If you’re looking for the hottest new restaurants in Miami, you might be spoiled for choice. Here are a few to excite your taste buds.
As well as having a great climate, beaches, and nightlight, Miami is also one of the “foodiest” cities in America. With global residents and visitors, its international population means your taste buds can enjoy a world tour without ever leaving the city’s limits. There’s also intense competition amongst restauranteurs for your dining dollars, with new establishments popping up, it seems, on an almost weekly basis. If you’re having difficulty keeping track, here are some of the hottest new restaurants in town.
Rao’s
Rao’s comes with a certain amount of New York swagger. The Italian Manhattan restaurant is harder to enter than Studio 54 circa 1979. However, the storied NYC eatery pre-dates the NY club, having opened its doors 127 years ago. It remains to be seen whether its newest Miami Beach incarnation, within the St. Moritz Tower at the Loews Hotel, will be the same kind of hit as its northerly cousin. What isn’t up for discussion is the quality of the food. Favorites such as meatballs and Uncle Vincent’s lemon chicken have made the trip down south with the addition of Miami-friendly seafood dishes, expansive outdoor space, and Roa’s signature spicy red interior decor.
Biscayne Bay Brewing Company
If craft beers, and adventurous Mediterranean cuisine sounds good to you, then Biscayne Bay Brewing in Downtown Miami, in the historically designated Old Post Office building, is well worth the trip. A funky building in the heart of the action and great food and drink. What’s not to like?
Tala Beach
Tala Beach is the phoenix that has risen from the ashes for the former 1 Beach Club. This newest incarnation boats a mighty 50,000 square foot outdoor space with Mediterranean cuisine, woodsy day beds and sofas, DJs, rustic decking, colorful rugs and pillows, and more — all beneath swaying palms umbrellas. There’s also a VIP lounge for clients in need of extra pampering.
Shingo
When you have a restaurant named after you, you are either have a massive ego or a massive talent. Chef Shingo Akikuni thankfully has the latter, having a Michelin star to his name at Wynwood’s Hidden to prove it. Shingo is located in Coral Gables’ historic La Palma building serving premium sushi, omakase-style, in an intimate 14-seat setting. Dishes include traditional Japanese nigiri, seasonal sashimi, and Yakimono dishes, complemented by premium sake.
Koko by Bakan
One thing you can be certain of in Miami is great Latin food. Koko by Bakan in Coconut Grove doesn’t disappoint. The menu is centered around authentic Mexican (pre-Hispanic) dishes such as nixtamal for daily-made tortillas, a wood-fired grill, and rotisserie with more than 400 mezcals and tequilas for food pairings. Koko is located in an expansive 6,000-square-foot space furnished in a traditional Mexican style.
Mirabella
The famed Fontainebleau Resort, Miami Beach, has been at the heart of the city for the best part of a century. It’s achieved this by constantly reinventing itself, introducing new restaurants and cuisines every few years. Its latest is Mirabella, a coastal Italian-themed eaterie courtesy Michelen-starred chef Michael White. Located at the base of the Sorrento Tower, the chef describes Mirabella as “a celebration of Italian cuisine and a reflection of my own culinary journey.”
Toku
Another New York transplant, this time from Long Island, Toku offers modern Asian cuisine drawing on inspiration from Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese flavors. Couple this expansive geographical terrain with unique craft cocktails and sakes, a 190-seat covered outdoor patio, and plush seating, and you have the recipe for a wonderful dining experience.
With new restaurants sprouting like saplings in a rainforest, distinguishing amongst all of them is no easy feat. Hopefully, this brief tasting of some of the most noteworthy will set you on your culinary journey. By the time you’ve eaten your way through these, don’t fret, because just as you can be sure of getting a golden tan after only a day or two at the beach, there will be more restaurants to welcome you inside.
