On NE 11th Street, bedtime doesn’t exist. This is mostly thanks to two of Miami’s most popular clubs: E11even, which we do not have the time or energy to describe right now, and Space, where DJs go on at 3am and play sets so long their loved ones occasionally report them missing. After spending all night at one or both, chances are you’re hungry. Don’t order a breakfast wrap from E11even (which you can actually do). Instead, walk to one of these quick, casual spots in Downtown for a glorious Venezuelan breakfast, ackee and saltfish, or a fancy little latte. We also made sure that nowhere on this guide is more than a mile away from either club, because we can only imagine how your feet feel right now.
THE SPOTS
Jackson Soul Food
Opens at 6am
Jackson Soul Food is an Overtown institution, one of the city’s best soul food spots, and happens to be just a half mile west of Space. They’ve got a big selection of simple breakfast dishes like eggs and sausage, pancakes, and some breakfast sandwiches. But one of the best things you can get here is their fried catfish, which pairs wonderfully with a few eggs and bacon on the side. The dining room can also accommodate a big group pretty easily.
El Sitio Coffee Bar
Opens at 7:30am
El Sitio is a casual spot where you can get pretty massive portions of classic Venezuelan dishes at very reasonable prices. They’re open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—but if you’re coming here after eight hours of trying to sneak into someone’s VIP section at E11even, order the Venezuelan dream breakfast. It’s a massive platter with separated portions of reina pepiada, carne mechada, perico, cheese, and a split arepa you can stuff with everything. There are also hangover-fighting beverages like coffee and multiple fruit juices. If you’re just in a rush to collapse onto a bed, they have a ventanita situation where you can get a greasy (in a good way) Venezuelan empanada or two.
Las Palmas Restaurant
Opens at 8am Mon-Fri; 9am Sat; Closed Sunday
Las Palmas is a pretty perfect recovery breakfast (except for the fact that it’s closed on Sunday). The narrow Cuban spot has a diner aesthetic, with counter seating that runs the length of the small restaurant. To eat, you’ve got lots of options—burgers, palomilla steak and eggs, a Cuban sandwich, and more. None of it’s over $15 and most of it’s under $10. We really like their simple breakfast sandwich on Cuban bread that comes with scrambled eggs and your choice or bacon, ham, sausage, or all of the above.
All Day
Opens at 8am
One of Miami’s best cafes happens to be around the corner from E11even and Space, and the coffee is good enough to help you forget about the fact that you just spent $400 on a bottle of $40 vodka. Come here for a fantastic breakfast sandwich, ham and gouda croquetas, perfect coffee, or get all of the above to-go from their ventanita. Just don’t come here if you’re trying to keep the party going. All Day is a fairly chill space where people are trying to relax and consume delicious things, so don’t annoy them by using your scream-over-the-DJ voice.
Chug’s Express
Opens at 8am
Chug’s is a Cuban diner in Coconut Grove—but they also now have a tiny ventanita in Downtown, where they offer a small menu of sandwiches, pastries, and coffee. There are two tables outside, but this is almost entirely a to-go operation. The food here isn’t as good as Chug’s 1.0, but keep it in mind if you want to have a lap full of croquetas, pastelitos, and a solid Cuban sandwich on the ride home.
Jamaica Corner
Opens at 8:30am
If you had to fork over $100 at the door because the bouncer wasn’t a fan of your shoes or some other arbitrary thing that informs their decisions, then you probably don’t want to spend more than $15 on a styrofoam box full of so much food it barely closes. You can get that at Jamaica Corner, a casual Jamaican spot in Downtown. They’ve got the standards: curried goat, jerk chicken, and escovitch. But at this hour, you’re going to want the ackee and saltfish, which is good here and comes with boiled dumplings, fried plantains, and a boiled green banana. You will be full, and also probably have leftovers for whenever you eventually wake up.
Opens at 9am
There’s a slight shame to being the last person to leave the club, but there’s an advantage to being the first person to arrive at a buffet. You get the food at its freshest, which will be the case if you roll into Manila Kantina when they open at 9am. Then, you’ll have your pick of still-steaming lumpia, lechon, and longganisa. On your way out, grab some of the pantry items they have for sale—like pancit noodles, bagoong jars, and bibingka mixes—in case you plan on hibernating for the next 72 hours.
Opens at 10am
Motek serves brunch all day. So you can walk over for shakshuka, a Jerusalem bagel grilled cheese, or an Israeli breakfast platter with three eggs, labneh, avocado, tahini, feta, s’chug, and bread. Or you can just get the arayes burger with crispy fries, which is always our order here. Just a head’s up if you’ve never been here: Motek is buried inside a huge building full of diamond shops, and getting here will make you feel like a considerably less stressed-out version of Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems.
Manna Life Food
Opens at 10am
If you feel like a dehydrated person lost in a desert (which you might if you’re still at Space at 10am), then stumble towards Manna, a healthy little oasis that’s thankfully not a mirage. The food is all plant-based, most of it is vegan, and it’s all good, too. It’s also a relaxing place where you can collapse into a couch and suck on a smoothie like your life depends on it. They also have a selection of plant-based arepas (the coconut meat ceviche arepa is our favorite), and it’s takeout friendly and pretty quick.
