76 Best Restaurants in Miami and Miami Beach, Florida

Osaka

$$$$

Fusing Japanese and Peruvian flavors, this sultry Nikkei restaurant is known for its multisensory menu, including many nigiri dishes that are torched tableside, such as the hotate truffle with scallop, truffle butter, and lime. The menu features an array of ceviches, tiraditos, and seafood dishes, but there's also a 24-ounce bone-in rib eye with truffle. Japanese whiskey lovers will enjoy the 24-plus varieties on hand behind the gorgeous bar.

OTL

$ | Design District

The name stands for "out to lunch," and, indeed, you could hang for quite the lunch break at this Design District haunt that serves coffee drinks, pastries, and sandwiches in an Instagram-worthy atmosphere. Don't miss the toast topped with superseed butter, a gluttonous, if healthy, alternative to your usual PB&J standby.

Panther Coffee

$ | Wynwood

The java spot that launched Miami's caffeine revolution, this no-frills Wynwood flagship is a good pit stop for iced cold brew as you're perusing art and graffiti murals in the district. The shop also serves cakes, cookies, wine, and beer, all in a friendly atmosphere with free Wi-Fi and local art on the walls. The coffee beans here are roasted in-house and sold by the pound, which make for great take-home gifts.

Recommended Fodor's Video

Prime 112

$$$$

This wildly busy steak house is particularly prized for its highly marbleized prime beef, creamed corn with black truffles, lobster macaroni and cheese, and buzzing scene. While you stand at the bar awaiting your table—everyone has to wait, at least a little bit—you'll clamor for a drink with all facets of Miami's high society, from the city's top real estate developers and philanthropists to striking models and celebrities.

RED South Beach

$$$$

The carnivore glamour den seduces with its red-and-black dominatrix color scheme and overloads the senses with the divine smells and tastes of the extensive menu. RED boasts an equal number of seafood and more traditional meat offerings, each delicately prepared, meticulously presented, and gleefully consumed.

801 S. Pointe Dr., Florida, 33139, USA
305-534–3688
Known For
  • tuna tartare
  • decadent, caloric side dishes
  • mussels diavolo

Rusty Pelican

$$$$

Vistas of the bay and Miami skyline are sensational—whether you admire them through the floor-to-ceiling windows or from the expansive outdoor seating area, lined with alluring firepits. The menu is split between tropically inspired small plates, ideal for sharing, and heartier entrées from land and sea.

Seaspice

$$$$

Half the fun of dining at this sophisticated brasserie on the Miami River is watching stylish patrons arrive by yacht. Reserve a table outdoors on the patio for the best views of Downtown, and rest assured that a knowledgeable server will guide you through an eclectic menu highlighting fresh seafood, wood-fired casseroles, and refreshing cocktails.

Smith & Wollensky Miami Beach

$$$$
Enjoy one of America's premier tried-and-true steak houses in one of Miami's best locations. Situated at the tip of South Pointe Park with fabulous views of Biscayne Bay, this waterfront outpost doles out the full range of signature cuts of 28-day, dry-aged beef and hefty sides, though the beach-conscious crowd skews toward the chilled shellfish platters and savory vegetable dishes.

Stubborn Seed

$$$$

Both upscale and unpretentious, this Michelin-starred contemporary American restaurant is helmed by Top Chef winner Jeremy Ford, who has created a small menu of exquisitely executed fresh dishes that change often. The popular prix-fixe tasting menu is known for its pâté and foie gras, as well as fresh seafood and short ribs. The intimate restaurant boasts an open design where diners can see the action-packed kitchen as they meticulously plate each bite. Reservations are recommended.

Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill

$$$$

The vibrant, supersexy, high-design restaurant perfectly captures Miami's Latin vibe while serving eclectic Latin American tapas and modern Japanese delights from three separate kitchens (robata grill, raw bar, and hot kitchen). Begin the Sugarcane experience in the alfresco lounge, engaging in a fabulous mix of standing, posing, flirting, and delicious-cocktail sipping, and then move on to a few of the some 60 small bites in the equally chic dining room.

Taquiza

$

Who doesn't love beachside tacos? These street-style ones are especially adored thanks to fresh, hand-ground blue masa tortillas and fillings, from the classic al pastor (grilled pork topped with pineapple) to chapulines (grasshopper). The latter was Guy Fieri's favorite on his Diners, Drive-ins and Dives visit. Lightly fried, puffed tortillas, called totopos (a Mexican version of chips) are the stars here, served with choice of salsa, guac, or queso. There's also a full liquor bar with specialty drinks and frozen cocktails.

Verde

$$

The slick, contemporary waterfront restaurant at Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) offers seating both indoors and out, with chic decor and accessories true to its "green" name that blend seamlessly with the living walls and hanging gardens strewn across the museum's exterior. The exceptionally affordable, one-page menu features eclectic epicurean lunch plates that include a variety of flatbreads, a house chopped salad (with green goddess dressing), and a gourmet cheeseburger with applewood-smoked bacon.

Museum admission is not required to eat here, but the restaurant is open only during museum hours, meaning lunch only, except on Thursday, when the museum remains open until 9.

1103 Biscayne Blvd., Florida, 33130, USA
305-375–3000
Known For
  • fabulous bay views
  • light lunching
  • artisanal pizzas
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed. No dinner Fri.–Tues.

Via Emilia 9

$$

If you're longing for a true taste of Italy's Emilia Romagna region and a respite from the overpriced SoBe dining scene, head to this adorable hole-in-the-wall restaurant off Alton Road. The pastas and sauces are made fresh daily, using only the best ingredients imported from the chef's homeland supplemented with local produce.

Villa Azur

$$$$ | South Beach

St. Tropez invades South Beach at this sceney resto-lounge where dinner doesn't usually begin until late (which is normal for the Miami crowd) and the Champagne sipping continues until the wee hours of the morning (to sounds of awesome DJs).The restaurant fuses indoors and outdoors, merging prolific alfresco seating in a spacious, tree-lined courtyard with open-air covered dining and relaxation areas (swaying chandeliers, white tufted couches, and whimsically accessorized library shelves). While Veuve Clicquot is a staple among patrons, the tropical-inspired cocktails and the selection from the in-house wine cellar, La Cave d'Azur, also impress. The exquisitely executed French-Mediterranean cuisine is seafood-centric, beginning with colossal towers from the raw bar, then moving onto to light greens like the shaved-artichoke-and-parmigiano salad, and finishing with dishes such as dover sole à la meunière.

Yardbird Southern Table & Bar

$$$

There's a helluva lot of southern lovin' from the low country at this funky South Beach spot, where Miami's A-list puts calorie-counting aside to indulge in comfort foods and innovative drinks. The family-style menu is divided between small plates, "the bird" plates, and sides and snacks, but have no doubt that "the bird" takes center stage (or plate) here—you'll rave about Llewellyn's fine fried chicken, which requires a 27-hour marination and slow-cooking process, for weeks to come.

Zuma

$$$$

This izakaya-style restaurant is known the world over for its sleek design, lounge atmosphere, and contemporary Japanese cuisine. On the ground floor of the Kimpton EPIC hotel, the Miami location promises excellent bay-side views, Zuma's signature menu items, such as roasted lobster with shiso-ponzu butter and a 24-ounce rib eye covered in freshly shaved truffles. Zuma recently underwent a total renovation in celebration of its 10th anniversary, making it sleeker than ever.