One of the essential experiences of visiting Miami Beach is strolling down Lincoln Road, picking a spot to sit and watching the parade of other pedestrians while savoring a sip of coffee or a bite to eat. If you’re a vegetarian or a vegan, than you might consider The Café at Books & Books as your next haunt.
Books & Books is a local mini-chain of independent bookstores that offers a “carefully curated” selection of reading materials. The Café on Lincoln Road offers supporters of the establishment an opportunity to extend their relationship with the bookstore and comingle among other artists, writers, hipsters, activists, pedants, and the like. Though you’re welcome to just hang out and watch the passersby, too. And if you happen to be hungry, then there’s a sizable selection of vegan dishes. Appetizers like black bean hummus served with bagel chips and avocado salsa served with corn tortilla chips are a big hit with the locals and offer something to graze on if you’re mostly there to people-watch. For something more novel, order the yucca and leek hash browns with pineapple sauce or the spinach and cheese empanadas.
If you’re hungry for heartier fare, then opt for something from the vegan entrée section. The black bean hummus is so popular the café serves it on multigrain bread with tomato, cucumber, roasted red peppers and mixed field greens. But that isn’t your sort of thing, then how about the organic tofu and wild-mushroom stir-fry tossed with green beans, carrots and Aisan dressing served with cous cous? On my recent visit to Books & Books, the special included a huge portion of healthy and flavorful ratatouille chock full of squash, carrots, eggplant, and beefy mushrooms covered with tomato gravy and served alongside tostones and a huge grilled broccoli. After a meal like this, you may need a nap. Good thing the beach is just a short walk away.
The Café at Books & Books
933 Lincoln Road
Miami Beach, FL 33139
305-695-8898
Currently based out of Boston, Jesal is a blogger, freelance writer, yoga enthusiast and lifelong vegetarian who spent four years eating her way through New York City and various other cities around the globe. After answering hundreds of emails and phone calls answering the question, "Where's a cool place I can take my vegetarian friend out to eat" she started Veggiewala to efficiently share her knowledge of the vegetarian food scene with curious carnivores, flexitarians and other vegetarians.