The best food at Miami airport, by concourse

If your gate is in D, head for La Carreta near D37 for a sit-down local-flavors meal. In E, Jackson Soul Food near E2 is the more distinctive stop. For every other concourse, see which concourse your airline uses, confirm the gate in your airline’s app, and start from its row below.

MIA’s official app, listed on our amenities page, says it can show the closest shops and restaurants with walk times.

D: Go local, then stay near your part of the concourse

Miami flavor runs the length of D. If your gate is around D20 to D29, Estefan Kitchen Express by D27 offers local flavors, sandwiches and salads. Chefs of the Caribbean by D29 is another meal, listed until 9 p.m. on weekdays and 7 p.m. on weekends.

On a short connection, eat near your own gate. By D8, Ice Box Café has salads and sandwiches. Around D22 to D23, Spring Chicken and Corona Beach House both list burgers, breakfast and sandwiches. At the far end, Islander Bar & Grill is listed by D49, and Peet’s Coffee is by D51.

If you want an empanada, the Half Moon Empanadas D29 listing places it after security. The before-security listing has no gate, so choose the D29 entry when you’re already through screening. Kerwin McKenzie of Cruisinaltitude filmed a walk through D to see what an airline meal voucher could buy, and found several options within $12. Ask whether your voucher works at the counter before ordering.

E: A proper meal near E2, Sergio’s Cuban near E5

Jackson Soul Food is beyond security near E2. Miami-Dade County says the airport branch brings food from the family business that began in Overtown. The same E2 area has Chick-Fil-A if your group needs a familiar fast-food choice. Miami-Dade County says passengers inside D and E can reach the E2 restaurants, but check your route and boarding time before leaving your gate area.

Sergio’s Cuban by E5 is the Cuban stop after security. Its listing includes coffee and tea, with hours from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. For a bagel, MIA lists The Great American Bagel by E9 and La Colombe & The Great Bagel by E23. Sushi Maki is also listed after security in E, but its listing gives no gate. Use the food directory or MIA’s app to locate it before walking.

Café Versailles appears in Central Terminal E, but its listing places that branch before security on the departures level. Café La Carreta is before security on E’s arrivals level. Neither is the near-gate answer for someone already at E5. If you’re arriving, meeting someone or have time before screening, those are different choices.

F: Pizza at F14, with a shorter stop at F10

Maestro Della Pizza and Guava & Java share the F14 gate area, so pizza and a coffee with a bakery item sit side by side. Farm2Air Market by F10 is listed for snacks and salads. Budweiser Brewhouse by F12 is another listed stop for burgers and sandwiches.

F also has a Café Versailles branch, but its listing places it before security on the departures level. The Dunkin’ listed as open 24 hours is before security in F too. If you’re already at an F gate, use the options above rather than counting on either landside counter.

G: Buy by the gate you have

For G4 or G8, Farm2Air Market is the easy stop for a snack or salad. Guava & Java by G9 gives you coffee, breakfast items and sandwiches. Budweiser Brewhouse by G10 is listed for burgers and sandwiches when you have time to sit. MIA also lists Misha’s Cupcakes by G15 for dessert.

MIA lists Au Bon Pain and Villa Italian Kitchen in the G area before security. Once you’re through screening, stick to the gate-numbered options above.

H and J: Use the connector only if it helps your gate

At H12, Sergio’s GO is listed for sandwiches and salads. Nathan’s Famous by H9 is the direct fast-food choice, while Starbucks by H5 covers coffee and a snack. MIA also lists Gilbert’s Food Bar after security in H for breakfast, sandwiches and salads, but gives no gate. Check its position in the food directory before setting off. Famous Famiglia is listed in H for pizza, also without a gate number.

For J, Earl of Sandwich by J8 is the clearest meal near a numbered gate. Starbucks sits by J7. MIA puts Burger King in the H-J connector food court, which may suit either concourse if you’re passing through it. Its listing does not give a gate number in the connector.

Where to get Cuban coffee at MIA

In D after security, the three Café Versailles counters in the table are your cafecito. The D5 listing and D44 listing give daily hours from 4:30 a.m. to 10:45 p.m., and the D20 listing gives 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. These are published hours, so check the counter if your flight is early or late.

In E after security, Sergio’s Cuban by E5 is the stop. MIA lists Café Versailles in E and F before security, not beside an airside gate. In H, Sergio’s GO at H12 carries a Cuban name, but its listing does not say it serves Cuban coffee. Ask there before making a special trip. For a plain coffee in F, G, H or J, use the coffee counters in the concourse sections above.

If it’s very early, late or the line is too long

The listed 24-hour food choices include Subway before security in E and Dunkin’ before security in F. After security, the food directory lists Carlo’s Bake Shop Express by H11 and a Carlo’s vending machine by D34 as open 24 hours. Misha’s Cupcakes by G15 is listed as open 24 hours.

Food Fun Finance ordered at The Counter by D33 through a phone QR code and found a menu with no pictures and little explanation. Read your cart before you pay there. MIA’s MIA2GO announcement describes scheduled pickup at participating restaurants, but it does not name the counters that offer it.

Sources

• Flights and airlines and food directory, concourses and dining choices.
• MIA restaurants and shops directory, venue locations, security side and listed hours.
• Our amenities page, official app dining and walk times.
• MIA’s MIA2GO announcement, scheduled pickup at participating restaurants.
• Miami-Dade County on Jackson Soul Food at MIA, E2 location and D/E access.
• Traveler videos: Cruisinaltitude’s MIA meal-voucher walk and Food Fun Finance on The Counter.