Chug's Diner

What started out as a small café has grown overnight into this full-scale, Coconut Grove essential. All credit is due to Chef Michael Beltran who runs this terrific Cuban diner, fitted with dangling greenery and cozy booths. Truly, if this kitchen were a car, it would break the speed limit, as the team hurries about—opening early, closing late and cooking with panache.
One could make a meal out of the oxtail ajiaco alone, a satisfying Colombian stew that cures all ills. But then you wouldn’t have room for the several towering sandwiches, served on fluffy Cuban bread. No meal is complete without at least one of their guava- and cream-cheese pastelitos. Their warm, flaky pastry alone will guarantee a return visit.