Versailles cafeteria, restaurant, and bakery is a landmark eating establishment located on Calle Ocho (

8th St 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...

) in Little Havana, Miami. The large restaurant seats 370 people and has ornate etched glass and statuettes and features a bakery, a takeout area, a counter window and the ability to host banquets and parties.Eric Asimov
Choice Tables; A Fresh Breeze Sweeps Miami's Restaurant Scene
''The New York Times'', January 16, 2000. Founded by Felipe A. Valls Sr. (from Santiago de Cuba) in 1971, Versailles is a popular restaurant among local Cuban exiles and tourists for its Cuban cuisine and connection to anti-Castro politics.

Gastronomical significance

Versailles is a popular place for Cuban food and social gathering in Miami, serving " cafecito", "

cortadito A cortado is a beverage consisting of espresso mixed with a roughly equal amount of warm milk to reduce the acidity. The milk in a cortado is steamed, but not frothy and "texturized" as in many Italian coffee drinks. The cortado comes from Spai ...

", Cuban pastries (beef or guava), and "

croquetas A croquette is a deep-fried roll consisting of a thick binder combined with a filling, which is breaded and deep-fried; it is served as a side dish, a snack, or fast food worldwide. The binder is typically a thick béchamel or brown sauce, m ...

" at a walk-up window. In its main dining room, the restaurant also serves dishes including Moros, palomilla steaks (Cuban

minute steak Cube steak or cubed steak is a cut of beef, usually top round or top sirloin, tenderized and flattened by pounding with a meat tenderizer. The name refers to the shape of the indentations left by that process (called "cubing"). This is the mos ...

), maduros, tasajo, croquetas de yuca, tamal en cazuela, and milanesa. There is an adjacent bakery, a take-out counter, and ample meeting space. In 2001, the restaurant won a James Beard Foundation Award as an American Classic.

Political significance

For decades, Versailles has been ground zero for the Cuban-American exile community in South Florida. The restaurant has been a gathering point for anti-Castro protesters and the press wanting to cover their opinions.Kirk Semple
For Cubans in U.S., Views Have Evolved
''The New York Times'', February 20, 2008. During Fidel Castro's hospitalization in August 2006, the news media set up a small tent city outside the restaurant in case news would break from the location.David Gonzales

''The New York Times'', August 4, 2006. Cuban-American politicians, including those from out-of-state like New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, often hold fundraisers and rallies at the restaurant.David W. Chen
Menendez Plays to His Base, in South Florida
''The New York Times'', September 28, 2006. Revelers celebrated for hours in front of Versailles when Fidel Castro's death was announced soon after midnight in the early morning hours of November 26, 2016.

References

External links

Official website

BBC:
"Billing itself as 'Miami's most popular Cuban restaurant since 1971', ..."
Miami Herald:
"... Versailles, the unofficial town square of el exilio ..."

{{DEFAULTSORT:Versailles Restaurant Cuban-American cuisine Cuban-American culture in Miami Restaurants in Miami Cuban restaurants Restaurants established in 1971 James Beard Foundation Award winners