Restaurant reccos in/near Downtown Miami
May 20th, 2010, 08:37 AM
#1
Original Poster
Restaurant reccos in/near Downtown Miami
I'll be spending 5 nights at the Hotel Intercontinental in downtown Miami (southern end of Biscayne Boulevard near the convention center) for a conference. Last year we stayed here and the only restaurants we found within walking distance were the Hard Rock Cafe and Bongo's (Gloria Estefan's restaurant). Neither were great, obviously. That area seems like a ghost town on weekends and we had to venture well away from the hotel to find any decent restaurants.
We're looking for moderately priced ($20-30) entrees in a non-chain restaurant, and those serving food that is unique to the area (seafood, Cuban specialities) would be even better. We're not foodies per se but do enjoy a really nice meal with wine and/or cocktails. Anything that doesn't require a reservation would be helpful too, as we're not terribly sure what time we'd be heading out as we are in sessions until 6:30 and would need to shower/change before dinner. We're open to taking that free tram that runs in front of the hotel or a taxi, but don't want to spend $100 round trip on taxi fares every night (like going to South Beach)!
Last year I beat my head against the pavement trying to convince people they did not want to eat at PF Changs if they can do so at home, but I didn't have viable alternatives. This year I want to be better prepared!
Any ideas for this group of five 30- to 50-somethings???
We're looking for moderately priced ($20-30) entrees in a non-chain restaurant, and those serving food that is unique to the area (seafood, Cuban specialities) would be even better. We're not foodies per se but do enjoy a really nice meal with wine and/or cocktails. Anything that doesn't require a reservation would be helpful too, as we're not terribly sure what time we'd be heading out as we are in sessions until 6:30 and would need to shower/change before dinner. We're open to taking that free tram that runs in front of the hotel or a taxi, but don't want to spend $100 round trip on taxi fares every night (like going to South Beach)!
Last year I beat my head against the pavement trying to convince people they did not want to eat at PF Changs if they can do so at home, but I didn't have viable alternatives. This year I want to be better prepared!
Any ideas for this group of five 30- to 50-somethings???
May 21st, 2010, 05:37 PM
#3
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As the condos become occupied there are signs of life in downtown. It's safer and there are more people in the streets. It isn't there yet, but there is a gentrification vibe throughout the area. In the past year several restaurants have opened in the immediate vicinity. Ive been to all of these and I would recommend them.
Chophouse Miami www.chophousemiami.com
Puntino www.puntinodowntown.com
Sol Y Mar 315 Biscayne Boulevard
Tre Italian Bistro www.tremiami.com
Area 31 www.area31restaurant.com
Fratelli Milano 213 S. Miami Ave., 305-373-2300
A moderately priced but a little further out but still in downtown:
Garcias Seafood on the river (one of my very favorites and a true Miami experience... lots of locals...take a $5 cab ride)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/garcias-seaf...d-fish-miami-2
Beotequim Carioca www.botequim-carioca.de (inexpensive Brazilian hangout across from the Arena )
There are also plenty of restaurant options 1/2 mile away at the Mary Brickell Village area. It's usually lively in the evening. I would walk or take the Metromover there in the early evening and take a short cab ride back later.
http://marybrickellvillage.com/
My Favorites in the area are:
Indochine http://www.indochinebistro.com/
Tobacco Road (inexpensive... an institution and the oldest bar in Miami)www.tobacco-road.com
Dolores but you can call me Lolita (funny name good food) www.doloreslolita.com
Consult this Guide for descriptions of restaurants in the area:
http://www.biscaynetimes.com/index.p...ide&Itemid=157
Chophouse Miami www.chophousemiami.com
Puntino www.puntinodowntown.com
Sol Y Mar 315 Biscayne Boulevard
Tre Italian Bistro www.tremiami.com
Area 31 www.area31restaurant.com
Fratelli Milano 213 S. Miami Ave., 305-373-2300
A moderately priced but a little further out but still in downtown:
Garcias Seafood on the river (one of my very favorites and a true Miami experience... lots of locals...take a $5 cab ride)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/garcias-seaf...d-fish-miami-2
Beotequim Carioca www.botequim-carioca.de (inexpensive Brazilian hangout across from the Arena )
There are also plenty of restaurant options 1/2 mile away at the Mary Brickell Village area. It's usually lively in the evening. I would walk or take the Metromover there in the early evening and take a short cab ride back later.
http://marybrickellvillage.com/
My Favorites in the area are:
Indochine http://www.indochinebistro.com/
Tobacco Road (inexpensive... an institution and the oldest bar in Miami)www.tobacco-road.com
Dolores but you can call me Lolita (funny name good food) www.doloreslolita.com
Consult this Guide for descriptions of restaurants in the area:
http://www.biscaynetimes.com/index.p...ide&Itemid=157
May 23rd, 2010, 03:00 PM
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I'd second the visit to Mary Brickell Village. You can also try Pericones for brunch and also Rosinella's (yummy italian). It's also a fun place to hang out on Saturday night.
After visiting Tobacco Road... you can try Waxy's Irish Pub on the Miami River. (It's a new location 690 SW 1st Court which may not be on their website.)
Have fun!
;-)
After visiting Tobacco Road... you can try Waxy's Irish Pub on the Miami River. (It's a new location 690 SW 1st Court which may not be on their website.)
Have fun!
;-)
Jun 9th, 2010, 10:24 AM
#6
Original Poster
Topping this to update with where we ate. Hopefully this will be of use to someone else:
Sra. Martinez - 4000 NE 2nd Ave (Design District). We took a cab to get here. I'd seen an article on Chef Michelle Bernstein earlier this year and wanted to try this. The menu is mostly tapas, with a handful of entrees. We each had the paella entree and an appetizer. My stuffed potatoes were excellent (she'd said in the article they were a specialty). The paella was great with calamari, shrimp, mussels and chicken. I also had a glass of sangria and the churros and chocolate for dessert, both of which took me mentally back to Spain! This was a big splurge for us. With wine, dessert and apps it was about $180 for three of us.
Dolores But You Can Call Me Lolita -- a couple stops away on the people mover from our hotel on 1000 South Miami Avenue. This place was the hit of the weekend for all of us. A very nice atmosphere, excellent service. There are two fixed price menus, either $19 or $24 and it includes an entree and an appetizer. I had the serrano ham and cheese croquettes, which were delectable, and the shrimp and lobster cannelloni which was just divine. Others dining with me had the veal, fish tacos and prime rib, and everyone was thrilled. Desserts are the perfect size even when you think you don't have room; the caramel dulce de leche pudding was fabulous. We all wish we knew about this sooner, or we would have gone every night. I don't recall the exact bill for 5 of us, but it was a very good value given the experience and how good the food was.
Tre Italian Bistro - within walking distance of the hotel on 270 East Flagler Street. All of us had the seafood linguini: shrimp, calamari and scallops over black linguini in a fra divolo sauce, really quite good. We shared the fried calamari and antipasto as an appetizer, which were standard. I had the mango cheesecake which was much better than I imagined. This was a more budget-friendly meal but still pretty good (not as good as Dolores though). Our concierge told us that this is a "hidden gem". I wouldn't go that far, but it's good to know it's there when we go back next year.
Sra. Martinez - 4000 NE 2nd Ave (Design District). We took a cab to get here. I'd seen an article on Chef Michelle Bernstein earlier this year and wanted to try this. The menu is mostly tapas, with a handful of entrees. We each had the paella entree and an appetizer. My stuffed potatoes were excellent (she'd said in the article they were a specialty). The paella was great with calamari, shrimp, mussels and chicken. I also had a glass of sangria and the churros and chocolate for dessert, both of which took me mentally back to Spain! This was a big splurge for us. With wine, dessert and apps it was about $180 for three of us.
Dolores But You Can Call Me Lolita -- a couple stops away on the people mover from our hotel on 1000 South Miami Avenue. This place was the hit of the weekend for all of us. A very nice atmosphere, excellent service. There are two fixed price menus, either $19 or $24 and it includes an entree and an appetizer. I had the serrano ham and cheese croquettes, which were delectable, and the shrimp and lobster cannelloni which was just divine. Others dining with me had the veal, fish tacos and prime rib, and everyone was thrilled. Desserts are the perfect size even when you think you don't have room; the caramel dulce de leche pudding was fabulous. We all wish we knew about this sooner, or we would have gone every night. I don't recall the exact bill for 5 of us, but it was a very good value given the experience and how good the food was.
Tre Italian Bistro - within walking distance of the hotel on 270 East Flagler Street. All of us had the seafood linguini: shrimp, calamari and scallops over black linguini in a fra divolo sauce, really quite good. We shared the fried calamari and antipasto as an appetizer, which were standard. I had the mango cheesecake which was much better than I imagined. This was a more budget-friendly meal but still pretty good (not as good as Dolores though). Our concierge told us that this is a "hidden gem". I wouldn't go that far, but it's good to know it's there when we go back next year.
