The Surf Club Restaurant

The prices at the Surf Club Restaurant are among the highest you'll find in Miami, but then, so is the quality. Located in a completely rebuilt Mediterranean Revival-style resort in Surfside, the restaurant stands just a few blocks from high-end Bal Harbour. Designed by Russell Pancoast, 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 half an 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 its Florida guide, awarding the Surf Club Restaurant a star.