For years, people have flocked to Miami's Upper Eastside neighborhoods like Miami Shores and Shorecrest to settle down and nest. The only thing missing from these tree-lined streets was a cozy neighborhood restaurant serving delicious food and drinks at reasonable prices. Enter Pinch. Partners John Gallo and Rene Reyes, both Pubbelly Restaurant Group alumni, joined forces to open what they term a "freestyle American eatery." What the heck does that mean? It's a restaurant that serves favorites such as burgers and mussels with just the right panache to make them interesting. A roasted half chicken ($18), served with hyper-local Little River Farm vegetables and mushroom jus, is a rich, flavorful bird, and roasted carrots are given a hit of mint and citrus for brightness ($13). Add a carefully curated local beer list and some good wines, and you've got a neighborhood eatery worth frequenting — even if you have to travel from another neighborhood.

Ever heard of Norman Van Aken or Michael Schwartz? Well, Ariete chef/partner Michael Beltran learned his way around the kitchen from both of those culinary icons. Now he has taken his talents to his own Coconut Grove restaurant. This warmly lit spot is cozy enough for a date, but make no mistake — there's no tweezer food on the menu, only things you want to eat: the juiciest chicken you've ever had, short rib cured pastrami-style ($25), and foie gras. Want to eat light? The chef's dinner-size green salad (price varies) changes daily depending upon what was just foraged from local farms. At Ariete, Beltran makes his mentors proud while walking his own straight line toward Miami's culinary future.

Readers' choice: GreenStreet Cafe

NaiYaRa's cuisine takes inspiration from Thailand's street vendors, who sell everything from skewers to noodles. The food is bright, delicious, and spicy — bold curries are toned down with hits of lime and coconut. The restaurant also serves fresh sushi and crudo flecked with gold flakes. But the main reason NaiYaRa is so damn busy every night is because of its chef/owner, Piyarat Potha Arreeratn, better known as Chef Bee. Like his namesake, Bee buzzes around the room, flying from the kitchen to the front of the house, stopping at table after table to speak with patrons and explain the origins of what they're eating. Thai beef jerky ($15) and Chiang Rai curry ($22) are likely recipes passed down from the chef's family back home. Don't be surprised if he asks to take a selfie with you as if you were a celebrity — to Bee you are. Speaking of celebrities, look around the room, and you're likely to spot famous athletes or chefs — many of whom are already regulars even though NaiYaRa has been open for only six months.

Readers' choice: Joe's Stone Crab

Your meal at Fooq's begins as soon as you enter — the scent of saffron and cinnamon entice and welcome you. The menu is a mix: Italian and American favorites are featured, but go with the Persian dishes that celebrate owner David Foulquier's roots. Persian lamb shank is served with spicy harissa hummus to get you hot, and herbed yogurt is there to cool you down ($46 for two). Or opt for the soul-soothing khoresh of the day. This simmering Persian stew could be made with lamb, chicken, beans, or any combination. It's a universal comfort food made exotic with fragrant herbs. Vegetarians' best bite, however, is an entrée of tahdig — crisp Persian rice "jeweled" with dried fruits, served with seasonal vegetables and pomegranate molasses ($26). Whatever you do, save room for the Persian sundae ($12), made with saffron and rosewater gelato, topped with halvah, dates, and chocolate pearls. It's the Middle Eastern version of an all-American kitchen-sink ice-cream treat — but with elegance and a touch of the exotic.

Readers' choice: Zuma Contemporary Japanese Cuisine

New restaurants sprout across Wynwood almost as fast as the art on its walls change. But as Wynwood flourishes into a mecca for food, drink, and art, it's time to give a shout-out to the restaurant that has continued to mature in the ever-changing and constantly growing district. It's kept its quirky charm and flavorful food consistent since opening more than five years ago. It's easily considered the area's quintessential meeting ground, and that's not because it shares the same name. It blends everything the arts district has become known for in a medium-size courtyard space. Wynwood Kitchen & Bar offers affordable Latin-American tapas-style cuisine, including ropa vieja empanadas, lemon-pepper calamari, roasted beets, shrimp ceviche, and 48-hour crispy pork ($15). It features a large bar space, with more than 40 international beers and a bevy of wine and spirits too. And, most important, it's situated amid a handful of murals, letting diners eat in the center of what makes Wynwood one of the most innovative areas in the nation.

Focaccia is pretty much served as an appetizer at every Italian restaurant and used as bread for sandwiches. Chances are you've had it a thousand times. Only you really haven't had focaccia unless you've been to Riviera. The small restaurant serves authentic focaccia from the Liguria region of Italy. The best way to describe this fiendishly delicious Genovese treat is to liken it to devouring a dreamy, cheesy cloud. This true version is a work of Italian craftwork. The secret? Two thin layers of dough are filled with imported stracchino cheese, which is flown in weekly from Italy. Order it as is ($17), or have it topped with all manner of Italian goodies such as prosciutto, speck, or sliced tomatoes for a nominal added cost. If you find it in your heart to share the focaccia and have room, try one of the half-dozen house-made pastas, such as pansoti al pesto di maggiorana, made with pine nuts, marjoram, and Parmigiano cheese pesto ($17), with a glass of wine. Dig into the steaming bowl of simple yet satisfying pasta as you fantasize about quitting your job and eating your way through Italy until your money or stomach runs out.

Readers' choice: Michael's Genuine Food & Drink

See Marion in the morning for a buttery croissant and a steaming café au lait. Return a few hours later, grab a seat on her sun-soaked patio, and watch the crowds go by as you sip white wine and nibble on a towering platter stuffed with half a lobster and a half-dozen each of oysters, shrimp, clams, and mussels ($59). Then, after the sun sets, find yourself back in the warm embrace of her gilded dining room draped in palm fronds. Dangling amber lamps and bronze cookware provide the backdrop for her pièce de résistance: a rotisserie chicken ($42) made in the kitchen under the watch of Michelin-pedigreed Jean Paul Lourdes. It's a crisp-skinned and juicy-fleshed treasure. Preparation is a lengthy process: Birds are pumped full of a sweet-salty brine and then gently roasted for an hour and a half. The mound of plump marble potatoes resting beneath them bastes in the bird's drippings to become rich and creamy. Finish things off with a scoop of homemade ice cream ($2) from a rotating selection that has included Valrhona chocolate and fresh mango, and spend your final waking hours dreaming about doing it all over again.

There is a French restaurant in Hialeah. Believe it. But just because Sandy Sanchez and Benoit Rablat's La Fresa Francesa Petit Café serves crepes and steak-frites doesn't mean it can't pay homage to the neighborhood. In fact, it does just that with the appropriately named Un Cubano in Paris ($9.75). A pork shoulder is soaked in milk, rubbed with garlic and paprika, and plunged into white wine for four hours. Once the meat is appropriately softened, it's shredded into silken threads and piled along with pickled red onion and creamy Dijon mustard onto a fluffy roll from Los Angeles' La Brea Bakery. Is it pan con lechón? Not really. Nor is it an archetypal French sandwich à la croque-monsieur. It's a beautiful example of the magic that can happen only in "La Ciudad Que Progresa."

South Miami's Station 5 has made a name by serving junk food. Regulars clamor for the short-rib tacos ($12) that are braised in red wine and malta for six hours before being cooked sous vide for another 12. They're topped with a rich gravy and then — wait for it — a smattering of Cheetos. Goofy, yes, but clever. The cheesy snack food adds a fantastic crunch and a tart taste. And Station 5 has sold tens of thousands of this dish. But finger food isn't all this quaint haunt does well. Crisp malanga chips can be loaded with tender smoked shrimp flecked with cilantro and jalapeño ($14). Meanwhile, a slow-cooked pork shoulder ($21) straddles Cuban and Southern sensibilities with black beans steeped with salty ham served alongside rice and wilted kale. All of this excitement draws a crowd. And, unfortunately, that means a wait. Again, the unexpected is a good thing. Now you have some time to slurp down a tumbler full of Boodles gin fortified with smoked honey and ginger ($13). It's perfect for cooling down.

Readers' choice: Chef Adrianne's Vineyard Restaurant & Wine Bar

Corsair, tucked away in Aventura's Turnberry Isle Resort & Golf Club, is Scott Conant's Italian, Mediterranean, and American blend of garden-to-table dining. Menus vary based on the season, but a mix of light and airy with hearty and savory remains constant through heat waves and cold fronts. Dishes range from simple — like white bean soup with rosemary oil; roasted beets with whipped goat cheese; and gnocchi with pomodoro — to more intricate and inventive, like mac 'n' cheese with bacon, short rib, and wild mushroom; braised lamb shank with arugula-mint pesto; and broccoli rabe and sausage with red chili flakes. Be sure to order a side of Tuscan fries, which fuse crisp and fluffy into each golden-brown bite. Though dinner might fall on the pricier side, with dishes averaging about $20, the flavor, along with an atmosphere that's quaint and quiet compared to Conant's Scarpetta in SoBe, is worth the splurge.