Versailles Restaurant
3555 S.W. Eighth St., Miami, 305/444-0240
This 35-year-old Calle Ocho landmark has been described as the Little Havana equivalent of Denny's for its long hours and kitschy cafeteria setting. The comparison is only partly merited because it sells Versailles short in terms of its food and the influential company it keeps. President Bill Clinton, Sen. John McCain and countless Miami-Dade County political powerbrokers have staged photo ops at Versailles, affectionately nicknamed El Palacio de los Espejos (The Mirrored Palace) for its mirrored walls. And when Fidel Castro fell ill this summer, Versailles was ground zero for exiles who gathered to celebrate the tyrant's inevitable demise. Still, it's not just the political overtones that give the place its cachet. On a Friday or Saturday night, when Versailles is open until 4 a.m., or a more-sedate Sunday evening, the 350 seats in three dining rooms are usually animated with lively conservations over traditional servings of chicken, meat, pork and seafood dishes. People of all ages, ethnicities and persuasions come for the atmosphere as much as the food, and the atmosphere is especially rich at the sidewalk window along Calle Ocho, where café Cubanos, baked goods and cigars are sold.
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