For decades, Calle Ocho has been known as the heart of Miami s Cuban culture. But until recently, the neighborhood was mostly filled with small cafés that specialized in basic Cuban comfort food.
The past few years, however, have brought an influx of more adventurous and wide-ranging establishments, from chef-driven kitchens like Michelle Bernstein s at Cafe La Trova to tacos and tequila at El Santo and a curated beer selection at Union Beer Store.
Most recently, Earl Campos Devine, Oscar Rodriguez, and Eliesteban Mena, partners at Old s Havana Cuban Bar & Cocina, set out to open a restaurant that offered a more contemporary turn on Cuban fare. The result, Sala o Cuban Restaurant & Bar, opened in the summer of 2019 with a menu of fresh seafood, daiquiris, and a Hemingwayesque theme. Sala o drew a lively crowd of tourists who flocked to Little Havana to visit Domino Park and sip daiquiris.