El Mago De Las Fritas — Restaurant in West Miami

This is a famous restaurant in West Miami since the early 1980s, which perfectly represents Cuban cuisine and hospitality. They specialize in the Cuban style burger known as a "frita". A frita is classically made with a beef and pork (chorizo is sometimes used) patty topped with cooked onions and crispy shoestring potatoes, and served on a Cuban bread roll. They serve a few different variations with single, double and triple patties. They also serve various other Cuban staples: pastries, desserts, shakes, and sandwiches. I usually order the double frita with a fried egg on top with swiss cheese and side of french fries. It's a phenomenal burger with a great balance of flavors and textures. The patty is savory and mildly spicy, the swiss cheese is nutty, the fried onions are sweet, the runny egg yolk is silky, and shoestring potatoes add crunch. They serve each burger with a side of garlic aioli which takes the burger and fries to the next level. Although the frita is a relatively simple burger, it's unique blend of delicious flavors is a culinary masterpiece of Cuban cuisine and is rarely found outside of Miami in the United States. The service and hospitality is second to none, and the ladies working the restaurant treat everyone like family. The restaurant and clean and has an old school Miami vibe with the bar counter. Prices are fair and reasonable. El Mago de las Fritas is a local favorite and should be on everyone's list when...

Ok, this may not be the fanciest of locations and the decor is old school, and parking is limited at best, but - and this but is bigger than Kim Kardashian's - the food is amazing and so reasonably priced. I recommend the Frita Cubana Al Caballo with a Batido de Mamey to wash it down. The bun in the Frita was soft and delicious and the batidio was sublime. For those who don't know a Frita is a Cuban burger but the Patty is ground beef, pork, and chorizo with very very thin fries dressing the Patty. Al Caballo means with a fried egg on top of the meat patty. The batidio is a shake made with the fruit Mamey and is delicious and sweet. Perfect counter to the salty of the chorizo Those two items combined came out to $9.75 and worth twice that. Delish. Plus you get that old school Miami vibe. The servers treated me very well and were all over any needs. Always a great experience so check it out if you are from out of town, and if you live here and you have never been.. Then w.t.h. is...

They treat you like family... everyone was very kind, offering samples or to fix amything we didnt like. The owner was there-- he must know everybody because every time someone walked in, they would greet and hug. Must try the fritas, not a burger, more like a well-seasoned sloppy Joe but not as messy. Tropical fruit shakes... guanabana, mamey, etc. Cuban espresso and cafe con leche. Sandwiches with beef, chicken, or turkey. Desserts include flan, dulce de leche cake, guava empanada. Everything was delicious! Can get busy because the neighborhood loves them. Sparkling clean ladies room. Credit cards are accepted. There are only a few parking spots in front of the cafe. We turned onto a side street and parked along the street with other vehicles. Free, no meters. A few blocks west is the Tropical Sabor grocery store if you like tropical fruits and Hispanic brands. I already want...