The geniuses behind Miami’s first croqueta bar are opening a new spot in Little Havana
When it opened in Westchester in May 2019, Dos Croquetas was an instant hit. Fans lined up for hours on opening night of Miami’s first croqueta bar, braving a packed parking lot, crazy traffic on Bird Road and sticky heat, all for the love of Miami’s favorite snack.
Now, the Bird Road croqueta bar, created by Miami natives Alec Fernandez and his aunt Vicky Carballo is opening a second location in Little Havana.
Whether crowds will flock on opening night — Jan. 12 — remains to be seen. But opening on Calle Ocho, next to a cigar shop and across the street from the Little Havana Visitor Center, is a huge milestone for a business that began life trying to lure customers to a warehouse district after dark: The pair started their croqueta empire in 2016 as a delivery-only service in Doral.
Carballo, chef and chief croqueta maker, said the beginning was tough. She was working a full-time catering job with two small children, then showing up at night and on weekends to make croquetas. Customers started showed up, too, after seeing Dos Croquetas’ Instagram posts.
“We started the company with five pounds of ham and a table top fryer,” she says. “People had no idea what to expect when they would ring the bell. We had a sign that said ‘Ring for croquetas.’ . . . It was a lot of work.”
But the croqueta lovers kept coming. Sometimes more than once a night. Sometimes they’d sit down and eat their bounty right on the curb outside (eventually Carballo and Fernandez imported some chairs and little tables from Ikea). Once, a group of women showed up with a bottle of wine for an impromptu girls’ night.
Fans celebrated the Bird Road opening, but many still had a question, Fernandez said: “When are you going to move closer to me?”
The Calle Ocho location, he hopes, will draw locals in addition to the tourists who haunt Eighth Street and may or may not know what a croqueta is.
Little Havana is the perfect spot for Dos Croquetas, he says.
“For us, there’s a lot of cultural meaning there,” he says. “Having lunch on Calle Ocho, you feel the energy, the music, the smells. We thought, ‘Why didn’t we think of this a long time ago?’ ”
The Calle Ocho shop is more restaurant and less of a bar, and unlike the Bird Road location, it won’t have a ventanita. But most of the favorites will still be on the menu, including the two most popular choices: the 305 croqueta, with piccadillo, sweet plantains and queso blanco, and the medionoche croqueta, the brand’s version of a Cuban sandwich.
These are not your abuela’s croquetas (although you can order the ever-popular ham should you choose). More unorthodox choices include the insanely addictive Buffalo crack chicken croqueta, which goes well with beer; a mac and cheese version; and a Mexican street corn croqueta, which is vegetarian. There’s a vegan spinach croqueta, too. Single croquetas are $2.20, and a flight of six is $13.49.
There will be a few croquetas exclusive to the Calle Ocho location, because coming up with new recipes is Carballo’s favorite thing about operating the business.
“I love it,” she says. “We get to create these monthly flavors, and we’re so playful with those flavors. We bounce ideas off each other. The whole menu is based on our tastes — it’s all the things we want to eat.”
The Bird Road location will have its own exclusive croquetas as well, according to Fernandez.
“Bird Road is our baby,” he says. “It’s a shout-out to our original customers.”
The new restaurant will also serve its popular shakes in flavors like mamey, guava, nutella and Butterfinger, as well as wraps, bowls, coffee and dessert croquetas.
Dos Croquetas
Where: 1555 SW Eighth St., Miami
Opening: 7 p.m. Jan. 12
Hours: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 9 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday
More information: www.doscroquetas.com and 305-967-8657
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