I love nothing more than discovering a café or restaurant that gives you authenticity, not just a faux finishes and appropriate color palates.  I was told that a true measure of an ethnic restaurant is when you see that specific ethnicity sitting and eating there.  Nothing could be truer than eating at La Carreta.  We discovered their Key Biscayne location as soon as we came into the village and kept that in mind as we drove along to the end of the retail district, only to realize we should have gone there in the first place!   

The Key Biscayne La Carreta location has two distinct parts to their restaurant, and the outdoor café is what drew us in.  At the walk up window you have the choice of either ordering from the menu or creating your own combination plate from about 15 items that are authentic (literally—everything is labeled in Spanish!) and looked amazing.  I’m a big fan of plantains and will definitely be getting them next time.  The chicken was roasted and came in quarters with choices of white and yellow rice, stewed beef, pork, and grilled shrimp with combination plates that are really affordable.  We opted for the menu sandwiches and had the Cubano Regular and the Pan con Bistec (steak sandwich) that was really tasty and with just the right amount of pepper and didn’t need any Worcestershire sauce!  The Cuban was good, but with all the choices available, I think we will be a little more adventurous next time!   

La Carreta has locations all over South Florida including;  Kendall, Calle Ocho, Bird Road, Hialeah, University Drive in Pembroke Pines, and now in Miramar.  It is definitely a place that you can afford to go to over and over again and not cost you an arm and a leg or no costa un ojo de la cara!  (Don’t worry, yes, they do speak English!)