It may look and sound more like a self-deprecating sports bar than a raw bar. But go to the half-price oyster happy hour — actually, more like three hours, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. — every Tuesday through Friday, when a dozen on the half shell are only $18. Varieties range from Little Skookum to Cranberry Creek to Pink Moon, or you can try them chargrilled, roasted with Andouille sausage or chili butter, or turned into ceviche. Don't worry. From shrimp to conch to lobster, Gringo's offers plenty of freshly chilled (or grilled) seafood. And thanks to its new patio misters, you won't feel like you're dining in a sidewalk sauna.

For decades, Sonia's has been a tropical oasis right where the world needs it most: on a canal in suburban West Miami-Dade where the traffic is gridlocked and the Everglades loom a few miles away. See, when you're on the beach, you're already in paradise. It's easy. Not so when you're way out on SW Eighth Street. But when you step past the signs offering Presidente beer, hear the salsa music blaring, and see your plastic throne nestled under a palm tree offering just the right amount of shade, all the concerns of the world fall away. Start with hot, crisp cod fritters ($8.99) before moving on to a whole fried fish with congri and tostones. Order another beer. On your way out, you might be tempted to pause at the fish market to pick up some Gulf shrimp, mullet roe (when it's in season), or hog snapper to take a little of this paradise home with you.

More than 30 years have passed since Diego Maradona's infamous "Hand of God" ignited Argentina's 2-1 victory over England in the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup. To this day, soccer, er futból fans remain incensed at how the brash Argentinean cheated to secure the wine. The five-foot, five-inch footballer's mug graces the walls of this Little Haiti hideaway that celebrates meat like no other place in town. The dishes brothers Maximiliano and Cristian Alvarez are putting out could make you forgive even Maradona's sins. Creamy, roasted sweetbreads are veneered with a gorgeous, smoky crust highlighted by a fragrant leek chimichurri ($9). A trio of house-made sausages ($12) become the new standard by which you will judge all sausages. The way they keep a steak Milanese ($15) so tender and juicy inside with such a shatteringly crisp crust defies all logic. Of course the churrasco ($25) and bife de chorizo ($25) are perfectly seasoned and seared, and large enough to satiate even the most aggressive carnivore. Wash it all down with a bottle (or two) of malbec.

This category has taken on a more urgent meaning in 2020, and our pick is one of its newest exemplars. Wave is less of a restaurant and more of a staycation. Swaying palms and the soft kiss of sea air greet you as you work your way to your spot. Choose a table or lounge on a comfortable sofa — let your mood be your guide. The menu, self-described as sea-to-table, features a raw bar — and much more. The mezze platter is great for sharing, a generous display of labneh, white-bean hummus, roasted pepper muhammara, vegetables, and lavash, served on a board ($35). Order a frosé ($16) and thank your lucky stars that you're in Miami Beach. Open Friday through Sunday.

Considering that Miami is a city known for its beautiful beaches and crystal-blue oceans, there aren't as many waterfront restaurants as one might think. That's what makes Lido Bayside Grill at the Standard Hotel so unique. Perched along Biscayne Bay, it's situated on the water, but it's also located behind the posh hotel's tropical oasis on the Venetian Islands. The perfect place to bring visitors, Lido has the perks of being on South Beach with a more remote island vibe. The Japanese izakaya-style menu has a fresh take, and the healthy juice drinks and ice cold frosés are always flowing. Whether you show up to take in a sensational sunset or simply to enjoy the salty sea breeze, this slice of heaven has everything you could want when dining by the water.

As the city by the river has grown and changed, Kevin Cory's move from Sunny Isles Beach to Brickell Key some years ago has been a boon to the neighborhood and his compact omakase spot continues to thrive even as other places pour in and out. Seasonal seafood like whelk, a whole universe of snapper, and even sea cucumber, is regularly flown in from Japan. Each meal (priced at $250 per person, plus service charge and sales tax) commences with a perfectly crafted bento box that includes rice, raw sliced fish, and a smattering of lightly seasoned local vegetables, then launches into an omakase progression the likes of which are rarely seen in these parts. Cory began his training at the age of 19 and for more than a decade has been Miami's greatest, and quietest one-man show. Pay attention to everything here, even the soy sauce. The heady stuff hails from the Cory family's nearly-200-year-old brewery in the tiny town of Oono on the shores of the Sea of Japan. If you want to see what leaving no detail overlooked truly means, look no further.

Long before Coconut Grove looked north toward Brickell's skyline while also grumbling about its own concrete-and-glass spires, the Mazzawi family began offering the neighborhood a delightful array of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean fare as well as a place to purchase all sorts of sundries from the part of the world that stretches from the Greek Islands past the Arabian Peninsula. Take a peek in the refrigerators that line the back wall of the space for seasonal specialties like green almonds while you wait for a falafel platter with fritters that balance emerald-green interiors fragrant with parsley and sumac with a crisp shell and a fluffy interior. Then there are the sweets — oh, the glorious sweets. Choose from four kinds of baklava ($1.50 to $1.75), cashew-filled mini roses (75 cents), the rosewater- and syrup-soaked semolina cake called namoura ($1.50), and more than a dozen other kinds of treats that will make you forget about the high price of cupcakes and macarons.

The masses flock to this quaint industrial spot just north of Miracle Mile for pastry wizard Antonio Bachour's bon bons, petits gateaux, entremets, macarons, and viennoiserie. Take one look and it's obvious why. They're perfection in sugar, so flawless it feels criminal to jab a fork through any one of the precious treats lit like jewels inside their glass classes. Match them with the savory dishes produced by the kitchen overseen by Herbert Schulz and Clark Bowen, and you're cocooned in elegance and well-executed comfort. The chefs at Bachour eschew the frou-frou, preferring to perfect the plates you know and love, the ones you turn to in times of joy and sadness, and to turn them into the best versions of themselves. You will never again look at Cuban sandwich the same way after you chomp through Bachour's iteration with prosciutto cotto, porchetta, turkey breast, pickles, Swiss cheese, and yellow mustard ($17). That pasta you boil for the family on Wednesday night will make you pine for Bachour's orecchiette bolognese with ricotta and breadcrumbs ($22). Do not be sad, just place your order. Note: Bachour recently opened an outpost in Downtown Doral.

Top Chef vets Janine Booth and Jeff McInnis, the married duo behind Stiltsville Fish Bar and the southern comfort-food spot Root & Bone, have brought Miami yet another eatery. Mi'talia offers a family-friendly atmosphere that transports you to Italy's countryside. The menu is a compilation of fresh Italian flavors, emphasizing small plates, wood-fired pizzas, pastas, and shareable entrées. Stone-oven lasagna ($19) and veal Parmesan ($32) are classic preparations made with house-made, forever-simmered tomato sauce and fresh pasta. But no visit to Mi'talia is complete without ordering the sunflower pizza, whose toppings of cherry tomatoes, yellow squash, lemon zest, mint-and-pistachio pesto, ricotta, and sunflower seeds are arranged in the form of — well, order it and see for yourself. An early-in-the-week visit will net you daily deals like half-price bottles of wine (Monday), pizza night (Tuesday), and $12 pasta dishes every Wednesday.

When the pandemic descended over Miami in March, Deme Lomas and Karina Iglesias smartly — if out of necessity — combined their two downtown Miami spots into one space that offers the best of Spain, the delicious and inventive creations that spring out of Lomas' head and kitchen, and a list of natural wines to shepherd your palate through a fermented wonderland. So sit, enjoy a few pours, polish off a cold tomato soup ($13); some foie gras with honey bread, apple textures, raspberries, and almond powder ($19); and try to forget — if only for a moment — the insanity held at bay by those glass doors. P.S.: Buy a round of beers for the kitchen for $5. Never a bad investment.