For those wondering about the logistics of the Beach, South Beach starts at South Pointe Park at the tip of the island and extends all the way up to 23rd Street, right before you get to the One Hotel. But above 23rd Street lies Mid Beach, home of 27 Restaurant & Bar at the Freehand, and North Beach, home of Taquiza.
Although narrowing down the absolute best was challenging, we believe we became very close.
Below, in alphabetical order, find the ten best restaurants in Miami Beach.
27 Restaurant & Bar
2727 Indian Creek Dr., Miami Beach786-476-7020
27restaurantmiami.comSince the day it opened, 27 Restaurant & Bar has attracted a hip crowd. The kitchen turns out perfectly crisp and moist arepas served with succulent ropa vieja. The restaurant lists its purveyors on a chalkboard that greets guests as they enter, and few items are cared for more than the daily fish specials. Whole beasts are butchered on site to preserve the scraps for stocks and soups. The resulting composed plates and a whole fried option are simple and addictive and leave you wondering what they'll offer next.
Carbone
49 Collins Ave., Miami Beachcarbonemiami.comDon't dare try to walk into Carbone without a reservation. The New York transplant is trending, with reservations booked up a month in advance. The wait is worth it to experience the Old World charm that Mario Carbone and his partners, Jeff Zalaznick and Rich Torrisi, have created. The restaurant is a tribute to classic New York City red-sauce joints — with a modern (and pricey) update. Chef Carbone offers a menu chock-full of classic dishes like veal parmigiana, minestrone, and baked clams. You might have seen Carbone's spicy rigatoni vodka on your Instagram feed. Served on a hand-painted plate from Umbria, it's worth ordering for the photo — but take the time to actually eat the dish, which is creamy, spicy, and ultimately worth the monthlong wait.
Estiatorio Milos
730 First St., Miami Beach305-604-6800
estiatoriomilos.comGreek cuisine is rooted in simplicity and quality ingredients. At Estiatorio Milos in South Beach, there's something new to discover on every visit: The fish selection changes daily depending upon what fishermen haul in. The day's catch is prepared to your liking and priced according to weight. There's nothing newfangled here, but when it comes to top-notch seafood, Milos is in a league of its own. One of the restaurant's specialties is melt-in-your-mouth, charcoal-broiled octopus seasoned with white balsamic vinegar and olive oil produced by the owner's sister in Greece. Another signature dish is the tomato salad, with cucumbers, green peppers, onions, kalamata olives, and feta cheese. The restaurant's homemade Greek yogurt dessert is so thick and creamy that you'll never believe you're eating something that's good for you.
Joe's Stone Crab
11 Washington Ave., Miami Beach305-673-0365
joesstonecrab.comFor more than a century, crowds have flocked to Joe's Stone Crab for fresh seafood. Founded in 1913, the restaurant is older than the city of Miami Beach, which was incorporated two years later. Over the years, Joe's has become a multimillion-dollar business; it was named the second-highest-grossing independently owned restaurant in the United States by Restaurant Business. Though Joe's boasts a wide selection of fresh seafood and steaks and employs full-time fish and meat butchers to cut perfect pieces of flesh, it's the stone crabs that lure customers from around the globe. The claws, served with the restaurant's signature mustard sauce, are the reason multiple generations have celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, engagements, or just a Thursday evening at Joe's.
Katana
920 71 St., Miami Beach305-864-0037
katanamiamibeach.comA hidden gem adored by locals, Katana is a compact yet vibrant Normandy Isles spot that boasts a 25-seat circular bar where skilled chefs whip up an array of dishes in a veritable sushi-go-round. The restaurant's pricing system, indicated by the color of the plates, adds an element of surprise and exploration to the experience. From classic items like California rolls and gyoza to fancier treats like salmon roe and sea urchin nigiri, Katana's menu hits all the right notes. Reservations aren't an option, so swinging by on a weekday or arriving at opening on weekends is your best bet. They have implemented a digital wait list, but if you do find yourself with time to kill, there's a bar next door where you can kick back with a drink until your turn at the table arrives. Pro tip: Families and larger parties might consider skipping this Miami Beach mini-gem and opting for Katana's sister operation, Shima, on NW 67th Avenue just north of the Palmetto in Hialeah.
Lucali
1930 Bay Rd., Miami Beach305-695-4441
lucali.comAt 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.
Macchialina
820 Alton Rd., Miami Beach305-534-2124
macchialina.com
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 the 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 ai funghi, or a whole braised fish. The wine list is similarly concise (and Italian).
Stubborn Seed
101 Washington Ave., Miami Beach786-322-5211
stubbornseed.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 commitment to delivering the "perfect bite" with every dish earned it a Michelin star in 2022.
Silverlake Bistro
1211 71st St., Miami Beach786-803-8113
instagram.com/silverlakebistromiamiMiamians should be doubly grateful to Sandy Sanchez and her husband, chef Benoit Rablat, the duo behind Hialeah's La Fresa Francesa; we also have them to thank for Silverlake Bistro. Drawing inspiration from their time together in Los Angeles' Silver Lake area, the couple serves straightforward American fare with subtle French and Latin twists at this unassuming gem in the Normandy Isles neighborhood of Miami Beach. The interior is done up in retro California shabby chic, from trippy wallpaper to kitschy flea market finds. The menu is filled top to bottom with winners, including a rich gnocchi mac & cheese seared in duck fat, fried empanadas stuffed with chunks of flank steak, and a dish of smoky roasted heirloom carrots on a bed of creamy ricotta and honey. And then there’s the burger: two juicy, grass-fed USDA prime beef patties topped with melted sharp cheddar on a housemade brioche bun slathered in porcini mushroom butter. The friendly and attentive staff address their many regulars by name and extend invitations (regardless of satiety) to sample dessert offerings, including a dark chocolate pot de crème and a salted butter and sugar crêpe. Pro tip: Visit on a Tuesday and avail yourself of 50 percent off the wine list.
Taquiza
7450 Ocean Ter., Miami Beach786-588-4755
taquizatacos.comNo one told Taquiza's Steve Santana to undertake the painstaking process of turning corn to masa to produce his tortillas. No one demanded those tortillas be filled with the slightly spicy, charred poblano strips called rajas or the tangy corn fungus known as huitlacoche. Yet after stints with Jeremiah Bullfrog and at Giorgio Rapicavoli's Eating House, the computer programmer turned chef decided it had to be done. And thus, in 2014, Santana's little walk-up counter on Collins Avenue set a new standard for tacos in a city where tacos are a booming business. The South Beach stand is no more, but Taquiza on North Beach offers the same margaritas, 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.
