On the way back from a recent business trip, I connected through Miami International, a busy and chaotic airport, but one I loving associate with trips to both South Beach and South America.
I knew I wouldn’t have enough time to leave the airport for mango juice and arroz con leche at nearby El Palacio de los Jugos, but I banked on having enough time to make it from one end of Terminal D to the other with a quick detour at Cafe Versailles.
On landing, I was a woman with a mission, I picked up my gate checked carry-on luggage and got moving, weaving through people in an effort to make it quickly from one end of the terminal to the other. It’s massive! I passed one Cafe Versailles, lined up at the outpost closest to my gate, and ordered a Cuban coffee, some plantain chips, and guava y queso pastries served with some signature sass (in Spanish) from the ladies behind the counter, before rushing off to find my gate and gear up for the 6+ hour flight to SFO. Minutes later, they announced that the flight was delayed by air traffic control in San Francisco. I would end up getting home that night at 1:30 a.m. — more than an hour and a half later than planned.
Delay followed delay that evening, but I wasn’t too disappointed. There was ample time for a taste of Cuba and some truly intriguing people watching.
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If you fly through MIA, don’t miss out on Cafe Versailles across from Gates D5, D21, and D44. They also have great Cuban sandwiches.
The guava y queso pastry I brought back from Miami for Cesar.
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- Cafe Versailles @ D21
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- Cafe Versailles @ D44
