Coffee & Treats in Aventura

At 6 a.m. every morning, the denizens of Little Havana awaken to the sweet scents that escape from the kitchens of nearby Rico Bakery & Cafe. A local institution for more than 25 years, the charming bakery has earned a dedicated following due to its fresh breads, Cuban and European desserts, and steamy coffee drinks. No item, however, flies off the bakery racks faster than the pastelitos, which come with sweet or savory fillings of coconut, cheese, beef, ham, guava, or piñata candy.

The bakers behind Cupcake.Love.Miami fill their huge menu of desserts with unexpected and creative flavors. Some emulate childhood favorites, such as the PB-and-J-inspired Goober and watermelon Jolly Rancher. Other categories are dedicated to refreshing summer beverages, breakfast staples such as Froot Loops, and seasonal flavors such as pumpkin pie. These flavors take shape as cupcakes, cake pops, or full-grown cakes that can feed up to 95 people and arm as many food catapults.

But no matter what its shape or size, each dessert flaunts a distinct artistic vision with intricate fondants and other toppers. Cupcake.Love.Miami also partners with sister business Sunshine State Cakes to craft custom couture desserts.

Enchanting Creations specializes in edible art created under the direction of owner and head designer Karen Matamoros. Karen and her husband, Alex, decided to open the bakery shop in their backyard after living in the community for more than two decades. In their free time, they pour themselves into art-⎯expressing themselves by painting murals, designing fashion, and building custom furniture⎯and the bakery has become an additional extension of their creative sides.

In running the bakery, they take their artistic aspirations to new heights with 3-D cakes: edible sculptures that represent a variety of cartoon characters and inanimate objects, such as a ribbon-wrapped present, Spider-Man, or a giant bowling ball. Their smaller treats—including cake pops, pastries, and cupcakes—combine rich cocoa, fresh fruits, fluffy cake, and sugary sweet icing into bite-size portions and delicate desserts. Testifying to Enchanting Creations' dedication to the environment, all orders ship out in eco-friendly boxes, unlike most bakery goods, which are packaged in wasteful styrofoam boxes, surrounded by styrofoam peanuts, and topped with styrofoam sprinkles.

It seems like an inconsequential decision—choosing a frozen yogurt flavor—but it’s not, and YoBelle knows it. There are important distinctions between its 35 flavors that simply can’t be discerned by reading the names. There are subtle differences between Tahitian vanilla and regular vanilla bean, and the hint of sourness in the tart flavors allows taste buds to easily tell them apart from the classic flavors. That’s why customers are encouraged to first sample all the available flavors for free, leaving taste decisions to the tongue and freeing up the mind to figure out how the cup will support the weight of all 50 fresh fruit and candy toppings simultaneously.