Hidden Gems – Miami Edition – Solmaz in the city

While down in Miami for some needed vacation, some of the locals recommended their favorite spots to eat. My cousin and I decided to checkout some of these local diners and restaurant for some great food. Here are two of our favorite places. Big Pink and 11th st Diner.

Big Pink:

157 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, Florida

Located on the corner of Collins Ave and 2nd st. Big Pink is a great hangout for the Miami Beach locals. The interior of the restaurant is a great mix of oldschool diner and a new sports bar. I loved the food, the super friendly staff and the entire dinner experience I had while I was there. The menu is super long and super BIG, but there’s something for everyone and for every budget which I think is the reason behind why it’s such a hit with people of all ages and backgrounds.

For our starter we ordered a MASSIVE plate of nachos (I can’t remember the price, sorry!) filled with hot peppers, tortilla chips, beans and awesome guacamole. This thing was huge but between the two of us we showed it who was the boss at that dinner. Even our waiter was surprised that we finished that plate! To quench our thirst we ordered some Big Pink Lemonade ($3) till our main dishes were ready.

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich ($10.75) – thinly sliced beef served with peppers, onions, mushrooms and American cheese and big bucket of homemade fries!

Churrasco Wrap ($10.50) – grilled skirt steaks, fried plantains, black beans, rice, Central American slaw served in a warm flour tortilla with chimichurri dipping sauce and a bucket of homemade fries.

All in all, Mr.BBM and I enjoyed our BIG sized meal, and a bit sad that we had no room left to try the yummy desserts. My biggest tip for when going to Big Pink is go there hungry and go there before the dinner rush hits. They were super busy at night!

On to my next hidden gem in Miami…

11th Street Dinner:

11th St & Washington Ave., South Beach Miami

I always wanted to eat in a place that looked liked 11th St Diner. It reminded me of Back To The Future diners where all the kids were hanging out, eating their burgers and milkshakes. We knew that we had to try it out.

Located on 11th & Washington, this 24hrs diner is just a shiny little tin box under the sun, but inside is a different story. It’s big and spacious, with lots of sitting area and my favorite, little bar stools by the bar area where men would sit to talk while on their lunch breaks from work. We went in to try the breakfast menu.

An order of 3 Pair ($9.95) – 2 eggs, 2 bacon or sausage or Canadian bacon, 2 pancakes or French toasts and coffee for Mr. BBM.

For me, Steak & eggs with homefries ($N/A) with freshly squeezed orange juice ($2.95).

I enjoyed my experience while eating in a real American diner. Just sitting, waiting for our food we had some time to look around the diner and checkout some of the pictures on their walls. Some well-known people have visited this diner and they were even on an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri and they got a thumbs up from him!