By Jesus Hdez and Yours Truly
Since the last post on Little River Miami, lots has happened, so it was time for an update with new restaurants and things to do along with the tried and true. As you’ll read, there’s plenty to do to spend a few hours or a day exploring. Enjoy! – Karen
Overview of Little River Miami:
Known as a neighborhood with low rise warehouse buildings and single-family homes, this vicinity takes its name from the Little River that runs along its northern edge.
Located north of Wynwood, the Design District, and Little Haiti and south of El Portal and Miami Shores, Little River has become one of the city’s newest art enclaves as well as foodie destination and special shopping stores, resulting in a must try threat.
You still can find some shuttered buildings and cargo trains going by, but also murals painted on the walls and a group of local talents and developers reshaping the area with innovation.
SHOPPING in Little River Miami
Carolina K
7924 NE 2nd Ave Suite #103
Coming from a family lineage of textiles and design that started in Bolivia and then Argentina, Carolina Kleinman utilizes her extensive knowledge to create thoughtful collections that showcase intricate details, timeless silhouettes, and conscious materials. As a pioneer in working with communities of artisans, her brand is known for its hand-embroidered details made authentically from remote regions of Mexico, Peru, and India.
Rose Coloured Floral
7338 NW Miami CT
https://www.rosecolouredfloral.com/
Approaching floral design with a truly artistic expression, Rose Coloured is not your typical flower shop. Shop their eight-foot-long stem bar featuring a weekly curated selection of the season’s freshest blooms alongside home decor, paper goods, jewelry and ceramics by local artisans.
Lower East Coast
7219 NW 2nd Ave
https://www.lowereastcoast.com/
No stranger to style, Lower East Coast specializes in streetwear brands, including locally famed Stray Rats and designers such as Carhartt W.I.P, Bedlam, and Marni. The shop is an outgrowth of Lower East Coast Management, a local talent agency that manages the careers of artists like Denzel Curry and PSYCHIC MIRRORS.
Eating
Ogawa
7223 NW 2nd Ave
Here comes the simplicity of Japanese cuisine, the 12-seat intimate sushi bar features a menu by Chef Masayuki Komatsu. He uses high-quality ingredients, while guests can decide the number of pieces they want and ask for their preference of fish, matched with premium whiskeys and sakes from the land of the rising sun.
Restaurateur and art dealer Alvaro Perez Miranda, who runs other Nipponese eateries in Miami-Dade, designed the restaurant which features wood, silk and gold leaf walls, including a Japanese garden, which serves as an outdoor lounge area for dinners and drinks.
The New Schnitzel House
1085 NE 79th St, Miami
This German restaurant is the remake of another German restaurant, which lived in the very same building, but closed in 2018.
The New Schnitzel House’s menu is a German cuisine you don’t see often in Miami. There´s plenty of room for the bar and a well-designed patio to enjoy the outdoors.
The menu has several schnitzels, made of chicken, veal, and sausages as well, but pretzels might be the first thing you see on the menu. We can’t imagine ever coming to a German restaurant and not ordering this baked pastry made from dough and served with different mustard sauces and pickles.
7289 NW 2ND AVE
Neutral interiors welcome you into this neighborhood restaurant serving naturally leavened sourdough pizza, vegetable forward starters, and natural wines in a relaxed, indoor-outdoor space. Keep an eye out for their monthly Sunday Supper, where they bring chefs from all over the world for one night of special pizzas and dishes. Voted one of America’s best new restaurants of 2021 by Esquire.
7127 NW 2ND AVE
Chef Akino West brings his expertise to what some say is “the best brunch in Miami”. This feel-good breakfast, along with a small yet, mighty lunch selection, combines Italian ingredients and techniques with Southern-American roots and inspiration. Find all your favorites like chicken and waffles, soft scrambled toast, and blueberry ricotta pancakes alongside a killer bar program.
Sunny’s Steakhouse @ Lot 6 (Closed temporarily for renovations)
7357 NW MIAMI COURT
Will Thompson and Carey Hynes, the duo behind Jaguar Sun, have created the most Miami steakhouse possible. Famous for their Parker House Rolls, ice-cold martinis, and unique cocktails, Sunny’s brings you a new take on old classics. Born as a pop-up during the start of the pandemic, this local and out-of-towner favorite is currently under renovations to become a permanent fixture of Little River. Due to re-open (again) next season.
Imperial Moto Café
7299 NE 2nd AVE
Owner Matt McKenna combines two of his passions: third wave coffee and motorcycle culture to create a space where you can gather, work, and play. Enjoy specialty coffee, loose-leaf tea, fresh pastries, and lunch options like empanadas and sandwiches. Whether you’re stopping by for a coffee or comedy night, Imperial Moto always has something going on.
Naomi’s Garden
650 NW 71ST ST
Whether you’re ordering at the window for take-out or enjoying live music and a fresh juice in their backyard garden, this family-run establishment serves some of the best Haitian and Caribbean food in Miami. Founded in the late 70’s as a vegetarian food truck, they now serve oxtail, whole fried snapper, jerk chicken, and a lot more dishes that come in big portions with sides of rice and plantains. Don’t forget the pickles!
The Plantisserie
https://www.theplantisserie.com/
7316 NE 2ND AVE
Since 2015, The Plantisserie has been serving nutritious, organic and fresh plant-based food by the pound. All their ingredients are free from pesticides, GMOs, chemicals, hormones, preservatives, colorants, or additives. At this plant-based organic deli and market, you’ll find not only fresh food but delicious and healthy products and snacks from local artisans.
The Citadel
8300 NE 2nd Ave
The Citadel Miami is always worth a look with its numerous eateries, a rooftop lounge with entertainment and Pivot Mkt. with sustainable fashion, home and beauty products.
Ebb and Flow Miami
8200 NE 2nd Ave
A busy commercial strip and restored Federal Savings Bank house a variety of local artisanal foods, specialty cocktails, and maker driven retail. Whether you’re looking for an acai bowl or a mezcal bar, this two blocks south of the Little River has you covered. Some of our favorites include Hachidori Ramen Bar, Frice Ice Cream, La Santa Taqueria, Tran An Vietnamese fare, and Off Site.
For an earlier review about La Santa Taqueria , click here.
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NOTE FROM KAREN: Sorry to say that one of the more popular eating spots in Little River, Hachidori Ramen has recently closed. I heard they may reopen in another location.
CULTURE in Little River Miami
Primary Projects
7410 NW Miami Court
https://www.thisisprimary.com/
Primary Projects is a context and research driven curatorial collective focusing on public arts. The gallery and private residence, designed by famed architects Keenen/Riley, explores modern ideas about live/work and connecting new voices in contemporary art with growing audiences and collections.
IS Projects
290 NW 73rd St
IS Projects, founded by Ingrid Schindall, is a public access printmaking and book studio housing letterpresses, fine art print making and book arts equipment. With a mission to inspire a love of paper, ink and craft in current and future generations, IS Projects hosts a variety of classes and courses for beginners and experts.
Oolite Arts
7297 NW 2nd Ave
Oolite Arts is a non-profit resource for the advancement of contemporary visual arts and culture in Miami’s Little River, formerly known as ArtCenter/South Florida in Miami Beach.
Oolite Arts hosts weekly events and art classes in its location in Little River, near where they will be opening its new arts campus in 2025 with expansive artist studios and exhibition spaces, bright and open spaces for the community to learn, and energy-conscious solar chimneys and wind catchers.
As of today, classes range from Drawing Fundamentals and Introduction to Screen Printing, Watercolor Techniques, In-Studio Painting with Acrylic or Oil and Human Figure Drawing.
12 Responses
Cindy Lou’s Cookies, right next to Plantisserie, is a must-visit in Little River!
Absolutely! They’re delicious. Plus, they deliver. Here’s a link to my earlier writeup on them. https://www.miamicurated.com/food/best-miami-desserts-with-delivery/
Wonderful little find thank you Karen!
Wonderful area and now I get to visit places I didn’t know about, thanks!
Looks like you skipped “Pasta Market” next to Santa Taqueria. The quality of the pasta and sauces is superb for a no-frills meals, better than anywhere else I know in Miami – without the price tag. Just like when you stumble on one of those little no-name places on a side-walk somewhere in Rome, Florence or Naples.
Sounds great, have to go!
Thank you Karen !! I look forward to trying these spots out.
Love this post! Little River will be our first outing when we return to Miami!
Is there a guide who can take a bus group on a tour of Little River ?
I don’t know of any tour operator that specializes in Little River, That being said there’s an organization of Miami tour guides (tours by locals) that’s part of an international organization. I’ve used them in my worldwide travels. You might check them out and see if any of them mentions little river. Hope this helps.
This is very exciting. A whole new world to explore. Thanks.
Great update, thank you.