POV: You’re an out-of-towner who’s just arrived at a South Florida airport, and you’re hungry.
Maybe you’ve sold a kidney for 2026 FIFA World Cup tickets at host venue Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, where seven matches will be played, and you need cheap and delicious comforts. Or maybe you’re keen to dine where global “Dai Dai” superstar Shakira has dined. Perhaps you just need a vacation away from your World Cup vacation.
Or maybe you’re local and wished the Cup would grace your backyard for eons — and now you need new restaurants to explore.
In any case, we have you covered.
This isn’t a dining guide featuring cuisine from each country participating in the World Cup, but rather a greatest-hits medley of local favorites at three different price points, from inexpensive to intermediate to worth a splurge. Some locations will broadcast Cup matches and some won’t. Some will let you bring your team jersey, some won’t.
Moreover, these aren’t busy, buzzy places where you’ll sit shoulder to shoulder at one of dozens of seats — that’s already Hard Rock Stadium’s vibe, after all. Nor are they fussy, fancy rez-dependent spots that cause scheduling headaches for travelers on a time crunch. (OK, except maybe the one spot Shakira visited.)
Instead, these are local hideaways not so much absorbed by World Cup allure but immune to it, workhorses that persist for and by the people who live here. And in between matches at the biggest soccer tournament in the world, these places offer the greatest culinary escapes for the soul.
Around the stadium
(Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel
Fried ribs from Sunday’s Eatery, the soul food restaurant of rapper Trick Daddy in Miami Gardens. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Sunday’s Eatery: 18367 NW 27th Ave, Miami Gardens; 305-621-9600; SundaysEatery.com (1.6 miles from stadium)
Who knew platinum-selling South Florida rapper Trick Daddy had such impeccable soul-food game? His throwback to childhood Sunday dinners is a joyful pit-stop for crunchy fried ribs, thick string beans and mac and cheese, washed down with blue lemonade. And you might even see Mr. Trick in the building. Say it with me: Take it to da house! Price point: Intermediate.
Awash Ethiopian Restaurant: 19934 NW Second Ave., Miami Gardens; 305-770-5100; AwashMiami.com (2.3 miles from stadium)
At Miami-Dade County’s only Ethiopian brick-and-mortar, every plate is a passport to African flavor. Start with a round of sambusas — hot, crispy lentil triangles — then steer right into the Taste of Awash, a platter of beef, chicken and vegetarian shareables meant be scooped up with rich rolls of injera bread. Price point: Worth a splurge.
Chef Tally’s World Famous Jerk Chicken: 2481 SW 56th Terrace, West Park; 305-761-3697; ChefTallys.com (4.7 miles from stadium)
You’ll smell the peppery smoke from Chef Tally’s grills long before you see them up-close. This is no-frills Jamaican jerk chicken, ribs and pork served in overstuffed takeout boxes. Go with dark meat and sop up with the extra seasoning with a side of festivals, which are basically fried dumplings shaped like ballistic missiles. Price point: Inexpensive.
Flanigan’s / Courtesy
The $6.99 lunch special from Flanigan’s includes a 10-ounce chargrilled burger, a perfect budget pick for travelers looking for a great meal between World Cup 2026 matches at Hard Rock Stadium. (Flanigan’s/Courtesy)
Flanigan’s Seafood Bar & Grill: 11225 Miramar Parkway, Miramar; 954-251-4734; Flanigans.net (6.7 miles from stadium)
Many have pilgrimaged to this green-roofed tavern to worship the handsome man with the goatee-wrapped grin. At South Florida’s most iconic and affordable local chain, you’d be hard-pressed to beat its $6.99 weekday lunch deal – personal favorites include 10 extra-crispy wings (add curly fries for an upcharge) and its 10-ounce chargrilled burger. Price point: Inexpensive.
The Wagyu House by Meat N’ Bone: 601 N. Federal Highway, Suite 113, Hallandale Beach; 954-737-1104; TheWagyu.House (8.2 miles from stadium)
If steak and soccer sounds like a fine food pairing, detour to this sit-down. We like the Denver steak Wagyu with truffle fries, and churros for dessert. Better deal: Go Tuesdays and Thursdays for an off-menu N.Y. strip with chimichurri butter and mashed potatoes for $15.99. Bonus: There’s a Brazil vs. Morocco Fan Fest in the Atlantic Village plaza on Saturday, June 13. Price point: Worth a splurge.
Around Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor & Restaurant: 128 S. Federal Highway, Dania Beach; 954-923-4445, JaxsonsIceCream.com (3 miles from airport)
When it’s summer and muggy, Jaxson’s is an air-conditioned Shangri-La. Step past the carousel and into this time capsule with a penny press, racks of vintage candies and soda jerks that shoot hoses of whipped cream onto maximalist sundaes. Have the footlong hot dog or the hot pastrami, then dig a spoon into the trough of chocolate ice cream known as a Kitchen Sink. Price point: Intermediate.
Spicy Rigatoni Vodka at Italian supper club Anthony’s Runway 84 is a classy pit-stop near the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. (Jordan Braun for Anthony’s Runway 84/Courtesy)
Anthony’s Runway 84: 330 W. State Road 84, Fort Lauderdale; 954-467-8484; Runway84.com (3.2 miles from airport)
This old-school supper club looks like the Copacabana scene in the movie “Goodfellas” and has the Italian swagger to match. Come empty-stomached for tableside Caesar salads, Spicy Rigatoni Vodka and fist-sized meatballs with a scoop of ricotta — and don’t forget the giant cannoli. Price point: Worth a splurge.
Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel
Hunks of deli cuts are pitched into a catcher’s mitt of hoagie bread at Laspada’s Original Hoagies, a must-try sandwich shop with hefty portions. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Laspada’s Original Hoagies: 1495 SE 17th St., Fort Lauderdale; 954-522-3483; LaSpadasHoagies.com (4.1 miles from airport)
It’s like you traded one ball game for another at this stone-cold sandwich classic. Here, submakers pitch baseball-sized hunks of cold cuts across the room, which land like a catcher’s mitt into a spread-open hoagie held by another employee. After toppings are added, the deli meat flies again, forming a meat blanket over the whole thing. The portions are super-generous for the price. Price point: Intermediate.
Gilbert’s 17th Street Grill: 1821 Cordova Road, Fort Lauderdale; 954-768-8990; Gilberts17thStGrill.com (4.1 miles from airport)
This diner-style mom-and-pop has ribs and pan-seared tuna, but every South Floridian swears by its straightforward and excellent burger, an Angus beef half-pounder on a seeded bun. But for the best experience, ditch the buns for a Havarti Burger on a garlic butter-slathered English muffin. Price point: Intermediate.
Southport Raw Bar: 1536 Cordova Road, Fort Lauderdale; 954-525-2526; SouthportRawBar.com (4.4 miles from airport)
This half-century-old raw bar is Fort Lauderdale in a nutshell: inhabited by salty cruise-shippers and breezy boaters and stocked with spicy coconut mussels, fresh-shucked clams and Old Bay shrimp. When you need a break from the hotel or the pitch, the people and the food are worth enjoying with a brew on the dock, gazing out to the sunswept Intracoastal Waterway. Price point: Inexpensive.
Around Miami International Airport
Latin Cafe 2000: 875 NW 42nd Ave., Miami; 305-642-4700; LatinCafe.com (1.8 miles from airport)
Don’t come to this classic workhorse near the airport thinking its Latin 2000 Sandwich is your standard Cuban — it’s not. It’s pressed French bread piled with bolo ham, shredded pork, aged prosciutto, Swiss and Spanish chorizo, a sandwich hybrid that sings. Other standouts: queso frito with tropical rum sauce and mariquitas (paper-thin plantain strips) with mojo. Pair any of the above with a mamey batido (shake). Price point: Inexpensive.
El Mago de las Fritas: 5828 SW Eighth St., Miami; 305-266-8486; ElMagoDeLasFritas.com (4.6 miles from airport)
The exquisite comfort-food bomb known as a frita Cubana can’t be underestimated at this postage stamp of a grill. Call it a Cuban smash burger: Fritas are pancaked on the plancha with cumin and paprika, sprinkled with tiny potato strings and diced onions on a Cuban roll. (Don’t forget a dash of Crystal Hot Sauce.) Price point: Inexpensive.
Hometown Barbecue: 1200 NW 22nd St., Suite 100, Miami; 305-396-4551; HometownBBQMiami.com (4.7 miles from airport)
Trek due east of MIA to Allapattah to find big smoked-meat flavors in an open-air warehouse. Though its brisket and beef ribs have been known to induce meat comas, save some tummy space for the mole- and queso fresco-dusted wings and poblano crema-spiced broccoli. Price point: Intermediate.
Lionel Photography for Cafe La Trova / Courtesy
Cafe La Trova, with its cocktails, croquetas and live music, is worth the drive from Miami International Airport. (Lionel Photography for Cafe La Trova/Courtesy)
Cafe La Trova: 971 SW Eighth St., Miami; 786-615-4379; Instagram.com/CafeLaTrovaMiami (6.3 miles from airport).
It’s worth the extra trek to Little Havana for one of the very best representations of the Miami Cuban experience, which swings with a nightly band of old Havana music and stylish cocktails. The menu from James Beard Foundation-blessed chef Michelle Bernstein brings a similar party to your stomach, with must-order creamy croquetas with fig jam, masitas de puerco with mezcal-honey glaze and, yes, smoked flan. Price point: Worth a splurge.
Delilah: 301 Brickell Key Drive, Miami; 305-400-4657; DelilahRestaurants.com (7.6 miles from airport)
Be honest: You’re going the extra mile (or three) because Shakira celebrated her birthday here, aren’t you? Still: This Brickell clubstaurant has a divine aura (think 1920s supper club) and does steak and ceviche well. But skip those trendy-but-tiny chicken tenders. Price point: Worth a splurge.