Miami's Ten Best Brunches in 2017

Twenty seventeen could be the year Miami fell deeply, madly in love with brunch. This year, nearly every restaurant offered a weekend meal complete with seemingly endless rounds of mimosas.

From caviar and champagne to drag queens to a Viet-Cajun mashup of flavors, these are Miami's best brunches of 2017.
1. R House's Sunday Drag Brunch Is Miami's Ultimate Party. With dozens of patios, gardens, piers, and courtyards, many of Miami's favorite brunch spots are outside. But as temperatures continue to soar and rainstorms become more common, noshing on a skillet of baked eggs in the scorching heat or the pouring rain is far from enticing. But what about air conditioning, bottomless bites and booze, and a drag show? R House, the restaurant/gallery in Wynwood, hosts the ultimate brunch party. 2727 NW Second Ave.
Miami; 305-576-0201; rhousewynwood.com.
2. Bird & Bone Debuts Sunday Brunch. Bird & Bone has been serving Southern-inspired breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the Confidante Hotel's charming patio for nearly a year. This summer, the restaurant, formerly Michelle Bernstein's Seagrape space, finished renovations in its dining room, which boasts warm colors and repurposed wood for a rock 'n' roll country-house vibe. 4041 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 305-424-1234; birdandbone.com.
3. Stiltsville Fish Bar Offers Brunch All Weekend. Stiltsville Fish Bar, an upscale seafood shack created by Top Chef alums Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth, has debuted brunch. The à la carte meal, which is offered every Friday through Sunday, highlights an assortment of sweet and savory seafood and Southern-inspired items. 1787 Purdy Ave., Miami Beach; 786-353-0477; stiltsvillefishbar.com.
4. Phuc Yea Redefines Sunday Brunch. It's been years since Phuc Yea debuted as a rogue pop-up, bringing one of the most inventive culinary concepts to the Magic City. Inside the former Moonchine Asian Bistro space, the eatery is now a brick-and-mortar, which opened in September 2016. Specializing in Viet-Cajun cuisine, Phuc (pronounced fook) Yea marries Vietnamese and Cajun flavors popular in Houston and New Orleans, where the cities' large Vietnamese populations melded with traditional Southern and Cajun flavors. 7100 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-602-3710; phucyea.com.
5. Biscayne Bay Brewing's Sunday Brunch Party Offers $10 Unlimited Mimosas. Biscayne Bay Brewing in Doral recently launched Yacht Rock's Sunday Brunch, a weekly party offering build-your-own breakfast burritos, bottomless guava mimosas, a live DJ, and $1 pours of Kapitan’s Kolsch or rosé. Sundays, the brewery swaps its regular small-bites menu for a selection of breakfast items under $10 each. 8000 NW 25th St #500, Doral; 305-381-5718; biscaynebaybrewing.com.
6. Lobster Bar Sea Grille Launches Hearty Three-Course Brunch. In April, Lobster Bar Sea Grille sailed into South Beach with a large location on Washington Avenue in the former China Grill space. This past November, the upscale seafood emporium, which has a sister restaurant in Fort Lauderdale and is one of 13 eateries owned by the Atlanta-based Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, rolled out a Miami Spice-style, three-course brunch menu chock full of hearty entrées. 404 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; 305-377-2675.; buckheadrestaurants.com
7. Lightkeepers in Key Biscayne Launches Bottomless Weekend Brunch. This weekend, Lightkeepers, the swanky waterfront restaurant inside the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, will debut two distinct brunch experiences. With unobstructed views of the Atlantic, brunchgoers can opt for an à la carte meal Saturdays from noon until 4 p.m. or an upscale buffet Sundays from 12:30 to 3 p.m. All menus, crafted by executive chef Raul A. del Pozo, emphasize various seafood caught in South Florida waters. 455 Grand Bay Dr., Key Biscayne; 305-365-4156; ritzcarlton.com.
8. Eating House Offers Wakin-N-Bacon Weekend Brunch. Eating House, Chopped champion Giorgio Rapicavoli's popular Coral Gables restaurant, has given its Sunday brunch a face-lift. The eatery's Wakin-N-Bacon menu now extends to Saturday and Sunday and includes a selection of new plates. "We're always trying to change things up and expand the Eating House concept," Rapicavoli says. "Brunch has been a big draw for us since day one. It only seemed logical to give our guests more opportunity to dig in." 804 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables; 305-448-6524; eatinghousemiami.com.
9. Skip the Meat at Soul Tavern's Plant-Based Sunday Brunch. Soul Tavern, Sunset Harbour's long-awaited vegetarian gastropub, opened this past summer. Locals have embraced Soul's commitment to offering a meat-free and entirely vegetarian menu, as well as serving a bounty of vegan items. "Soul Tavern is a plant-based gastropub with gourmet food, craft cocktails, draft beer, a robust wine list, and an extensive line of proprietary Chinese herbal elixirs to address our modern-day needs," owner Jason Gordon told New Times in July. "The patio and garden oasis are reflective of the importance of nature and the elements, as the concept balances all five elements from the 5,000-year-old system in all of its food menu items." 801 West Ave., Miami Beach; 305-925-0799; soultavern.com.
10. Plomo Tequila & Taco Bar Launches Weekend Mexican Brunch. Plomo, Miracle Mile's first tequila and taco bar that debuted this summer, is now open for brunch Saturday and Sunday. Created by the Atomic Group, known for popular Coral Gables eateries such as Crema Gourmet Espresso Bar and Copper 29, this Mexican-inspired lounge offers bottomless mimosas and sangria paired with a selection of Latin-influenced brunch plates. 230 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables; 305-456-1172; plomotacobar.com.