By: Avery Niedrowski By: Avery Niedrowski | October 13, 2022 | Food & Drink,
The city of Miami is a melting pot full of gorgeously diverse cultures and ethnicities, and that’s what people love about it. It’s a place where you can experience many different cultures around the world in just one spot. With an assertive Hispanic influence, the heritage, and thankfully food, of Puerto Rico is alive in well in the 305. The most iconic dish of Puerto Rico is mofongo. With Miami’s combination of Spanish, Cuban, Haitian, West African, Caribbean, and American influences, mofongo is the perfect plate to taste the city’s diversity. The traditional dish is presented as a mashed mound of fried green plantains commonly smashed with garlic, meat, and other rich flavors. Here is a list of the best Puerto Rican mofongo in South Florida to get an authentic flavor you don’t have to travel overseas for.
See Also: 5 Spots In Brickell To Hit During Your Next Miami Bar Crawl
520 West Ave / Website
100 x 35 are the measurements in miles of the island of Puerto Rico, with the rest of its name, Cocina Con Raíces, translating to “kitchen with roots.” The menu is an ode to Puerto Rican food, and each dish follows the centuries-old culinary traditions of the island. Packed with exotic and tasteful flavors, the cuisines are made in-house by chefs passionate about sharing their roots with South Florida. Mofongo plays several roles on the menu, offered as a side or as a main dish with filling options of chicken breast, fried pork, skirt steak, shrimp, octopus salad, or lobster.
1644 SW 8th St. / Website
It’s true; Mofongo Restaurant makes a mean mofongo. With the star dish in the name, this Little Havana eatery is perfect for an authentic mofongo. Here, mofongo is served in a tall wooden pot, and guests are welcome to choose from available filling options of shrimp, churrasco, lobster, octopus, chicken, fried meat, pork, or vegetables. You can also choose between creamy garlic sauce, cream of mushrooms, or crepe sauce to soak the specialty. Once you’re finished and full, the bill is brought out with a shot of coquito, a traditional Puerto Rican drink that will transport you to Christmas on the island at any time of the year.
2600 Nw 2nd Ave / Website
Miamians can enjoy some of the most authentic and fresh mofongos every Saturday from eleven a.m. to six p.m. at the Dpuracepa Miami food truck parked at Wynwood’s Smorgasburg Miami. Although the food market has over sixty vendors, you must keep your eye on the prize with Dpuracepa as their mofongos deserve an appetite. Each bowl is made to order, and you can even watch D’Pura Cepa, the owner, smash fried plantains in a pilon live. Guests of the vendor are privy to the most delicious learning experience imaginable.
1917 Hollywood Blvd / Website
Chef Iram Ayala created El Bayú de Wela Sara in memory of his grandmother, Sara. She was the heart and soul of the family, making her home the center of every family reunion. “Wela” stands for “abuela,” and he pays homage to “Wela Sara” for inspiring Chef Ayala to make his restaurant the home for South Floridians to enjoy the authentic native flavors of Puerto Rico. It is also one of the only Puerto Rican restaurants with vegan and vegetarian versions of authentic dishes, allowing even more people of all backgrounds to try Boricua dishes. Their exquisite mofongos are served in a large metal cup adorned with the Puerto Rican flag, and many topping and filling options are available to order.
261 NW 36th St. / Website
Bori, the founder and chef of El Bori Food Truck, came to Miami straight from Puerto Rico in 2014, looking to work for himself and no one else. He found that the city was missing an authentic Puerto Rican food truck. Bori did not want to just attract Puerto Ricans, however, and began creating a fusion of Puerto Rican and beach flavor with Mexican taste. Bori’s blended plate options are loved by many. Located in Wynwood, you are likely to find many locals enjoying a mofongo mixed with cod and shrimp and a side of tequila. “People love the fusion,” says Bori, so head down to Wynwood to try it yourself.
Photography by: Courtesy yulia-bogdanova/Getty