Thursday Breakfast: Chug’s Diner
Coconut Grove
Your first stop: Head south from the airport to Chug’s, chef-owner Michael Beltran’s all-day Cuban American diner. The coffee is appropriately strong, so order a cortado, café con leche, or espresso and tonic to start (here you get a double shot poured over a Cuban-style soda of your choice: Jupiña, Materva, or Ironbeer).
Awarded a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide’s Miami debut, Chug’s excels in all corners of its menu, but for breakfast the thick cast-iron pancake is not to be missed. Slow-cooked in clarified butter and served with warm maple syrup, it’s just the right balance of savory and sweet. Be sure to also order a breakfast sandwich — runny fried egg, melty American cheese, creamy Duke’s mayo, crunchy shoestring potato crisps, salty Taylor ham, all on a Cuban roll.