Florida

• 

  Florida Keys

  An archipelago born of an ancient coral reef, cut off from the country until Henry Flagler’s railroad famously braved the hurricanes and humidity in 1912, the Florida Keys skip and jump across aquamarine waters for 127 miles between Miami and Key West. Long associated with drunk escapists and serious fishing (thank you, Jimmy Buffett and Ernest Hemingway), the islands have grown more family-friendly over the years, but you still need not travel far to find a boisterous bar bedecked in bras and far-flung license plates, patronized by some bizarre combination of bikers, fishermen, drag queens, and sunburned tourists. But it’s not all kitsch and sea views: There’s a distinct island culture at play here, an anything-goes liberalness and unhurried serenity that feels far, far away from mainland America. Even in quirky, rowdy Key West, you can walk a block or two from the action and find yourself on a mellow side street, where Caribbean music wafts from old wooden houses and roosters wander the bougainvillea. The easygoing mind-set extends to the culinary realm as well: The best restaurants in the Keys tend to be no-frills, picnic-table affairs where the day’s local catch determines the menu and preparations are simple, or family-operated Cuban restaurants dishing cheap, authentic fare well off the main drag. Slip on your flip-flops and prepare to consume a whole lot of seafood, key lime pie, and, well, margaritas. Legends die hard down here.

  An archipelago born of an ancient coral reef, cut off from the country until Henry Flagler’s railroad famously braved the hurricanes and humidity in 1912, the Florida Keys skip and jump across aquamarine waters for 127 miles between Miami and Key West. Long associated with drunk escapists and serious fishing (thank you, Jimmy Buffett and Ernest Hemingway), the islands have grown more family-friendly over the…   Read more

   

  Find local foods in Florida Keys.

  Key lime pie

  Key West pink shrimp

  Stone crab claws

  Golden crab

  Local fish, hogfish

  Miami & Southeast Florida

  Think southeast Florida and your mind will probably conjure long stretches of palm-tree-fringed beach, spring break parties, and ritzy waterfront homes with yachts to match. And you’d be right. But if you look beyond the high-rises and sunbathers you’ll find a birders’ paradise dotted with incredible banyan trees and home to funky museums and art stores, peaceful state parks with great hiking, and a fun local gastronomy courtesy of the sparkling Atlantic*—which is never too far away—and the many immigrants (and Northerners!) who’ve settled here over the decades, from Miami’s Cuban population to the area’s prominent Jewish retiree contingent. Thanks to years of suburban sprawl, you can’t judge an eatery by its cover: Some of southeast Florida’s best seafood is found not in fancy digs or beachside shacks but in nondescript strip malls. You may have to work a little harder to track down the real deal, but it’s well worth the GPS, we promise.

  *Please note that where applicable, we’ve tried to recommend seafood deemed “best choices” or “good alternatives” for the region by the Monterey Bay Aquarium sustainable seafood guide.

  Think southeast Florida and your mind will probably conjure long stretches of palm-tree-fringed beach, spring break parties, and ritzy waterfront homes with yachts to match. And you’d be right. But if you look beyond the high-rises and sunbathers you’ll find a birders’ paradise dotted with incredible banyan trees and home to funky museums and art stores, peaceful state parks with great hiking,…   Read more

   

  Find local foods in Miami & Southeast Florida.

  Blackened mahi-mahi sandwich

  Cafe Cubano

  Croquetas

  Cuban sandwich

  Encrusted local fish

• User Content

Below is user-submitted content for this region. Have something to contribute? Upload your regional-food photo or food memory.

• 

  Doubles

  Greenacres
  lsr
• 

  Bake and buljol

  Greenacres
  lsr
• 

  Local Florida Beer

  Lake Worth
  srosen
• 

  Stone Crab Chowder

  Sunny Isles Beach
  liaht

• • Chef Eddie

    sari
    orlando, fl.
    

    We heard about a BBQ place in Orlando and decided to try it. We drove into a questionable neighborhood at night. Parked and tried to decide if we were getting out of the car or just leaving. d…    Read more

  • Lincoln Road in Miami Beach

    kon
    Miami Beach, FL
    

    Miami Beach is a perfect destination for a family getaway. Lately, the restaurant scene has been changing dramatically, with up-and-coming chefs opening new places all over town. Miami is brin…    Read more

• Blog Posts

• The Delicious Chili Pepper You’ve Never Heard Of

  What on earth is a datil pepper and why is it found only in St. Augustine, Florida? Our writer fills us in. Courtesy of St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & the Beaches Visitors & Convention Bureau St. Augustine, in northeastern Florida, has…   Read more

• Miami Eats in Marlins Park

  It’s not uncommon these days to see a city’s best local foods represented in its sports stadiums: Tony Luke’s iconic cheesesteak in Philly’s Citizens Bank Park, Shake Shack burgers in New York’s Citifield, peach…   Read more