Award-winning chef Michelle Bernstein has opened La Cañita in South Beach with elevated Cuban cuisine and a fun atmosphere with Miami vibes.
La Cañita Beach photo
La Cañita has officially opened a new location on South Beach, and it’s one of Miami’s most exciting fall restaurant openings yet. James Beard Award–winning chef Michelle Bernstein of Sra. Martinez in Coral Gables, alongside hospitality partners David Martinez and Davide Borgia, has now brought the third iteration of her fun, rum-driven restaurant to Ocean Drive.
For those unfamiliar with the lively restaurant, La Cañita first opened in 2021 at Bayside Marketplace. Earlier this year, the team expanded to Kendall, and now they’ve landed on Miami Beach.
The name translates to “little sugarcane,” nodding to the ingredient at the heart of Caribbean rum culture and the islands the restaurant celebrates. Drawing influences from Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad, Haiti, and Puerto Rico, as well as coastal towns across Central and South America, the restaurant marries Bernstein’s award-winning cuisine with lively music and creative cocktails, all with the mission of preserving Miami’s rich Latin-Caribbean essence.
The restaurant’s Cuban-Caribbean soul is evident in its daily live music, a menu rooted in Miami’s Latin-Caribbean heritage, an on-site cigar roller, and a wide selection of rum-based cocktails.
A Rum-Inspired Escape That Hits Close to Home
For Bernstein and her partners, the decision to bring La Cañita to Ocean Drive is a form of cultural reclamation. South Beach sits at the intersection of nostalgia and renaissance, where Miami’s iconic past meets its future. “In Miami, the islands aren’t offshore; they’re in our hearts, our kitchens, our rum glasses. Island heritage dining taught us that warmth isn’t just in the weather, it’s in the welcome. Every meal is an invitation to feel at home, no matter where you come from,” says Bernstein. “We are so excited to make our mark on Ocean Drive, the Art Deco icon of South Florida, and create a new home for both locals and visitors to the beach.”
This opening in the Art Deco District places La Cañita amidst a new wave of South Beach dining hotspots, with innovative dining experiences beginning to reclaim the strip after years of tourist traps dominating the space.
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Cuban-Caribbean Flair, Dancing, Rum Cocktails, and a Cigar Station
The restaurant’s Cuban-Caribbean soul is evident in its daily live music, a menu rooted in Miami’s Latin-Caribbean heritage, an on-site cigar roller, and a wide selection of rum-based cocktails.
Chef Bernstein curated a lunch and dinner menu that runs from handheld snacks to Caribbean classics and South Florida signatures. Standout dishes include empanadas, croquetas, conch fritters dusted with cayenne and powdered sugar, her mother’s arroz con pollo recipe, and the local fish of the day served with citrus butter, coconut rice, roast squash, black-eyed peas, and curry
When creating La Cañita, the team imagined a shuttered distillery on a remote Caribbean island, where rum is both the native language and the drink of choice. That vision materializes in a 40-seat curved bar stocked with more than 100 bottles of rum. Guests savor rum-forward cocktails (sometimes accompanied by a cigar) alongside a selection of wines, beers, and other spirits. Bar highlights include a lineup of mojito variations, the Domino Old Fashioned (a bold take on the classic), and the signature La Cañita cocktail made with a blend of rums and fruit flavors, including the house guava blend and banana liqueur.
Lechón asado with mojo de ajo, steamed yuca, chicharrones
Island Meets Art Deco
The “shuttered island distillery” aesthetic was brought to life by Michelle’s sister, interior designer Nicolette Bernstein. Natural light pours in through floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the rich teal walls and mosaic-tiled bar. At the heart of it all is the stage where the La Cañita Beach Band performs daily, reinforcing the restaurant’s island energy within the Art Deco backdrop.
Chef Michelle Bernstein is a Miami native with Argentine roots whose cooking is informed by culinary memories and global travel. She co-owns Michelle Bernstein Catering (MBC) with her husband and partner, David Martinez, and is behind several successful concepts, including Miami Beach’s cocktail bar, Sweet Liberty, Little Havana’s Café La Trova, and Sra. Martinez in Coral Gables. Bernstein also hosts two Emmy Award–winning television shows: “Check, Please! South Florida” on PBS and “SoFlo Taste” on Local 10.
La Cañita Beach. 1200 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach; 786-803-8510; lacanitamiami.com.