My favorite restaurant stop while in South Beach was to one owned by a famous person from the music industry – Gloria Estefan.

Gloria and Emilio Estefan have been promoting their Cuban Heritage through their restaurants as well as through their music since they opened Larios on the Beach in 1992 in the heart of South Beach.

The restaurant offers guests the opportunity to dine on authentic Cuban cuisine served in an atmosphere that celebrates the spirit of Cuba in its heyday while enjoying the view of famous Ocean Drive.

The instruments that make up this unusual wall hanging include those used by the Miami Sound Machine.

Gloria grew up in the kitchen with her grandmother and developed a love of cooking.  Gloria and Emilio opened Larios on the Beach, in honor of both Gloria’s grandmother and their beloved Cuban Heritage.

Larios on the beach became their flagship restaurant as they expanded the vision by opening Bongos Cuban Cafe in Orlando, in Florida’s Downtown Disney in 1996 then Bongos Cuban Cafe at The American Airlines Arena in Miami,  Bongos Cuban Cafe at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL and Bongos Cuban Cafe at Miami International Airport.

A fun photograph of Emilio adorns the wall in the dining area at Larios on the Beach.

Estefan Hospitality also grew with the addition of the historic Cardozo Hotel on 1300 Ocean Drive in 1993 and in 2006 Costa D’Este, an award winning 4-Diamond property in Vero Beach.   It was named one of the top ten celebrity owned hotels in the world and is in Travel and Leisure’s top 100 list.  Its cozy oceanside restaurant, The Wave, was voted Diner’s Choice Winner Best Overall, Best Ambiance and Best Food on OpenTable.

Gloria herself developed the crest that represents the brand.  Inspired by the Cuban Crest, it has the sun representing the Gloria Estefan Foundation, which has already donated millions of dollars to many diverse causes, a dolphin and a flamingo both Florida treasures, an American and Cuban flag laying side by side representing their dual patriotic nature and the Bongo man, logo for the Bongos Franchise.

The crest is surrounded by the Hibiscus and the Palm, native to both Florida and Cuba and is crowned with a pineapple, the symbol that sits high atop both Bongos Cuban Cafe Miami and Orlando.  The ribbon under the pineapple reads “to serve mankind”, which is something Emilio and Gloria love to do and was chosen by Gloria both for that reason and as an inside joke that they dare anyone to guess. Winner gets a free drink!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie