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- August 03, 2023
Greater Miami & Miami Beach is a dynamic destination for foodies. In fact, the culinary scene continues to evolve as celebrated chefs set their sights on the area and talented local chefs inject the dining scene with new concepts.
Home to both trendy celebrity chef-helmed restaurants and stylish local haunts, Miami Beach offers upscale as well as casual dining options. Hotel restaurants are a staple of the Miami Beach scene. For over-the-top glamour, head to Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann at Faena Hotel Miami Beach in Mid Beach to indulge in wood-fired steak and fish in a flashy dining room crowned with a gilded chandelier.
Another Mid Beach hotel with a perennially hot dining scene is the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, where you’ll find a trio of signature restaurants: Hakkasan for haute Cantonese, Prime 54 for mouthwatering steaks and Arkadia Grill for gourmet pizza, fresh salads and delicious burgers.
Another notable hotel restaurant is Matador Room by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten at the Miami Beach EDITION. Sample small plates and entrées with influences from South America, the Caribbean and Spain.
For a local scene, head to Freehand Miami for dishes inspired by Miami’s diverse cultures paired with cocktails by the team from The Broken Shaker. Other hotspots popular with locals include Pubbelly Sushi, Stiltsville Fish Bar by celebrity chef power couple Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth, and Lucali for delicious Brooklyn-style pizza. And don’t miss Carbone on Collins Avenue for refined Italian cuisine.
Over the last several years, the fashion-rich Miami Design District has experienced a culinary revolution with hot restaurant openings such as COTE Miami. The MICHELIN-starred Korean-style steakhouse is one of the hottest reservations in town, thanks to 45-day dry-aged beef that’s prepared at your table on smokeless grills. Go for the Butcher’s Feast, with its selection of chef’s choice cuts and Korean accompaniments.
Le Jardinier and L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon are two concepts from the celebrated French chef. Le Jardinier, which boasts a bold, futuristic aesthetic, delivers artful plates and offers a beautiful a la carte brunch on Sundays. Its upstairs counterpart, L’Atelier, presents a high-end dinner experience and is the only Florida restaurant to earn two MICHELIN stars.
Family-owned Itamae, loved for its Peruvian spin on sushi and other fish dishes, is located in the Miami Design District’s Palm Court.
Popular neighborhood mainstays include MC Kitchen for upscale Italian and Mandolin Aegean Bistro, which transports guests to the Greek Islands with its al fresco patio and fresh Mediterranean cuisine. Swan, a hotspot from Pharrell Williams and nightlife impresario David Grutman, boasts a stylish jungle-like patio and a pretty-in-pink dining room.
If you want to try a variety of cuisines in one place, MIA Market is a chef-driven food hall with many vendors, including favorites such crispy fried chicken sandwiches and other Southern fare from Coop.
The neighboring Wynwood Arts District is another serious foodie neighborhood. Uchi, an Austin, Texas, import from James Beard Award-winning Chef Tyson Cole, is a local hotspot. Here, you’ll find a non-traditional spin on Japanese cuisine with a menu boasting hot and cool tastings as well as adventurous fish and sushi offerings. Another popular Japanese restaurant is Hiyakawa, a sleek fine dining concept where fish and other ingredients are flown in daily from the Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo. Heads up: They serve only 50 people each night, so make a reservation early.
You’ll also find a slew of delicious casual spots, like Coyo Taco, where diners line up for creative tacos and bowls, or longtime staple Joey’s Italian Cafe for homemade pastas and pizzas.
Don’t miss the high-energy Asian food hall 1-800-LUCKY, where you can sample from popular vendors, including Usagi Tokyo for ramen and rice bowls; Yip for piping hot bamboo baskets filled with dim sum; and the inventive sushi concept b-side by Itamae.
Downtown Miami & Brickell’s culinary scene is also heating up, catering to the area’s young professionals and business travelers. At lifestyle centers such as Brickell City Centre, dining and shopping go hand in hand thanks to an array of excellent restaurants, such as Pubbelly Sushi and Quinto, where South American fire cooking reigns supreme.
You’ll find high-end Northern Chinese cuisine, such as flaming Peking duck and dim sum, at Hutong. At KAORI, an airy two-story cocktail bar and restaurant nestled inside the SLS LUX Brickell, you’ll be treated to modern Asian-inspired cuisine. Zuma is one of the neighborhood’s longstanding hotspots, offering some of the best Japanese food in town inside the Kimpton EPIC Hotel.
Miami’s oldest neighborhood is experiencing a modern-day renaissance with countless new developments, including restaurants, hotels, shops and condos. This eclectic bayfront neighborhood is home to outposts of some of Miami’s most beloved institutions as well as relative newcomers, such as PLANTA Queen. Tucked inside the revamped CocoWalk shopping center in Coconut Grove, you’ll find plant-based cuisine with an Asian flair here.
At the Mr. C Miami Coconut Grove hotel, head to the rooftop Bellini restaurant for upscale Italian fare by the Cipriani family as well as their famous Bellini cocktails and amazing views.
The Grove is also home to classic destinations such as GreenStreet Cafe, with ample outdoor seating, and Monty’s Raw Bar, the ultimate dining destination for boaters. Locals also love Glass & Vine, overlooking Peacock Park, and Sapore di Mare, where you’ll find upscale Italian seafood.
Fittingly known as The City Beautiful, Coral Gables boasts wide avenues, Mediterranean Revival architecture, lush landscaping and elegant plazas. It’s a lovely place to explore, especially with the newly expanded pedestrian streetscape along Giralda Plaza, which is lined with restaurants, such as Talavera Cocina Mexicana.
Caffe Abbracci is a Coral Gables institution, serving traditional Italian comfort food, like beef carpaccio, fettuccine Bolognese and branzino “Belvedere,” since 1989.
Vinya Table on Miracle Mile offers an extensive wine selection and New American specialties, such as venison carpaccio, 48-hour short rib, black ink risotto and duck magret served with a blackberry wine reduction.
You simply can’t visit Miami without sampling Cuban cuisine. Head straight to the source in Little Havana, where you’ll find Cuban bakeries, grocery stores, fruit stands and coffee windows as well as restaurants serving traditional Cuban fare, such as ropa vieja (stewed beef with spices), warm croquetas and Cuban sandwiches made with sweet ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles and yellow mustard pressed on crunchy Cuban bread.
Versailles Restaurant is a must-visit classic. Family-owned and operated since 1971, not only does the restaurant function as the unofficial town square for Miami's Cuban diaspora, but it also serves delicious Cuban favorites, like empanadas, stuffed plantains, croquetas and, of course, Cuban sandwiches.
Little Havana is home to chef-driven restaurants such as Cafe La Trova, where Miami’s beloved Chef Michelle Bernstein takes a contemporary approach to Cuban dishes. There’s also Casa Tiki, a tropical tiki bar with a Latin-style interpretation of Polynesian culture. Grab a seat at the thatched bar to sip exotic cocktails out of fun glasses during happy hour, and check the schedule for events and entertainment. Stop by Doce Provisions to hang out on the tropical back patio, throw back a beer and nosh on Latin bites.
For authentic Mexican cuisine, have lunch or dinner at Taquerias El Mexicano, a favorite among locals. And don’t skip Azucar Ice Cream Company for a scoop of the Abuela Maria, made with guava and cream cheese. It’s a taste of Miami in a cup or a cone.