Coffee, Matcha, and Dessert in Brickell: A Local’s Guide

New to Brickell, or just tired of the same two spots? The neighborhood is dense with good coffee in the morning and dessert after dinner, and the best places are not always the ones on the main drag. Here is where people who live here actually go, organized by what you are after.

Coffee

Brickell takes its coffee seriously, from Cuban counters to specialty roasters.

• Cortadito Coffee House, 800 Brickell Ave, is the straightforward pick for a proper cortadito, strong and quick, the way the neighborhood drinks it.
• Pasión del Cielo, 907 Brickell Ave, lets you choose your bean origin, which is rare for a chain.
• True Baristas, 1395 Brickell Ave, in the Arch building, is the calmer place to sit with a coffee away from the lobby rush.
• GROU Coffee, in Brickell City Centre, pairs the coffee with cowork space and outlets, which the busier cafes do not always have room for.
• Banana Daddy’s Swirls truck, on the Underline at SW 8th St and SW 1st Ave, pours specialty iced coffee, including the Banana Cold Brew and Coconut Iced Coffee.

Matcha

Matcha has gone from niche to everywhere in Miami, and Brickell keeps up.

• maman, 1300 Brickell Bay Dr, does matcha and chai in a waterfront setting if you want to sit a while.
• I Think She Is, 169 SW 7th St, is better known for its chai than its matcha, worth a stop if chai is your drink.
• Honey Veil, 600 Brickell Ave, focuses on ceremonial-grade matcha for people who love their sweet whips and house syrups.
• Banana Daddy’s truck, on the Underline at SW 8th St and SW 1st Ave, pours ceremonial-grade, first-harvest matcha from Alma Matcha in drinks like the Banana Cloud and Coconut and Ube, plus iced matcha latte that you can customize to your liking.

Dessert and ice cream

Brickell eats late, and dessert follows. A few spots worth knowing, by what they do well:

• RivaReno, 901 S Miami Ave, makes small-batch Italian gelato with dairy-free sorbet options and stays open to midnight on weekends, which makes it the default late stop.
• KONOS, 1300 Brickell Bay Dr, does gelato, shakes, and frappes.
• Atelier Monnier, 848 Brickell Ave, is the French pick for macarons, pastry, and sorbet.
• Keik Bakeshop, 900 S Miami Ave, does Venezuelan-inspired cakes and pavlovas.
• Casa Fête, 999 Brickell Ave, leans into Belgian-chocolate desserts with coffee.
• Banana Daddy’s truck, on the Underline at SW 8th St and SW 1st Ave, is the dairy-free and gluten-free option, with banana-and-coconut soft serve and sundaes you can eat on the patio.

Good to know in Brickell

Parking is the usual Brickell headache. Street spots exist if you want to circle, but the garage above Publix at Mary Brickell Village validates for visitors and puts you a short walk from most of the places above. The neighborhood is walkable and well served by the Metromover, so for a coffee-then-dessert crawl you can leave the car.

One note on Banana Daddy, since it is a truck rather than a storefront: hours shift with the season, so check the Brickell location page before you go. (Find it on Google Maps.)

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get good coffee in Brickell?

For Cuban coffee, Cortadito Coffee House. For specialty, Pasión del Cielo or True Baristas. GROU Coffee is the pick if you need to sit and work, and Banana Daddy’s truck on the Underline pours specialty iced coffee as well.

Where is the best ice cream or gelato in Brickell?

RivaReno for ice cream and KONOS for gelato. For soft serve, Banana Daddy’s at the Underline.

Where can I get matcha in Brickell?

Honey Veil for sweet whips and syrups, and Banana Daddy who has scratch made syrups and cloud whips.

Are there dairy-free or gluten-free dessert options in Brickell?

Yes. RivaReno carries dairy-free sorbet, and Banana Daddy’s soft serve is dairy-free with gluten-free pastries.

Where is the best place to work on a laptop in Brickell?

GROU Coffee is built for it, with cowork space and outlets.

Where should I park for a coffee or dessert run in Brickell?

The garage above Publix at Mary Brickell Village validates for visitors and is central to most of the spots here. The Metromover also makes the neighborhood easy to cover without a car.