Best restaurants in Miami Beach

L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon Miami

★★ Michelin$$$$French, Contemporary

Miami has joined the ranks of Paris and Tokyo with its own on-brand and elegant L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon. The Design District setting bears all the beloved hallmarks with a counter and open kitchen plus rosewood walls and leather chairs.Two tasting menus and an à la carte are available, with Robuchon's classics remaining. The bread basket is a lovely opener, arriving in advance of such thrilling bites as seared scallops in a vibrant cilantro broth with coconut foam and a piece of crispy calamari. Lamb topped with eggplant caponata and served in fairytale eggplant cups is executed perfectly,

Tambourine Room by Tristan Brandt

★ Michelin$$$$Contemporary, Asian

Set inside the lobby of the historic Carillon Miami Wellness Center, The Tambourine Room offers an elegant escape. The evening begins with bites in the wood-paneled cocktail lounge before moving over to an intimate dining room ideally suited to romantic or quiet dinners. The multicourse menu features ingredients from around the globe, with diners enjoying the likes of venison from New Zealand, snapper from nearby Key Largo or the chef's favorite dish of porcelet with caviar, all plated with precision and care. Professional service adds to the elegant experience.

Cote Miami

★ Michelin$$$steak_house, korean

When staring down the long, neon-lit entrance hallway that booms overhead with a subwoofer and ends with a giant mirror, rest assured that this is a serious operation. Owner Simon Kim and his team know what they're doing in this highly stylized Korean steakhouse, which almost feels like a temple to beautifully marbled and aged beef, much of it on display in a nearby room.Just as you would find at the original location in New York City, top-quality ingredients, astutely seasoned dishes and engaging servers make for a seamless experience. First-timers should start with the butcher’s feast, a gen

Boia De

★ Michelin$$$Contemporary, Italian

Sandwiched between a laundromat and a medical center in a Buena Vista shopping center, the neon-pink exclamation mark that glows above the front door is impossible to miss. Surprising is certainly an apt descriptor for Chefs Luciana Giangrandi and Alex Meyer’s destination. Servers say the food is Italian, but is it really? The staff is genuinely warm and seem to be having just as much fun as the chefs in this charming, forest-green nook that fills up as soon as the doors open.Start with crispy polenta with marinated eggplant, topped with ricotta salata and fresh basil. Then, move on to their h

Hiden

★ Michelin$$$$Japanese, Sushi

True to its name, this favored counter is indeed hidden in the thick of busy Wynwood. The front door is not easy to find and slides open only with a time-sensitive passcode. But beyond the hustle and bustle, Chef Seijun Okano offers a mature, finely tuned omakase for the fortunate few seated at his counter. Fish flown in multiple times a week from Japan are handled with precision, sliced carefully and pressed into lush, vinegar-tinged rice that he makes at the start. Everyone is encouraged to ask questions and drink freely. All the while, the team works in perfect tandem, delivering a well-pac

Stubborn Seed - Miami Beach

★ Michelin$$$$Contemporary, American

Restaurant

Le Jardinier

★ Michelin$$$$French, Contemporary

French

Lucali

Bib Gourmand$$pizza, italian

Although it's located in sunny South Beach, Lucali exudes a charming rusticity that calls to mind its original Brooklyn locale. The greenery-adorned, umbrella-shaped sidewalk is ultra-tempting; or beat the heat and find a seat inside—outfitted with plank floors and chunky tables. The wood-fired brick oven at the rear is sure to stoke the appetite. The 18-inch pizza is lusciously charred and sports a light crust crowned with fresh pomodoro sauce, a combination of cheeses and fragrant sprigs of basil. Various toppings are offered to embellish the pie, and one may even choose to have just half dr

🕐 11:30-24:00

Double Luck

Bib Gourmand$$Chinese

What started as a pop-up has now developed into a permanent restaurant at Double Luck in Miami. The menu features a blend of Chinese and American dishes, served in a dark and moody color setting of paper lanterns, deep red covered booth seating and authentic music playing in the background. Start with the freshly cooked prawn crackers, served with deep salty tones and a vivid, bright chili dip. The aromatic duck salad, with a base of cilantro, greens and sesame cucumber, comes piled high with crispy shredded duck. If sweet and sour pork belly is on the menu, order it. This tasty dish in a clas

Mandolin Aegean Bistro

Bib Gourmand$$Mediterranean Cuisine, Turkish

Founded by Ahmet Erkaya and Anastasia Koutsioukis, this charming bistro welcomes diners with a blue door and whitewashed façade. The space features wood tables, lacquered chairs and an outdoor bar, although the focus is on its courtyard dining area, enhanced with mature trees, orchids and electric fans. This mezze-heavy menu may unveil a creamy slab of baked feta with diced tomato, smoked chili flakes and Turkish peppers. Slices of house-baked bread, stuffed into small brown paper bags, accompany the excellent small plates. Salads, a grilled catch-of-the-day sandwich and larger items, like bee

Michael's Genuine

Bib Gourmand$$$Contemporary, American

This Design District pioneer from Chef Michael Schwartz is as popular now as it was when it first debuted almost 20 years ago. A well-heeled crowd flocks here, but whether it's a requisite respite from boutique hopping, a spot to catch up with friends or a meal to close a business deal, this dining delight is for everyone. The courtyard is a lovely place to linger, thanks to its lush greenery, fans and heat lamps (when necessary). The interior space features concrete flooring and an inviting bar. The menu focuses on seasonal ingredients sourced locally, featured in an array of confident cookin

El Turco

Bib Gourmand$$Mediterranean Cuisine

This charming café, sheltered within a shopping enclave, hosts a loyal following at outdoor tables shaded by age-old oak trees. Inside, the kitchen team works out of a glass-walled kiosk, dressed up with blue-and-white tile as well as neatly lined cans and bottles.The menu is an enticing offering of breakfast fare, featuring organic eggs that support Turkish mezzes, manti and savory pastries like borek. Baked in-house, this burnished coil is stuffed with spinach, sprinkled with sesame seeds and garnished with cherry tomatoes. The izmir kofte arrives in a mini ceramic dish filled with beef meat

Phuc Yea

Bib Gourmand$$Vietnamese

Vietnamese

Pao by Paul Qui

$$$Asian

Damien Hirst's giant sculpture of a gilded woolly mammoth resides famously behind the lavish Faena Hotel. Such scale and grandeur is also the norm in this restaurant, overlooking the iconic attraction. Pao’s oval room is capped with a gold-dome ceiling that's centered around yet another statue by Hirst—a golden unicorn perched on a platform looming large over the stylish guests.To be clear, this spot is more than just good looks and its short menu knits together a range of influences. Many of them are Asian, as in dishes like scallop aguachile with pineapple and black lime or a bao with smoked

Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann

$$$$Argentinian, Steakhouse

“Theatrical” barely begins to describe the scale and style of Francis Mallman’s restaurant set inside the FAENA Hotel. Much like the hotel itself, the director of Moulin Rouge is responsible for such décor elements as leopard-print booths, striking red-cushioned seats and flashes of gold that appear on everything from the bar to the carpet.Known for open-fire cooking, Chef Mallman is not outmatched by the room’s design, delivering an asado experience that rivals the city’s best steakhouses. Beets buried under coals for eight hours and festooned with pistachio yogurt and garlic chips are a must

Hakkasan Miami

$$$Chinese, Contemporary

Finding Hakkasan means wading through the lobby of the Fontainebleau—a historic, if riotous, hotel in Miami Beach swimming with beach bodies and night owls. The restaurant’s signature imperial style is on display, featuring dramatic lights, sleek marble tables and ornate wooden slat dividers. Its clubby beats are a constant reminder that you are never far from the party.High quality seafood figures prominently on this carte, among a selection of Cantonese classics and contemporary interpretations. Steamed dumplings highlight scallop, shrimp, spinach and crab; while plucky prawns arrive in a de

Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza

$$pizza

This boldly named pizzeria comes from Italian-born Chef and co-owner Renato Viola. Located steps from Lincoln Road Mall, this South Beach original is hidden away on the ground floor of an office building. There are choices to be had on this menu—from the thin-crust, 13-inch pizzas, available plain or with toppings, and the smaller 8-inch pies, to "Extraordinary" signatures like the Ginger Lilliam, a thin crust pie with a layer of bright, pureed tomato sauce, mozzarella and a stracciatella spread with a delightful, if staggering, amount of fresh chopped ginger. It reflects the chef's passion fo

🕐 Su 12:00-21:45; Mo-Th 11:30-21:45; Fr 11:30-22:45; Sa 12:00-22:45

Macchialina

$$$italian

Locals and residents are devout fans of this cozy spot, filling the space nightly. The setting features tufted leather banquettes tailed by a charming covered patio area. The bar is graciously attended to and pours an almost all-Italian wine list that's bolstered by house-infused grappa in flavors like chai tea and chamomile.The menu is concise, so it's easy for diners to focus on the best attributes of this kitchen team—that largely being the house-made pasta. Think of supple strands of spaghetti slicked with pomodoro sauce or cacio e pepe. Other highlights include the hearty veal parmigiana.

🕐 Su-We 18:00-23:00; Th-Sa 18:00-23:30

Estiatorio Milos

$$$Greek

This "Greek God" has been a beacon of seafood excellence for the glamorous diners of South Beach since opening its doors in 2012. Some don’t even need a menu and prefer to order based on a guided tour to the back, where all manner of fish and crustaceans gleam on packed ice.With fresh seafood arriving multiple times a week, the kitchen tends to keep preparations simple. Sashimi of any type is a good first step, though we’re partial to the bigeye tuna with yuzu kosho and dill. Thin slices of fried zucchini and eggplant mounded around creamy tzatziki are also worth an order. Grilled whole fish b

Joe's Stone Crab

$$$seafood

When Joe Weiss opened his lunch counter in 1913, Miami Beach didn’t even have paved roads, and customers had to take the ferry to cross over. One century later, as high-rises and shopping districts blossom all around, this restaurant has endured as one of the city’s prime attractions. Celebrities, politicians and locals alike make a beeline to this crustacean hot spot, now open year-round. And if the dedicated parking lot across the street is any clue, waits for a table here can get lengthy. Boiled, chilled and served with a signature mustard sauce, stone crab claws are the signature dish (the

Taquiza

$mexican

When Steve Santana launched his humble taco stall in 2014, he probably didn’t imagine just how popular it would get. The web developer-turned-chef was one of the first in the city to nixtamalize, grind, press and griddle his tortillas in-house, and now look—the breezy location in North Beach is central command for a recognized brand that sources corn from small farms in the Midwest and supplies restaurants across the city. Signature blue corn tortillas wrap around a host of fillings, like melting lengua or fried mahi, all garnished with radish, onion and served with sharp salsas (ask for the c

Torno Subito Miami

$$$$Italian, Contemporary

The name translates from Italian to "I'll be right back," and return in short order this restaurant has; having relocated to the Design District. Chef Massimo Bottura's Torno Subito can be found in a stunning space, housed in The Moore, and hotel and private club. Warm and vibrant, it's flooded with natural light and punctuated by pops of color. Playful design aside, this is a serious kitchen that honors Chef Bottura's signature vision for modern Italian cuisine. While the tortellini drawn from his childhood favorite is on offer, swing for one of the dishes with a local twist, such as the caci

Sushi Yasu Tanaka

$$Japanese, Sushi

Advanced bookings, high price tags and dinner-only appear to be the usual foundations for sushiyas these days. Thank goodness then for Chef Yasu Tanaka, who brings his celebrated skills to this casual corner inside the MIA Market in the heart of the Design District. Nigiri is the sole focus of his carte, offered in multiple sets, made with top-quality fish flown in several times a week and adorned with clever garnishes. Exquisite bites, such as a chopped toro with pickled radish hand roll, arrive in a flash so that speedy diners can be out the door in under 20 minutes.There is no ceremony or s

Walrus Rodeo

$$$American, Italian

With no proper stove or gas oven on site, the team behind Boia De in Buena Vista brings wood-fire cooking to this rambunctious corner spot just a few doors down. And in an unexpected turn, it’s vegetables, not meat, that seem to get top billing on this finely honed menu. Carrot tartare with carrot top salsa or schmaltz-roasted maitake mushrooms with heirloom beans exemplify delicious sophistication. Even the lamb ragù lasagna is a light-hearted, garden marvel: The pasta sheets are made from mustard greens. There is, of course, some meat, as well as pizza, but it's the charred quail which recal

Hiyakawa Miami

$$$Japanese, Sushi

Is there a dining room cooler than Hiyakawa Miami? Probably not. Modern art hangs throughout the space that is art itself, with the counter and tables under an arch of backlit, undulating wood slats. This intimate stage glows at the bottom of an apartment building in trendy Wynwood.Top-quality seafood flown in from Japan and beyond meets creative flourishes like cured egg yolk and Okinawa salt. A multicourse omakase is available at the counter and in the dining room, and the a la carte offers a range of items in addition to nigiri, sashimi, and maki. Don't sleep on the Sakana Kara Age, or frie

ViceVersa

$$$Pizza

Outside it may be sunny and bright, but step inside ViceVersa, just off the lobby in the Elser Hotel, and it's a different mood entirely. Dark wood and rich green walls enhanced with pops of color from framed art lend a sultry moodiness to a room that's buzzing with activity. Most are here for the crispy, thin Neapolitan-style pizza, which is a focus of the tightly edited menu, but raw bar selections like royal red shrimp with a punchy cherry bomb relish and a smattering of appetizers (think salads and meatballs) with a bold Italian-minded approach are equally worthy of attention. All good thi

Niu Kitchen

$$$Spanish

If anybody is going to blast Snoop Dogg over the speakers, it might as well be this restaurant in downtown Miami. With glossy concrete floors, a dark, dim interior and a handful of come-as-you-are servers, it's an effortlessly cool spot. The cooking speaks volumes, designed for groups and based around Spanish tapas. Follow the hype and start with the much-talked-about charbroiled oyster, branded tableside with a hot coal and paired with ponzu and rice vinegar-mayo. Branzino tartare with white garlic cold soup, hearty paellas and other seafood-forward dishes showcase big flavors and quality pro

Zak The Baker

$Bakery, American

Look for the color-splashed facade to find this all-day operation which is the brainchild of baker Zak Stern. He grew up in Miami, then apprenticed at a number of organic farms in Sweden, France and Israel before returning to his hometown to fulfill his culinary dreams. The crux of his kosher menu is baked, as in breads and pastries, along with sandwiches, soups and salads. The likes of avocado toast, a frittata sandwich and crispy local fish on brioche sate the legion of ravenous fans who descend upon this Wynwood favorite. Save room for something sweet, say the seasonal concha.

Azabu Miami Beach

$$$$Japanese, Sushi

Sushi

Ossobuco Miami - Steak house

$$$Contemporary, Steakhouse

Steakhouse