Restaurants

The growth of Miami’s culinary scene looks like it’s not slowing, with expansion west to Doral, Kendall, and Little Havana. Multiple eateries recently opened in Doral, including Cooper’s Hawk Restaurant & Winery and Rusty Bucket, both at the new shopping, dining, and entertainment complex CityPlace Doral. Though openings were significant, including the appearance of Madrid’s Tatel in South Beach and Estefan Kitchen in the Design District, closings tugged at local foodies’ heartstrings.

Miami’s food scene is ever-changing. Each month brings a veritable treasure trove of delights to try. March was especially fruitful, with eateries and bars opening that ranged from authentic Neapolitan pizza to a celebrity-studded import from Spain to a new take on the humble paleta. Here are five new Miami spots to try this weekend.

The culinary world has many delights, but the simplest one is arguably the oyster. There might be nothing finer than the taste of a chilled mollusk, followed by a sip of cold wine or champagne. If you’re looking for an excuse to order a dozen, today is National Oyster on the Half Shell Day. Miami is teeming with oyster bars and seafood restaurants, but here are the five best places to get shucked.

When Mignonette Uptown opened in January, seafood fans in Northeast Miami-Dade were in for a culinary treat. The restaurant, a partnership between chef Daniel Serfer and Ryan Roman, replaced the Gourmet Diner, swapping steak frites and burgers for oysters and lobster rolls. Beginning April 1, the restaurant will open its doors for weekend brunch.

Last evening, Johnson & Wales University paid tribute to Miami’s most gifted chefs and restaurant owners at its sixth-annual Zest Awards ceremony. The school created the awards in 2012 to recognize leaders in the local culinary industry, many of whom are Johnson & Wales graduates.

Edible cookie dough, the latest dessert trend to hit the 305, is here. Dough Miami, a family-owned sweets company, makes 100 percent safe-to-eat raw cookie dough garnished with sugary toppings like rainbow sprinkles and chocolate chips. Based in Westchester, a sister-brother duo and their spouses are behind the city’s first business to specialize in the dessert.

Last summer, Poke 305 jumpstarted Miami’s poke trend by opening a shop in downtown. Since then, a batch of other businesses opened too, including Ono Poke in Wynwood and PokeBao in Coral Gables. Now it’s time for expansions, and Poke 305 leads the way.

When Deborah Frazier baked cookies for her nieces and nephews in the 1980s, she didn’t know that simple act of kindness would change her life. Frazier found a new passion in baking and dreamed of having her own store. “I always had my eye on opening up a little cookie shop. I had my eye on that prize.” That dream became a reality when Frazier opened DD’s Gourmet Cookies at the Shops at Sunset Place in South Miami this past February.

For years, Place Invaders has traveled across the U.S. for its roving dinner series.Now, the rogue pop-up is partnering with Phuc Yea to invade Miami for the weekend.

One area that hasn’t stopped growing over the past decade is Brickell. In just the past year, Miami’s financial district has welcomed luxury hotels such as SLS Brickell, East Miami, and the lavish shopping project Brickell City Centre, which is seeing more high-end stores open every day. Now the neighborhood has a new restaurant and lounge, Level One.

In Forte dei Marmi, Italy, the sidewalks are made of marble, and the surrounding Apennine mountains are covered with the white rock. Though a recently opened South Beach restaurant is named for the Tuscan seaside town, its real draw is a softer, serene atmosphere in conjunction with the rustic Italian cuisine of chef Raffaele Mellino and his father Antonio Mellino.

Enrique Iglesias and two of Spain’s most notable athletes — professional tennis player Rafael Nadal and the San Antonio Spurs’ Pau Gasol — were at the newly opened Miami location earlier this week to officially induct the iconic Spanish restaurant into the heart of Miami Beach’s Art Deco District. If it’s authentic Spanish tapas you’re after, Tatel Miami is the place.

Few things are more “Miami” than dining alfresco with unobstructed views of passing and parked megayachts. At the Deck at Island Gardens (888 MacArthur Cswy., Miami), Sundays are reserved for an opulent brunch buffet, which gives way to a swanky sunset party often carrying late into the evening.

Palm Beach County will gain a bit of hipster cred when restaurants located in New York City and Miami’s Wynwood open 123 Datura and Coyo Taco in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach.

If you’re near the Wynwood Yard during breakfasttime, come hungry. The food, drink, and entertainment space now offers morning eats beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Koba Bowls and Yoko Matcha can be found whipping up health-conscious, breakfast-inspired bowls and small bites highlighting fresh fruits, vegetables, and other ingredients.

Shuji Hiyakawa, former executive sushi chef of Kuro at the Hard Rock, is behind Miami’s newest fine-dining Japanese concept, Dashi. Housed inside the River Yacht Club, the restaurant opens Friday, March 24, blending art and taste with aesthetically-designed plates.

For years, procuring a proper Korean bibimbap meant shlepping 45 minutes north to Lauderhill’s Gabose, where the blistering-hot stone bowls come filled with sizzling rice topped with sweet-soy-braised beef, pickles, and raw egg yolk. But in late January, Mijin Lee opened Fuchai Chinese & Korean Kitchen…

This winter, JEY Hospitality — the team behind Rok:Brgr, PizzaCraft, TacoCraft, and Himmarhsee Public House — will add an 11th concept, Proper Sandwich Fine Meat & Provisions, to its growing roster.

Through a partnership with the Magic City’s king of Cuban fare — Versailles — Wolfe created a guava and cheese pastelito doughie, which stuffs the Versailles pastry inside thick sugar cookie dough and then dips it into crisp pastelito flakes. The concoction will be available exclusively on UberEats this Wednesday, March 22, and Thursday, March 23.

Sometime around 10 p.m., the fedora-wearing trumpet player inside the Coral Gables restaurant Son Cubano decides he’s had enough of slow-paced melodies and jumps into some driving salsa. Soon a dozen guayabera- and pantsuit-clad diners are on their feet and shaking their hips. It doesn’t take long before there’s a…

In Naples, Italy, visitors and locals alike flock to Via San Gregorio Armeno for its Old-World craftsmen. The street, better known as Christmas Alley or Nativity Alley, is filled with small shops and stalls, each offering meticulous hand-made nativity and restaurant scenes. The same care goes into ‘O Munaciello’s pizzas. The restaurant, which recently opened at 6425 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami’s MiMo District…

Miami has come into its own when it comes to cleaner eating. With healthy fast-casual restaurants like Grown and Dirt opening and juice bars like Jugofresh expanding into Whole Foods Markets, it’s become increasingly easier for everyone to eat fresh and local.