Versailles

Versailles Restaurant was founded in 1971 by Felipe A. Valls Sr., a Cuban exile from Santiago de Cuba, on Calle Ocho in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood. Valls is credited with inventing the ventanita, the walk-up coffee window that has since become a signature feature of Miami's Cuban community. Over five decades the restaurant has grown into a sprawling complex occupying an entire block, hosting U.S. presidents including Reagan, Clinton, and George W. Bush, and earning the unofficial title of the Capitol of Exile for its role as a gathering place for the Cuban-American diaspora.