This Might Be The Best Mexican Restaurant In Florida, According To Reviews

From greasy spoons to haute cuisine, eating out is expensive. This holds true whether you're in the tiniest of podunks or a major metropolis, but of all the cities in the United States, Miami has the least affordable restaurants. Even so, it remains a dining destination because of the variety and quality of cuisine it offers. Sure, you might expect to find some of America's best Cuban sandwiches in this heavily Cuban-influenced city, but did you know that Miami is also home to Florida's best Mexican restaurant? This accolade goes to Don Sombrero, one of the relatively rare eateries to hold a 4.9-star Tripadvisor rating, even with 577 reviews. It holds up pretty well on Yelp, too — only 4.4 stars there, but you know, Yelpers gonna Yelp and complaints (though rare) make more compelling reading.

One representative Tripadvisor review (five stars, of course) reads, "Fabulous service and food. [...] Food was lovely and Mojitos fantastic." Another satisfied customer wrote, "The food was delicious, the portions not too large and everything was lovingly arranged. The service was attentive and friendly and the music playing in the background wasn't too loud and made you feel really good. The value for money was also fine."

One note on the location: Technically, Don Sombrero is in Miami Beach, which is a separate city from Miami proper. It's still considered part of the greater Miami metropolitan area, though, so we're counting it as Miami dining. One Redditor compares Miami-Dade County municipalities to NYC and its boroughs, which checks out. If you think of Miami proper as Manhattan, Miami Beach might be analogous to Staten Island.

Don Sombrero's menu may not be as extensive as the ones you'd find in an area with a larger Mexican population (only 3% of Miami's Hispanic population claims this ancestry). But the restaurant offers Tex-Mex favorites, trendy Mexican dishes, and a much larger selection of taco and burrito fillings than you'll find at a chain restaurant. The appetizers include nachos ($18) that one Tripadvisor patron called "perfectly prepared, crispy, and with just the right amount of topping." A Yelper concurred, saying: "We came for nachos and we're NOT disappointed!" Elotes ($16), which are having a moment, is also a hit. One Tripadvisor reviewer enthused, "The Elote was amaaaazing!" while a more-restrained Yelper agreed: "We had elote to start, they were yummy."

Don Sombrero also nails the birria tacos ($28), a dish that, like elotes, has been popular in recent years. Numerous Tripadvisor users raved about them, one declaring, "Birria tacos are super good!" and another insisting, "If you're a fan of tacos, you have to try the birria tacos — they are juicy, flavorful, and perfectly spiced." Desserts draw high marks, too, with someone on Tripadvisor relating, "We finished our night with some tres leches for dessert. Yum!" Others advise on Yelp not to miss the flan. (The former is $12; the latter $11.) As one Tripadvisor user summed up the Don Sombrero experience, "We are from Chicago so [our] standard of Mexican food is high and this definitely hit the standard."