Although there certainly is a bustling nightlife crowd, some of the Magic City's most timeless fine-dining restaurants have lived here for more than ten, 20 years. Although there are some newcomers, like Azabu, Mila, and Carbone, others, like Estiatorio Milos, Joe's Stone Crab, and Prime 112, are true South Beach classics that are just as delicious in 2024.
New Times has listed the top ten best South Beach restaurants in alphabetical order.
Azabu
161 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach786-276-0520
azabuglobal.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.
Carbone
49 Collins Ave., Miami Beachcarbonemiami.com Don'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.
Havana 1957
405 Española Way, Miami Beach305-503-3828
havana1957.comHavana 1957 is as authentic as it comes in South Beach if you're looking for delicious Cuban food in a lively ambiance. Offering an authentic taste of Cuba, Havana 1957 offers guests the chance to spend "un dia en la Habana" with its nods to old Havana, Cuba, during the 1950s. Here, you'll find New Times' Best Mojito of 2023, great service, and classic Cuban dishes like vaca frita, arroz con frijoles, and yuca.
Joe's Stone Crab
11 Washington Ave., Miami Beach305-673-0365
joesstonecrab.com For 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, and just a Thursday evening at Joe's.
Lucali
1930 Bay Rd., Miami Beach305-695-4441
lucali.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.
Macchialina
820 Alton Rd., Miami Beach305-534-2124
macchialina.com Business and life partners Jen Chaefsky and former Scarpetta chef de cuisine Michael Pirolo consistently offer some of Miami's best and most satisfying food. Every dish is wonderful, especially Pirolo's housemade pasta that ranges from a simple Pomodoro to toothsome gnocchi. There's always something new to try on the daily special list, and Macchialina offers an affordable five-course tasting menu daily.
Dazzling cuisine is already a Mila staple. A private club, lounge, and omakase space will soon complement it.
Mila Restaurant photo
Mila
800 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach786-706-0744
mila-miami.comLocated atop the historic 800 Lincoln Road building, the earth-toned dining room has an open kitchen and a bar decorated with artistic wood pieces, teardrop lighting, and a sculptured mural by artist Etienne Moyat. Its Mediterranean-meets-Asian vibe is popular among locals and visitors alike, especially for birthdays and celebrations, and has three new spaces: an ultra-private, members-only club, a ten-seat omakase area, and a 150-guest lounge. For Mila's food menu, French cuisine is a reference point, but it also blends traditional dishes with other Mediterranean food cultures, such as Italy and Greece, and fuses it with the Japanese flavors they love most. The Asian and Mediterranean-inspired list of entrées includes specialty dishes such as shawarma wagyu gyoza, grilled whole branzino, a seasonal mushroom hotpot, hamachi crudo with lime caviar, sushi, and nigiri.
Prime 112
112 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach305-532-8112
mylesrestaurantgroup. There's much more than beef at this inventive New American steakhouse. Guests can also dine happily on creative "chef's composition" entrées featuring poultry or seafood (such as wild salmon — incomparably better than farmed fish — with a lemon nage) or on meal-size salads such as the signature Prime 112 (romaine, spinach, cucumber, hearts of palm, celery, tomatoes, asparagus, and bacon chunks) or on cold-water oysters and other pristine raw bar selections. That said, the USDA Prime dry-aged steaks are superb, and so are the à la carte sides. They include upgraded versions of steakhouse classics — vibrant-green creamed spinach with crisp shallots, cornmeal-crusted real onion rings, and the like — plus unique creations such as sweet potato and vanilla bean mash. Reserving weeks in advance is wisest. Insider tip: Not only are the portions Instagram-worthy, but Prime 112 is also a hot spot for celebrity sightings. On any given night, Ferraris and Lamborghinis pull up to valet, and their doors open gracefully to reveal stars such as Miami Heat players and Kim Kardashian.
The dining room at Stubborn Seed
Photo by CandaceWest.com
Stubborn Seed
101 Washington Ave., Miami Beach786-322-5211
stubbornseed.com Top Chef winner Jeremy Ford has worked with venerable chefs such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Los Angeles' Ludo Lefebvre. Now, in Miami Beach's tony South of Fifth neighborhood, Ford shines solo at Stubborn Seed. The interior design of his 70-seater is industrial chic, allowing the food to be the focal point. The best way to experience Stubborn Seed is by experiencing chef Ford's eight-course tasting menu, available until 9 p.m. nightly. The care that Ford puts into his menu has earned Stubborn Seed a Michelin Star in its first Florida Guide.
