LA ROMANITA RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE LLC – Restaurant

An open kitchen, a sixty-five-seat room and a patio, and a menu that argues Cuban and Italian cooking were always closer than anyone admitted. Chef Rey Mendez puts smoked Cuban pork chop and cumin into the carbonara, spreads shredded vaca frita over thin-crust pizza, and plates raw branzino, tuna and salmon with spicy oil and passion fruit dressing. House-made pasta runs through the rest of it, with eighty-plus wines sourced widely. Live jazz and trova, a bar open to 1am Thursday through Saturday. Hialeah has never had anything quite like it.

Cuisine: Restaurant