There's more than a month to go before Miami Spice begins, but that doesn't mean it's too early to start enjoying great summer dining deals.
Local restaurants and bars have already launched three- (and even four-) course prix fixes, unique Sunday specials, and happy-hour deals that can't be beat.
So whether you're looking for a midweek pick-me-up with bottomless bubbly or a royal feast at an unbelievable price, it's time to loosen your belt and check out Miami's best food and drink deals this summer.
1. Steak and Seafood Nights at Il Mulino New York
If you’re in the mood for surf or turf, Wednesday nights at Il Mulino mean four-course, family-style dinners fit for a king ($49 per person). At the South Beach location, start Steak Night with a signature tableside caesar, wedge, or tomato salad and continue with a pasta course of rigatoni alla Bolognese with braised veal and beef, orecchiette with sweet sausage and broccoli rabe, or fusilli alla ricotta with marinara and Parmesan — before even hitting the main course. An aged T-bone is the star of the meal; choose three sides, including truffle mashed potatoes, mascarpone spinach, hot peppers, sautéed wild mushrooms, sautéed onions, truffle French fries, cream corn, or Brussels sprouts. During Seafood Night at the Sunny Isles Beach location, however, enjoy a pescatarian feast, starting with appetizers such as grilled octopus, shrimp scampi, lobster ravioli, and mussels in a tomato or white wine broth, followed by a plate of seafood pasta, including linguine with clams, risotto with baby scallops and Chardonnay sauce, or black ink linguine di mare. Roasted branzino with olive oil, garlic, and capers, along with three sides, is the main course. If your belly has any room to spare, choose Italian cheesecake, tiramisu, or chocolate caprese for dessert at either location.
2. Opening Celebration Three-Course Menu at Lobster Bar Sea Grille
Lobster Bar Sea Grille's Miami Beach location debuted this past April in the former China Grill space on the corner of Washington Avenue and Fifth Street. To celebrate its grand opening, the seafood restaurant is offering $39 three-course dinners daily from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and again from 10 p.m. till close. All fish are flown in from the coasts of Spain, Greece, and Iceland and are guaranteed to go from the sea to your table in less than 48 hours. Starters on the prix-fixe Opening Celebration Menu include the eatery's signature lobster bisque, jumbo blue Gulf shrimp served chilled on ice, and lightly fried Rhode Island baby calamari, along with entrées such as wood-grilled whole European fish of the day, lobster-stuffed lobster (with savory lobster stuffing, drawn butter, lemon, and a side of steamed baby Tuscan kale), and a surf-and-turf plate of six-ounce Nova Scotia lobster tail and four-ounce filet mignon. For dessert, choose from Greek yogurt with thyme honey; mini cream puffs with vanilla bean ice cream and Valrhona dark chocolate sauce; and a tropical cremeux with passionfruit and Tonka bean mousse, almond coconut biscuit, and exotic sorbet.
3. Cacio, Pepe, and Bolliccini at Quattro Gastronomia Italiana
Bubbly and bubbling cheese: What could be better? Every Sunday at Quattro this summer, you can enjoy tableside pasta for two ($30) paired with Italian bubbles. Watch executive chef Luciano Sautto flambé house-made spaghetti in a giant Parmesan wheel to whip up cacio e pepe, a classic Roman pasta dish of simple spaghetti with cheese and cracked black pepper. For only $15 more, add two glasses of prosecco, or get a whole bottle of bubbly for $30.
4. You Down With O.P.P. Sundays at Macchialina
Macchialina hosts a Sunday Italian affair filled with oysters, pizza, and prosecco (the "O.P.P." in "You Down With O.P.P. Sundays"). At the heart of it are Sicilian pizza pies ($22 each) prepared with Cinque Stagioni flour imported from Parma, Italy, which undergoes a 72-hour fermentation process. Only a limited selection of pies will be available each week; varieties include 18-month-aged prosciutto di parma, parmigiano and arugula, and sausage and peppers. Be prepared to bite into a thin, crisp crust with a light, airy center. The summer series also offers a half-dozen oysters for $18 undressed or $22 dressed and $8 glasses of bubbly.
5. The Table at River Yacht Club
Imagine sharing a Miami Spice-style meal with both friends and strangers. The River Yacht Club’s series the Table, which debuted last week, brings a communal Thursday-night dinner party to the Miami River. Guests at the 40-seat table can enjoy new weekly $39 prix fixes curated by executive chef Jun Lee and featuring family-style appetizers such as fresh salads, crudos, and seasonal seafood; a choice of entrée; and the chef’s choice of dessert. Best of all, the meal is served with a complimentary glass of Moët. Seating is limited and must be reserved by calling 305-200-5716.
6. Cruise Ship Special at Mignonette Uptown
Step aboard a steel railcar in North Miami Beach and pretend you’re cruising out of PortMiami. This summer, Mignonette Uptown, the North Miami-Dade sister of Danny Serfer’s Edgewater seafood spot and oyster bar, is offering four courses' worth of a cruise-ship-worthy feast ($39), complete with a snow crab cocktail appetizer topped with Worcestershire aioli and lemon, caesar salad with grilled sourdough croutons, and Faroe Island salmon or prime rib. For dessert, choose between two decadent delights: butterscotch Heath bar bread pudding topped with cayenne whipped cream or a Nutella milkshake with candied hazelnut and chocolate streusel.
7. Summer Champagne Splash at Villa Azur
Experience a new hump-day happy hour at Villa Azur. Kicking off June 21 in honor of the Summer Solstice, the Summer Champagne Splash will take place every Wednesday from 5 to 8 p.m. at this chic French-Mediterranean restaurant and lounge. For $35, enjoy complimentary canapes and two hours of bottomless Moët & Chandon, or for $55, upgrade to a luxury tasting of Dom Pérignon, Cristal, Ruinart, and Moët rosé. As long as guests beat the clock and show up by 8, they can keep the celebration going until 10 p.m. Also look out for Villa Azur’s new summer cocktails, including the sweet Bon Bon St-Germain spritz, made with lemon juice, strawberry purée, prosecco, and cotton candy, and a refreshing Queen Mary’s, a mix of fresh papaya, lemon juice, Moët rosé, and Mancino rosso vermouth.
8. Pisco Hour at Yaku by La Mar
Unwind after a long workweek at Yaku by La Mar — the Peruvian-style waterfront bar and lounge on Brickell Key — with a drink in hand and a view of Biscayne Bay and the Brickell skyline. Just in time for summer, Yaku by La Mar hosts the Friday-night Pisco Hour, offering $6 pisco punch, flavored pisco sours, and $5 bites from 6 to 8 p.m. Yaku also serves tapas such as cebiche tostada with tuna tartare, crispy onions, chipotle aioli, and avocado, and shrimp cocktail with leche de tigre and avocado.
9. All-Day $5 Margaritas at Earls Kitchen + Bar
Instead of limiting happy hour to a few short hours, Earls Kitchen + Bar at the Dadeland Mall offers new monthly cocktail specials all day. In June, $5 margaritas come in four flavors: lime, strawberry, raspberry, and mango. Earls also offers a twice-daily happy hour on wine, beer, cocktails, and appetizers from 4 to 7 p.m. and again from 10 p.m. to midnight, and guests can enjoy all-new menu items such as a quinoa and avocado power bowl, a West Coast ahi tuna salad, and a dragon roll (marinated ahi tuna, avocado, yam, tamago, sriracha mayo).
10. Daily Discounts at Spring Chicken
Half-off milkshakes are only part of Spring Chicken’s new happy hour Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. There are also daily deals. Monday, kids eat free with the purchase of an entrée, and on Tender Tuesday, guests can purchase ten chicken tenders for $10 from 3 to 6 p.m. Wing Wednesday means a bucket of 12 wings costs $12 during happy hour, and on Thirsty Thursday, patrons can tack the following on to the weekday drink specials during happy hour: five bottles of beer for $15, individual bottles for $3.50, $1 cans, and $6 backpack wine. No matter what, milkshakes are half off, and draft beers are two-for-one during the weekday happy hour. Guests can also try new menu items such as the hot 'n' sweet chicken sandwich, the Nashville Buffalo, the ultimate mac 'n' cheese, and crisp pickle chips.
