Best restaurants for a late-night bite in South Beach

While most South Beach nightclubs don’t hit their stride until midnight, it’s tough to find a decent late night bite in the Magic City. If you find yourself wandering Miami‘s pink-toned sidewalks in the wee hours, these three diners offer an oasis for the hungry and hungover…

News Cafe (800 Ocean Drive): Always open and ever crowded, this Ocean Drive pioneer is ready when you are. Following a much needed renovation in August of 2009, the iconic South Beach restaurant is back to business serving salads, sandwiches, and their oddly addictive tomato soup 24 hours a day. For snowbound travelers looking for a quick pick-me-up, the News Cafe has a live webcam so you can always see if the coast is clear. Stay nearby at the Pelican Hotel, Waldorf Towers Hotel, or the Whitelaw Hotel.

Eleventh Street Diner (1065 Washington Avenue): While New Jersey may boast a chrome-covered diner on every street corner, South Beach has exactly ONE, which was transplanted from Jersey back in 1992. Serving traditional comfort food, blue plate specials, and a full bar, this 24-hour greasy spoon provided a backdrop for MTV’s “Real World: Miami” and recently hosted Guy Fieri of the Food TV Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. You can play Six Degrees of Indigestion not too far from the Chelsea Hotel, Haddon Hall Hotel, or the Delores Clarion Collection.

Picnic (1400 20 Street): With the simple promise of Pancakes 22 hours a day (it’s closed from 3 to 5 a.m.), this brand new late night hangout delights west side bar hoppers who laugh in the face of “Last call.” Not too far from the Standard Hotel and Spa and the all-night Purdy Lounge, the new kids on the block promise chocolate chip pancakes, fruit-topped challah French toast, and fried bologna sandwiches (slathered in Baconnaise!) plus a full bar.

– AdvisorGirl

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