Famous Cuban restaurant Versailles celebrates 50 years
Little Havana’s iconic Versailles Restaurant celebrated its 50th anniversary on Wednesday with a special menu with 1971 prices — ham croquette for 20 cents, breaded steak for $3.25, Cuban coffee, 20 cents — and fans, celebrities, South Florida politicians, lots of dancing and music,
The three generations of the Valls family, who founded Versailles on Calle 8, honored their countless famous and non-famous patrons at the event. Miami Mayor Francis Suárez proclaimed Nov. 10 as Versailles Day and gave the keys to the city to the Valls family.
“For me it is a great pride to have reached 50 years maintaining the consistency of food and service for so many years and representing the Latino community, the Cuban community, with the name of Versailles. We humbly take it but we are very proud of this moment,” Valls Group president Felipe Valls Jr., son of founder Felipe Valls, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
“First, Versailles is a business that has transcended generations. It has impacted the generation of my grandfather, my father, mine and now my son. And second, it has been the epicenter of the Cuban in exile, of the idea that Cuba will eventually be free and that until that moment we have to fight to achieve it,” Suárez said. “This is the pride of my community, it is the pride of my city.”
In the beginning, the restaurant had space for only a few customers. Today, it can seat more than 300 people, operates a bakery and its famous “Ventanita” for take out food, where hundreds of people buy their “little Cuban coffee” every day.
The Valls family business has opened dozens of restaurants, including a stand at Miami International Airport and La Carreta restaurants in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. But Versailles is special “because here I learned to work since I was little,” says Felipe Valls Jr.
“I started very young with my father, we have opened many restaurants. Today some sisters of mine work here, my daughters all work in the business in general and it is very nice and easy. For many it is not easy to work with the family but for us it is,” he said.
The Versailles restaurant is an icon of the Hispanic culture, especially of the Cuban community, in South Florida.
The list of politicians and celebrities who have visited Versailles is long: Presidents Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, U.S. Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, former governor and now congressman Charlie Crist, governors Jeb Bush and Ron DeSantis, as well as Emilio Estefan, Eva Longoria, Beyonce, Dalai Lama and Andy Garcia.
In 1971, Felipe Valls Sr., a Cuban immigrant, opened the restaurant in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood. The idea was to create a home away from home for Cubans who left the island, where they could have an affordable dining experience.
The food is 100% Cuban, which is a fusion of Spanish cuisine with influences from Africa and the Caribbean. Fried yuquitas, chicken soup, black beans, Cuban sandwich, Midnight sandwich, picadillo a la Cubana, chicken and yellow rice, rice pudding, natilla and lechon asado are other items that make up the traditional menu.
“The exquisite smell of their food takes you back to your grandmother’s kitchen in yesterday’s Cuba. The sound of voices reminds you of the family gatherings that were held on Sundays in your town,” says the Valls family.
The self-proclaimed “Most Famous Cuban Restaurant in the World” is also the epicenter of many protests, such as those that occurred on July 11, in which thousands protested against the Cuban government amid a sea of Cuban and American flags.
With a rococo decoration, adorned with statues and surrounded by engraved gilded mirrors and chandeliers, the place is named after the famous French palace Versailles. It was designed by Juanito Pérez-Cruz, the uncle of Cuban-American rapper Pitbull.
On Wednesday, in the middle of the celebrations, a 10-piece live band energetically fused old school Cuban rhythms with more modern sounds and a musical trio delighted diners.
“The restaurant is my second home. When we were little we would come after school for dinner, for me it is extremely special. It’s where we grew up, where we work is part of our lives,” said Desirée Valls, daughter of Felipe Valls Jr.
“We have people who come here every day and spend hours. Every time someone wants to celebrate they come here, if they go out and have a great event they come here. I think it holds a special place in the heart of the community, not just ours,” she said.
It is also a special place for “the teenagers,” a group of friends who have been coming to Versailles nearly every day for 30 or 40 years to “debate the world.” As expected, they were on hand Wednesday to celebrate in a corner of the interior of the restaurant.
As part of the celebrations, Versailles partnered with the HistoryMiami Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate in Miami, to create a public archive of memorabilia related to the venue and experiences of the Cuban exile. The public archive, consisting of photos, videos, objects or written stories and experiences of the Cuban-American community in South Florida, can be used for educational and research purposes, the museum says.