Paleo Friendly Restaurant: Blocks (Miami Beach)

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas Jeff & I took our first road trip together. Typically we enjoy flying, especially since we have access to O’Hare Airport which practically sits in our backyard. However this trip was more about seeing everything in between, rather than jumping directly from one destination to another. Who am I kidding, it was all about the sun baby! ;)

We planned our escape the day after Thanksgiving, when the first snow arrived, and made our migration south to Florida.

We packed the car with our kettlebells (his & hers), our skateboards (also his & hers) plus I prepared a bowl full of Paleo granola along with salad fixin’s, some pre-cooked and sliced flank steak to add on top and a few other snacks for the road. By planning ahead we didn’t need to stop at any restaurants on the way and I put together our salad dinner in the trunk of our car while sitting in a Kentucky Penzey’s parking lot. :)

The first couple nights we stayed in Nashville and that’s when we tried Burger Up. We stayed one night in Atlanta where we dined at a fabulous Paleo friendly restaurant called Wrecking Bar Brewpub and as soon as we crossed the Georgia-Florida line, all we could see was sunshine. Florida gave us a warm welcome indeed!

Meet me in Miami Beach

While we were in Nashville I had seen a new Paleo recipe fly across Pinterest. When I clicked through I realized that it was a guest post on PaleOMG by Rachel of South Beach Primal. Rachel lives where we were heading so I emailed her and asked if she’d be down to get together while we were in town.

We decided on Yardbird for dinner and Rachel invited another Paleo couple, Andy and Amanda, who blog at The Curious Coconut. We had a fantastic time getting to know Andy, Amanda and Rachel! We discussed Paleo perfectionism, business & life goals and so much more over the fantastic Yardbird gluten-free/Paleo friendly menu. was fantastic and Rachel actually went home and recreated the Sautéed Southern Kale because it was so freakin good.

A day after dinner with everyone, we met up again with Andy and Amanda who recommended we try Blocks Pizza Deli before we left town. Being from Chicago, where we grew up with pizza as a staple, we were curious and decided to give it a try right before we left town.

Restaurant: Blocks Pizza Deli
Location: 1447 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Price: $

You might be wondering why a couple of Paleo folks would recommend we stop at a pizza joint. The thing about Blocks is that their dough is special and not like any other dough we’d find in Chicago. Check out the details in the image below.

The Mother Dough used at Blocks is a fermented dough. Although this is technically not a “Paleo” pizza crust, the fermentation process used at Blocks is healthier than your typical pizza dough.

“During fermentation, yeast transforms carbohydrates into alcohol (responsible for the crust’s aroma and for soft texture) and carbon dioxide (the air pockets that bubble and blister in the oven). Meanwhile the flour’s proteins form an interconnected, elastic web of glutens that trap carbon dioxide and support pizza toppings. Proper fermentation allows time for the yeast to complete its job. Carbohydrates that remain undigested continue to fuel the yeast, even after ingestion, and causes the insatiable thirst.” (source)

While on our trip I did not want to stray too much in the 20% of our 80/20 rule, because I wanted to enjoy our time in the sun and on the beach, so I ordered one block for me and one for Jeff.

Do you know why it’s called Blocks? Because roman pizza is typically served in large squares, not circles. It’s sliced, weighed and served in blocks.

The light and airy crust complimented the fresh ingredient toppings and Jeff went back up for seconds.

I wish we wouldn’t have waited till our final day in Miami Beach to try Blocks, so we could have dined on more than one occasion. But now we’ll have someplace to look forward to going back when we’re next in Miami Beach.

If you find yourself in Miami Beach with a hankering for pizza, definitely give Blocks Pizza Deli a try.

Are you interested in more Paleo friendly restaurants? Have a recommendation of someplace we should check out? Let us know!