Un Cafecito Y Pa'Lante

We’re fast approaching Miami Art Week and the preparations alone have me reaching for my mid-afternoon cafecito in anticipation of the city-wide buzz.

Ventanitas, if you grew up in Miami, are the go-to for your afternoon caffeine libation and chisme. We’ve all grown up indulging in the famous Islas Canarias croquetas and the tiny-but-mighty cafecitos from La Carreta and Versailles.

For locals and tourists alike, Ventanitas: A Window Into Miami’s Coffee Culture, the 2024 tome published by the beloved poetry foundation O, Miami, is a must-read if you want to blend in with the well-heeled, high-caf locals in Miami-Dade County. This book is a twofer: navigate the city’s historic ventanitas through photography shot by the inimitable Gesi Schilling while experiencing Miami’s homegrown poets telling it like it is.

But take it from two Miami locals, these are 3 must-frequent ventanitas for your Miami Art Week itinerary.

We've paired our picks with original poetry (brought to you by none other than our friends at O, Miami) by local Miamians insired by ventanita culture that has come to define our collective memory: 

La Sandwicherie
On 14^th Street near Washington Avenue
(South Beach)

“Everyone act normal
3 a.m. at La Sandwicherie
Nightcaps
Miami never sleeps
Where grupitos become la familia
— Melissa Stanton

Cortadito Coffee House
Corner of Lincoln Lane Road and Meridian Avenue
(South Beach)

A colada please
And don’t forget
The pastelito de guayaba cuba
en mi sangre
— Monica Santana

Boia De
At NW 2^nd Avenue and NE 54^th Street
(just north of the Miami Design District)

Café con leche
dos croquetas, pastelitos
Ventanitas
Is what I miss most
When I leave my Miami Home
— Clarissa Sanal

Acquire the book now!
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