Five Champagne Brunches to Welcome 2018

As Miami prepares for the biggest night of the year, start the party early with a boozy Sunday brunch. From Miami Beach to Doral, look for restaurants offering bottomless bubbly and unlimited plates of food. Before donning your New Year's Eve tiara, savor caviar towers, warm popovers, and pours of your favorite libation at one of these five restaurants.
Bazaar Mar. Since James Beard Award-winning restaurateur, author, and chef José Andrés opened Bazaar Mar, a nautical-inspired seafood restaurant, last year in Brickell, the restaurant debuted a Sunday champagne brunch. The meal is replete with buffet-style crudos, tiraditos, ceviches, and oysters, as well as entrées such as smoked salmon tartare, crab Benedict, Nutella pancakes, and egg-white tortillas. For an additional cost, sip bottomless champagne and add a tableside caviar tower. Beginning at 11 a.m. at 1300 S. Miami Ave., Miami; 305-615-5859; sbe.com. Cost is $75 and up per person.
The Biltmore. A Miami icon, the Biltmore is renowned for its famed champagne brunch. The opulent meal boasts a colossal buffet including a carving station, a breakfast table, tapas, salads, caviar, smoked salmon, and shellfish, along with a rotating dessert bar. Bottomless champagne and bellinis, as well as live musical entertainment, round out the feast. Though it's a buffet, fare is constantly replaced, ensuring peak freshness. Because of its extravagance, the Biltmore's Sunday brunch has become a staple for special occasions such as New Year's. Beginning at 10 a.m. at 1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables; 305-913-3189; biltmorehotel.com. Cost is $90 and up per person.
The Setai. The Setai might be Miami Beach's most exclusive (and expensive) property. It's the place where pampered celebrities sip seemingly endless champagne while the paparazzi try to get a glimpse from blocks away through giant lenses. If you want a taste of what it's like to be showered with a bounty of delights, spend the afternoon at the Setai's Sunday jazz brunch. Traditional brunch goodies abound, including freshly baked pastries and an omelet station. Stock up on shrimp, mussels, snow crab claws, and oysters at the raw tower; then head outside to the grill station for steak, chorizo, lamb, and chicken, finished to order. Save room for dessert, including nitrogen ice cream and gold-flecked pastries. Your glass will remain filled with unlimited pours of Louis Roederer champagne, mimosas, and bloody marys as you enjoy live jazz. Beginning at 11 a.m. at 2001 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 855-923-7899; thesetaihotel.com. Cost is $80 and up per person.
BLT Prime. Located inside the Trump National Doral Miami, BLT Prime opened three years ago with meats, fish, and house staples such as tuna tartare and warm popovers. Now the restaurant also serves brunch. The $69 buffet includes unlimited visits to all food stations. For an extra $12, add bottomless mimosas or bloody marys. Keep an eye out for BLT's legendary popovers, along with a selection of à la carte dishes such as chicken and waffles. Beginning at 11:30 a.m. at 4400 NW 87th Ave., Doral; 305-937-2777; e2hospitality.com/blt-prime-miami. Cost is $69 and up per person.
Brimstone Woodfire Grill. Curated by Brimstone's culinary leader, Rick Schwager, the restaurant's brunch menu, which offers seven dishes, is unique to Brimstone's Doral location. Find plates such as Hawaiian pancakes garnished with homemade pineapple and rum compote, macadamia nuts, coconut cream, and a chocolate drizzle ($15); shrimp 'n' grits doused in a light creole cream sauce and corn salsa ($18); and Benedicts, served with either beef tenderloin ($18) or jumbo lump crab ($17) on a toasted English muffin topped with grilled asparagus and hollandaise sauce. Pair the fare with bottomless mimosas ($15) or the signature Brimosa, made with Ommegang Witte Beer and fresh-squeezed orange juice ($7 each). Beginning at 11 a.m. at 8300 NW 36th St., Doral; 786-837-8960; brimstonedoral.com. Cost varies.