The pandemic led to new Miami food vendors with unique skill sets who have unleashed their specialties on us. It’s been over six months of this lockup, so I’ve tried plenty of these food artisans who have turned their passions into new business ventures.
Miami favorites like Babe’s Meat & Counter, Fireman Derek’s World Famous Pies, Night Owl Cookies, Proper Sausages, and USBS started similarly. They grew their businesses with great food through word of mouth.
Even the Miami Food Truck scene, ground zero for passionate people producing fantastic food, gave birth to Ms. Cheezious, Square Pie City, and World Famous.
Here are five more locals who are making something delicious. We need to support them. They might be the next great ones everyone will be talking about.
Miami Food Vendors
LuchaDough Donuts
I’ve been a wrestling fan for a large portion of my life. I’ve finally come to my senses, but I can appreciate the passion behind the wrestling meets donut concept. I attempted one once many years ago.
There are nine donuts to choose from, but we only got four. Marcela chose one, and I picked out the other three; totally fair, I thought. She chose the You’re Fired!!!, which is essentially a smores donut on roids.
I would have ordered that based on its name alone.
The regular glazed, espresso-glazed, and maple bacon rounded out our donuts. I was all about the glazed and maple bacon, but Dee Cafecito X definitely won for best donut name!
I’m now hoping for a donut inspired by George The Animal Steele.
LuchaDough’s Donuts
To Order
Direct message LuchaDough a minimum of 24 hours before through Instagram to place an order.
Pick-up is on Fridays and Saturdays from 1 to 4 PM and Sundays from 1 to 3 PM, with deliveries happening Fridays and Saturdays from 5 to 8 PM and Sundays from 4 to 6 PM.
You can also find LuchaDough, out and about doing Donut Pop-ups around South Florida.
Apocalypse BBQ
Before we even get into food talk, I love the Apocalypse BBQ name, but I love the Natural Born Grillers tagline even more. Your safest bet so you can try a good majority of all the good sh*te is to go the platter route. I chose the brisket family platter and threw in some ribs too.
I’d ask for a side of that Mango Tango sauce, and you must absolutely, no matter what, order some of the Ma’s Nutter Butter Banana Pudding. I still wake up from a nightmare where my wife ate all of mine and left me waiting for the next week to order more.
One last thing, those smoked pulled pork empanadas are very special.
Apocalypse BBQ Menu
Apocalypse BBQ Food
Apocalypse BBQ now has a permanent location:
Apocalypse BBQ
9980 SW 104th Street
Miami, Florida
PERMANENTLY CLOSED
AJ’s Sinnabuns
AJ’s Sinnabuns are cinnamon rolls made from a brioche base. There are currently four different flavors and two sizes. The four flavor profiles are the original cinnamon roll, Oreo, guava-cream cheese, and strawberry. The regular size comes with six to order, with the lil’ buns bringing twelve per tray.
I have yet to try the Oreo, but while Gloria Estebun is great, I’m not sure that OG can be topped. You might be inclined to get the larger size; I wouldn’t. Those lil’ buns are just perfect with your afternoon coffee.AJ’s Sinnabuns is available for pickup in the Palmetto Bay area and can be delivered at a nominal fee. AJ’s Sinnabuns have CLOSED permanently.
AJ’s Sinnabuns Menu
O.G. Sinnabun – 8-Hour Raised Brioche Sinnabun is filled with a special mix of cinnamon, butter, and sugars and topped with our Original Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting. $11 and $13
Uh-oh, Oreo – 8-Hour Raised Brioche Sinnabun filled with homemade Oreo Cookie Butter topped without Original Vanilla cream cheese frosting and crumbled Oreo pieces. $14 and $16
Gloria Estebun – 8-Hour Raised Brioche Sinnabun filled with a guava jam and topped with our Original Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting. $13 and $15
Sinnful -8-Hour Raised Brioche Sinnabun is filled with a special mix of cinnamon, butter, and sugar, topped with our homemade strawberry cream cheese frosting and freshly sliced strawberries.
$12 and $14
Eleielerd
When I first tried Eleirlerd, it was at the suggestion of my friend Thomas. I ordered one of each flavor of small tres leches and medium size (more for families or sugar maniacs). My top three were traditional guava, then followed by key lime (in that order).
Then, surprise, they added a killer banana bread and, more recently, bizcochos. I think the banana bread cups might be the way to go cause my wife Marcela and I plowed through the full size like it was going out of style. Hot damn, it was so freakin’ good!
Eleielerd is no longer in South Florida but only in the Dominican Republic.
Eleielerd Menu
La Traila Barbecue
My meaty eyes had been watching La Traila Barbecue doing popups all around town. After making plans to hit them up on a Saturday, the Miami weather had other plans for me. I finally caught up with them at Unbranded Brewing in Hialeah.
They were there every Saturday and Sunday serving their Texas-style Que. They now have a permanent location in Miami Lakes at 8030 NW 154th Street.
Somehow the brisket and garlic sausage escaped me on this visit, but I enjoyed everything else. I didn’t know what to do with myself when I saw a smoked brisket burger on their menu. This was flavor overload. Get that burger; it’s an order, damn it!
Oh yeah, I loved that potato salad too.
La Traila Barbecue eventually opened a restaurant in Miami Lakes at 8030 NW 154th Street. After a few years, it closed permanently.