It's a place to get some strong Cuban 'cafecito' — and perhaps a glimpse of a celebrity or two. Versailles, a restaurant that has charted the growth and history of Miami's dynamic Cuban American community, celebrates its 50th anniversary. - NBCLatino
“There’s nothing like Versailles, especially for Cubans. This is kind of their ground zero," says Nicole Valls about the place her grandfather built —now a world-known local and tourist hub.
This month, Versailles is celebrating its 50th anniversary. It was opened in 1971 by Felipe Valls Sr., who fled Cuba in 1960 after Castro’s Communist revolution. Each time someone Gonzalez knows comes to visit from Cuba, she takes them to the restaurant. “People in Cuba have heard of Versailles so it’s a point of reference," she said."It’s showing them the soul of Miami.”
“It was smaller than it is now. It consisted of a ventanita, a sandwich counter and some tables," she said. Valls helps run the business with her father, Felipe Valls Jr., and other relatives.Eva Marie Uzcategui / AFP - Getty Images file Felipe Valls Jr., owner of Versailles, with his daughter Nicole. The restaurant was the first to popularize a ventanita, or service window, now a fixture in Miami.The rallies outside the restaurant have long reflected the political and cultural history of the city's Cuban Americans, whose growing numbers and economic clout paved the way for Miami to become a destination for many Latin Americans — as well as a growing international hub.
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