For many of South Florida’s Nicaraguan expats and Nicaraguan-Americans, Madroño is the gold standard when it comes to sampling the best of their country’s food. Appetizers like the repocheta, a thick corn tortilla toasted with a layer of fresh, uncultured cheese, is as close to what you’ll get in Managua. And the chimichurri here may make you forget the more commonly known Argentine variety with its more even balance of vinegar, oil, garlic, and herbs.

There’s something to be said about a place that specializes in one thing, and Quesillos Guiliguiste is a perfect example of this, specializing in its namesake, the quesillo. This popular Nicaraguan snack consists of a braid of homemade, squeaky uncultured cheese similar to fresh mozzarella, but a little firmer. It’s wrapped in a thick Nicaraguan-style corn tortilla, loaded up with a tangy onion salsa, placed into a small sandwich bag, and then drowned in a torrent of housemade cultured cream.

Caña Brava is a fritanga in Little Havana that feels a bit more formal than the other fritangas we’ve been to in Miami. It has a big, wood-accented dining room with Nicaraguan landmarks etched into the mirrored ceiling. They serve solid fritanga staples—carne asada, gallo pinto, and queso frito—but the real attraction is the huge variety of dishes you may not see at other fritangas, like achiote-rubbed pork cutlets, white rice, and rich Nicaraguan refried beans, or a bowl of Indio Viejo.

PInolandia is open 24 hours a day and constantly churns out freshly grilled carne asada. This place is a little more spartan than some of its nearby competitors, although dedicated fans keep coming back for expertly grilled meats, crunchy rolled tacos with a virtual swimming pool of crema, and savory tomato-based stews. Like almost all fritangas in Miami, make sure to order a traditional drink with your food, like a sweet barley tea that’s supposed settle the stomach after a plate of rich food.

Raspados Loly’s has long been the destination for Nicaraguans in Miami craving a sweet, refreshing taste of their homeland. The ice here is crushed instead of shaved with the larger pieces melting more slowly than the finely shaved ice found in other types of snow cones. Additionally, the crushed ice is layered with spoonfuls of homemade fruit jams, including nance, a Central American fruit that grows on a specific variety of palm tree.

This fairly recent addition to Miami’s Nicaraguan options follows the same casual fritanga format you’ll find at many other spots around the city. However, unlike many of those that are located at high-traffic roadsides, Rakachaka Grill y Más has upgraded the fritanga experience by offering a more polished dining room while maintaining the traditional low-key vibe. And the food follows suit with favorites like carne asada, gallo pinto, thick corn tortillas, and a whole lot more.

Long before Brazilian rodizio steakhouses became ubiquitous in Miami, Nicaraguans held down the fort when it came to fancy Latino-style palaces of beef - and none more so than Los Ranchos, which has been a local institution since 1981. Los Ranchos currently has three locations throughout Miami, including one at Bayside Marketplace. The menu includes traditional favorites, like carne asada, as well as more creative dishes, like Emerald fish, which is drenched in a creamy spinach sauce.

El Novillo offers an impressive selection of grilled meats, including a taconazo - a cut of beef resembling a high heel - as well as traditional appetizers, like vigorón - a heap of tangy cabbage salad and boiled yucca topped with crunchy chicharrones. This place also prepares some hard to find, old-school continental dishes like steak medallions in a marchand de vin sauce and lobster thermidor. However, one of the real draws is its interior, complete with a fountain in the main dining room.

Tres Leches Factory was started by a Nicaraguan woman decades ago, but when she decided to step down, a local non-Nicaraguan couple stepped in to take over, retaining the original recipe while sprucing up the place and including a few non-traditional options, like giving the option to add fresh berries instead of the traditional maraschino cherry topping. They also offer a cuatro leches topped with dulce de leche, a chocolate tres leches, and a ponche-like boozy tres leches infused with rum.

If you ask any Miamian who loves Nicaraguan food where to get their favorite Nica dishes, you will probably hear them passionately mention Yambo. This casual spot has been feeding Miami’s Nicaraguan community for decades, but it’s not just the food that draws people in - Yambo is also open 24/7, making it a favorite stop after a long night out. No matter when you come, you’ll find a diverse crowd waiting for plates of fresh-off-the-grill carne asada, fluffy gallo pinto, and crisp fried cheese.

Kendall isn’t the first place that comes to mind when most Miamians think of where to find the best Nicaraguan food. However, Fritanga Monimbo has become one of the go-to fritangas for residents of this huge swath of unincorporated Miami-Dade County. Besides serving well executed grilled meats and refreshing drinks, this place also specializes in some harder-to-find specialties, including a braised tongue that is as tender as filet mignon.

This Sweetwater bakery runs mostly as a takeout operation and is the go-to source for rich special occasion cakes mounded with sweet frosting in baroque swirls and rosettes. Owner Esther Taboada does make a mean tres leches cake, but don’t let that be the only thing you sample. The guava cake highlights the fruit’s subtle tartness while giving the cake a soft pink hue, and this bakery is also one of the best places in Miami to get buttery loaves of traditional Nicaraguan pound cake.

If you’re looking for a place that’s between the fast casual vibe of a fritanga and the opulence of a more formal Nicaraguan-style steakhouse, then Cerro Negro is the place to go. The leather-bound menus are full of the usual suspects, including a selection of grilled meats, gallo pinto, and exceptional fried cheese. However, the soups, which arrive in small cast aluminum cauldrons, shouldn’t be missed. Sopa de cola, a clear oxtail soup loaded with root vegetables and corn, is a true standout.

Las Piedrecitas is a favorite among Nicaraguans living in and around Hialeah for its dependably good food and casual vibe. On top of the typical fritanga steam counter, there is also a bakery case where you can pick up traditional cookies and pastries, like picos - triangular sweet breads stuffed with cheese and other fillings. There’s also a cold case featuring a variety of Nicaraguan cheeses and cultured dairy products, some of which are even locally made.