Naomi’s – A Taste of Haiti

This place is close and under reconstruction. Basically, Unilocal need to update their customers.

Been going to this place for years. Best prices in town. Quick order, no wait. Love the fish and Legume. Did I mention the price?

a haitian spot serving up fixed-​price styro plates from a street-​side café hotel pan array. a neighborhood watering hole in back for divey dine-​in pleasure complete with picnic benches, pool table, some ganj-​y jams, and a dumpster of overflowing to-​go containers.
get: ginger beer

The food here is delicious.
I don’t even live in Florida and every time I visit Miami I eat all of my meals from Naomi’s! There is something for everyone here since there are many items to choose from. I will say one thing, if you are in the mood to eat pork, they don’t serve the dishes made with pork here.
Don’t allow the neighborhood to deter you… Its different, but I wouldn’t call it dangerous. Its a walk up/​carryout style set-​up with only a few seats outside.
I first tried this place 5yrs ago after reading a Unilocal review. I am not Haitian, and at that time I didn’t know that much about Haitian food. A few years later, now I’ve tasted food from several Haitian joints on the US East Coast & none compare to Naomi’s!
Large portions, inexpensive price, great flavor =damned good food.
God bless this lady!

I’m Haitian and was visiting Miami for the weekend. Decided to check this spot out and I absolutely loved it! So good! And the price is just like back home in NY. Cheap and you get mad food!

Great take away Caribbean food.

Every time I come to Miami I make sure to stop by Naomi’s. My mom’s Jamaican so I have a special place in my heart for Caribbean food. All the cooks are Haitian women who KNOW how to cook!
I love the jerk chicken and the rice and peas.
Highly recommended!

I really really REALLY wanted to give this place a five star review but I can’t. First, let’s talk about service and location. Although the location is in Liberty City it was not dangerous at all (but I’m from Miami and went to Northwestern so what do I know) I think for some people the area may be a culture shock so please don’t come with the intent that this is a five star restaurant in Coral Gables. As for service and selection… They were both great, there was a lot to choose from which is viewed through a glass and the cashier was patient with me.
Now the food — this place gives you a lot and I mean a lot of food in the plate however I have tasted much better. I had legume (a vegetable stew with beef) and a whole steamed snapper. Both were good but I’ve had better from other restaurants! If I were in the neighborhood I would try them again but I feel like the Haitian food that comes out of North Miami is better than Little Haiti (Ex: Chez Madame — IMO). I will say that the cost for good here is mad cheap… Two entrée dishes for $ 20!

Neighborhood is a little suspect but once you get past that, the food was AMAZING and cheap! A friend and myself both ordered meals, both were 7 dollars and both came with a TON of food. My only complaint was the woman serving us spoke little English. Luckily a local helped us with the ordering. I will definitely visit again next time I’m in Miami!

[ Visited in June, 2013 ]
Naomi’s is simply incredible! True Haitian food served in large portions by a friendly staff that won’t let you walk away hungry. There’s seating in back, or a few picnic tables out in front. Make sure to try the plaintains!

Naomi’s is a take out window in Liberty City. It stands on a corner, and you can easily find it because parked around it you will see lots of yellow taxicabs. Even though this take out window sits in the middle of Liberty City, the area is not too bad. It is a quaint corner with low traffic, and compared to other restaurants in the area, Naomi’s is free of «funny characters», possibly due to the quiet location, possibly because of all the cabbies at this improvised taxicab stop.
The take out window is a six feet window that is protected by Plexiglas, sealing any outside contaminants. Inside it all seems to be in a very hygienic order. At the window you can see the offerings of the menu, meatballs, fish stew, legume, fried fish, BBQ chicken, etc. Two big containers are to the side, one with white rice and one with rice and beans. Also on display are the side dishes, such as mac n cheese, plantains, sweet potato, okra, etc. The way the window works is that you patiently wait for your turn, and when it comes you tell the lady behind the Plexiglas what you want to take. Included in the price of your meal is your main dish and your choice of rice. All the other sides are available at a price, and some dishes include pikliz, the Haitian spicy coleslaw.
On my visit I picked up some meatballs with red beans and rice and pikliz. The meatball tray was next to some mac n cheese that looked delicious. Even though I don’t eat mac n cheese I certainly wanted to take a bite. I also got an order of legume. Now, contrary to all other Haitian restaurants, Naomi’s doesn’t serve pork. I thought that they didn’t fry pork or other foods, but after seeing fried fish and plantains I assume they just don’t cook pork. So, the legume that I have eaten previously with pork was made with beef at Naomi’s.
The person serving the food was amazing, I must say. A matronly lady wearing a white apron, she was very surprised and happy when I spoke to her in her native language, creole. She kept laughing whenever I finished a sentence, just amazed to see a foreigner take an interest in Haitian culture. After that all the cabbies around started conversing with me. It was an interesting situation that I have never encountered at any other Haitian restaurant in Miami. These people were happy to share their culture and their food with someone who appreciates it. I paid for my food through another window that looked like a confessional, and fled the scene.
Everything tasted good. The flavors were very down to earth and simplistic. The meatballs covered in creole sauce were full of that very traditional Haitian flavor, and the dish actually tasted like something you would eat in Haiti. The rice and beans were good but didn’t have cloves or at least I didn’t taste them. The pikliz was really good also, and spicy, just the way it is supposed to be. The legume, on the other hand, was very fragrant and downright spectacular. Scents of brown sugar, saffron, cloves and sweet potato came to me when I started my meal. The meat is on the bone, the vegetables were al dente, and the dish had a lot of things going on, typical of a dish that is made with all the vegetables you can find and then some meat. By the way, this is the first time I have had legume with beef, rather than the usual pork.
Will I go back? Yes, of course. Will I recommend it? Yes. The food was pretty good, plentiful and cheap. My only reservation is that Naomi’s doesn’t serve my favorite dish, the fried pork chunks. But other than that, this place is pretty good.

I am lucky that I am able to eat at any restaurant that I choose. Well, I choose Naomi’s. The food is fresh, prepared with love, care, and served that way. The prices are ridiculously low, (don’t tell them I said that) and you can eat out back in a completely Miami only vibe type of setting. THE BEST!!! And the people are just the sweetest… CHECK IT OUT!!!

I have long enjoyed Naomi’s cafeteria style Caribbean cuisine.
They have a pleasant, lively staff with tasty food!

Naomi’s is downright incredible. The portions given are easily enough for two people — especially if ordering to go, as Naomi herself will make sure your box is overflowing.
I highly recommend the conch in a tomato sauce if available. I’ve never had conch so tender before in my life and the spice was delightfully complex. I also had a fish stew. Again, wonderful and each box cost about $ 7 – 8; $ 16 was enough to feed four!
There is also a small garden patio around the side — easily missed but a much better place to eat than out in front on the two picnic tables.
Be mindful of the neighborhood. I wouldn’t bring nice cars there during the day and I definitely wouldn’t come here at night; it’s in the heart of Little Haiti /​Liberty City and it’s a very low-​income area.
With all that being said, you’ll pay 3−4x the price to go to TapTap in Miami Beach for the same amount and quality of food. If you’d like to try authentic Haitian without going to Haiti, look no further.

Delicious food, worth the drive down for sure. One meal is enough to completely fill two people without a problem, so make sure to plan for leftovers if you get one per person. Authentic, filling, and incredibly tasty.

When you hear your friends take their first bite of the jerk chicken and say «WOW» you know you’ve hit the jackpot. They didn’t have fish the Friday we visited but the rice and beans were excellent; and the same with the vegetables — excellent! We had so much food with two orders it would have fed six. We also ordered the turkey stew but it’s in the refrigerator for another meal time. We had a Google Offers ($ 4 bought $ 8 worth of food) so for $ 11 enough for six!!! I wonder if I can bring my own rubbermaid containers and ask them to keep their styrofoam? This place is so worth finding. I will go back. It’ll be my go to place for take out when I have guests and no time to cook.

I have to say this is the best Haitian food I have ever had! I love that I am getting really amazing, home-​cooked food that is such good quality and I don’t even have to wait 5 minutes. The staff is so friendly and always accommodating. Some of my favorites are Legume, Oxtail, Turkey Stew and the rice is always so good. My kids absolutely love it too. They would probably eat Naomi’s baked chicken every night if I had it on hand. Highly Recommended!