Los Ranchos Steakhouse

Long before Brazilian rodizio steakhouses became ubiquitous in Miami, Nicaraguans held down the fort when it came to fancy Latino-style palaces of beef - and none more so than Los Ranchos, which has been a local institution since 1981. The original location on 107th Avenue in Sweetwater (now sadly closed) was not only a place where Miami’s Nicaraguan community could sample a taste of home, but also a community center where refugees displaced by the Central American nation’s Sandinista regime discussed their homeland’s politics in addition to their situation in their new city. Los Ranchos currently has three locations throughout Miami, including one at Bayside Marketplace - perhaps the only restaurant worth checking out in this otherwise generic tourist destination. The menu includes traditional favorites, like carne asada, as well as more creative dishes, like Emerald fish, which is drenched in a creamy spinach sauce.