Restaurants >>

• BEST NEW RESTAURANT
  Nobu - Shore Club Hotel
  C'mon, an overpriced sushi joint? We only have about a hundred of those, so why reward a new one? Well, friends, try out Nobuyuki Matsuhisa's dishes and then come back and tell us it wasn't worth every penny. So what if some whine about the décor. People! Style over substance has been... More >>
• BEST HAPPY HOUR
  Houston's
  No, it's not really about the drinks. You've had those before. And it's not really about the décor, which is clean and fine but not spectacular. It's also not about the specials, because there aren't really official hours for happiness here. It's about the only reason people seek out... More >>
• BEST JAMAICAN RESTAURANT
  Clive's Café
  This is truly the hole-in-the-wall that has it all. Almost indistinguishable from the other storefronts along this part of North Miami Avenue, Clive's makes its mark at the cozy counter set up with great Jamaican favorites like curry goat, oxtail, and cowfoot. With ample food packed on a... More >>
• BEST DIM SUM
  Kon Chau
  Translated, dim sum means "touch the heart," meaning this is food that aims to please, by providing a great grab bag of variety; there's a little something for everyone seeking small bites of big flavors. And though this is not the only excellent dim sum establishment in town (or even on the... More >>
• BEST UNKNOWN RESTAURANT
  Little Havana
  It seems odd that a restaurant with three locations (Hialeah and Deerfield Beach as well) and a name like Little Havana can be "unknown," but this Cuban specialty joint in North Miami easily gets lost amid the clutter of shops, banks, and condos on Biscayne's commercial strip. Once you find it,... More >>
• BEST BRAZILIAN RESTAURANT
  Picanha's Grille
  So much has been said about this North Miami eatery and its scrumptious menu of gastronomic delights (including what we said in "Best of Miami" last year, when it also took this award). It has done justice to the former home of Mark's Place, Mark Militello's nationally recognized shrine to New... More >>
• BEST ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT LUNCH BUFFET
  Every weekday at 11:30 a.m. manager Tom Dalgan throws open the doors on a sumptuous lunchtime feast: daily carving, chicken, fish, 22-item salad bar, and an academic ambiance that may nourish you with ideas as well as food. All this until 1:30 p.m. for a fixed price of $9.75. Drinks and desserts... More >>
• BEST CHAIN RESTAURANT
  On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina
  Granted the waitstaff isn't wearing sombreros and the music blaring on the sound system is an odd mix of merengue, salsa, and upbeat rock en español. But the requisite cowboy memorabilia clinging to the walls, plus the basket of freshly made chips, tart salsa, and giant margaritas on the table,... More >>
• BEST BUDGET RESTAURANT
  International House of Pancakes
  Franchise-food dining doesn't have the Epicurean seal of approval around here, but once in a while you find an exception. On Friday nights, for example, Robert, the Deep South short-order cook at this mid-Beach branch attached to a Howard Johnson's hotel, will cook you up two golden-red... More >>
• BEST RESTAURANT FOR GLUTTONS
  Emerald Coast Chinese Gourmet Buffet
  Something for everyone and plenty of it. That's why you'll often find a line of patrons waiting for a table during peak hours. We're talking chilled snow-crab legs, shrimp, and mussels. Eel, salmon, and California sushi rolls. Barbecued ribs, sweet-and-sour chicken, egg rolls, dumplings,... More >>
• BEST CUBAN RESTAURANT
  Casa Romeu
  Chefs of all stripes like to say that with regard to cuisine, quality is in the details. For the Cuban gourmet one measuring stick for refined gastronomy is to be found in the mariquitas (curly, long, plantain chips). Casa Romeu's are el maximo: soft and fluffy, not crispy and burned like at... More >>
• BEST HOMESTYLE CUBAN RESTAURANT
  El Nuevo Siglo Supermarket lunch counter
  Yes, Nuevo Siglo is "decrepit-looking," as noted in the New York Times. In fact it looks pretty much as decrepit as most of Havana, Cuba. Sitting at the counter on a balmy winter afternoon, a coffee-scented breeze wafting in from the window open to the cacophony of Calle Ocho, you feel a little... More >>
• BEST STEAKHOUSE
  Graziano's Parrilla Argentina
  Proprietors of so-called American steakhouses take note: We're just a wee bit tired of the strip-sirloin-and-creamed-spinach routine. That's why we've turned to the products of the asador, the grill room located between the double dining rooms at Graziano's. Like American steak places,... More >>
• BEST RESTAURANT FOR INTIMATE CONVERSATION
  Shula's Steak House

  Alexander Hotel

  Many people aren't even aware of the place, which isn't so surprising. This stretch of Collins Avenue, dominated by high-rise condo buildings, hardly seems a likely locale for a classy restaurant. But here is Shula's, tucked away near the back of the Alexander, far from the bustling crowds, the... More >>
• BEST WINE SELECTION IN A RESTAURANT
  Brasserie Les Halles
  True to its origins, this Parisian bistro stocks a healthy number of red wines to counteract all those high-fat cheese and meat offerings. But the so-called French Paradox isn't what Brasserie Les Halles is all about. Indeed the eatery, which highlights different regions of France such as the... More >>
• BEST CARIBBEAN RESTAURANT
  Ortanique on the Mile
  When they had their place called Norma's on Miami Beach, partners Delius Shirley and executive chef Cindy Hutson built a reputation as masters of Jamaican cuisine, in part because Delius's mom Norma was their mentor, and the tiny kitchen in the Lincoln Road eatery limited the number of... More >>
• BEST COFFEEHOUSE
  5061 Eaterie & Deli
  We hereby present this new eatery with the ABS Award -- that being Anything But Starbucks. In this coffeehouse-blighted town any signs of new life must be encouraged. So go past the deli counter and up the stairs studded with circles of light. At the top you'll find the bookstore area, featuring... More >>
• BEST CORKAGE FEE (1 Comment)
  Su-Shin
  We dare you to call up a restaurant at random and ask how much they'd charge you for bringing in your own bottle of wine. We guarantee you'll be quoted a price of no less than ten dollars and probably at least twenty, all for the hard work the waiter has to do to uncork and pour your chosen... More >>
• BEST DINER
  Jimmy's East-Side Diner
  It's got the casual, been-there-forever feel of a neighborhood hangout. The green-and-brown color scheme is oddly appealing, and the place looks bright and friendly. Diner ambiance minus the dinginess. No need to settle for a table and chairs -- it's all booths. And breakfast, naturally, is... More >>
• BEST SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
  Fico Key West Seafood
  Once you've tried Fico nothing else is as rico. Even if you're one of those purists who used to have to put up with the total lack of seating at the original location on Flagler, it's worth it! (The patience of so many loyal customers, eating while standing up at those narrow counters, has been... More >>
• BEST RESTAURANT FOR A POWER LUNCH
  Rusty Pelican
  You're a high-dollar lawyer in a city that breeds them and business is good. Then one day, that risky, somewhat shady Latin-American venture you got your biggest client to invest in goes rotten -- bloody coup rotten. He's angry and he's outside your office right now. Your mind is blank, your... More >>
• BEST WATERFRONT RESTAURANT YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF
  The Commons
  How about a dockside patio with an unobstructed view of both the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay? How about a Thursday- and Friday-night happy hour with the stars above, a fresh breeze, and sixteen-ounce glasses of Bass & Co. Pale Ale on tap? Tucked into a science lab and classroom building at... More >>
• BEST INEXPENSIVE WATERFRONT RESTAURANT WITH A GREAT VIEW
  Pelican on the Pier, Newport Beachside Resort
  Calling the Pelican a restaurant may convey the wrong impression. It's a thatched-roof, open-air, low-cost, shorts-and-sandals throwback to a different era, perched high above the sand on the Newport's fishing pier (known to old-timers as the Sunny Isles pier). The north side offers table... More >>
• BEST HAITIAN RESTAURANT
  Holy Family Restaurant
  This is a humble little spot, a bit down on the heels, but the fresh and plentiful fare makes up for the lack of décor. The star in Holy Family's firmament of classic dishes is its divine pwason gwo sel, a whole fish, usually snapper, prepared and fried in a traditional Haitian style.... More >>
• BEST PUERTO RICAN RESTAURANT
  Benny's appetizer list is like a dim sum of Caribbean cuisine. Bacalaitos (flat cod fritters), alcapurria de masa (ground beef in fried plantain dough), tostones rellenos (fried plantains sliced and stuffed with your choice of shrimp, lobster, or squid), and the list goes on. You may not want... More >>
• BEST NATURAL FOOD/VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT
  The Honey Tree
  Gleaming white, spongy, and about as tasty as a giant sugar-free marshmallow, tofu isn't exactly the most appealing ingredient. But place it in the capable hands of the chefs at the Honey Tree and tofu is transformed into something entirely different: It's eminently edible. Grilled tofu in... More >>
• BEST JAPANESE RESTAURANT
  Matsuri
  South Beach is known as sushi central, and it is arguably true that a greater concentration of very good Japanese restaurants can be found on any square mile of Beach than anywhere in the U.S.A. Still, visiting Japanese chefs, local Asian foodies, and others in the know head west to this small... More >>
• BEST RESTAURANT IN COCONUT GROVE
  Paulo Luigi's
  A Grove favorite for years, Paulo Luigi's is a testament to the importance of consistent quality. Serving up outstanding Italian cuisine in hearty portions, the restaurant delivers the best traditional dishes, such as a decadent chicken marsala, while spicing up more modern fare with selections... More >>
• BEST RESTAURANT IN SOUTH BEACH
  Nobu

  Shore Club Hotel

  In terms of franchising, chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa is hardly the Hard Rock Café, but a dozen restaurants worldwide is at least a mini-empire -- and that loss of control when the head honcho isn't in the kitchen most often means the loss of high standards. But both the food and the service... More >>
• BEST RESTAURANT IN CORAL GABLES
  Norman's
  Surprise! (Not.) It's him, for the umpteenth time. In fact this year we considered permanently renaming this award "Best Restaurant in Coral Gables Except for Norman's," to be fair to some of the Gables' other eateries, several of which could top Best lists in any town where Norman Van Aken... More >>
• BEST INDIAN RESTAURANT
  Imlee
  Imlee is a most welcome addition to a somewhat inconsistent local Indian-restaurant scene. In fact this pleasant newcomer (less than two years old) definitely raises the standard for all Indian restaurants in South Florida. Lovers of the subcontinent's magnificent cuisine (even if, like most of... More >>
• BEST BAR FOOD
  Scully's Tavern
  There are plenty of things to like about this down-home place aside from the food. The décor is appealing. Lots of old polished wood and other casually classy touches that project warmth, an antidote to the velvet-rope pretensions of South Beach. The weekend live rock music is much more... More >>
• BEST INNOVATIVE MENU
  Las Culebrinas
  So Cuban and Spanish cultures have had a love-hate relationship throughout the centuries, but their culinary traditions at least come together at Las Culebrinas, where an extensive menu features specialties from both sides of the Atlantic. This presents a bit of a dilemma: Do you opt for the... More >>
• BEST OUTDOOR DINING
  Smith & Wollensky
  You'd think that in South Florida the contenders for this award would be many and formidable. Sorry. You'd also think waterfront dining would be at least as common as overpriced sushi. Sorry again. And while there are a few nice places to eat outdoors on the street or the water (river and... More >>
• BEST NICARAGUAN RESTAURANT
  Yambo
  Okay, so they already have a couple "Best of Miami" plaques hanging around. They'll just have to put up another one because there's nothing else quite like this place. Twenty-four hours a day you can soak up Nicaraguan ambiance and cuisine, and so much more, at Yambo. It's kind of like a Central... More >>
• BEST THAI RESTAURANT
  Red Thai Room
  Unlike local patrons who vow undying devotion, we've never been huge fans of the original Red Thai Room in Hollywood. Not that we dislike it, but mostly we walk away merely satisfied and color-blinded by the vibrantly scarlet walls. Not so at this tropically designed sister location where no one... More >>
• BEST GREASY SPOON
  Donut Gallery Restaurant
  Tucked away in the corner of a secluded strip mall on Key Biscayne, this 30-year-old neighborhood hangout is short on elbow room, long on history, and steeped in cholesterol. Think we're exaggerating? The house special consists of ham, bacon, eggs, and cheese on a buttered English muffin. Next... More >>
• BEST SUNDAY BRUNCH
  Brasserie Les Halles
  Among the leisure class in 1789 France, heads rolled. Among the leisure class in 2002 Miami, the rolls get passed -- around a table. Quite appropriately French bread is served during Les Halles' Revolutionary Brunch, which carries the economical price of $17.89, in tribute to the year French... More >>
• BEST EXPENSIVE ITALIAN RESTAURANT
  Il Tulipano
  The key to being a fine Italian eatery is to effectively deliver high-end cuisine without losing the rustic charm and culture of the Italian countryside. Though some may argue Il Tulipano lost much of its charisma after moving from North Miami to its new digs in the Grove, the same cannot be... More >>
• BEST INEXPENSIVE ITALIAN RESTAURANT
  Bruschetta & Co.
  This outstanding eatery just beyond the Doral Country Club delivers a cuisine one would expect in one of those hard-to-find, five-table family restaurants. With a head chef, Iggy, able to cite Milan as one of his training stops, you know you're getting the real deal and plenty of it. From... More >>
• BEST LATE-NIGHT DINING
  Versailles
  The performance ran late, you got to talking, but still you're really hungry. Miami, unlike Miami Beach, isn't chock-a-block full of kitchens open past 10:00 p.m., so where to head? Of course, how could you forget! But better hurry over to Versailles before it gets too crowded. In fact lines... More >>
• BEST BAHAMIAN RESTAURANT
  The Bahamian Pot Restaurant
  A lot of people just can't eat breakfast anywhere else, especially if they're Caribbean-born. The fried, boiled, or stewed fish plus grits and johnnycake are too good. (The typical eggs, bacon, and grits special for $3.50 is no slouch either.) But the real reason everyone comes here is they get... More >>
• BEST DESSERTS
  Touch
  On the menu at Touch, desserts are graced with the definitive title "finishing touches." As if sweets are only to be enjoyed at the end of a meal. Well, at the risk of sounding like a sugar addict, we recommend the sinful selections created by pastry chef Dominique Pereira, a native of Lyon,... More >>
• BEST MEXICAN RESTAURANT
  Burritos Grill Café
  South Florida's Mexican restaurants are known for their extensive menus, kitschy décor, mariachi bands, and spicy salsa. Well, this one's only got the last to its name. The décor is bare bones and in truth not altogether comfy, with bar stools and a couple of tables comprising the... More >>
• BEST FINE DINING TO DO TAKE-OUT
  Shoji Sushi
  While this eatery's name seems to suggest something far simpler than fine dining, things are not always what they seem. Shoji's stuff is not standard sushi but rather neo-Japanese/New World fusion food -- and very fine indeed. Instead of the standard sushi-bar faux-crab sunomono, for instance,... More >>
• BEST CHINESE RESTAURANT
  Macau
  While Miami has plenty of Chinese/American chop suey joints, as well as one-step-up places serving honey-garlic chicken that's less old-fashioned gloppy but no less Americanized, our town has few eateries that offer authentic Chinese food. This very nongentrified but very welcoming little spot,... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO DINE ALONE
  Soyka
  You remember the scene in Steve Martin's movie The Lonely Guy, when he goes to a restaurant to dine alone. He says to the maitre d': "I'd like a table for one," to which the man loudly replies, "A table for one?" The entire place goes quiet. A spotlight is directed on the lonely guy as he's... More >>
• BEST GREEK RESTAURANT
  Mylos
  Over the years this friendly restaurant in the Chateaubleau Hotel has been cited in this edition several times, and for good reason. The food is tasty, the service is attentive, and the extended-family proprietors -- from Greece via Montreal -- are serious about the restaurant business. They... More >>
• BEST SPANISH RESTAURANT
  Casa Paco
  Spanish-packaged goods greet you at the door. Decorative ceramics line the wall. Have a seat. Order a pitcher of sangria from the friendly waiter. Peruse the menu. It suggests some expensive items: newborn eels from Spain sautéed in olive oil and garlic; roasted baby suckling pig; grilled... More >>
• BEST HAMBURGER STAND
  Rocky's Cheesesteak and Cheeseburgers
  Pity the hamburger. The poor patty has been subjected to more abuse and gratuitous puffery than any dish deserves. A barely edible version is available at any number of fast-food establishments for as little as 99 cents. Or you can shell out twenty bucks for one at the Park Plaza Hotel in New... More >>