643 Best Restaurants in Florida, USA

Michael's is often cited as one of Miami's top tried-and-true restaurants, and it's not hard to see why: this indoor-outdoor bistro in Miami's Design District is an evergreen oasis for Miami dining sophisticates. Owner and chef Michael Schwartz aims for sophisticated eclectic cuisine with an emphasis on local and organic ingredients, and he gets it right (think crispy, sweet-and-spicy pork belly with kimchi and steamed mussels in coconut milk).

A swanky rooftop restaurant on Lincoln Road, MILA is a place to see and be seen while sipping well-crafted cocktails and ordering Mediterranean-Asian fusion dishes, small plates, and sushi. The stunning focal point is a Zen-like reflection pool flanked by two curtained cabanas that can be reserved for a bit of privacy while dining alfresco. Highlights of the menu include branzino tataki, edamame guacamole, seared scallop roll, and a 32 oz. tomahawk served with a butter-onion jus. The indoor and outdoor bar serve two separate cocktail menus, and those who dine on the terrace can order one of the special cocktails that are made tableside on a mobile bar cart.

A mere staircase away from EPCOT's busy World Showcase, Monsieur Paul is a subdued, sophisticated (and not very kid-friendly) French restaurant owned by chef Jerome Bocuse and named for his world-famous father, the late Culinary Institute of America's Chef of the Century, Paul Bocuse. Make a reservation here if you are looking for an expensive, polished, and delightful diversion from the theme park's bustle. The seasonal prix-fixe Gastronomic Meal of the French has six courses, including a cheese plate and dessert. Hors d'oeuvres of Maine lobster salad with passion-fruit vinaigrette, escargot cassolette, and saffron mussel soup precede a fish course featuring potato-scaled snapper or seared scallops served with maple pumpkin velouté, followed by an extravagant meat course (lamb, beef tenderloin, or chicken).

Atop the famed Square Grouper restaurant is a secret spot that locals love and smart travelers seek out for its tapas and well-stocked bar. Sit at a high-top table or on a sofa, and savor made-from-scratch small plates you won't soon forget, like salted caramel puffs or chicken lollipops. My New Joint is a blissful marriage of creative cuisine, funky lighting, and good music.

This enchanting table-service restaurant's eclectic menu includes dishes such as pad Thai, pan-seared salmon with lemon-basil butter, souvlaki couscous bowl, and brick oven–roasted chicken. The building itself—which looks like a giant rock formation from the outside and a huge cave (albeit one with plush upholstered seating) from within—will grab your attention, as will the view of the big lagoon in the center of the theme park. Reserve online or with the Universal app for lunch or an early dinner.

Twinkling lights draped along the lower- and upper-level porches of a 100-year-old Victorian home set an unstuffy and comfortable stage here. If you like to sample and sip, you'll appreciate the variety of small-plate selections and wines by the glass. Starters for lunch or dinner include a cheese platter, crispy duck confit, and a grilled octopus plate. Salads and pastas and a selection of gourmet tacos round out the lunch menu. For dinner, there are also larger plates like "Soul Mama" seafood soup or crispy Florida Keys whole snapper.

No Star Wars land would be complete without a kooky bar. Here you'll find a variety of beers on tap along with Star Wars--themed drinks such as the T-16 Skyhopper with vodka, melon liqueur, kiwi, and half-and-half; or the Dagobah Slug Slinger, made with tequila, curaçao, citrus, and ginger. Shareable snacks are available to enjoy while you take in the atmosphere. Fans of the former Star Tours attraction will appreciate the cantina's DJ, a familiar R-3X droid who previously piloted Starspeeders.

Just across the street from the beach, this wonderfully historic restaurant is casual, comfortable, and considered by many to offer the best fine-dining experience on Captiva Island. Entrées include seafood dishes like the blackened snapper with watermelon cucumber salad, and land dishes like pomegranate-glazed lamb chops. Tempting appetizers, creative salads, and tantalizing desserts round out the menu. The restaurant has its own baker to create its sweet and savory breads and cakes. No need to dress up; island casual is welcome. Make time to enjoy the fantastic sunsets at the beach.

Locals can't get enough of OB House's commitment to quality; you'll find only fresh and organic ingredients here. Try cheesy grits, mega-pancakes with real Vermont maple syrup, or the free-range-egg omelets with wild-caught mahimahi. This intimate breakfast and lunch spot packs the house daily in an adaptive reuse of the old Fort Lauderdale post office.

The setting at this intimate but lively restaurant is refined but rustic, with wood repurposed from a dilapidated Florida barn and 1940s-era bricks reclaimed from a Chicago firehouse. The Sicilian-born chef (and part-owner) eschews an ornate menu and instead offers simple, finely produced Italian dishes. The signature fennel sausage is made using a family recipe, and the kitchen cures its own pancetta, makes its own mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, and extrudes its own pasta. Seasonal dishes like rabbit and wild boar shine; the tortelloni with braised short ribs pleases nightly.

Located in a behemoth clapboard building on a prime downtown corner, this charming, old-fashioned, first-come-first-served, lunch-and-dinner spot pleases modern palates in both the white-linen-elegant dining room and on the colorful garden terrace. Later in the evening, the mood shifts, and the place becomes more of a casual lounge with a full bar. If there's not enough of a liquor selection for you, check out options from the wine cellar, which has 3,000 bottles from around the world. Right next door, on Commerce Street, is the Owl Tap Room, with 16 beers on tap and a pub-grub menu of appetizers, burgers, and sandwiches.

The original location of the Miami-based specialty coffee roaster is smack in the center of Wynwood (it has now expanded into Miami Beach and other South Florida neighborhoods), attracting a who's who of hipsters, artists, and even suburbanites to indulge in small-batch cups of joe and super-moist muffins and fresh-baked pastries. Baristas gingerly prepare every order, so expect to wait a little for your macchiato.

This tiny, fine-dining restaurant may have single-handedly changed the perception of Gainesville from a college town fueled by pizza, chicken wings, and pitchers of beer to an up-and-coming culinary destination with imaginative dishes created using fresh Florida produce. The ever-changing menu might include such items as an organic beet salad, grilled salmon over sweet potato and Cotija cheese enchiladas, or pan-roasted Angus fillet over chive-mashed Yukon Golds.

You'll be transported to Calabria at this comfortable restaurant, which is divided into a trattoria and a pizzeria. It puts out a fresh menu of Italian specialties every evening, and the finishing kitchen is in the dining room, so diners lucky enough to snag the few indoor seats (the outside patio has extras) can watch chefs create the dishes. You might feast on fried pecorino drizzled with honey, a lasagna worthy of a return Orlando visit, pear-and-cheese pasta pockets, wine-marinated duck breast with spicy mushroom risotto, or seared tuna with cauliflower puree. Most desserts are made in-house.

One of the Keys' most elegant restaurants, Pierre's marries colonial style with modern food trends and lets you taste the world from its romantic verandas. French chocolate, Australian lamb, Hawaiian fish, Florida lobster---whatever is fresh and in season will be masterfully prepared and beautifully served. Pierre's oozes style, especially the wicker-chair-strewn veranda overlooking the bay. Save your best "tropical chic" duds for dinner here. The downstairs bar is a perfect spot for catching sunsets, sipping martinis, and enjoying light eats.

Progressive Italian cuisine in a casual, bustling, wood-and-brick setting immediately made Michelin Recommended Prato a local favorite. Every item, from the pancetta to the amaretti, is crafted from scratch, and many are prepared in one of two imported Italian wood-burning ovens, dubbed Johnny Cash and June Cash because "they make music," the chefs say. The menu changes regularly, but standouts include the duck with fig jam and pastas such as rigatoni cacciatore made with shredded rabbit and orange zest. The hand-tossed pizzas are also popular, as are the tiramisu and seasonal gelato.

Local foodies rejoiced when James Beard–nominated chef Brian Whittington brought his eclectic Southern cuisine to a city thin on upscale dining. As you dig into fresh fish with crawfish étouffée or the Cheshire pork chop (many have declared it the best they've ever eaten), delight in the fact that this charmingly "preserved" Victorian home once belonged to Thomas Jefferson's great-granddaughter, Maria Jefferson Shine. Start with the charcuterie board, which is highlighted by homemade pâté served in a Mason jar. Reservations are highly recommended.

James Beard Award–winning chef Melissa Kelly's ode to her Italian-American roots and farm-to-table sensibilities received a Michelin Recommended award in 2022. The homemade pastas and breads, Florida meats, and offerings from the pizza oven are essential; locally caught fish is served with Florida clams; and the chicken from nearby Lake Meadow Naturals is, yes, primo.

This handsome chophouse situated on the ground floor of the buzzy Ben hotel serves Florida-inspired seafood and steaks with an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients. The indoor dining room is decked out in dark woods and floor-to-ceiling windows that open to outside seats offering views of the city’s marina. Dishes of Florida sweet-corn fritters, Prime dry-aged NY strip, and sides of truffle-butter mushrooms are hearty, yet sophisticated.

On a residential street in SoBe’s western reaches, this petite eatery attracts the who’s who of beach socialites, hipsters, and the occasional tourist coming to chow down on inventive Asian-Latin small plates, sushi rolls, and grilled skewers of meat and seafood by executive chef-owner José Mendin. From bigeye tuna spicy rolls to short-rib and truffle dumplings, the menu constantly pushes the envelope on inventive cuisine, and locals simply can’t get enough.

If an authentic Irish pub—actually transported from the Old Country plank by plank—is your thing, Raglan Road is the place. In addition to excellent fish-and-chips and shepherd's pie, the inventive chefs twist Irish cuisine to include dishes like Gulf shrimp and risotto with buffalo mozzarella and fresh peas. The entertainment alone makes this place worth the visit. "Trad" bands play nightly, and a troupe of Irish dancers performs several times on weeknights and on weekends between 10 am and 3 pm during the Rollicking Raglan Brunch. Musicians also play outside for guests dining alfresco. A store called Shop for Ireland sells Irish merchandise. Around the corner, the Raglan-affiliated Cooke's of Dublin offers fast-take fish-and-chips, pies, and deep-fried "battered burgers."

Top Chef finalist and James Beard Award nominee Lindsay Autry debuted her own Southern-inspired American cuisine in The Square to the acclaim of local critics. The menu of updated comfort food includes fried green tomatoes, creamy tomato pie, pimento cheese done table-side, and shrimp and grits. The sweeping space with an open kitchen and high ceilings, and separate bar-lounge, still feels comforting with its rustic accents. Craft cocktails follow the menu, with many seasonal offerings. Desserts like the Rocky Road bar and Mom's carrot cake are fitting codas to the Southern feast.

Standing out in a town saturated with taco places, Reyes brings authentic (meaning real Mexican) cuisine to Orlando. Michoacán-born chef Wendy Lopez honors the food of her homeland while adding inventive modern touches; Yucatán pork ribs, duck enchiladas, and a mixed grill of NY strip, chicken, and shrimp are just a taste. An extensive variety of agave-based liquors and the one-of-a-kind mezcal-soaked chocolate cake ends the meal on an alcoholic peak.

Atop the glossy Restoration Hardware store adjacent to The Square is this regal, glass-enclosed atrium outfitted with white couches, crystal chandeliers, lush greenery, and a tinkling fountain. It's proven a hit with all walks of life; everyone basks in the sun-filled room and tucks into seasonal comfort food (prime rib French dip, truffled grilled cheese) and lingers on exceptionally comfortable couches. The food and drink services extend to the Barista Bar off the atrium on level four, which serves craft espresso, homemade pastries, and glasses of wine. You can even take the wine with you while exploring the rest of the showroom as you wait for your table; during the season the waits allow for plenty of perusal time.

Inventive cuisine and seasonal ingredients are the hallmarks of the Ritz-Carlton's oceanfront restaurant, where the signature beef tenderloin is served on a block of Himalayan salt. The wine list has more than 300 bottles (many by the glass), service is nothing short of impeccable, and there's that view of the Atlantic from every table. For a unique dining experience, reserve a seat in the private dining room within the kitchen to Dine With the Chefs, watching them at work while you enjoy a personalized five-course meal. To learn the secrets of Salt's cuisine, consider taking one of its cooking school sessions. They've proven so popular, that the Ritz-Carlton now offers several of them a year. Long pants and collared shirts are recommended (for dining, we mean; cooking students get their own Ritz-Carlton aprons).

Oversize baked doughnuts piled high with creative toppings plus fun coffee offerings like Cinnamon Toast Crunch lattes are the reasons for the sometimes long lines at this doughnut shop. Even if the national doughnut craze has subsided elsewhere, The Salty continues to live up to the hype with a rotating menu of popular pick-me-ups like the white chocolate tres leches and guava + cream cheese, made with 24-hour brioche.

An outpost of the famed New York Italian spot, this chic café churns out crispy pizzas, delicate pasta dishes, and to-swoon-for desserts with polished service. The vibe is '60s era glam meets dreamy Milanese café, making it a hit with both socialites and shoppers, who stop in for an espresso break in between jaunts to the boutiques at Royal Poinciana Plaza. House pastas include a heavenly cacio e pepe, while salads and simply grilled fish are light and flavorful. The gelato is made fresh daily, so make sure to save room for a scoop.

Picky palates will be satisfied at this funky, dark, and sensuous tapas restaurant, which is well off the main drag and is a secret spot for local foodies in the know. Small plates include yellowfin tuna ceviche with hunks of avocado and mango or filet mignon with creamy Gorgonzola butter. Waiters recommend choosing three small plates per person, then sharing.

Set in the heart of Pandora, Satu'li walks a line between fast-casual and fine dining with counter service and surprisingly sophisticated, internationally inspired dishes. The menu features grain bowls with fresh-cooked ingredients and kids' meals that are actually nutritious.

Trina Gregory-Propst and her team of bakers and cooks make the biggest and most satisfying breakfasts, lunches, and sweet treats in town. Try a from-scratch chicken potpie, which has the most glorious crust; the mile-high meat loaf sandwich; or the "7th Trimester" of buttermilk garlic biscuit, over-medium egg, and smoked bacon, smothered in five-cheese mac and cheese. Look for the "Let us fill your pie hole" mural.