Five New Miami Restaurants to Try This Weekend

Miami's food scene continues to grow and thrive, with new restaurants and bars opening weekly. So how do you navigate the culinary waters of the Magic City? For starters, check out New Times' list of February's restaurant openings.

Then head to these five restaurants to get your food and drink on. They offer everything from fresh seafood to duck-fat fries to mermaids (they're not edible, by the way).
Niu Kitchen's Deme Lomas Opens Josper-Centric Spot, Arson
The team behind downtown Miami's always-crowded Niu Kitchen has opened its latest project, Arson (104 NE Second Ave., Miami). The restaurant's centerpiece will be the charcoal-burning grill/oven hybrid Josper. A quick glimpse of the brief opening-day menu shows executive chef Deme Lomas offering cuisine with Italian and Asian ingredients and leanings.
Ralph Pagano Opens Naked Crab With Mermaids, Seafood, and Tiki Drinks
Miami chef and restaurateur Ralph Pagano says his new Fort Lauderdale restaurant, Naked Crab Seafood Kitchen, has one thing no one else in the area offers: mermaids. "There's a lot of things that make this concept unique, but I don't think anyone else has tiki cocktails and a seafood house with a live mermaid show," Pagano says.
Employees Only Miami Opens at Washington Park Hotel
Employees Only finally debuts its South Beach location, just in time for weekend imbibing. The bar is open at the Washington Park Hotel (1050 Washington Ave., Miami Beach). The 181-room property is composed of five art deco buildings built in the early 1940s.
Geoffrey Zakarian's Point Royal Opens at Hollywood's Diplomat Beach Resort
Geoffrey Zakarian’s latest concept, Point Royal, is open at the Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood. The restaurant is the fifth concept to launch as part of the property's estimated $100 million renovation. In 2015, the team at the Diplomat recruited Zakarian and several other nationally recognized chefs to help rebrand its dining venues, including the new steakhouse Diplomat Prime and the soon-to-open Monkitail.
South Beach's Newest Speakeasy, Commonwealth, Offers 100 Whiskeys and Duck-Fat Fries
Stocked with more than 100 whiskeys and enough grub to keep even the pickiest of diners satisfied, a new South Beach speakeasy-style craft kitchen is worth visiting for the better part of a night out. Commonwealth, which opened this past November, is the neighborhood's first bar dedicated to more than just booze.