Open any international publication and you'll see Miami's growth touted in the news. Long a draw for tourists and transplants in search of sultry days and cosmopolitan nights, the Magic City is the flavor of the month for real estate and crypto investors who flock here for the friendly business climate as well as the sun.
Miami's food scene has reflected our growth, with restaurants springing up courtesy of out-of-towners like Major Food Group (Carbone, Dirty French, Sadelle's) and Richard Caring (Sexy Fish), even as locals continue to thrive: Grove Bay Hospitality Group, Groot Hospitality, and Kush Hospitality have all debuted new ventures in 2022.
We're not the only ones to notice the explosion. This year, the first-ever Michelin Guide to Florida was published, shining a spotlight on the excellence of eateries in Miami, Tampa, and Orlando. In total, 65 Miami-area restaurants were recognized in the inaugural guide.
Though our economy continues to be driven mainly by visitors, our restaurant scene celebrates our uniquely diverse local culture. Whether you're treating yourself to a $10 Cuban sandwich or treating your date to a $500 omakase, it's Miami's singular and tantalizingly elusive flavor that you're after.
And it's in that same "only-in-Miami" spirit that New Times proudly presents "Required Eating 2023," our annual guide to Miami's Top 100 restaurants.
Dig in!
—Laine Doss, Miami New Times food editor
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon
Much like great fashion houses, the great chefs of the world are creating restaurants that keep their legacies alive. Joël Robuchon, one of the greatest chefs of the 20th Century, died in 2018, but his name lives on at this gem of a restaurant in the Design District. Though one would hard-pressed not to call it fine dining, the Bastion Collection (which owns L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon) doesn't see it that way. In every facet, the restaurant is designed to be inviting. Grab a seat at the communal bar that faces directly into the kitchen and order "Le Burger," a foie gras and beef burger that's worth its four-Hamilton price tag. A meal at L'Atelier isn't cheap, but it's not so exorbitantly priced that you need to take out a second mortgage to experience the level of quality that merits two Michelin stars.
($$$$)
151 NE 41st St., Ste. 235, Miami, 33137
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Los Félix
Photo courtesy of Los Felix
Contrary to popular belief, Mexican cuisine is nuanced and soulful. At Los Felix, you'll find no "wet" burritos or loaded nachos. Instead, you'll feast on tamales, pork cheek carnitas, and al pastor tacos made with local produce, meats, and seafood. The restaurant imports heirloom corn from Oaxaca and mills it in-house for tortillas. Pair your meal with a bottle from the impressive selection of natural wines or the similarly inviting list of tequilas. This local tribute to traditional Mexican cuisine didn't escape the critical eye of the Michelin Guide, which awarded the restaurant a coveted star.
($$)
3413 Main Highway, Miami, 33133
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Fox's Lounge
Photo courtesy of Fox's Lounge
For seven decades, Fox's Sherron Inn was Miami's dark bar: a place to drink martinis, canoodle with a secret paramour or forget your troubles with (or without) a buddy. Fox's closed in July 2015, but Lost Boy & Co.'s Chris Hudnall and Randy Alonso have reconstituted the joint as Fox's Lounge. Their loving attention to detail brings instant nostalgia to all who pass through its doors. The martinis are strong, the fried chicken is classic, the bar is as dark and cool as a cave. Walking in, it takes a minute to adjust your eyes to the dimly illuminated palace of cocktails, but there's no adjusting to the precisely crafted drinks, the classic menu, and the friendly banter between you and the new friend you made at the bar. The new Fox's is a welcome and wonderful tribute to old Miami.
6030 S. Dixie Highway, South Miami, 33143
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Lil Greenhouse Grill
Photo by Nicole Gates
Karim Bryant and Nicole Gates own this charming little spot in Overtown that offers modern takes on classic soul-food dishes. Bryant, who oversees the kitchen, has a solid foundation built of stints at Capital Grille, Prime 112, and BLT Prime in Doral. With a background in radio, Gates has the task of spreading the word and making sure customers — from the neighbor on the corner to mega-celebrities Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King — stay happy. But who wouldn’t be happy when served a plate of barbecue smoked wings or a plate of chicken and waffles? Chase it with a selection from Lil Greenhouse Grill’s wine and beer menu — and be sure to save room for banana pudding.
($$)
1300 NW Third Ave., Miami, 33136
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Cafe La Trova
Photo by Adam Delgiudice
Between Cuban cantinero Julio Cabrera’s daiquiris and chef Michelle Bernstein’s fare, there’s something uniquely Miami about Cafe La Trova. Bernstein’s comfort food is all-around tempting. She works to meet the foodie fantasies of her guests, whether they’re in search of elaborate dishes or a traditional tres leches dessert. Cabrera's cantineros take pride in the art of drink making. Here they "throw" daiquiris, tossing the precious liquid from shaker to shaker to create an arch in the air, before spontaneously bursting into a choreographed dance number. But as with all things Magic City, this joint isn’t fueled solely by good food and drink: At any given time of the day, expect guayabera-clad musicians or jazz trumpet players to fill the air with their vibrant tunes, all set against a stage backdropped with the weathered façade of an Old Havana edifice. The Florida Michelin Guide recognized Cafe La Trova for its superior food and drink.
($$)
971 SW Eighth St., Miami, 33130
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Doce Provisions
Photo courtesy of Doce Provisions
Lisetty Llampalla and Justin Sherrer run Doce Provisions, a gastropub that epitomizes Miami in a nutshell: part Cuban, part American. The original restaurant, located in the center of bustling Little Havana, seats only about a dozen or so patrons, who come for this perfect marriage of dishes: Cuban sandwiches and fried chicken, tostones and disco fries, lechón asado buns and shrimp po' boy tacos. The restaurant became so popular that there's now a second location at the Shoma Bazaar food hall in Doral.
($$)
541 SW 12th Ave., Miami, 33130
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Orno
Photo by Christian Santiago Photography
Chef Niven Patel recently opened Orno at the Thesis Hotel in Coral Gables. The stunning dining room is filled with greenery and accented by pale pinks and gold tones. A large, green-tiled wood-burning oven serves as the focal point of the open kitchen, where Patel and executive chef Josh Elliott prepare quality meats and sustainable seafood. For Patel, this is a return to his fine-dining roots — and a way to showcase the vegetables he grows at his farm, Rancho Patel.
($$$)
1350 S. Dixie Highway, Coral Gables, 33146
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Mandolin Aegean Bistro
Teeny tiny Mandolin Aegean Bistro is located in a former 1940s bungalow in the Design District, adorned in blue and white. The quaintness that fills the air is as tangible as the extra-virgin Greek olive oil that fills the vials placed on each table. Mandolin’s straightforward cooking is embodied in a sweet, tender curlicue of grilled octopus misted with the aforementioned Mediterranean lubricant. Even chicken kebab — usually relegated to fodder for timid eaters — is unexpectedly rousing: huge, juicy hunks of grilled white meat kicked up with a quick dip in the dish of tzatziki served alongside. Don’t miss the Greek salad: large ripe wedges of tomato, cucumber, and green peppers mingled with smaller shots of red onion, capers, and Kalamata olives.
($$)
4312 NE Second Ave., Miami, 33137
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Michael's Genuine Food & Drink
Photo courtesy of Genuine Hospitality Group
The Design District’s dining OG — Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink — continues to impress. Restaurateur Michael Schwartz’s strategy can be summed up in six simple words: Serve fresh food, prepared with care. That “genuine” philosophy earned him a James Beard Award back in in 2010. Though he has since assembled a small restaurant empire, Michael’s Genuine remains the purest expression of the chef’s culinary ethos. The menu changes seasonally, but expect classics such as wood oven-roasted octopus, slow-roasted short rib, and plenty of vegetables supplied by local farms. Schwartz's consistent, "genuine" approach won the restaurant a 2022 Michelin Bib Gourmand tag.
($$$)
130 NE 40th St., Miami, 33137
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
R House
This massive restaurant on NW Second Avenue is part art gallery, part restaurant, part entertainment venue. Partners Rocco Carulli and Owen Bale have made this space their own and over the course of a half-dozen years made R House an integral part of Wynwood. The industrial-chic environs serve as a backdrop for the rotating art on the walls and the colorful Latin/Miami-inspired dishes. Carulli, who’s of Italian descent, doesn’t try to compete with Abuela’s cooking. Instead, he takes traditional dishes and makes them his own — by braising coffee-rubbed short rib until it’s as tender as a daisy petal for ropa vieja, for instance. In the spirit of inclusivity, R House offers a number of vegan-friendly dishes, so everyone can have a seat at the table. Weekends bring lively drag brunches that attract an eclectic mix of brides-to-be, couples, and groups of friends.
($$)
2727 NW Second Ave., Miami, 33127
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
La Traila Barbecue
Photo by Andrea Grieco
Formerly a “first come, first served” pop-up, La Traila Barbecue has turned into a Miami success story, serving up some of the Magic City’s finest barbecue. With a recently opened brick-and-mortar location, Austin-born Mel Rodriguez and Miami native/Buffalo Bills wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie have given a Miami spin to Texas-style barbecue with a menu focused on platters and meat sold by the pound, from smoked pulled pork and spareribs to smoked turkey and USDA Prime beef brisket. While burgers and a fried chicken sandwich offer stellar departures from these platter-sized plates, La Traila’s signature dish remains the duo’s famous “Brisket Sundae,” which begins with a base of creamy mac ’n’ cheese that’s layered with sides like baked beans and creamed corn before the final touch: a heap of house-smoked brisket topped with cotija cheese, fresh crema, and house-made barbecue sauce.
($$)
8030 NW 154th St., Miami Lakes, 33016
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Stubborn Seed
Photo by CandaceWest.com
Jeremy Ford — the Florida-born, smooth-scalped winner of the 13th season of Bravo’s reality cooking show, Top Chef, in 2016 — presents gorgeous dishes the likes of which Miami has rarely seen. Though Ford offers an à la carte menu that's ever-changing, the best way to experience Stubborn Seed is through its eight-course chef’s tasting menu, available weeknights before 9 p.m. for $150 per person. The restaurant's excellent fare earned it a Michelin star in 2022.
($$$$)
101 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, 33139
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
La Camaronera Seafood Joint and Fish Market
Courtesy of La Camaronera
Everyone knows La Camaronera Fish Market as the iconic Little Havana seafood spot founded by a family of Cuban fishermen. For more than 40 years, the restaurant’s owners, the Garcia brothers, have been cooking up their famous favorites — including grouper soup, shrimp empanadas, conch fritters, and a fresh fish sandwich — along with dozens of other Cuban-inspired dishes. Most people flock to the dive for the house specialty: camarones fritos, a dish that has been featured on Michelle Bernstein’s PBS show Check, Please! and Guy Fieri’s popular Food Network series Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.
($$)
1952 W. Flagler St., Miami, 33135
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Boia De
Photo by FujifilmGirl
This hip Little Haiti spot run by chefs Luciana Giangrandi and Alex Meyer offers an ever-changing lineup of pastas designed to comfort and enchant. Look for pappardelle alla lepre, unctuous shreds of braised rabbit tangled with wide ribbons of pasta. It’s not all about noodles here, however. Boia De offers plenty of non-pasta delights, including meat and fish dishes and crisp potato skins filled with milky stracciatella cheese, caviar, and a hard-cooked egg. The editors of Florida's first Michelin Guide took note, awarding the restaurant a star.
($$)
5205 NE Second Ave., Miami, 33137
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Le Jardinier
Photo courtesy of Le Jardinier
Located in the Design District, Le Jardinier is the southern outpost of Alain Verzeroli’s first solo restaurant (also called Le Jardinier), which opened in 2019 in a luxury building in midtown Manhattan and quickly earned a Michelin star. For two decades, Verzeroli worked alongside the great Joël Robuchon, helping the French chef assemble menus and a small galaxy of Michelin accolades. On his own after Robuchon’s 2018 passing, Verzeroli runs his restaurant in partnership with the same company that operates L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, which is located a spiral staircase up from Le Jardinier. As its name suggests, Le Jardinier adheres to the increasingly fashionable “eat your vegetables” ethos. Dishes like farro risotto with a parsnip and mushroom ragout are soulful and satisfying enough that meat becomes an option rather than a necessity. That doesn’t mean the menu is stocked with only rabbit food. A bavette steak resting in its own juices and served with roasted artichokes and royal trumpet mushrooms will grab any carnivore’s attention. Verzeroli's pristine Miami outpost earned a Michelin star in the guide's Florida debut.
151 NE 41st St., Miami, 33137
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Bachour Bakery & Restaurant
Photo by Javier Ramirez
Bachour Bakery & Restaurant, the namesake of Puerto Rican pastry chef Antonio Bachour, is an oasis of the Instagram-worthy creations that have made him a national sensation. Glass display cases proffer seductive rows of brightly colored cakes, macarons, croissants, and bonbons to satisfy even the most demanding sweet tooth. This 5,000-square-foot spot, tucked away in Coral Gables on a serene corner of Salzedo Street, offers not only melt-in-your-mouth pastries and desserts, but also workshops for culinary professionals and an all-day à la carte menu of salads, egg-based dishes, tarts, sandwiches, and hearty entrées such as churrasco and grilled salmon that earned the restaurant a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation in 2022.
($$)
2020 Salzedo St., Coral Gables, 33134
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Jaffa
Photo by Salar Abduaziz
Yaniv Cohen, Miami's spice detective, has brought a touch of Israel's bustling and vibrant city of Tel Aviv to Hallandale with Jaffa. The restaurant, decorated with colorful tapestries and Israeli concert posters, matches the colorful plates set down at the dinner table. A deconstructed baba ghanouj in the form of a whole roasted eggplant filled with tahini, chickpeas, and pomegranate seeds, is representative of a meal here — it's a social dish that's meant for sharing with friends over a glass of wine. All the dishes work best with friends or family. The restaurant is especially abuzz during the weekend brunch buffet or on nights when a belly dancer undulates through the small dining room.
701 N. Federal Highway, Suite 101, Hallandale Beach, 33009
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Tran An
Photo courtesy of Tran An
If you’ve got 20 bucks, you can dine like royalty at this tiny, ’70s-inspired eatery. Tran An owner Jon Nguyen’s 18-seat restaurant offers Vietnamese comfort food: a hearty pho, a tangy papaya salad, bánh mì sandwiches, and a chicken-and-rice dish are all satisfying and affordable. The pho’s broth is rich, heaped with slices of chicken or beef, noodles, and vegetables. Vegans can get their comfort too, with a vegetable pho based on a vegan broth. There’s no liquor license, but you’re free to bring your own beer or grab a bottle of wine from the shop next door. Speaking of bottles, don’t leave without a bottle of Nguyen’s Grandma sauce, a Vietnamese fish sauce condiment that perks up everything from salad to eggs.
($$)
215 NE 82nd St., Miami, 33138
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Red Rooster Overtown
Photo courtesy of Red Rooster Overtown
As the decade turned, celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson imported his Harlem Red Rooster to Overtown. Situated on the former site of Clyde Killens’ pool hall, where Black stars from Aretha Franklin to Sam Cooke to Muhammad Ali used to mingle, the restaurant offers dishes that encompass influences from Africa, the Southern U.S., the Caribbean, and beyond, earning a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2022. Red Rooster ups the ante with a weekend brunch, live music, and a beautiful bar; families can check out the Creamery for a cornbread-flavored ice cream cone, while the Pool Hall upstairs has been lovingly re-created as a lounge with a retro vibe.
($$$)
920 NW Second Ave., Miami, 33136
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
World Famous House of Mac
Courtesy of World Famous House of Mac
Derrick “Chef Teach” Turton graduated culinary school in 1998 but got sidelined by his other passion: music. That led to a stint managing Pitbull in the early 2000s. But Turton he never stopped cooking, and when he opened World Famous House of Mac, he discovered his true calling. Here, you will find mac and cheese in its purest form: as a big, heaping dish of gooey, sloppy, heart-stopping cheesy goodness. If you’ve had a crappy day and need the food equivalent of a big hug from Grandma, go with the chicken parm mac ‘n’ cheese, with hunks of breaded fried chicken mixed in. Sure, it’s big and you meant to share, but one bite leads to another and another and it’s gone. Don’t worry. It happens. Just order another. House of Mac is here to comfort, not to judge.
2055 NW Second Ave., Miami, 33127
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Hoja Taqueria
Photo courtesy of Bar Lab
Bar Lab’s Gabe Orta and Elad Zvi might be best known for their innovative cocktails at Broken Shaker, but the duo puts the same care into the tacos they serve at Hoja Taqueria. For Orta and Zvi, it starts with the corn, sourced from family farms and imported from Mexico, then ground and made into fresh tortillas daily. Those tortillas may be filled with carne asada, heritage pork al pastor, or sweet potato, to name a few options. The Miami Beach location has a full liquor license and offers fruit-flavored margaritas and other tequila-based drinks. The mainland location serves beer and agave-based cocktails like micheladas.
3120 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 33140
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Phuc Yea
Photo by CandaceWest.com
Phuc Yea is a grand 110-seater filled with the sounds of ‘90s hip-hop and the scent of Vietnam’s ubiquitous fish sauce. That irresistible combo earned Cesar Zapata and Ani Meinhold's Upper Eastside mainstay a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation in 2022. Try the green papaya salad, in which chilies, garlic, dried shrimp, and Vietnamese coriander are pulverized into a potent paste that’s tossed with toothsome papaya threads, carrots, and sweet cherry tomatoes, then crowned with banana blossom ribbons, shallots, and herbs. PY noodles, tossed with garlic butter, oyster sauce, and Parmesan cheese, are soulful comfort food, as is a pho made with rich broth. On Sundays, indulge in Phuc Yea's spirited brunch.
($$$)
7100 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, 33138
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
La Fresa Francesa
Photo by billwisserphoto.com
Beyond its croquetas and fritas, Hialeah isn’t much lauded for culinary excellence. So you could almost hear the collective gasp when La Fresa Francesa opened near a canal that slices diagonally along the city’s southern edge. But Sandy Sanchez and Benoit Rabiat, the couple behind La Fresa Francesa, say the opportunity to set up shop in Hialeah was too good to pass up. Inside, washed-out farm chairs seem to dance around doily-lined bistro tables to the intoxicating French crooning often reserved for tourists in Montmartre. Enjoy classics like steak frites, a croque madame, and a roasted quail. On Saturdays and Sundays, a brunch menu features creations like bananas flambé French toast on medianoche bread, and soft-baked eggs with truffle butter and cheese.
($$)
59 W. Third St., Hialeah, 33010
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Sexy Fish Miami
Photo courtesy of Sexy Fish Miami
In a city of excess, Sexy Fish manages to be...excessive. This Miami outpost of the London-based flagship of the same racy name is an over-the-top under-the-sea fantasy decorated with millions of dollars' worth of art, including a giant living aquarium wall, pieces by Damien Hirst — even bathroom installations (a lifelike mermaid in the ladies' and Daniel Craig-as-James Bond in the men's). On weekends, there are shows featuring actual mermaids and mermen, and the entire place practically buzzes with energy. With all that going on, you might forget you're in a restaurant. But you are. The fare, like everything else here, is extra: high-end sushi, caviar service, seafood towers, a dessert platter served in a giant clamshell. This is where you take your out-of-town cousin when you want to show them MIAMI in all capital letters. It's also the place for birthdays and other celebrations, as well as for forgetting that most of human existence is humdrum.
1001 S. Miami Ave., Miami, 33130
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
The Anderson
Photo courtesy of the Anderson
The building that houses the Anderson has been a bar for far longer than most of us have been alive. Restaurateur Ken Lyon has given the space new life by revitalizing the beloved Magnum Lounge with jazz nights and a menu of classic dishes like a "square" burger and steak frites. Outside, a lush garden setting is home to El Toro Taco, a taco joint and bar. Taken together, this beloved gem, located on the 79th Street Causeway a block east of Biscayne Boulevard, is part dive bar, part elegant lounge, part garden taco stand: a trio of wonderful things that can only be combined in Miami.
($$)
709 NE 79th St., Miami, 33138
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Captain Jim's Seafood Market & Restaurant
Photo by Michael Campina
La Camaronera’s David Garcia now owns this iconic North Miami seafood joint, which dates back to the 1990s. This heir to Miami seafood royalty kept the menu mostly unchanged, allowing Captain Jim’s to do what it does best: Serve the freshest fish possible. Favorites include stone crab claws and a beautiful take on conch salad with meaty hunks of the mollusk tossed in a spicy tomato marinade and cubed red and green peppers. Fresh yellowtail snapper and hogfish can be ordered grilled, blackened, or fried. Regulars go for the “Captain’s Combo”: the catch of the day served with one side.
($$)
12950 W. Dixie Highway, North Miami, 33161
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Wabi Sabi Miami
Courtesy of Wabi Sabi by Shuji
This blink-and-you’ll-miss-it neighborhood favorite near the Biscayne Boulevard edge of the 79th Street Causeway dispenses wonderfully simple and straightforward sushi and ingredient-based sushi bowls, such as the "Wabi Sabi" (filled with tuna, salmon, crab, tobiko, cucumber, avocado, seaweed, and shiitake mushrooms). The maki, determinedly classic and unfancy, are constructed with great care with the freshest of fixins. Look for daily specials, cooked-fish creations, and, for dessert, six flavors of mochi ice cream (including matcha green tea and salted caramel).
($$)
851 NE 79th St., Miami, 33138
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Josh's Deli
Photo courtesy of Josh's Deli
There are New York delicatessens that don’t go as hard as Josh’s Deli. It’s amazing to see thick cuts of house-cured pastrami gleaming with moisture and capped with ribbons of fat. The Angus brisket is cured for ten days, smoked, and then steamed; it evokes a smoky flavor (with a hint of sweetness) that puts it on a peppery par with great barbecue. The corned beef is that same Angus brisket, cured, braised, and sliced thick and juicy — miles apart from the pallid strips of meat that pass for an original cut nowadays. All sandwiches come on thin-sliced, seed-flecked rye spread with dazzling yellow mustard — make, like everything else, on the premises. All meats and fish are cured and/or smoked in-house. Owner Josh Marcus makes the sour pickles too, alongside wild creations such as the “Jewban,” an unholy Jewish-Cuban alliance made with pastrami, Swiss cheese, pickles, and pork.
($$)
9517 Harding Ave., Surfside, 33154
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Cheeseburger Baby
Photo courtesy of Cheeseburger Baby
Cheeseburger Baby’s current owner, Stephanie Vitori, started as a delivery driver at the restaurant, before taking over almost two decades ago. The little burger joint, located on Washington Avenue in South Beach, gained worldwide fame after Jay-Z and Beyoncé were spotted enjoying a few sandwiches after hours. The restaurant’s motto is simple: Serve great burgers to people into the wee hours of the morning, at reasonable prices. The burgers are fresh off the griddle, the beer is cold, and the service is friendly.
($$)
1505 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, 33139
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Greek Islands Taverna
Photo by Tabatha Mudra
Fort Lauderdale Beach isn’t Corfu by any stretch of the imagination, but this beach-adjacent Greek restaurant does a good job of making hungry patrons feel as if they’ve crossed a temporary bridge to all things Mediterranean. The ownership team of brothers Sam and George Kantzavelos offer the kinds of dishes any tourist, local, or Greek native can appreciate in a casual setting that channels New Jersey diner fare at its finest. As a result, Greek Islands Taverna remains a longtime favorite among the beachgoing crowd thanks to its wide-ranging menu of classic Greek dishes, reasonably priced. Go for classics such as roast leg of lamb, flaming saganaki, chicken shish kebab, and a killer avgolemono (lemon chicken soup).
($$)
3300 N. Ocean Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 33308
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Mignonette
Photo by billwisserphoto.com
With its tan leather banquettes, marble raw bar, and hanging constellations fashioned from copper pipes, this seafood restaurant, located across NE Second Avenue from Miami’s oldest cemetery, is like Old Florida meets New Orleans. A meal at Mignonette should start with a round of oysters (or Alaskan king crab legs, or shrimp cocktail). Move on to a crab cake. The “fancy” redfish comes seared, with a reduction of sautéed shallots, garlic, and piquillo peppers deglazed with brandy, stock, white wine, plus a touch of butter, and haricots verts on the side. The beer is ice-cold, the wine list is refreshingly oyster-friendly.
($$$)
210 NE 18th St., Miami, 33132
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Ariete
Photo by Charlie Garcia
Chef Michael Beltran’s Ariete adds an air of refinement to Coconut Grove not seen since the days when industrialist James Deering caroused its shores. Ariete serves dishes like foie gras with smoked plantains, but there’s something more than fancy amid the elegance offered by Beltran, who trained under chefs Norman Van Aken and Michael Schwartz. The Little Havana native twists bits of Cuba and France into every dish, just the way his grandparents taught him. Beltran's culinary craftsmanship earned Ariete a Michelin star.
($$$)
3540 Main Highway, Coconut Grove, 33133
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Azabu
Photo by CandaceWest.com
Long before every other Miami restaurant was a New York transplant, Tribeca-based Azabu opened an outpost at the Stanton Hotel in Miami Beach. The sleek restaurant, with origins in the Azabu District of Tokyo, offers three areas: a lounge offering more than 40 different whiskies, the main dining room, and a hidden room called "the Den." The main room offers sushi and izakaya items from Azabu's robata grill, while the Den serves an incomparable omakase experience for fewer than a dozen diners per seating. The Den's pristine seafood, flown in from Japan, earned it a Michelin star.
($$)
161 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach, 33139
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Casa Isola Osteria
Photo courtesy of Casa Isola Osteria
When Pubbelly Noodle Bar closed in Miami Beach’s Sunset Harbour neighborhood back in 2019, it left an empty space in the hearts of fans of José Mendín. Fortunately, the chef kept the lease, opening a quaint Italian bistro with longtime business partner Sergio Navarro and former Lucali chef Santo Agnello. The result, Casa Isola Osteria, is a charming spot that serves up red-sauce classics like linguini with white water clams and Agnello’s eight-hour Sunday sauce. The star of the show is a stellar rigatoni alla vodka. The restaurant replicates a tiny village in Italy, so if you’ve been jonesing for some international travel, here’s a chance to get away to Italy — if only for a meal.
1418 20th St., Miami Beach, 33139
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Leku
Photo by Brigitte Schambon
Located within the Rubell Museum, Leku is a beautiful space that invites diners to enjoy the restaurant's Basque fare indoors or in an outdoor garden. The restaurant takes inspiration from the Rubell Collection, right down to the plating of the croquetas. The menu reads like a greatest hits of Spain: Iberico ham, a whole brazino finished in the restaurant's Josper oven, and local Key West gambas al ajillo — all presented in ways that match the artworks that grace the museum's walls.
1100 NW 23rd St., Miami, 33127
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
The Bazaar by José Andrés
The Bazaar at the SLS Hotel on South Beach comes to us thanks to the genius of James Beard Award-winning restaurateur, cookbook author, and Made in Spain TV star José Andrés. The Bazaar’s menu offers adventurous takes on the flavors of the world: Spain, Singapore, and Japan, as well as Miami’s unique Latin American connection. Thus we get exciting plates like Japanese tacos: perfectly grilled eel, shiso, and wasabi, wrapped in slivered cucumber and topped with flakes of crisp chicharrones; and a tribute to master chef Ferran Adrià in olive form. More traditional Spanish tapas, including hams, cheeses, and croquetas, are also available.
($$$)
1701 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 33139
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Arbetter's Hot Dogs
Photo courtesy of Arbetter's Hot Dog
It’s not necessarily the hot dogs themselves that are better at Arbetter’s. Rather, these all-beef or pork-and-beef franks are ideal blank canvases for the three garnish combinations that solidified Arbetter’s reputation when this family-run institution opened more than a half-century ago. The basic onion/relish dog is nicely tangy, and the sauerkraut/mustard dog, loaded with beautifully buttery, cooked-all-day-tender kraut, is even better. Along with the rich and flavorful but not overly hot all-meat chili topping from an old Arbetter family recipe, a garnish of diced raw onion adds that reassuring subliminal message that you’re consuming a healthful greenish vegetable that certainly counteracts the menu’s cholesterol count — so, hey, have another. For a taste of the 305, try a Miami dog, with mustard, onion, cheese, tomato, and potato sticks.
($)
8747 SW 40th St., Miami, 33165
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
NIU Kitchen
Photo by Jose Romero / WordinTown
In 2017, Katrina Iglesias, Adam Hughes, and chef and Barcelona native Deme Lomas opened Arson two doors down from their first venture, Niu Kitchen. The two restaurants have since been combined in order to accommodate more outdoor seating. The centerpiece of Arson is the Josper, a charcoal-burning grill/oven hybrid that influences Lomas' gastronomy. Whiffs of Asia and South America rise off the one-page menu, which includes about 20 dishes. Mainstays include charbroiled oysters, chargrilled prawns, and vegan paella.
($$)
104 NE Second Ave., Miami, 33132
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Luca Osteria
Photo courtesy of Luca Osteria
If you’re on a quest to find the best pasta in Miami, consider Luca Osteria, where Giorgio Rapicavoli channels his Italian heritage in a quaint spot named for his son. Located along the pedestrian-only stretch of Giralda Plaza, the restaurant offers the chef’s indulgent interpretations of classic dishes with the same spirit his beloved Eating House churns out quirky-creative riffs on American favorites. Here, homemade pastas pair with the bar’s selection of house spritzes, while hearty main plates do best with one of several takes on the classic negroni. Pasta is a must-order — be it linguine alle vongole prepared with Florida clams or pappardelle smothered in a nutmeg-spiced short rib ragù. But the antipasti of patate fritte — Rapicavoli’s bite-sized balls of fried potato, served beneath a deluge of creamy parmigiano fonduta flavored with black truffle and topped with a single egg yolk — is a can’t-miss.
116 Giralda Ave., Coral Gables, 33134
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Macchialina
Photo by Liz Clayman
Chef Michael Pirolo spent years traveling and cooking at Michelin-starred temples in Piedmont, Lombardy, Bologna, and Campagne. When he returned to the United States, he linked up with Scott Conant and eventually led the opening of Scarpetta at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach before debuting his own Italian restaurant, Macchialina. Pirolo’s skills are many and precise, his menu focused and deceptively simple: a handful apiece of starters, pastas, and entrées. The flavors, though, are forward, thanks to expert deployment of fresh and fine ingredients, whether in the form of a salumi plate, a salad of heirloom tomatoes and locally made burrata cheese, a tagliatelle al funghi, or a whole braised fish. The wine list is similarly concise (and Italian).
($$$)
820 Alton Rd., Miami Beach, 33139
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Bakan
Photo by Laine Doss
When you spot the decorative cacti out front, you’ll know you’ve arrived at Bakan. This lovely Wynwood restaurant offers traditional Mexican dishes far removed from the taco joints that proliferate throughout Miami. Here you’ll find Oaxacan mole dishes and whole grilled fish. If you’re feeling adventurous, look for the “Los Insectos” section of the menu, where you’ll find gusanos de maguey — pan-fried agave worms served with blue corn tortillas and a side of guacamole; and escamoles, a rare ant caviar sautéed with butter, serrano chilies, and epazote and then wrapped in a blue corn tortilla and topped with a spoonful of guacamole and pickled vegetables. Bakan also offers chapulines (a type of grasshopper native to Mexico and Central America) as a tostada dish. Pair your meal with a selection from Bakan’s list of 200-plus tequilas and mezcals.
($$)
2801 NW Second Ave., Miami, 33127
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Lucali
Photo by billwisserphoto.com
At first sight, Lucali, the Miami outpost of Mark Iacono’s famed Brooklyn flagship, looks like a regular pizza joint. Furnishings are unassuming — mismatched tables and chairs, an open kitchen, a working bench manned by T-shirted pizzaiolos — but by candlelight, everything glows. Men in white shine with sweat as they use empty wine bottles to roll dough. Pizza-makers take their time prepping pies for the wood-burning oven. Crusts eventually emerge thin and blistered, their surfaces puffed by blackened bubbles of golden dough. Melted buffalo mozzarella and shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cocoon smooth tomato sauce (a secret recipe that can be ordered as a side dish). Such attention to detail — and the resulting pies — earned Lucali a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation in 2022.
($$)
1930 Bay Rd., Miami Beach, 33139
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Hiyakawa
Photo by Luis Mora
Alvaro Perez Miranda, the Venezuelan restaurateur and art dealer who also owns Wabi Sabi, has created a sparse yet beautiful dining room for Hiyakawa in Wynwood. The scene feels like walking into a museum exhibit — the ceiling is decorated in curved wooden arches that resemble the unfinished frame of a sailing vessel or a giant whale. Either way, it's a remarkable backdrop for a restaurant that specializes in fish flown in daily from the Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo. The menu offers à la carte items, but order one of the many sushi platters (or the omakase experience) to get the full effect of this palace of sushi.
($$$$)
2700 N. Miami Ave., Miami, 33127
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
La Sandwicherie
Photo courtesy of La Sandwicherie
Since this French-owned eatery began selling sandwiches, salads, smoothies, and shakes in 1988, a crowd has lingered along the lengthy counter at the flagship location that extends up an alley off 14th Street between Washington and Collins Avenues in South Beach. The food is fine, but the funky alfresco charm accounts for a large part of the appeal. La Sandwicherie’s counter workers begin with fresh, crusty French bread, then ply it with the patron’s preference of meat, cheese, or a combination thereof, such as ham, turkey, roast beef, salami, and Swiss cheese, as well as more distinctive, Euro-friendly choices such as Camembert, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, saucisson sec, and pork/duck liver pâté. Next come crisp toppings such as lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, hot pickled red peppers, black olives, red onion, cucumber, and cornichons. Garnishes are followed by a finishing splash of tart Dijon-based French vinaigrette. Voilà! A damn good sandwich. La Sandwicherie has expanded from its original Miami Beach counter to additional locations in North Beach, Brickell, Wynwood, and Coral Gables.
($)
229 14th St., Miami Beach, 33139
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Naoe
Photo courtesy of Naoe
Dinner at chef Kevin Cory’s Naoe at the Courvoisier Centre on Brickell Key is an experience you wouldn’t expect to find outside of Tokyo. The restaurant offers two seatings with a maximum of eight people per, and a chef’s-choice menu that might include silver-skinned ahi tuna or horse mackerel glazed with shoyu and plated with pickled wasabi leaves and flowers and freshly grated wasabi root mixed with horseradish on the side. Salmon wrapped in salted white seaweed; roasted freshwater eel; deep-fried shrimp tamago; rice with shiitake mushrooms and hints of eel — all are meticulously prepared and utterly delicious. If you’re still hungry for more, Cory will prepare nigiri sushi. (Ask for the Scottish salmon belly.) He started his culinary training at age 19 and is one of only a handful of chefs to have earned Forbes’ five-star rating seven years running. Naoe is a reservations-only restaurant and has a policy of no children under 12 allowed. In addition, the restaurant does not substitute, so those with allergies to shellfish, nuts, gluten, etc., should dine elsewhere.
($$$$)
661 Brickell Key Dr., Miami, 33131
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Lung Yai Thai Tapas
Photo by billwisserphoto.com
If you’re not used to the searing heat of Thai spice, ask for Lung Yai Thai Tapas’ lab e-sarn — a chilled ground-pork salad spiked with hefty doses of cumin, chilies, and star anise. It’s one of a number of recipes chef/owner Bas Trisransi revived after learning at his grandfather’s side decades ago. Bas knows that the development of deep, complex flavors can’t be rushed. This is quality Thai food that’s both affordable and casual, and the tapas style will rightly tempt diners to sample everything on the menu. A meal at Lung Yai is a crash course for the palate — and the Michelin Guide took note, awarding the restaurant a Bib Gourmand designation in 2022.
($$)
1731 SW Eighth St., Miami, 33135
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Zak the Baker Bakery
Platonic Studios / Courtesy of Zak the Baker
Zak the Baker in Wynwood isn’t your average coffee shop that hawks a few pastries. Zak Stern, a multiple nominee for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Baker, has found his way into the hearts and bellies of Miamians. If you go to just about any Whole Foods location in South Florida, you’ll find a variety of Stern’s signature loaves, cookies, and other artisan delights, such as chocolate babka. Plus, his mighty wholesale operation provides many local restaurants with the very best bread for their sandwiches. But nothing compares to consuming baked goods directly from their source, which garnered a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation in 2022.
($$)
295 NW 26th St., Miami, 33127
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Itamae
Andrea Lorena
Valerie and Nando Chang, along with their father Fernando, are behind this tiny, no-frills restaurant in the heart of the tony Design District. Itamae marries the precision of Japanese culinary techniques with the bold flavors of Peru, making the dishes bright, flavorful, and supremely interesting. The simple menu offers nigiri, ceviche, a local grilled catch, and tiraditos — all prepared super fresh. The care the Changs put into their 40-seat restaurant has not gone unnoticed: Itamae was a James Beard Award semifinalist and earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand rating in 2022.
($$)
140 NE 39th St., Miami, 33137
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Abbalé Telavivian Kitchen
Photo courtesy of Abbalé Telavivian Kitchen
Abbalé Telavivian Kitchen, a partnership between chef Samuel “Sam” Gorenstein and Omer Horev, founder of Pura Vida Miami, might just be the most charming restaurant in Miami Beach. The eatery, inside a small house complete with a porch lined with flowing plants and cozy cushions, offers a plethora of bright fare. Start with a few salatim, such as baba ghanouj, smashed avocado, roasted beets, or the “holy grail” of black and white tahini with grated tomato and green harissa (all served with fire-baked pita), before moving on to grilled lamb chops, a whole branzino, or baby cauliflower — all oven-baked. Gorenstein drew his inspiration from the cafés of Tel Aviv, a city he says is like Miami in style and climate. Abbalé is intimate, inviting, and altogether an extremely pleasant way to pass the time grazing on shareable plates while sipping a glass of wine (or two).
864 Commerce St., Miami Beach, 33139
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Awash Ethiopian Restaurant
Photo by CandaceWest.com
At Awash, owners Eka and Fouad Wassel want to take you to an authentic Ethiopian-style home kitchen called a gojo bait. Try the doro wot, a rich chicken dish with a depth of flavor similar to the moles of Mexico. The Awash River, from which this restaurant and many other Ethiopian eateries across the nation take their names, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The valley surrounding it was where researchers in 1974 found 52 fossilized bone fragments of the famed early hominid Lucy. Carbon dating put the partial skeleton’s age at more than 3 million years. It’s a fact almost every Ethiopian knows. But it’s also one that brings home the history of this part of the world and the fact that much of human culture was born here. You might be tempted to visit only at night, but be sure to pop in during the daylight hours for a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, the same one that’s repeated up to three times a day in the Horn of Africa. Green coffee beans are pan-roasted, hand-ground, and then slowly brewed over hot coals. The point is to slow you to a stop in order to connect with the coffee and those with whom you’re sharing it.
($$)
19934 NW Second Ave., Miami Gardens, 33169
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Jimmy's Eastside Diner
Photo by Aran S. Graham
Jimmy’s Eastside Diner has the casual, been-there-forever feel of a neighborhood hangout. The green-and-brown color scheme is oddly appealing, and the place looks bright and friendly — diner ambiance minus any dinginess. If Jimmy’s looks familiar, it’s probably because the diner was used as one of the filming locations in Barry Jenkins’ Oscar-winning 2016 film Moonlight. Ready your camera, because you’ll want to take a photo for the ’gram. Seating is all booths, and breakfast is served all day, including monster omelets and refreshing honesty from the waitstaff, as in: “Have the hash browns. The home fries have been sitting all morning.” Philly cheesesteak for Saturday lunch, tuna melts — the fare has all the authentic markings of a classic diner.
($$)
7201 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, 33138
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Jackson Soul Food
Photo by Aran Graham
In 1946, Jessie and Demas Jackson opened Mama’s Cafe in Overtown. The restaurant saw Miami’s historic Black community rise, fall, and rise again. Generations later, the family business had become legendary for its traditional soul food. In addition to Overtown, there’s a Jackson Soul Food outpost in Opa-locka; both locations offer traditional favorites, including fried catfish, smothered wings, oxtail, meatloaf, and ribs. A proper soul-food restaurant is known for its sides, and Jackson delivers — from candied yams to fried okra, collard greens, and macaroni and cheese.
($$)
950 NW Third Ave., Miami, 33136
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Cafe Martorano
Photo courtesy of Cafe Martorano
Steve Martorano is, bar none, Broward County’s most colorful restaurateur. For more than two decades, Cafe Martorano has been turning out Philadelphia-style Italian comfort food with a side of entertainment. Though its old-school menu of Italian classics — such as chicken cacciatore and pappardelle with sausage — are delicious, regulars flock to the restaurant for the people behind the food. No matter the time of day or night, Cafe Martorano attracts a lively mix of locals, snowbirds, and celebrities who come for the cook’s meatball salad and stay for Martorano’s DJ skills.
($$$)
3343 E. Oakland Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 33308
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Kyu
Photo by billwisserphoto.com
A sizable portion of the menu at Kyu in Wynwood is prepared on the restaurant’s wood-fired grill using a combination of Asian and American barbecue techniques. The meat is simply prepared with Japanese sea salt and black shichimi pepper and then smoked for 12 to 14 hours. It arrives divided into thick slices on a flat wood stump with a bevy of accouterments, such as fresh lettuce for wrapping, pickled cucumbers, red onions, and shiso. There are also three miniature beakers containing sweet/sour, spicy/smoky, and light/spicy barbecue sauces. In a reverse twist, Kyu has opened an outpost in New York City's trendy SoHo neighborhood.
($$$)
251 NW 25th St., Miami, 33127
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Versailles Restaurant
Photo by Phillip Pessar via Flickr Creative Commons
Since opening in 1971, Versailles has become a Calle Ocho staple for locals and tourists alike. The 275-seat dining room is illuminated by golden chandeliers and surrounded by lustrous mirrors — a nod to the Hall of Mirrors at its namesake outside Paris. But that’s about the only taste of France you’ll get at this classic Cuban eatery. The extensive menu offers appetizers such as croquetas — the breaded and deep-fried cylinders made from béchamel-bathed fish, chicken, or ham — and lunch items like Cuban sandwiches slathered with mustard and layered with ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, and pickles. A variety of seafood, chicken, pork, and beef entrées are available with traditional Cuban sides such as rice and black beans or fried sweet plantains.
($$)
3555 SW Eighth St., Miami, 33135
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Finka Table & Tap
Photo courtesy of Finka Table & Tap
Siblings Eileen and Jonathan Andrade descend from Miami dining royalty. Their grandparents founded Islas Canarias, the shrine of Cuban comfort food revered for its croquetas. Their parents carried on that tradition. It was on the sage advice of Mom and Dad that Eileen and Jonathan opened Finka Table & Tap — employing a funky spelling of finca, the Spanish word for “farm” — out in the far-western reaches of Miami-Dade. Gastropubs are a dime a dozen on the east side of the county, but Finka has a monopoly out west, and a crowd lines up nightly for the Andrades’ Peruvian-Korean-Cuban fare: Cuban fried rice, Korean fried chicken, and the famed croquetas from the old family recipe, available in ham, chicken, or fish.
($$)
14690 SW 26th St., Miami, 33175
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Casa D'Angelo
Casa D'Angelo photo
Angelo and Denise Elia have run Casa D’Angelo for more than two decades. It’s often the first restaurant locals think of for birthdays or anniversaries, entertaining out-of-town guests, and Friday-night dates — and for good reason. The classic Tuscan menu includes meat and pasta dishes, a long list of specials that changes nightly, and a wonderful cellar of more than 1,500 Italian wines that makes dining here rival a trip to Tuscany. There are two locations: the original in Fort Lauderdale and a second restaurant in Aventura.
($$$)
1201 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, 33304
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Smorgasburg Miami
Photo courtesy of Smorgasburg Miami
Miami has more than its share of food halls, but Smorgasburg is the most interesting, by far. The concept was born in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood (hence the portmanteau) in 2011 and debuted a branch in 2022 in Miami's own Williamsburg: Wynwood. Smorgasburg is part carnival midway, part food hall. What sets it apart is the selection of food. On any given Saturday (the only day Smorgasburg is open), you can start with freshly shucked oysters, scarf down steamed dumplings, chicken heart skewers, hot chicken sandwiches, and a lobster roll the size of a kitten, and top it all off with ice cream. There's something for everyone in your group, from picky kids to vegans to carnivores. Most of the vendors are up-and-coming restaurateurs who are using Smorgasburg as a leg up into the industry. So that ramen you slurp at a picnic table on Saturday might have been made by next year's James Beard nominee.
2600 NW Second Ave., Miami, 33127
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Chayhana Oasis
Photo by billwisserphoto.com
A mural depicting a desert beneath a floating pair of eyes is the only sign that beckons passersby into this Uzbek-style hideaway, accessible only from one side of NE 163rd Street. Chayhana Oasis offers fare not only from Uzbekistan but also the entire central Eurasian region. Translation: You can eat your way around several nations. To keep the proceedings simple and entertaining, the menu contains quirky descriptions of lesser-known dishes. Begin with the doma, tender stuffed Turkish-style grape leaves; continue with shish-kebab of lamb, chicken, beef, or shrimp. For dessert, try gnezdo, fresh meringue topped with diced walnuts. And in standard European fashion, wash it all down with a shot of top-shelf vodka. Go ahead — there’s no shortage of fresh, chewy Uzbek-style bread to soak it up.
($$)
250 Sunny Isles Blvd., Sunny Isles Beach, 33160
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Lokal
Photo courtesy of Kush Hospitality Group
Lokal is a brand with a mission: burgers and beer with a sustainable, healthful bent. This neighborhood haunt sources locally and prides itself on freshness, quality, and staying environmentally responsible — not the mantra of your average burger joint. And in the end, Lokal’s burgers are all the better for it, from the “Miami Heat” (spicy jack, jalapeños, and sriracha) to the doughnut-as-bun “Childhood Dream,” complete with candied bacon. Wash it down with a local beer. Lokal has a small outdoor area that’s perfect for dining with your dog. Fido, by the way, gets his own canine-friendly menu that includes homemade meatloaf and a Kushaccino.
($$)
3190 Commodore Plaza, Miami, 33133
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Red South Beach
Photo courtesy of Red the Steakhouse
Red the Steakhouse serves some of the best USDA Prime, age-certified Angus steaks in all of Miami. Chef Peter Vauthy chooses the finest cuts and bone-in selections, then sears them to perfection. Vauthy puts the same care into the seafood he serves, often posting photos of giant Alaskan king crab or Brittany blue lobsters to entice diners with his rare finds. Of course, a good steakhouse wouldn’t be worth its salt without great sides, and Red’s lobster mac ’n’ cheese is a must. There’s a wonderful wine selection to boot, so you’re sure to find a perfect pairing for your meal.
($$$$)
801 S. Pointe Dr., Miami Beach, 33139
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Off Site
Photo courtesy of Off Site
Taquiza's Steve Santana and beer maven Adam Darnell (formerly of Boxelder) have opened a restaurant that's utterly unpretentious. Off Site has no celebrity name tied to it, no velvet rope, and only one goal: to serve the best comfort food (and beer) in Miami. The sole item on the menu when the place opened in 2021 was a perfectly turned-out fried chicken sandwich made with thigh meat and served on a bun with lettuce and mayo and lettuce — that and the partners' "Super Good" lager. The menu has expanded (slightly) to include burgers, house-made hot dogs, smoked chicken wings, and a smattering of specials. If you live nearby, you're lucky enough to call this Little River gem your neighborhood hangout. It's the perfect place to grab a bite with friends or salve body and soul after a bad day — a fried chicken sandwich and a beer here is the edible equivalent to a hug.
($)
8250 NE Second Ave., Miami, 33138
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Carbone
Photo courtesy of Carbone
Sure, Carbone, the New York-based Italian restaurant from Major Food Group, is a hype beast. The restaurant, which offers red-sauce classics in a buzzy setting, is a nearly impossible reservation. There’s good reason, though: Carbone delivers. Its spicy rigatoni vodka is a perfect example. Presented on a plate hand-painted by nonnas in Southern Italy, the pasta is toothsome, covered in a sauce that delights the senses with a slight tingle of spice and a creamy finish. The entire menu impresses, including a veal parmigiana and a caesar salad that are made tableside. Carbone is pricey, but savvy diners aren’t shy about indulging in the complimentary salumi, cheese, and bread, then sharing a handful of dishes around the table.
($$$)
49 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 33139
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Rusty Pelican
Photo courtesy of Rusty Pelican
Savory seafood and stunning views of Biscayne Bay from every seat in the house (or out): That's what makes the Rusty Pelican, a Key Biscayne landmark just off the Rickenbacker Causeway, a perennial favorite for birthdays, engagements, and graduation dinners. The restaurant offers a lavish Sunday brunch and boasts a glass-cube wine "cellar" that holds more than 300 different vintages; all servers are well versed in the treasures within.
($$$)
3201 Rickenbacker Cswy., Key Biscayne, 33149
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
El Mago de las Fritas
Photo by billwisserphoto.com
Sure, El Mago de las Fritas dispenses diner-like fare from its old-school cafeteria-esque dining room (complete with vinyl booths and Formica countertops). But you’re not here for just any dish. You’re here for the Cuban hamburgers, AKA fritas. From the orange-hued beef chorizo patties to the almost-too-soft Cuban rolls and the topping of handmade potato sticks, El Mago’s frita is one of the best iterations in the Magic City. You can order a basic frita, but seriously consider a double with cheese. Whatever you do, don’t forget to add a fried egg on top. Most of the staff members don’t speak English, but if you’re uncomfortable ordering in Spanish, just point at what you want on the menu.
($)
5828 SW Eighth St., Miami, 33144
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Zitz Sum
Photo by FujifilmGirl
Zitz Sum chef/owner Pablo Zitzmann mashes up Asian, Mexican, Latin American, and Italian influences. The chef, best known in Miami for his now-closed restaurant No Name Chinese, brings together all these flavors in dishes like shrimp har gow with a minced pork ragout and pork potstickers with a Calabrian chili vinaigrette, meriting a Michelin Bib Gourmand mention in 2022. The restaurant’s menu is succinct, allowing Zitzmann to change it up, so if your favorite dumpling isn’t listed, take it as a cue to explore something new, secure in the knowledge that everything is unique — and delicious.
396 Alhambra Circle, Coral Gables, 33134
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Surf Club Restaurant
Photo by Deborah Jones
Prices at the Surf Club are among the highest you'll find in Miami. But then, so is quality. Located in a completely rebuilt Mediterranean Revival-style resort in Surfside, the restaurant stands just a few blocks from high-end Bal Harbour. The original inn and eatery opened on New Year’s Eve 1930 and quickly earned the nickname “Millionaires’ Surf Club" for its level of exclusivity and ability to attract the rich and famous. Today the restaurant is run by one of the biggest names in American food: Thomas Keller, who remains the first and only U.S.-born chef to hold multiple three-star ratings from Michelin. Keller doesn’t take shortcuts. His beef Wellington is made from 48-hour-braised short rib in a beef mousse, layered with a spinach and black-truffle mushroom pâté and wrapped in a paper-thin crèpe, then bundled in thick brioche and placed in the oven for about a half-hour, warming the center and producing an outer crisp. Then (and only then) it is presented on a wooden cart and sliced tableside. The folks at Michelin took note in the 2022 debut of their Florida guide, rightfully awarding the Surf Club a star.
($$$$)
9011 Collins Ave., Surfside, 33154
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Joe's Stone Crab
Photo courtesy of Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant
You know Joe’s. The history, the gloriously sweet stone crabs, the notoriously long wait for a table. Often overlooked are the consistently good food, the truly professional service, the free parking, the surprising affordability (except the crabs), and the stately ambiance. Tuxedoed waiters whirl through the dining rooms with oval trays held high above their heads while the buzz of diners subtly occupies the air like the intangible gathering of ions before a thunderstorm, yet it’s difficult to imagine so large a space being any cozier. Stone crabs are, of course, the mainstay of Joe’s menu, and somehow they seem to taste a little fresher and sweeter here. The rest of the offerings, though, don’t disappoint. And nearly everybody orders Joe’s key-lime pie, renowned as the best in town, for dessert. If you show up on a Saturday evening, be prepared to cool your heels for hours. If you want to sit quickly, visit on a weekday, when the restaurant opens at 6 p.m. sharp (except Monday, when Joe’s is closed), and you might be eating those sweet claws before you know it. Or keep it simple and grab your claws at Joe’s Take Away, the casual baby brother of the iconic South Beach fixture, located next door.
($$$)
11 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, 33139
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
The Le Tub Saloon
CandaceWest.com
Secluded waterfront tables, gigantic burgers, and a no-BS service attitude make Hollywood’s Le Tub worthy of repeat visits. Sure, tourists tend to stop by to check out the GQ- and Oprah-hyped establishment, but better than the burgers is the large wooden deck festooned with kitschy South Florida décor, plenty of picnic benches with a view of boat traffic on the Intracoastal, and the breezy, open-air bar. Above all else, Le Tub is known for its sirloin burger, a never-fail option made with a 13-ounce ground top sirloin patty that’s seasoned, charbroiled, and served on a bun with lettuce, tomato, and onion. Pair it with a beer followed by the owner’s fresh key-lime pie for a thoroughly satisfying repast.
($$)
1100 N. Ocean Blvd., Hollywood, 33019
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Ghee Indian Kitchen
Photo courtesy of Ghee
In, of all places, Dadeland, chef Niven Patel and his crew have opened Miami’s eyes to the cuisine of western India, a palette that consists of infinitely more than tandoori chicken and lamb rogan josh. At Ghee Indian Kitchen, which earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation in 2022, you’ll find the simple street snack of puffed rice called bhel, juiced up with sweet Florida avocado and meaty hunks of raw tuna. Though the restaurant offers chicken tikka masala for the unadventurous, do not miss the sizable vegetable section on the menu, many of the ingredients for which are culled from Patel’s own farm.
($$)
8965 SW 72nd Pl., Miami, 33156
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Ms. Cheezious
Photo courtesy of Ms. Cheezious
When the siren song of grilled cheese calls, head to Ms. Cheezious. This food truck turned brick-and-mortar offers plenty of choices. The hot spot serves takes on childhood favorites such as mac ‘n’ cheese, s’mores, Frito pie, and grilled cheese in myriad iterations, but once you feast your eyes and stuff yourself with the “Croqueta Monsieur,” you’ll likely look no further. Miami’s quintessential finger food and France’s beloved snack join forces to create an edible thing of beauty that packs three ham croquetas, shaved tavern ham, Swiss cheese, béchamel sauce, and a few handfuls of Gouda on sourdough bread that’s then grilled to perfection.
($$)
7418 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, 33138
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Pinch Kitchen + Bar
billwisserphoto.com
Pinch Kitchen owners Rene Reyes and John Gallo met while working at Casa Tua. They spent years together at various Pubbelly operations before realizing their shared dream and opening a cozy spot just north of the MiMo District in 2015. Pinch Kitchen + Bar offers elevated versions of standard fare: Spanish octopus, croquetas, a crisp salad. The proof is in the quality of the ingredients and the care that goes into each dish. Take, for example, the Pinch burger, an eight-ounce patty made from a custom blend of ground beef, topped with caramelized onions and Swiss: a simple creation, prepared to perfection, and one of the best burgers to be found in all of Miami. The selection of local craft beers and thoughtfully curated wines evidences a similar level of attention.
($$)
8601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, 33138
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Panther Coffee
billwisserphoto.com
It’s been more than a decade since Joel and Leticia Pollock started serving cold-brew coffee from a bicycle at Miami food truck roundups, ushering in the city’s craft coffee movement. Today, at Panther’s flagship location in Wynwood (other outlets are scattered around the city and Miami Beach), beans sourced from small farms in Nicaragua, Brazil, Guatemala, and Ethiopia are carefully roasted, then emerge in the form of pour-overs, cold brews, and espressos. You won’t find a cinnamon-pumpkin latte here, but you will get an honest cup of coffee that requires no flavor enhancement. Panther also serves cakes and snacks from local purveyors, as well as wine and beer. And, of course, there’s WiFi.
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2390 NW Second Ave., Miami, 33127
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Jattö
Photo by Antonella Re
Henry Hané's Jattö is one of the most interesting restaurants in Wynwood. The restaurant cites the cuisines of Peru, Colombia, and Spain as influences, but Hané and chef Aleric "AJ" Constantin have constructed a menu that offers comfort food like suckling pig BBQ tips and patatas bravas with a chef-driven touch. The cocktail menu is as interesting, with plays on favorites like a rum negroni with a banana vermouth wash. The best way to dine is at the patio bar, grazing on multiple dishes and cocktails while taking in a balmy Miami evening.
($$$)
223 NW 23rd St., Miami, 33127
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Jaxson's Ice Cream Parlor & Restaurant
Photo by Christina Mendenhall
The landmark Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor & Restaurant in Dania Beach, opened by Monroe Udell in 1956, still makes each of its 60-plus flavors of ice cream by hand. Today the old-fashioned ice-cream parlor boasts not only one of the largest — and best — ice-cream selections in the area, but also one of the nation’s largest collections of American memorabilia. Be aware that Jaxson’s is perhaps most famous for its “Kitchen Sink” sundae, available for parties of four or more: The restaurant’s professional soda jerks will unleash their imagination for a concoction that offers a bit of everything but, well, you know. If you’re hungry for more than ice cream, Jaxson’s menu offers dozens of dishes from its “country kitchen.” From wings to clam rolls, they’re all homemade and authentic despite drawing from all regions of the culinary map. Vegans can order an Impossible burger, but meat eaters will need all hands on deck for the “Titanic Burger,” which boasts three half-pound beef patties, each topped with a different kind of cheese.
($$)
128 S. Federal Highway, Dania Beach, 33004
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Cote Miami
Photo by Gary He
Simon Kim has brought Cote, his New York cross between a Korean barbecue restaurant and a traditional steakhouse, to the Design District. The restaurant offers a selection of American and A5 Japanese Wagyu sourced from the Miyazaki prefecture (where true Wagyu are raised). The steaks are dry-aged for a minimum of 45 days in-house and then seasoned with a mixture of British Maldon, Himalayan pink, and Korean thousand-day salts before being presented raw and cooked to order tableside. It came as no surprise in 2022 when Cote Miami earned a Michelin star.
($$$)
3900 NE Second Ave., Miami, 33137
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
El Bagel
Courtesy of El Bagel
Matteson Koche’s hand-rolled bagels, free of the additives and preservatives found in many renditions, are the heart and soul of this Biscayne Boulevard “bageleria.” Sandwich options include a bacon, egg, and cheese version and the “Lox Supreme,” as well as funkier creations such as the “Avo Spesh,” made with smashed avocado, English cucumber, cream cheese, olive oil, and sea salt. The “EB Original,” with its salty-spicy-rich combination of cream cheese, charred jalapeños, and thick-cut bacon, is not to be missed. Purists can purchase an unadorned bagel or a dozen to take home.
($$)
6910 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, 33138
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
CY Chinese Restaurant
Photo by CandaceWest.com
The minute you step into this Sichuan-style North Miami Beach hideaway, your senses fall prey to the overwhelming perfume of rendered beef fat and chili oil. CY Chinese is the first U.S. project of chef Yang Xian Guang. Beef fat is the central ingredient of Yang’s hot pot — the rich, savory aroma is the yardstick by which most Chinese folks judge hot pot. The Chongqing native’s recipes include three or more kinds of chilies, a mountain of Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, garlic, ginger, star anise, fermented black beans, and a litany of secrets Yang refuses to share. A simple chicken broth, made by simmering carcasses with ginger and garlic for three hours, is poured on top just before the dish is sent out to the dining room. Bring a big group so you can order as many of the accouterments as possible. Also be sure to pace yourself: One of the most joyous moments of hot pot comes at the very end, when the broth and spices have reduced, along with everything that’s been cooked in them, into a rich, flavorful brew that makes the last few bites truly special.
($$)
1242 NE 163rd St., North Miami Beach, 33162
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Garcia's Seafood Grille & Fish Market
Photo by Michael Campina
This indoor/outdoor restaurant overlooking the Miami River serves fresh fish dishes and family hospitality courtesy of father-son team Luis Garcia and Esteban Garcia Jr. Garcia’s has been an institution for more than 50 years; in-the-know Miamians flock here for the freshest catch reeled in daily and available for purchase on the menu or by the pound at the fish market next door. If you choose to stay, you can dine amid dark-wood surroundings or enjoy the laid-back vibe and river view outdoors. Choose blackboard specials or house favorites such as fried grouper fingers or blackened or breaded preparations of your favorite fish. The famous fish dip or a fried shrimp sandwich make tasty starters, and each entrée comes with your choice of two sides. Before you leave, pick up some fresh seafood at the market to cook at home tomorrow!
($$)
398 NW North River Dr., Miami, 33128
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
The Katherine
Timon Balloo has shared his life through food for more than a decade at his various Miami restaurants. At the Katherine, he and his wife, Marissa (her middle name is Katherine), share their love story. The menu is a culinary scrapbook of the couple's travels and life together. The oh-so-addictive clam chowder fries, for example, are a nod to Balloo's career path, which led him to Belgium, and the orecchiette is in memory of the pair's favorite trips to Italy. If you're a sucker for fine fare and a good love story, the Katherine is your kind of place.
($$)
723 E. Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 33301
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Bombay Darbar
Photo courtesy of Bombay Darbar
What began as a mom-and-pop 30-seater has grown into an Indian-food mainstay with two locations (Coconut Grove and Fort Lauderdale). Diners crunch on crisp papadum wafers while watching Bollywood movies on a large screen and perusing the menu. That list is lengthy, but at its heart are the tikkas, tandooris, and vindaloos that fans of Indian food crave. Bright vegetable samosas are a good start, as are some of the tandoor-baked breads — try the soft, fluffy onion-flecked kulcha naan. Most dishes can be made mild, medium, high medium, hot, or super-hot. (On that last note, Bombay Darbar thoughtfully offers cold Kingfisher beers to cool you down from even the spiciest of culinary adventures.)
($$)
2901 Florida Ave., Miami, 33133
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Clive's Cafe
Photo by Laine Doss
Clive’s Cafe makes its mark with great Jamaican favorites such as curry goat, oxtail, and jerk chicken. The original Wynwood location, which had been around for nearly four decades, closed, but Clive’s new home in Little Haiti is a colorful haven in which to eat some of the best Jamaican fare in Miami. The chicken is cooked to diner perfection and the curry is a smooth and subtle blend. The mood is laid-back, right down to the small radio pumping out reggae sounds. You just may catch Clive’s fan Lenny Kravitz taking in the scene. The place is great for takeout but just as nice for a midafternoon pit stop.
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5890 NW Second Ave., Miami, 33127
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Chug's Diner
Photo by Blue Shell Media
Michael Beltran distinctly remembers the day he got his nickname. It was his first day as a high school freshman; Beltran walked in late to class, a chocolate milk chug in hand. Today, Chug is the name of the restaurateur’s Cuban-American diner, a successful pop-up he’s since expanded into a permanent, full-service eatery and modern-day ventanita. Where once stood a tiny grab ’n’ go, Chug’s now shows off an airy, open design inviting morning, afternoon, or late-night dining, complete with diner-style booths and a bar with lounge-style seating. True to the diner ethos, a crave-worthy menu of Cuban-American eats covers breakfast, lunch, and dinner. While pancakes and meatloaf are signature highlights, don’t miss out on the curated selection of Pastelito Papi’s famous fruit- and meat-stuffed pastelitos, or the house Cubano sandwich served on fresh-baked Cuban bread from the diner’s own bakery. Chug's was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand for its approachable, execellent fare.
($)
3444 Main Highway, Miami, 33133
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Old Greg's Pizza
Photo by Nicole Danna
During the pandemic, Greg Tetzner and Jackie Richie started making pizzas from home. Their little project turned into a legitimate business after many restaurant-industry peeps stamped their approval. No longer a side hustle, Old Greg's has its own Design District shop, with Tetzner baking as many pies as he and his team can handle. What makes these pies superior is the square sourdough crust, crunchy on the outside but light on the inside. Old Greg's also offers round pies, chicken wings, and a smattering of specials. They're all excellent — just make sure you remember to order what you came here for.
($$)
3620 NE Second Ave., Miami, 33137
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Kush Hialeah
Photo by Karli Evans
In 2017, Matthew Kuscher (Lokal, Kush, the Spillover) purchased Stephen's, the last of Hialeah’s Jewish delis, with a mission to keep the tradition alive. He reopened with a restoration so admirable it makes you feel like you’re stepping back to 1954, when the restaurant was one of four delis on the block. Henderson "Junior" Biggers still slices the pastrami and corned beef to order. A pastrami and corned beef combo sandwich comes on rye, slathered with spicy deli mustard, accompanied by coleslaw and a whole sour pickle. Wash it down with an egg cream, served with a pretzel rod. To make sure the restaurant wasn’t stuck in a time warp, Kuscher revamped the menu, offering his now-famous burgers, alongside a whimsical cocktail menu. Kuscher may have rebranded the place to Kush Hialeah, but he still pays tribute to the Hialeah of yesteryear. Don’t forget to pay your respects to the late Walter Mercado in the ladies’ room, decorated with a giant mural of the beloved astrologer.
($$)
1000 E. 16th St., Hialeah, 33010
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Mister O1
Photo by Zachary Fagenson
Known as Visa-O1 when it opened in Miami Beach in 2014, this pizza joint had to tweak its name owing to trademark issues. “O1” is a reference to the O-1 visa the U.S. reserves for “individuals with extraordinary ability.” So, yes, this pint-size pizzeria thinks highly of its pies — and with good reason: Only the freshest ingredients and premium-quality cheeses (vegan cheese is available for an additional charge) are allowed to top these thin-crust pizzas. The signature pie, the “Star Luca,” is star-shaped, its points formed from perfect little dough pockets filled with creamy ricotta cheese, its center layered with the house Italian tomato sauce along with mozzarella and spicy salami. That stellar creation set Mister O1 apart from other local pizzerias and led to the concept’s expansion to Brickell, Wynwood, and even Madrid, Saudi Arabia, and Naples (Florida, that is).
($$)
1680 Michigan Ave., #101, Miami Beach, 33139
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Sanguich de Miami
Photo by Ruben Cabrera
Imagine, for a moment, the Cuban sandwich of yesteryear. You could smell pork roasting from blocks away. Then came the sweet perfume of cured ham, followed by a waft of fresh bread and a quick jolt of tangy mustard seeds pickling in vinegar. Sure, it’s the 21st Century, the era of industrial food and ghost kitchens, but Rosa and Daniel Figueredo’s Sanguich de Miami is a throwback to cooking the way it once was and should be again. Organic meats and cheeses tucked into a cloudlike bun that’s pressed and crisped, creating an even better version of the masterpiece that has tantalized Floridians for decades. These careful, old-school techniques earned Sanguich a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2022. (In keeping with the times, Sanguich offers a vegan version, made with marinated jackfruit.)
($$)
2057 SW Eighth St., Miami, 33135
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Byblos
Photo courtesy of Byblos
Byblos, the Eastern Mediterranean eatery at the Royal Palm South Beach, focuses on interpreting dishes from Levantine culture, found mostly in Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Syria, and parts of southern Turkey. The original Byblos is in Toronto, and as is often the case with Miami outposts, this one offers a more extensive seafood selection than its Canadian sibling. It’s equipped with a wood-burning oven, used to bake pide (Turkish flatbread) and to finish off whole fish, lamb, and chicken dishes that are rustic yet refined.
($$$)
1545 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 33139
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Blue Collar
Photo courtesy of Blue Collar
Danny Serfer’s Blue Collar takes its cues from the classic American diner. The tiny restaurant in the MiMo District offers daily specials and elevated comfort foods. Start with a gutsy New Orleans-style dish of shrimp and grits with bacon and Worcestershire-based barbecue sauce, or Chanukah latkes (served year-round). Don’t miss the veg chalkboard, filled with delightful options from which you can build your own customized plate. Order up a cheeseburger, a thermos of Panther coffee, and a “parm of the day” and make yourself as comfortable as you’d be in your mom’s kitchen.
($$)
6730 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, 33138
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Sushi Erika
Photo by FujifilmGirl
Erika, the daughter and right hand of beloved itamae Michio Kushi, opened her own sushi spot just down the road from her dad's old haunt, Sushi Deli, in North Bay Village in 2018, and she brought many of her father's classics with her. Rolls range from a California roll or bagel roll to battera — a pressed mackerel sushi roll. Sushi Erika also has an impressive array of vegetable rolls, soups, and salads.
($$)
1700 John F. Kennedy Cswy., North Bay Village, 33141
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Yakko-San
Photo courtesy of Yakko-San
At this izakaya in North Miami Beach, many of the best dishes begin and end in the deep fryer. Try the crispy pork onion salad, which combines savory deep-fried morsels of pork with sliced cherry tomatoes, radishes, red onions, and sprinkles of bitter watercress. Or opt for the crispy bok choy, served with a garlic-soy sauce. On any given night, Yakko-San offers more than a hundred dishes, from soups and rice to noodles, tempura, grilled items, and sushi, including ankimo — sliced monkfish liver known as the foie gras of the sea.
($$)
3881 NE 163rd St., North Miami Beach, 33160
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Madruga Bakery
Photo by Zachary Fagenson
It’s difficult to say which part of bakery life burrowed deepest into Naomi Harris’ soul. Harris was born in Miami and into the restaurant business: Her father Larry and his brother Stuart founded Miami’s beloved chicken chain Pollo Tropical in 1988. But Harris didn’t plan for a life in restaurants, never mind one of overnight baking shifts. Then one summer during college, she interned with the pastry chef at Coral Gables’ now-shuttered Cacao, and her career trajectory changed. At her Coral Gables bakery, Madruga, she turns out a variety of whole-grain country loaves, along with baguettes, scones, babkas, croissants, and muffins. Her work earned her a semifinalist nomination for the 2019 James Beard Award for Outstanding Baker.
($$)
1430 S. Dixie Highway, Coral Gables, 33146
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Islas Canarias Cafe Restaurant & Bakery
Photo courtesy of Islas Canarias
Head to this beloved Cuban joint out west the next time you’re hungover or hungry and in need of caffeine. There are few better cures for either than Cuban coffee and hot croquetas. Opened in 1977 by Raul and Amelia Garcia, Islas Canarias has earned its spot as one of the best cafecitas — those adorable Cuban coffee shop/bakeries — in Miami-Dade County. People crave the kitchen’s made-to-order beef or chicken empanadas, medianoche sandwiches, pan con bistec, and those famous ham croquetas.
($)
3804 SW 137th Ave., Miami, 33175
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Yambo Restaurant
Photo by billwisserphoto.com
This colorful Nicaraguan joint is one of those places you visit to feel like you’re on vacation even if you’re already on vacation. Yambo is as much about the atmosphere as it is about food. On the terrace, folk-art knickknacks — miniature guitars, hats, porcelain pots, even a mounted boar’s head — hang from and cover every possible surface. A larger-than-life statue of a knight guards the tiled dining room. And you’ll hear only Latin music coming out of the jukebox. Little English is spoken here, but monolingual Anglos needn’t worry: Simply walk along the cafeteria-style counter and point to what you want. Vegetarians and meat eaters alike will find plenty to gorge on — crackly fried tacos de pollo, and pescazones (fried, knishlike potato balls brimming with chayote and cheese). Your order is piled high on a Styrofoam plate alongside a generous portion of shredded cabbage and the requisite sides of rice, red beans, plantains, or yuca. Best of all, Yambo is open 24 hours — a perfect “go to” afterparty addition to your Uber favorites.
($)
1643 SW First St., Miami, 33135
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Union Kitchen & Bar
Photo by Rachel Pinzur
Italy and Peru might seem worlds apart, but at Union Kitchen & Bar, the spirit of each is equally accessible. At their restaurant tucked away in Wilton Manors, husband-and-wife team Christie Tenaud and Roberto Colombi aim to unite the best of both cuisines with a menu that marries Colombi’s Northern Italian heritage with Tenaud’s South American sass. Inspired by their love of savoring a meal — especially that special union that takes place with loved ones sharing good food and wine — the couple has created an ambiance inspired by love. As executive chef, Tenaud’s seasonally inspired menu shines with selections that change with the best of what’s available, complemented by Colombi’s thoughtfully curated wine list. Highlights include a bounty of local produce that makes its way into garden-inspired salads, modern American takes on tacos and arepas, handmade pastas that spotlight seafood, meats, and vegetables; and decadent house-made desserts.
2309 N. Dixie Highway, Wilton Manors, 33306
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Taquiza
Photo courtesy of Taquiza
Taquiza’s Steve Santana does more work than he needs to. Not a soul instructed him to undertake the painstaking process of turning it into masa and then making his own tortillas. No one demanded they be filled with the slightly spicy, charred poblano strips called rajas or the tangy corn fungus known as huitlacoche. Yet the programmer-turned-cook, who did stints with Jeremiah Bullfrog and at Giorgio Rapicavoli’s Eating House, decided it had to be done. And that was the beginning of a little walk-up counter on Collins Avenue that set a new standard for excellent tacos in a city where tacos are booming. Margaritas are made with care in virtually any flavor combination you can imagine. Craving yours with fresh coconut water, tamarind, and pineapple? Done! Want a strawberry-cilantro margarita? Your barkeep will muddle the fresh ingredients. (No purée here.)
($$)
7450 Ocean Terrace, Miami Beach, 33141
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Enriqueta's Sandwich Shop
A simple sandwich shop at the confluence where Wynwood, Midtown Miami, and Edgewater meet, Enriqueta’s remains a holdout in the race to turn Miami into a sea of condominiums and Lululemons. The restaurant is also one of the most democratic in the city, its clientele a steady stream of construction workers, galleristas, tourists, and dwellers of the aforementioned condos, all dropping by for their cafecito fixes and Cuban sandwiches — here with a bonus in the form of croquetas pressed into the bread along with the meat and cheese.
($)
186 NE 29th St., Miami, 33137
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Tropical Chinese Restaurant
Photo by Andrew Meade
Nearly four decades into its existence, Tropical Chinese is still going strong. The dinner menu is chock-full of offerings, from the traditional to the exotic. Appetizers include wok-fried salt-and-pepper-style calamari and the fun-to-eat “rainbow pancake,” featuring four wraps to fill tableside with vermicelli noodles, wood ear mushrooms, shredded carrot, cabbage, scallions, and freshly ground peanuts glazed with plum sauce. What’s more, this unassuming spot in a West Miami-Dade strip mall remains a go-to for the best dim sum in the county. On weekends, more than 30 kinds of dim sum are offered, all prepared fresh onsite. (The barbecue pork buns are a must.)
($$)
7991 Bird Rd., Miami, 33155
The Top 100 Miami Restaurants of 2023
Redfish Grill
Steve Satterwhite
Swimming toward a feeding frenzy -- that could be you, too.
Red Fish Grill in Matheson Hammock Park was known far and wide as a gorgeous location for date nights, anniversaries, and birthdays. The waterfront restaurant sustained extensive damage to its coral structure during Hurricane Irma in 2017 and was shuttered until ubiquitous local chef Adrianne Calvo helmed its revival. Now under the leadership of celebrity chef Donatella Arpaia, the restaurant specializes in romantic seafood dinners tinged with tropical flavors — like, say, a trio of ceviches, grilled Key West shrimp over corn and fregola, and a whole snapper with grilled lemon.
($$$)
9610 Old Cutler Rd., Coral Gables, 33156
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