Travel Notes

Travel Notes
Miami
Off The Wall
Bienvenido a Miami!
Creamhotel is a hospitality company founded and operated by travelers.
We know
how it feels to land in a new city, expecting to get the most from it, that’s why
we took “notes”.
Here’s to the hidden gems, typical food and authentic lifestyle. Our recommendations have been hand-picked by our local experts, for you
to (re)discover this unique destination as a local, rather than a tourist.
Why Miami?
With 800 buildings, Miami Beach’s Art Deco district is home to the world’s
largest collection of Art Deco Architecture. The average temperature is 76
degrees. Miami offers 800 parks and more than 15 miles of beaches. It is home
of more than 2.6 million people, more than 150 ethnicities and 60 languages, a
booming contemporary art scene, some of the best parties in North America and
more than a dozen of world-renown nightclubs.
EAT DRINK PLAY LIKE SEE
Caffé’ Di Mauro is an authentic Italian Café'
where you’ll enjoy simple, delicious and
fresh food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The place is also an Internet cafe and rents
DVDs and books.
They deliver for free if you are in one of our properties around the
corner (1464 Washington Ave. at 15th Street, Miami Beach). caffedimauro.com
On the gorgeous Espanola Way, try
A La Folie
Café, you’ll eat the best sweet and savory
crepes in town, accompanied by good wines and
pastries. Atmosphere is casual and service is
good and fast (516 Espanola Way, Miami Beach).
alafoliecafe.com
Also on Espanola Way you should try
Tapas Y
Tintos, a spanish restaurant perfect for
dinner and drinks at night (448 Espanola Way,
Miami Beach). tapasytintos.com
EAT
Front Porch Café is where you can get a
very good English breakfast 1 block from
the beach. Here you can order eggs cooked
literally in every possible way you can
imagine, always served with sides of
potatoes, veggies, toasts and fruits.
Pancakes and French toasts are also good
and always accompanied by fresh fruits.
For a lighter breakfast you can also get
croissant, pan au chocolat, cereals
together with good cappuccinos and fresh
squeezed juices (1458 Ocean Drive, Miami
Beach). frontporchoceandrive.com
Doraku is located on the busy Lincoln
Road in South beach. This Japanese lounge
is great for the happy hour. Every day
they offer lunch happy hour (12:00 to 3:00
pm Mon thru Fri and 1:30 to 3:00 pm on
weekends) and dinner happy hour from 5 to
7 pm.
Happy hour menu is really cheap:
you can get rolls for $4, full dishes for
$6 and drinks for $4 or $5 (1104 Lincoln
Road, Miami Beach). dorakusushi.com
Sosta is an Italian pizzeria and enoteca
(wine bar) located in South Beach. They
have a delicious selection of antipasti (appetizers) and pizzas are made the real Italian
way with authentic toppings and dressing. The atmosphere is very cozy and prices are more
than reasonable given the quality of the food (1025 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach).
sostapizzeria.com
If you feel like eating meat you should try Argentinian restaurant Baires at 1116
Lincoln Road Mall, South Beach. This place is pretty high-end and pricey but the quality
of food and wine is really great. If you want to eat Argentinian meat but keep it a bit
more low profile you should go to La Parrilla Liberty at 609 Washington Avenue, South
Beach. This spot is casual and friendly and has a very nice outdoor dining area; prices
are very good and portions are huge!
Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 5pm (1657 Michigan Avenue, Miami Beach). iceboxcafe.com
Bernie’s L.A. Café is the place to go for fresh, organic Latin American Cuisine.
Every week they have week’s specials that change every day of the week. In general you can
find a great variety of fish, chicken and meat dishes accompanied by rice, beans, avocado
and chimichurri. Tapas and empanadas are also delicious. This place is really cheap and
fresh mango juice is recommended (1570 Alton Road, Miami Beach).
EAT
Ice box café is a laid-back, minimal-designed café, ideal for breakfast, meetings or
for reading in front of a cup of coffee or tea. This spot is famous for its carrot cake,
American cakes and mint ice tea, and for its absolutely delicious brunch, served every
Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 5pm (1657 Michigan Avenue, Miami Beach). iceboxcafe.com
South Beach Jimmy’z Kitchen is a modern, minimal-looking restaurant specialized in
fresh, fast, simple good food. Here you can find some of the best panini, sandwiches,
salads and tasty appetizers. (1542 Alton Road, Miami Beach).
Jimmy’z is also in the
Wynwood Art District (2700 N Miami Ave, Miami). Service is very fast and they also deliver
for free (minimum $25 order). jimmyzkitchen.com
love food
café is a food
The
truck parked on the
beach of Miami, not
always in the same
spot but usually
around 16th St. Here
you can find one of
the best fish cevice
in
town
and
definitely the best
burger on the beach.
Their lemonade is
also very good and
if you order it
don’t forget to ask
for half sugar!
If you like Greek and Turkish food Mandolin is the place to go. In this mid-town Miami
restaurant you will enjoy traditional, fresh, simple, rustic food authentic to the
villages of Greece and Turkey. Prices are medium and portions are big (4312 NE 2nd Avenue,
Miami). mandolinmiami.com
Michael’s Genuine is one of the best places to eat in Miami Design District. Its
specialty is homemade, unpretentious food, with an emphasis on fresh local ingredients.
You can go there every day for Happy Hour (they make very good cocktails and have a great
selection of craft beer) and on Sunday for Brunch. Every week they propose a different
cheese, which is accompanied by a seasonal, house-made side. The wood oven also makes this
restaurant very good for roasted fish and meat (130 NE 40th Street, Miami).
michaelsgenuine.com
EAT
Wynwood
Kitchen is located in the
heart of the Wynwood Art District in
Midtown Miami. This artsy restaurant and
bar is perfect for lunch, dinner and
drinks. The venue offers American, Latin
American and Asian fusion cuisines.
The
atmosphere is casual and creative, which
makes this spot very good for friendly
gatherings.
Wynwood Kitchen’s specialty
is its Artist Cocktails: delicious
original signature drinks inspired by
contemporary artists such as Os Gemeos,
Barry McGee, Futura and Ryan McGinness,
among others.
This place will throw you right into the Miami fun, innovative art scene
and it’s not to be missed. Wynwood Kitchen is reachable by cab or by car if you’ve rented
one (2550 NW 2nd Ave, Miami). wynwoodkitchenandbar.com
Pride and Joy BBQ is probably one of the best grill restaurants in Miami. Here you’ll
eat high quality, slow cooked meat for very decent prices. The staff is very friendly and
there is often live music in the outdoor area (2800 N Miami Ave Miami, FL 33127).
prideandjoybbq.com
Buena Vista Deli is a French café in the
Miami Design District. Here you can find a
great array of artisan crafted breads, baked
daily in the French style, as well as homemade
pate and a variety of homemade pastries. Panini, soups and salads are also very good
and fresh and quiches are delicious. For
cheese lovers, Buena Vista has an amazing
selection of French cheeses. The atmosphere is
very laid back and relaxing. They deliver in
the neighborhood for free (4590 NE 2nd Avenue,
Miami). buenavistadeli.com
From the outside it seems just another place scattered on the incredibly long Byscane
Boulevard. On the contrary, Soyka is a pretty unique spot in this area and in Miami in
general. Inside, the restaurant is pretty huge and elegantly raw designed, with wood and
iron structures and furniture. Inside there is also a sheltered garden room, very bright
and adorned with rambling plants and flowers (5556 NE 4th Court, Miami).
soykarestaurant.com
Dogma Grill is a modern version of the classic 1950’s American diner. Here you’ll find
the best hot dogs in town prepared with fresh meat and toppings (7030 Biscayne Boulevard,
Miami). dogmagrill.com
DRINK
If you are a fun of organic food you should try Metro Organic Bistro in Midtown Miami.
It features grass-fed beef and local products and wild-caught fish.
Food is mainly
chargrilled in order to keep ingredients original flavors. Environment is really nice,
modern and minimalist. This spot is perfect from breakfast to dinner or to just get a
drink (7010 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami). metroorganicbistro.com
Crazy about You is a beautiful, high-end restaurant and lounge located on the Brickell
Bay Drive in Downtown Miami. Its best attraction is the waterfront dining area with view
on the bay. Despite the upscale look, food (international eclectic) and drinks are pretty
cheap, especially if you get their petit lunch menu (from 11:30am to 4:00pm).It is very
important that you make a reservation instead of just walking in, especially if you go
there to eat (1115 Brickell Bay Dr., Suite 101, Miami). crazyaboutyourestaurant.com
EAT DRINK PLAY LIKE SEE
The Wood Tavern is a truly great bar. Located in the heart of the Wynwood Art District
this spot has both indoor and outdoor spaces. Outside the atmosphere is really chilled,
there are common tables to eat and drink and on the walls you’ll get to see murals by some
of the best international street artists.
Inside the vibe is definitely more grungy
and punk rock. Prices for both food and
drinks are pretty cheap (2531 NW 2nd Ave
Miami, FL 33127). woodtavernmiami.com
On Lincoln Road, Segafredo Cafe
is a
great spot for aperitivo or after-dinner
drinks.
This bar has a very baroque set
up outside, a DJ booth and a clubby
atmosphere inside (1040 Lincoln Rd Miami
Beach).
If you want to take a ride up to North
Miami, a good reason could be to try this
authentic Brazilian bar. Boteco is a
very friendly, low-key spot, ideal to grab a beer with friends and relax. The ‘musts” of
this place are the caipirinha (they have several types), the rump-steak on the grill and
pretty much all the appetizers. Prices are decent and you can even book salsa and samba
classes (916 NE 79th Street, Miami).
DRINK
Juvia offers a creative blend of French, Japanese and Peruvian culinary styles. This
South Beach Lounge is renowned for its amazing penthouse where you’ll enjoy a wide view on
Miami Beach and Downtown Miami. This spot is pricey, but it is perfect for aperitivo or
early evening cocktails and the view is definitely worth it. At night and during weekend
brunch DJs always spin good music (1111 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach). juviamiami.com
Lagniappe is a new-orleans style wine house with live music every night. Located at the
intersection between Wynwood, midtown and the Design District, this venue presents a very
original concept: when you get it in you find yourself in real wine store where you can
select and buy the bottle(s) of wine you will drink with your dinner. In the same room you
order food and bring the order directly to the chef. The outdoor area is amazing: a large
garden full of tables, chairs and armchairs of different design, small lights wrapped
around the trees, a stage where blues, jazz, folk and bluegrass bands play every night.
Food is bbq style, fresh and affordable. The atmosphere is chilled, hip and fun.
Definitely a MUST! (3425 NE 2nd Ave Miami, FL 33137). lagniappehouse.com
Fox Hole is a real local American bar with good jukebox music, TVs to watch sport and a
pool table. In this South Beach bar drinks are pretty cheap. The spot is quite hard to
find as it is in a little alley with just a red light above the door. You can even smoke
inside! (1426A Alton Court, Miami Beach). foxholebar.com
PLAY
EAT DRINK PLAY LIKE SEE
Bardot is a live music bar and one of the hottest spots in Miami. Here you will enjoy an
amazing roster of live jazz, blues, samba, rock and r&b as well as dj sets from the best
international producers.
Their list of alcoholic beverages is pretty impressive:
good
cocktails and a great selection of champagne, vodka, rum, tequila and whisky. You really
shouldn’t miss this one! (3456 North Miami Avenue, Miami). bardotmiami.com
The Vagabond, nightclub and music
venue, is located in the heart of
Downtown Miami’s growing Media &
Entertainment District, just few
blocks south of Wynwood. Since 2008,
The
Vagabond
has
welcomed internationally renown DJs, legendary musicians & the finest in
local entertainment. Throughout the
club’s three arenas rotating resident
DJs spin a wide variety of music – indie, rock, electro, hip-hop, nuedisco, house and classics, with live
performances by local and national
acts
almost
every
week.
thevagabondmiami.com
Cafeina is a lounge bar in the
Wynwood District. The indoor space
has a very fashionable, sophisticated
look while the outdoor area is more
casual with a bar, the DJ booth and a
stage
for
live
music
and
performances. Here you can also get
very good appetizers fusion style.
This venue is good for a chilled
aperitivo as well as for a late night
party, creamhotel organized several
events there and is always please to
go back to to this amazing venue (297
Northwest 23rd Street, Miami).
cafeinamiami.com
PLAY
If you techno/deep house music you must go to
Tree
House Club on 323 23rd Street (at Park Ave).
They have one of the best lineups in town. The
club has a one-of-a-kind interior design, an
outdoor bar area and the crowd is nice and laidback.
For
pre-sale
tickets
please
[email protected]
Cafeina is a lounge bar in the Wynwood District.
The indoor space has a very fashionable,
sophisticated look while the outdoor area is more
casual with a bar, the DJ booth and a stage for
live music and performances. Here you can also get
very good appetizers fusion style. This venue is
good for a chilled aperitivo as well as for a late
night party, creamhotel organized several events
there and is always please to go back to to this
amazing venue (297 Northwest 23rd Street, Miami).
cafeinamiami.com
If you like house and tech-house music,
Electric
Pickle is definitely the best night club in Miami
for that.
With two floors indoor spaces and a
huge outdoor space the Pickle counts some of the
best parties and after parties in town, with a
fantastic line-up of the best international DJs in
the game (2826 North Miami Avenue, Miami).
electricpicklemiami.com
As you might guess from the name, The Stage is
one of the best spots in Miami for live music. Its
roster features hip-hop, jazz and Latin American
music concerts as well as more indie bands, dance
performances, plays and lectures. The atmosphere
is casual, cozy and you can smell art and culture
in the air! (170 Northeast 38th Street, Miami).
thestagemiami.com
LIKE
EAT DRINK PLAY LIKE SEE
Creamhotel Travel Notes are created by locals, designed for travelers.
This category is made by travelers like you.
If you’re reading this, it means that you are, or about to be, in Miami Beach.
If you
discover a place that you like during your trip and that is not listed in our Travel
Notes, just email with the name and your comments at [email protected] , if your
recommendation is published, you’ll enjoy a 10% discount for your next stay at creamhotel.
Here, people say that Florida starts in Fort Lauderdale, Miami is...Miami.
Explore its
wild side, enjoy its nightlife (quite wild as well...), and be amazed by its unique
architecture and islands.
It’s a place where Latin American culture and lifestyle
prevail , immerse yourself in it and let us know what you liked
Here are some recommendation from the creamhotel team:
Love Hate Tattoo (recommended by Stephan) is the tattoo parlor featured in the TV show
Miami Ink.
The Salon is nicely curated and they accept walk-in.
even if you’re not a tattoo fan
The Standard Spa (recommended by Virginia).
It’s worth the look,
It’s located in the Standard Hotel on
Venetian Island, on the bay.
Although the hotel is very pricey, its spa is more
affordable and open to everybody with a daily pass that you can buy directly there. This
pass will give you access to the entire facilities, including the pool and restaurant.
SEE
EAT DRINK PLAY LIKE SEE Galleries
Robert Fontaine Gallery is a spacious loft
space in the Wynwood District. This gallery
represents a list of very good, mostly American
contemporary artists working in different
disciplines, from painting to sculpture,
photography, installation and multi-media.
Here
you can also see and buy contemporary art masters
such as Alexander Calder, Chuck Close, Jim Dine,
Damian Hirst, among others. A special attention is
dedicated to street art: indeed the gallery sells
artists such as Bansky, Shepard Fairey, Jesse
Hazelip, Olek and Penny (2349 NW 2nd Ave, Miami).
Abba Fine Arts represents international contemporary artists working in different
media, with a focus on photography and installation. The gallery is located in the Wynwood
District at 233 Northwest 36th Street.
Alejandra von Hartz Fine Arts
has a good selection of Latin American art, with a
particular attention to Geometric Abstraction painting, Minimalism, and Conceptual Art, by
both emerging and established artists. The gallery’s longstanding mission is to be a platform
for Latin American art on the international level (2630 NW 2nd Avenue, Miami).
Charest-Weinberg Gallery represents international artists who make large scale pieces
in media such as painting, sculpture and photography. The large gallery space allows
pretty extensive, site-specific installations. Featured painters are mainly abstract
whereas sculptures are rather figurative and focused on the use of light and technology
(250 Northwest 23rd Street, Miami).
David
Castillo Gallery represents
mid-career, established, international
artists as well as exhibiting
contemporary art masters such as JeanMichel Basquiat, Luis Bourgeois, Marcel
Duchamp, Willem DeKooning, among others.
Differently to many galleries, this one
focuses on themed, curated exhibitions
rather than on a rotation of shows of
represented artists. Therefore, their
exhibitions usually give interesting
points of view on artistic, social and
cultural identity (2234 NW 2nd Avenue,
Miami).
SEE
Dina Mitrani Gallery focuses exclusively on photography.
It represents both emerging
and established photographers, mainly (but not only) from South America, who explore
different genres of this discipline, such as photo realism, reportage, artistic and
staged. If you like photography you cannot miss this gallery (2620 NW 2ND Avenue, Miami).
Dot Fiftyone Gallery is both a gallery and a production laboratory for contemporary
art. The first floor is dedicated to established artist whereas the second floor is for
emerging ones. The gallery represents artists working in different media but it
specializes in site-specific, interactive installations where artists literally take the
space and turn it in temporary environments.
They also have an amazing rooftop terrace
for outdoor installations (51 Northwest 36th Street, Miami).
Hardcore Art Contemporary Space presents the work of local and international
artists whose work is innovative and provocative in terms of media and addressed topics.
Exhibitions often have political and social connotations and focus on issues such as
ecology, gender, identity, urban pop culture, among others. Openings are usually a lot of
fun! (72 NW 25th Street, Miami).
To visit Harold Golen Gallery feels like being thrown into a cartoon. Indeed, the
gallery specializes in pop surrealist contemporary art, specifically painting, sculpture
and graphics. The space is filled with artworks all over and they sell also affordable
artist objects (2294 NW 2nd Ave, Miami).
If you are interested in photojournalism and documentary photography Gallery ID is
definitely not to be missed. They show the work of international photographers working in
these fields and they usually curated very strong, touching exhibitions (2531 NW 2nd Ave,
Miami).
Now Contemporary Art presents a very good selection of international artists working
on multimedia, conceptual installations (175 NW 25th Street, Miami).
EAT DRINK PLAY LIKE SEE Museums
Miami Art Museum (MAM) is dedicated to collect and exhibit
international contemporary artists from the 20th and 21st
centuries, with a focus on the Americas, Europe and Africa.
South American art is particularly well represented; indeed
the museum is often one of the first to organize massive
retrospective of South American artists in the US (101 W
Flagler St., Miami).
SEE
The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse presents an extensive selection of
contemporary and vintage photography, video, sculpture and installation art from Miami
collector Martin Z. Margulies. Here you’ll be able to see works from artists such as Bruce
Nauman, John Baldessari, Ed Ruscha, Olafur Eliasson, Richard Serra, just to name a few
(591 NW 27th Street, Miami).
De la Cruz Collection is hosted in an amazing 30,000 square foot building that
functions as an extension of Rosa and Carlos De la Cruz’s home. In addition to showing the
De la Cruz collection of contemporary art this museum also offers to local artists the
possibility to propose projects for site-specific installations. Here you’ll admire the
work of international contemporary art masters together with the most innovative
productions from the Miami’s art scene (23 Northeast 41st Street, Miami).
EAT DRINK PLAY LIKE SEE Art Spaces
Pax means Performing Art Exchange and it’s a one of kind venue. It’s location between
Downtown, Brickell and Little Havana makes this place a destination for locals mainly.
Live music performances and independent cinema are Pax’s specialty for a crowd of
mainstream haters and melting pot lovers. This spot is good to hang out during the day as
it has free wifi and a coffee shop and it’s great to party at night with a good roster of
concerts and dj sets (337 Southwest 8th Street, Miami).
The Bakehouse Art Complex is a 1920s
building formerly owned by the American
Bakeries Company. Now the complex is run by
an artist’s cooperative and provides space
to local artists for producing and
exhibiting their work. Indeed they have two
galleries, photo, jewelry and ceramic labs
as well as painting and sculpture studios.
Public is able to meet and interact with
artists (561 NW 32nd Street, Miami).
Ideobox is an art space with three
departments: contemporary, modern and
design. The artists represented by Ideobox are mainly Latin American. If you like
conceptual and abstract art ideobox contemporary offers you plenty of those; the modern
department shows the work of contemporary masters working in different media, while the
design one presents a selection of south American designers (2417 North Miami Avenue,
Miami).
SEE
Miami Art Space (MAS) is a multi-use venue with huge indoor and outdoor spaces.
Events at MAS are usually amazing, featuring big art installations, music and
performances. Miami’s young contemporary art is shown at its best at MAS so if you want to
get to know the scene this is the place to go (244 NW 35th Street, Miami).
Diaspora
Vibe is a local arts organization offering support and exhibition
opportunities to emerging artists from Latin America and Caribbean diaspora. They organize
amazing evenings of art with live music, poetry, and Caribbean cuisine as a means for
people to personally meet the artists (686 NE 56th Street, Miami).
EAT DRINK PLAY LIKE SEE Fairs + Public Events
If you are in Miami on November 5th and 6th you should go check out Sleepless Night in
Miami Beach. The event presents a mix of more than 150 local and international artists,
dancers, aerialists and musicians performing at various public sites across Miami Beach.
All the events are free and all ages. For the entire duration of Sleepless Night there are
complimentary shuttle buses all night that connect all the venues involved.
From
October
21 st
through the 23 rd there is the
Wynwood Art Fair (NW 2nd Ave between NW 20th and NW
30th Streets). A lot of local and international art
spills in the streets of the Wynwood Art District in
those days. Art is literally exhibited in the streets
along performances and happening of different sort.
Key word of this fair is “interaction.” Indeed,
exhibitions and performances aim to involve the public
in a direct dialogue with the artists and to encourage
a closer experience of the artworks.
The Miami Book Fair International has been
defined as “the nation most impressive street festival
for book readers and writers.” The oldest and largest
book fair in the States it’s an eight-day (Nov. 13th
through the 20th ) block party that takes place at Downtown Wolfson Campus if Miami Dade
College and features readings, lectures, book signings, antiquarian booths, American and
international publisher’s exhibits and so on. All literary genres are covered!
SEE
Wynwood Art Walk happens every second Saturday of the month and it’s a real blast!
From 7 to 10pm all the galleries and art institutions in the Wynwood Art District are open
to the public offering great art, music and drinks. A huge crowd usually attends this
event: DJs spin from every corner; there are art installations both inside the art spaces
and in the streets, people get the chance to talk to artists and gallerists and overall it
feels like a big, vibrant and creative party. You really shouldn’t miss this one! (from
North Miami Avenue to I95 and from 10th to 36th Street).
Bird Road Art Walk takes place on the third Saturday of every month in the Bird Road
Art District. This was originally an industrial area by the railroad tracks which began
attracting artists in the 1980s; slowly rows of slanted warehouses were converted into
individual artist studios and soon the artists began organizing open studios inviting the
public to view their artwork. The Bird Road Art District is located just east of the
Palmetto Expressway (SR-826) and south of Bird Road (SW 40 St). Most of the studios are
located just off of SW 74 & SW 75 Ave.
SEE
EAT DRINK PLAY LIKE SEE Wynwood Walls
The walls are located on a six-building complex along NW 2nd Avenue between NW 25th and NW
26th Streets. Some of the world best street artists participated to the project:
Aiko (Brooklyn, NY, USA/Tokyo, Japan)
Avaf aka Eli Sudbrack and Christophe Hamaide-Pierson (New York, USA /Paris, France)
B. (Athens, Greece)
The Date Farmers (Los Angeles, USA)
Futura 2000 (New York, USA)
Invader (Paris, France)
Jeff Soto (Riverside, USA)
Kenny Scharf (New York, USA)
Nunca (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Os Gemeos (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Ryan McGinness (Virginia Beach, USA)
Shepard Farey (Los Angeles, USA)
Walls outside the Walls – artists:
Swoon (Brooklyn, NY, USA)
– 2nd Ave and 21st Street
Berry Mcgee (San Francisco, USA) – 2nd Ave and 24th Street
Brandon Opalka (Miami, USA) – 26th Street and 2nd Ave
among others…
For more information about places to go, events, exhibitions and parties going on in Miami during your stay and
for ticket purchase, discounted bookings and reservations please
[email protected]
www.creamhotel.com
BOGOTA BUENOS AIRES CARTAGENA IBIZA LONDON MIAMI NEW YORK PARIS PLAYA DEL CARMEN PROVENCE PUNTA DEL ESTE RIO DE JANEIRO ROME SAO PAULO TULUM