Every year, Hispanic Heritage Month invites us to recognize the history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities in the United States. In 2026, the celebration begins on September 15 and continues through October 15, a month when music, art, history, and, of course, food become ways to connect with the diversity of cultures that have left a profound mark on the country.
In a city like Miami, that celebration takes on special meaning. Cuban, Caribbean, and Latin American influences are part of the city’s everyday identity, making Hispanic Heritage Month an ideal opportunity to discover them through cultural and culinary experiences. At Marabú, Cuban cuisine becomes one of those gateways: family recipes, traditional ingredients, and the heat of charcoal come together in a contemporary concept inspired by Cuba’s roots.
When is Hispanic Heritage Month 2026?
Hispanic Heritage Month dates are different from those of many other cultural celebrations because the observance does not follow a calendar month. In 2026, as every year, it is celebrated from September 15 through October 15.
The choice of September 15 has strong historical significance: on that day, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua commemorate their independence. Mexico celebrates its independence on September 16 and Chile on September 18, bringing several important dates in Latin American history together within the celebration period.
Why do we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month?
To understand why we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we have to go back to 1968, when the observance began in the United States as Hispanic Heritage Week. Twenty years later, in 1988, it was officially expanded to a 30-day period, from September 15 through October 15.
Its purpose is to recognize the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Rather than bringing these cultures together under a single identity, the celebration provides an opportunity to highlight their diversity and the influence they have had on American society.
How to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in Miami
In Miami, Hispanic Heritage Month has a particular significance because Hispanic culture isn’t limited to an annual celebration: it is present throughout the year in the city’s neighborhoods, language, music, family traditions, and a culinary scene deeply influenced by Latin America and the Caribbean.
From September 15 through October 15, that identity takes on even greater visibility through Hispanic Heritage Month activities that invite people to discover the history and traditions of different communities. Festivals, exhibitions, music, literature, and culinary experiences offer different ways to take part in the celebration and connect with the cultural diversity that defines Miami.
Food holds an especially important place because many recipes preserve family stories, ingredients, and customs passed down through generations. That’s why, for those looking for how to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in Miami, sharing a meal can also become a way to connect with that heritage.
At Marabú, that connection is built around Cuban roots. Family recipes, contemporary techniques, and the signature smoky flavor of the Josper oven offer a way to discover an expression of culture that is part of Miami every day, but finds a special occasion to be celebrated during Hispanic Heritage Month.
Cuba as part of Miami’s Hispanic identity
Cuban influence is an inseparable part of Miami’s cultural and culinary history. At Marabú, that heritage is the starting point for the entire experience.
Located at Brickell City Centre, the restaurant defines its concept as coal-fired Cuban cuisine, inspired by the Cuban countryside and particularly by regions such as Pinar del Río and Camagüey. Under the conceptual direction of chef Jorge Cabrera, family recipes are reinterpreted through contemporary techniques and charcoal cooking in the Josper oven.
The result offers a way to experience Cuban food in Miami from a perspective that preserves traditional ingredients and flavors while exploring new ways to present them.
Cuban flavors to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
Marabú’s current menu offers different ways to explore that connection between tradition and contemporary cuisine.
The Ropa Vieja Empanadas, for example, transform one of Cuba’s most recognizable dishes into a crispy pastry filled with smoked flank steak, sweet peppers, and onions. The Maduro Tentación takes sweet plantain to the charcoal grill and pairs it with bacon jam, smoked mozzarella, and Cuban rum syrup.
Among the entrées are recipes that connect directly to the Cuban table. The Ropa Vieja features slow-cooked beef in criolla sauce with sweet peppers and onions, served with rice and black beans, while the Smoked Masas de Puerco bring the Josper into the experience, charcoal-roasting the pork before serving it with crispy garlic, onions, moro rice, and yuca.
There is also the Marabú Lechón Asado, featuring charcoal-roasted pork shoulder, Cuban mojo, moro rice, and yuca. These dishes make it possible to recognize familiar flavors while also understanding how fire has become part of the identity of this Cuban restaurant in Miami.
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month 2026 at Marabú
From September 15 through October 15, 2026, Hispanic Heritage Month offers an opportunity to recognize the diversity, history, and contributions of the Hispanic and Latino communities that are part of the United States and, in an especially visible way, Miami.
At Marabú, that celebration finds its expression through Cuban cuisine: from Ropa Vieja and Lechón Asado to preparations transformed by the heat of charcoal, each dish offers a way to discover how a tradition can stay alive while continuing to evolve.
Reserve your table at Marabú and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month 2026 in Brickell through the flavors, recipes, and culinary heritage of Cuba.
