News Cafe   The Delano Hotel    The Sport Cafe
The Van Dyke    Joia Restaurant    Nemos
Sushi Rock Cafe    Cafe Tabac      Joe's Stone Crab
The Big Pink
NEWS CAFE
800 OCEAN DRIVE
(305)538-6397
The News Cafe is the perfect spot to land for awhile if you are alone but want to feel like you are in the middle of the action. It's entertaining, friendly and totally unpretentious. The tables are so close together that you are likely to strike up a conversation with the cute guy at the next table. "Pre Brook Shields", Andre Agassi was the cute guy at the next table. He ended up giving yours truly a ride to the airport. It pays to be alone! You can sit at one of the cafe tables and be completely entertained by watching the throngs of tourists march by. The news stand is well stocked. Grab a magazine and park it anytime of the day or night since the News Cafe is open 24 hours. And a little trivia for you to go along with your coffee: The News Café is the most successful "Café" in the entire country.
DELANO HOTEL
1685 COLLINS AVE., SOUTH BEACH
1-800-555-5001
The Rose bar offers major attitude for cocktail hour and is a great place to start or finish your evening watching the parade of gawkers and hipsters strolling by.
SPORT CAFE
538 WASHINGTON AVE., SOUTH BEACH
(305)674-9700
This is it for starving models and the local foreign crowd. Wonderful, simple Italian food. Unpretentious and cheap. Grab a Caesar salad for lunch or a quick pasta for dinner. (See also Cheap Chic for full review). The friendly Italian waiters will make you feel right at home. For entertainment, there is always the big screen TV showing some European soccer game. Or, sit outside and watch the world go by.
VAN DYKE CAFE
846 LINCOLN ROAD, SOUTH BEACH
(305)534-3600
Another great people watching cafe on Lincoln Road. It is the social center of Lincoln Road and The News Cafe's counter part. (Same owners). Open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Check out the Jazz bar on the 2nd floor then head around the corner to the Fallabella bar at the Albion hotel. (See also Cocktails for more on the Fallabella)
JOIA RESTAURANT
150 OCEAN DRIVE, SOUTH BEACH
(305)674-8871
The bar at this hot, new eatery for the beautiful people can be quite a lot of fun. Grab drink and a bite to eat at the bar and observe the BP set in action.
NEMOS
100 COLLINS AVE., SOUTH BEACH
(305)532-4550
Nemos has great world fusion food and even better cosmopolitan martinis. This is probably why the stylish locals love this spot. Grab a stool at the bar, order a cosmo and some wok charred tuna and you'll be set for the night!
SUSHI ROCK CAFÉ
1351 COLLINS AVENUE, SOUTH BEACH
(305)532-2133
For sushi lovers looking for lots of action, the sushi bar is a perfect spot for solo dining. This place is very popular and very loud!
CAFÉ TABAC
136 COLLINS AVENUE, SOUTH BEACH
(305)695-8411
Right next door to Nemos is the brand new Café Tabac which was brought to you by the same French group that owns The Living Room at The Strand. It's THE spot for the trendies right now even though the food is very mediocre. The sidewalk café works for lunch even if the food doesn't...lots of cute young foreign men who will gladly invite you over to their table once they see your are all alone or as the French say: toute seule.
JOE'S STONE CRAB TAKE OUT
11 WASHINGTON STREET, SOUTH BEACH
(305) 673-0365
If you have a hankering for stone crab head on over to Joes for the best stone crab anywhere. A half order of 4 crab claws costs $11 and you can eat them right at the dining bar in the take out section. Better yet, do what the locals do: walk around to the kitchen window and see if they are selling them direct at the bargain price of 7 bucks for eight claws. Go figure. If stone crab isn't your bag, they offer up a host of gourmet delights including salads, fried fish sandwiches, and there is even a coffee bar and key lime pie for desert. Open for lunch and dinner.
THE BIG PINK
157 COLLINS AVE.
(305) 532-4700
Talk about a loyal following... the owners of Nemos hit it right with the Big Pink. Chow down on hamburgers and fries while watching your favorite sports team on TV. Always crowded with locals in the know who believe that paying $12 bucks for a burger on Ocean Drive is insane. Girls take note the guys dig this joint because of the multiple TV screens and casual atmosphere. ..a great choice if you want to "hook up" with the locals. Word has it that late Sunday afternoons is filled with the hip crowd that frequents the locals beach (between 2nd and 3rd Streets).
Lunch at any hotel pool is a perfect way to spend an afternoon and when you are done strip down and take a dip, no one will care.
The Hotel's rooftop pool: try the grilled Mahi sandwich.
The National: the poolside café is simple and offers up a great view of the longest pool on the planet.
The Delano is closed off to non-guests until 5pm but if you are doing a late lunch or early dinner this spot is divine...eat at the bar or at one of the tables on the sand.






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