Versailles Restaurant Cuban Cuisine

"The Versailles host stand looks like a rugby scrum and most of the food isn’t worth the trouble anyway. So do the smart thing: skip that mayhem and go next door to Versailles Bakery, where you can get the best of Versailles with none of the nonsense. Not only are the cafecito workers there the best, they also have one of our favorite pastelitos in the city. It’s right next to the restaurant, and even though it's missing those notorious Versailles mirrors, walking in here is like diving head first into the deep end of the Miami Cuban-American experience. There’s usually a line, but the bakery runs on a deli ticket system and moves quickly. You can eat your empanadas and croquetas on one of their many bistro tables, or take it all home in a pastry box." - Virginia Otazo

"The Dish: Colada Coladas are Miami’s love language. Sharing a thimble is how we break the ice with strangers, and just about the only thing that can bring sworn office enemies to the same table. If it’s an iconic colada moment you seek, there’s no place better than the Versailles ventanita. For the uninitiated, be prepared for loud political debates and a lot of gesturing. Don’t be alarmed. No one’s really angry (just over-caffeinated). But, please, don’t finish one on your own if you ever want to sleep again. We share these for a reason." - virginia otazo, ryan pfeffer, mariana trabanino

"A serious Miami establishment, Versailles Restaurant is hard to miss when cruising down 8th Street. Dubbed the “World’s Most Famous Cuban Restaurant,” it’s the iconic place to go for a Cuban food fix. Stop into la ventanita (an outdoor ordering window) for a quick cafecito or croqueta, or sit inside and order a full meal. It’s open until 2:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday, making it perfect for late-night comfort food." - Amber Love Bond

"If you’re feeling the urge to hear viejitos talk about Elian Gonzalez, come here. Having a cafecito at this window is like being part of a live-action Radio Mambi talk show. But if political Cuban chisme isn’t your thing, and you have no interest in hearing about how we suspect Sergito lied to the friend group and voted for Obama in 2012, then there’s plenty of tourist chisme. And there’s nothing like listening to stressed families on vacation. It’s said that Versailles invented the ventanita. And Miami's chisme scene is all the better for it. Despite the mediocre food served inside, you just can’t beat the pastelitos, croquetas, and chisme out here. " - julia malave, ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo, mariana trabanino

"Tape 10 of these together, and you’ve got yourself a puffy, fluffy (albeit sticky) pillow with enough height for side sleepers. But the best part is the guava filling. It doesn’t just fill the pastry, it slips out the opening like a sleeping puppy’s tongue. And although Versailles the restaurant is more for the tourists these days, the bakery never lets us down. If it's winter and it's totally packed with tourists, just cross the street to Versailles’ sister restaurant La Carreta for identical pastelitos." - mariana trabanino, virginia otazo, ryan pfeffer