Parcela at Life House Little Havana - Vegan-Friendly Café

Parcela at Life House Little Havana – Vegan-Friendly Café

Little Havana, a lively Hispanic hotspot, home to rich culture and creativity, stays growing with bustling restaurant, bars, galleries, and more. One of its best new additions is the first boutique hotel, Life House Little Havana. With vintage and tropical vibes throughout, though restored, the homage to retro elegance is clear. Just this spring, Parcela, a veg-forward café opened just right at its entrance. Inspired by the neighbor’s local Latin flavors, we’d recommend it to meat eaters and plant-based diets alike.

Parcela

We had lunch at the courtyard garden, a loungey terrace filled with plants. In tune with the nostalgic aesthetic, I almost forgot I was in Miami, rather than a Cuba of the past. Wether you visit with a ravishing appetite or just for some drinks, it might be the new hippest, breezy outdoors spot in town. My favorite refreshment is by far the Scarlet Begonia, a unique floral infusion of Hibiscus and Begonias, with the right balance of tart and sweet. They also offer coffee and tea, locally sourced from Per’La and Jojo Tea.

Menu Highlights

With much of the produce sourced from our own community or the hotel’s “rooftop food forest”, freshness is a given. Though running “All-Day” (8am-4pm), I predict (and hope) I’ll be brunching at Parcela more often. Serving morning classics like Greek Yogurt ( Greek yogurt topped with house-made granola, mixed seeds, tropical fruit, drizzled with honey. ) and Florida Aguacate (Fresh avocado, roasted heirloom cherry tomatoes, cucumber, topped with Parcela seed mix, on sourdough. ). But I’d make some room for the zesty, creamy, crunchy E.A.T (Over easy egg, arugula, tomato, lime-cilantro aioli, on ciabatta. ).

Hungry for more delicious bites and breezy outdoors? Click here to read our review of La Sombra Restaurant and Lounge.

Thankfully my favorite item is both on the “All-Day” and “Evening” (5pm-11pm) menu. The Tallarines Verde ( Chilled glass noodles, snow peas, squash, fresno rondelles, house-made Parcela pesto, topped with chopped peanuts. ) is my new official dish of summer ’19. Refreshing enough to help combat this Miami heat, and more nutritious than living off ice-cream. I was a little hesitant ’cause it was my first time trying it with glass noodles but I almost don’t want them any other way now. Though perfectly al-dente, they have an almost crunchy texture which I love.

The menu has something for each palette and lifestyle, but a must try when visiting Little Havana is Pan Con Bistec. This Cuban classic is iconic to the culture and Parcela delivers a divine rendition, inclusive to vegetarians. Allowing you to choose between Churrasco, or lentil-based vegan protein, Adashah. Served on Strecci with locally harvested arugula. They finish with chimichurri and roasted peppers that have me salivating at the memory.