‘A love letter to Cuba’: Owners of popular restaurant open supper club in Little Havana

Connie Ogle
·3 min read
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When chefs Justin Sherrer and Lisetty Llampalla opened the Little Havana gem Doce Provisions in 2016, the restaurant was called “a gift to its neighborhood” by the Miami Herald.

A comfortable, relaxed space just north of Calle Ocho, Doce Provisions continues to serve contemporary Cuban cuisine in an unpretentious way, gaining praise from such sources as Bon Appétit, which earlier this year urged readers to try the restaurant in its cover story on the growing Miami food scene. Doce Provisions also earned a nod from the Michelin Guide, which called the spot “a backyard oasis like no other.”

Now Sherrer and Llampalla are widening their scope with the new Social 27 Supper Club, which they call their “love letter” to the Cuba of the 1940s and 1950s, where supper clubs were all the rage.

With Doce Provisions, which also has a location inside the Shoma Bazaar food hall in Doral, Sherrer and Llampalla focused on food. At Social 27, now open on the western part of Eighth Street, their focus doesn’t so much stray as expand, encompassing cuisine but also music, classic Cuban cocktails and the cultural ties that bring a community together.

“The concept of Social 27 Supper Club is to create a space where people can come together to enjoy the best of Cuban cuisine while experiencing the infectious energy of Miami,” Sherrer said. “We want to provide not just a meal but a memorable experience that resonated with both locals and visitors.”

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Another room inside Social 27 Supper Club in Little Havana.
Another room inside Social 27 Supper Club in Little Havana.

The 3,100-square-foot restaurant has options for dining indoors or outdoors. Colorful murals by Miami-based artist Diana “Didi” Contreras adorn the walls, while the menu highlights Cuban specialties.

You’ll find items like tiradito Cienfuegos (crudo with charred sofrito, leche de tigre, avo, smoked salmon eggs and boniato chips) and pork croquetas, as well as a buratta brulee torched with confit tomato and mango marmalade. Other dishes can be shared, like Mar & Terra (a New York strip plus prawns) or the 2-pound Tomahawk Ribeye.

The cocktail menu offers many nods to Cuba’s history like the Papa Doble (a Hemingway daiquiri), the Mango con Sal (with Tequila Blanco, mango, lime and agave with a salt rim) and the El Viejo Fashioned (an Old Fashioned). A daily happy hour offers a cheaper way to try out such classic cocktails as the mojito or Cuba Libre as well as bar bites like ahi tuna tacos, chorizo croquetas or pork belly chicharron.

Llampalla said that Social 27 is a logical extension of what she and Sherrer have created in Miami (they also operate Little Bird by Doce Provisions in Brickell).

“Our journey began at Doce Provisions, and with Social 27, we are taking it a step further by combining our love for food with the pulsating rhythms of Miami’s music scene,” she said. “It’s an exciting evolution of our culinary vision.”

The bar at Social 27 Supper Club in Little Havana, from the creators of the beloved Cuban restaurant Doce Provisions.
The bar at Social 27 Supper Club in Little Havana, from the creators of the beloved Cuban restaurant Doce Provisions.

Social 27 Supper Club

Where: 2555 SW Eighth St., Miami

Hours: 4-11 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 4-midnight Friday; noon-3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.-midnight Saturday; noon- 9 p.m. Happy hour 4-7p.m. weekdays.

Reservations: OpenTable or 786-703-9210

More information: www.social27miami.com

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