, let Pack Super Market be your delicious introduction. Don’t expect white meat at this takeout window as chicken here almost always means marinated drumsticks dredged in cornstarch to give them a light and crispy crust. Don’t forget your side of fried plantains and spicy pikliz slaw.

• Open in Google Maps

Miami New Times/Kristin Bjørnsen

This Little Haiti takeout restaurant has been around for years offering huge portions of Creole favorites. What makes this place unique is that you can enjoy your meal in its lakou (courtyard) surrounded by tropical trees, colorful murals, and a rooster or two. The comforting food and relaxed al fresco ambiance give you the feeling of being at a Haitian grandma’s house in the countryside. Make sure to check the restaurant’s website for an eclectic lineup of live music.

• Open in Google Maps

Do not confuse Haitian patties (pate in Haitian Creole) with the Jamaican meat pies. Instead, imagine buttery layers of puff pastry encasing spicy minced beef, chicken, turkey, salted cod, or smoked herring. These addictive snacks are continuously coming out of the oven at this Little Haiti institution, along with a variety of almond-infused cakes, gingery cashew pralines, and warm loaves of Creole bread.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Google

Think of this place as your local one stop shop for Haitian snacks. Its all-natural ice creams in flavors like soursop and passion fruit are legendary, but don’t let that be the only thing you get here. Lakay also serves up some of the tastiest Haitian patties in town, as well as a selection of spiced cookies and cakes, including gingery, gluten free bonbon lamidon cookies that melt in your mouth.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Eater

Haitian cuisine features a lot of expertly prepared seafood and Chef Creole’s multiple locations throughout Miami are ideal places to sample dishes like fried snapper and tender grilled conch. It is Chef Wilkinson Sejour’s “creolification” of non-Haitian seafood specialties, however, that makes his restaurants a uniquely Miami institution. The conch salad and conch fritters are must-have examples of Chef Sejour’s culinary fusion.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

SoulofAmerica.org

This Miami Beach mainstay has long been considered the go-to introduction to Haitian cuisine for locals and tourists, alike. It offers solid versions of Creole classics, as well as one of Miami’s best mojitos made with Haiti’s treasured Barbancourt rum. However, it is the restaurant’s colorful ambiance and frequent cultural presentations, including a yearly Vodou ritual reenactment, that make it a complete cultural immersion.

• Book with OpenTable
• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Pinterest

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