Owners of Little Havana’s favorite spot for beer open a new pizza joint next door

Connie Ogle

In a spot nestled between a Pizza Hut and a Domino’s on Calle Ocho, pizza and beer — the ultimate food and drink pairing — have renewed their vows.

Far Out Pizza, a new independently-owned shop that specializes in New York-style slices, is now open in Little Havana.

The restaurant is the creation of husband-and-wife team David and Cici Rodriguez, the proprietors of Union Beer, a bar and retail craft beer spot next door to Far Out Pizza. The buildings are separated by an alley but, considering the way the owners zip back and forth between the two, they feel like one big business.

“David and I were thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to have a late night option for people coming home from a night out? A place to get a bite to eat?’ ” said Cici Rodriguez. “Coincidentally, the spot next to us became available from the same landlord we had at Union. We got lucky.”

The new Far Out Pizza Restaurant, left, is right across the alley from Union Beer. Both are owned by David and Cici Rodriguez.
The new Far Out Pizza Restaurant, left, is right across the alley from Union Beer. Both are owned by David and Cici Rodriguez.

Union Beer, which opened in 2017 and was named the best place to drink in Florida by Yelp in 2022, is a casual hangout with craft beer to drink in-house or bring home, wine and a small menu of bar bites. It also hosts pop-up dining experiences, such as the Panolo’s pan con bistec pop-up on Thursdays.

Now, in addition to the pop-ups, beer drinkers can walk next door, grab a slice and return to the bar — and vice versa. Diners who prefer to eat at the 25-seat pizzeria, which pays homage to the pizza-loving Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and other famous pizza lovers, can wander next door to find a beer and return with an appropriate beverage in time for the slice to come out of the oven.

Slices run from $3.50 to $5, and customers can, of course, order whole pizzas if they desire. Each pizza is 18 inches and includes eight slices.

Chef Doug Sorek, who was the pizzamaker at Strange Beast brewery and pizzeria in Kendall and also made pies at Old Greg’s pizza shop in the Design District, is now behind the counter at Far Out Pizza. He said that Miami, Little Havana in particular, needs more places where people can grab a slice of pie, and he couldn’t resist working with business owners bold enough to open a pizza spot situated right between two national chains.

Pizza maker Doug Sorek sprinkles cheese on a pie at Far Out Pizza in Little Havana.
Pizza maker Doug Sorek sprinkles cheese on a pie at Far Out Pizza in Little Havana.

“There are great pizzerias in Miami, but it was hard to just get a slice when you’re walking down the street,” he said. “You need the slice when you need a little sustenance but don’t want to carry a whole pizza around.”

The menu at Far Out pizza, which also includes a few hoagies, salads and sides like fries, chicken wings and white bean hummus, includes basic options like cheese, pepperoni and mushroom. One of the few specialty pizzas is the aptly-named Ocho. Think of it as Cuban sandwich-adjacent, with tomato sauce, garlic, mozzarella, ham and onion, served with a slice of lime for squeezing.

Squeezing citrus on your pizza may sound weird, but trust us, you’re going to want to do it.

The most popular pizza, David Rodriguez said, is the delicious White Hot Heat, a white pizza with garlic, mozzarella, pepperoni, ricotta, jalapeño and red pepper flakes. It’ll make your head sweat in the best possible way (and will match perfectly with any number of craft beers over across the alley).

The White Hot Heat, a white pizza with garlic, mozzarella, pepperoni, ricotta, jalapeño and red pepper flakes, is the bestseller at Far Out Pizza in Little Havana.
The White Hot Heat, a white pizza with garlic, mozzarella, pepperoni, ricotta, jalapeño and red pepper flakes, is the bestseller at Far Out Pizza in Little Havana.

Branching further into the food game is something Rodriguez has wanted to expand on for awhile now, which is how Union Beer ended up hosting pop-ups in the first place.

“Craft beer is not what it was years ago,” he said. “I feel like over the last three or four years, there are so many breweries opening up. It’s saturated the market. That’s why we started getting into food.”

Despite Calle Ocho’s draw for tourists, who come to hear Cuban music, try a cigar and take photos with rooster statues, he sees Far Out Pizza as a place for locals.

“We love to have tourists, but they’re gone the next day,” he said. “We’re really trying to establish being a local spot for Little Havana. It’s a no-frills place for people who live in the neighborhood.”

One wall inside Far Out Pizza is devoted to movie scenes in which a character is eating pizza.
One wall inside Far Out Pizza is devoted to movie scenes in which a character is eating pizza.

Far Out Pizza

Where: 1551 SW Eighth St., Miami

Hours: Noon-11 p.m. Monday-Thursday; noon-midnight Friday-Saturday; noon-10 p.m. Sunday

More information: farout.pizza.com or 305-200-5683

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