World City Guide

Restaurants

Miami boasts a huge range of restaurants catering to all tastes and pockets. The selected restaurants have been divided into five categories: Gastronomic, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations. The restaurants are listed alphabetically within these different categories, which serve as guidelines rather than absolute definitions of the establishments.

As well as a 6.5% state sales tax, most municipalities levy special taxes on restaurants, which vary from 9.5% to 12.5% according to district. These taxes are not included in menu prices but are added to the bill at the end. A few places also include a service charge in the bill but this is not common. It is normal to leave a tip of 15-20% for service.

The prices quoted below are for an average three-course meal for one person and for a bottle of house wine or cheapest equivalent; they do not include taxes, service charge or tip.

Gastronomic

Blue Door at the Delano
A creative culinary duo, Claude Troisgrois and Jeffrey Chodorow meld tropical and Asian ingredients with French and Brazilian techniques to yield remarkable meals. The stylish and sumptuous setting in the Delano Hotel means guests can be seated next to celebs, also here for the well-crafted, seasonal dishes, like the Big Ravioli, filled with crab and scallop mousseline. Indoor or outdoor seating may be arranged. Reservations recommended.

Delano Hotel, 1685 Collins Avenue, South Beach
Tel: (305) 674 6400.
Website: www.morganshotelgroup.com/delano
Price: US$75. Wine: US$40.

Chef Allen’s
Chef Allen’s is an ideal restaurant for a special occasion. Chef-owner Allen Susser is counted among America’s most respected chefs, celebrated for his innovative New World and ‘Floribbean’ cuisine. The stylish Art Deco restaurant, with its contemporary artwork, fresh flowers and pink neon lighting, surrounds a glass-enclosed kitchen. Here, you can watch Allen create masterpieces from his nightly changing menu, such as pistachio encrusted black grouper with mango, leeks and coconut rum or tamarind chilli BBQ dry-aged prime sirloin steak with smoked onion mashed potato and mango ketchup. Reservations recommended. No lunch.

19088 North East 29th Avenue, Aventura
Tel: (305) 935 2900. Fax: (305) 935 2900.
E-mail: reservations@chefallens.com
Website: www.chefallens.com
Price: US$65. Wine: US$36.

Norman’s
One of America’s most celebrated chefs, Norman Van Aken is considered by many to be the originator of ‘New World cuisine’ – a blend of Latin, Caribbean, Asian and American cooking, and his restaurant is one of Florida’s finest. Among the highlights from a daily changing menu are the starter of yucca-stuffed crispy shrimp with a sour-orange mojo or the main of Elysian Fields Farm lamb loin and sausage with raosted garlic cake, grilled lettuce and violet mustard emulsion. All the exquisite dishes are served from an open kitchen in ultra-modern surroundings to a chic clientele of food aficionados. Reservations recommended.

21 Almeria Avenue, Coral Gables
Tel: (305) 446 6767. Fax: (305) 446 7909.
E-mail: comments@norman.com
Website: www.normans.com
Price: US$65. Wine: US$30.

Pacific Time
This stylish South Beach restaurant offers the finest in contemporary Asian-American and Pacific Rim cuisine. From the open kitchen, star-chef Jonathan Eismann prepares innovative and intensely flavoured dishes, such as miso-rubbed chicken salad with crispy spinach, or Szechuan grilled local mahi-mahi, from a predominantly seafood menu. Each dish is a work of art, served to a trendy, appreciative clientele in elegant, airy surroundings. It is a great place for celebrity-spotting too. Reservations recommended.

915 Lincoln Road, South Beach
Tel: (305) 534 5979. Fax: (305) 534 1607.
Price: US$55. Wine: US$27.

Pascal’s on Ponce
While other chefs are busy vying for a place among the trendy, chef-proprietor Pascal Oudin sticks to cooking substantive French fare, such as the silkiest lobster bisque, the steamed salmon with shrimps and scallops, or tenderloin of beef sautéed with snails and wild mushrooms. The desserts are not to be missed. The restaurant’s long-standing accolades are created by the food and enhanced by the small, simply appointed dining room, with its quiet atmosphere and serious table service. Reservations recommended.

2611 Ponce de León Boulevard, Coral Gables
Tel: (305) 444 2024. Fax: (305) 444 9798.
Price: US$45. Wine: US$25.

Business

Caffe Abbracci
Thanks to the upscale cuisine, the efficient but discreet service and the elegant Art Deco-style setting with modern wood and marble, crisp white linens and fresh flowers, the Abbracci is a favourite choice for business entertaining. The menu focuses on specialities such as mouthwatering antipasti, homemade pastas, risottos and carpaccios, as well as a knock-out tiramisu for dessert. Reservations recommended. No lunch weekends.

318 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables
Tel: (305) 441 0700. Fax: (305) 442 0061.
Price: US$35. Wine: US$22.

Capital Grille
This upscale, New York-style steakhouse is a popular restaurant for power lunches and dinners and is conveniently located in the heart of the Financial District of downtown Miami. Specialities include dry-aged beef and succulent seafood, while the service is notoriously formal. There is live music in the evenings from Tuesday to Saturday. Reservations are recommended. No lunch weekends.

444 Brickell Avenue, Brickell Village
Tel: (305) 374 4500. Fax: (305) 374 2777.
Website: www.thecapitalgrille.com
Price: US$60. Wine: US$35.

China Grill
The name is misleading. There are no mini pagodas and Chinese dragons on the walls here, as this buzzing, atmospheric restaurant specialises in ‘world cuisine’, combining ingredients, flavours and techniques from around the globe. Menu highlights include irresistible treats like the crispy duck with caramelised black vinegar sauce or the grilled garlic shrimp with black fettuccini and red curry coconut sauce. It is especially popular for business lunches and with the ‘beautiful people’ of South Beach. Reservations recommended. No lunch weekends.

404 Washington Avenue, South Beach
Tel: (305) 534 2211. Fax: (305) 534 2565.
Website: www.chinagrillmgt.com/chinaMI
Price: US$55. Wine: US$33.

Smith and Wollensky’s
One of a national chain who boast ‘a steakhouse to end all arguments’, this restaurant has a Miami Beach location which offers spectacular views of the ocean and Downtown skyline and unbeatable dry-aged prime steak. Menu highlights include a mustard crusted tuna and naturally, steak. Try the crackling pork shank and firecracker apple sauce, recently voted ’Dish of the Year’ by USA Today. The Deco Bar and warm décor create a relaxed atmosphere. Attire is business casual. Open every day for lunch and supper. Reservations recommended.

1 Washington Avenue (at South Pointe Park), Miami Beach
Tel: (305) 673 2800.
Website: www.smithandwollensky.com/Miami.asp
Price: US$65. Wine: US$36.

The Forge
With its elegant 19th-century façade, plush oak-panelled dining rooms, Tiffany chandeliers and haute cuisine, this veritable institution has catered for the stylish Miami Beach crowd since its opening in 1968. The Forge is best known for its succulent steaks but the menu also features a wide variety of Continental seafood and chicken dishes. It also boasts one of Miami’s most extensive wine cellars. Reservations recommended. No lunch.

432 Arthur Godfrey Road (41st Street), Miami Beach
Tel: (305) 538 8533. Fax: (305) 538 7733.
E-mail: reserve@theforge.com
Website: www.theforge.com
Price: US$60. Wine: US$28.

Trendy

1220
Located at the Tides, one of South Beach’s most glamorous Art Deco hotels (see Hotels), this beautiful, minimalist restaurant is decorated almost entirely in white, with crisp linens, candles and fresh flowers on all the tables. The food is equally simple and uncluttered, focusing on fusion or ‘progressive American’ cuisine, such as lobster gazpacho and grouper in a curry-ginger broth. There is a small but select wine list to complement the menu. Reservation recommended.

Tides, 1220 Ocean Drive, South Beach
Tel: (305) 604 5130. Fax: (305) 604 5180.
Website: www.tideshotel.com
Price: US$70. Wine: US$30.

Café TuTuTango
This hugely popular café-restaurant, at the heart of the action in Coconut Grove, is decorated to resemble an artist’s loft in Spain, with dozens of original paintings on the walls. Diners lounge in comfy armchairs or at sturdy wooden tables, entertained by artists poised at easels, strolling musicians and magicians, while chefs at three open kitchens prepare an adventurous menu of hot and cold tapas-style dishes. The choice is bewildering, ranging from pizzas, kebabs, BBQ wings and ribs to specialities such as alligator bites, hurricane shrimp fritters and Cajun chicken egg rolls, all washed down with a jug of sangria, ‘Matisse Margarita’ or ‘Picasso punch’. Reservations are not accepted.

CocoWalk, 3015 Grand Avenue, Coconut Grove
Tel: (305) 529 2222. Fax: (305) 461 5326.
Website: www.cafetututango.com
Price: US$25. Wine: US$19.

Larios on the Beach
Owned by local heroine Gloria Estefan, this chic, minimalist café-style restaurant serves nuevo (lighter) Cuban cuisine to a trendy crowd of Ocean Drive strollers and strutters, with funky Latin music and lethal mohitos (fresh mint, white rum and sugar). Diners enjoy fabada asturiana (black bean and sausage soup) or camarones al ajillo (shrimp in garlic sauce) on the pavement terrace – one of the best locations in South Beach to see and be seen.

820 Ocean Drive, South Beach
Tel: (305) 532 9577. Fax: (305) 531 5725.
Price: US$30. Wine: US$18.

Tantra
A grassy floor in the entryway and lounge leads into a dining room that appeals to the five senses: touch the velvety throw pillows in the banquettes, smell the incense burning in large lanterns, hear the Middle Eastern music, notice someone swinging in the rope hammock and taste from the menu created by owner Tim Hogle. The forward-thinking dishes are decadent, fusing seafood, chicken or meats with Asian ingredients, for example, ‘ginger kissed’ salmon or seared tuna and foie gras over diced Asian pear. At night, the place is packed with members of the stylish set, sipping cocktails and grooving to the DJ. Reservations recommended. No lunch weekends.

1445 Pennsylvania Avenue, South Beach
Tel: (305) 672 4765.
Website: www.tantrarestaurant.com
Price: US$65. Wine: US$30.

Wish
Wish is one of South Beach’s culinary hotspots, located in The Hotel – an Art Deco boutique hotel with interiors by fashion designer Todd Oldham. Executive chef Michael Bloise brings his unpretentious eclectic cooking style to Wish fusing classic American/contemporary Asian cuisine. His flavoursome dishes might include tuna tartare with picked ginger sorbet or the five-spiced pork chop with spicy sweet potato and edamame hash, and red curry dijon. The unusual outdoor-indoor restaurant provides a choice of alfresco dining in a lush tropical garden setting or in the colourful, cosy Persian-inspired restaurant.

The Hotel, 801 Collins Avenue, South Beach
Tel: (305) 674 9474. Fax: (305) 695 9539.
E-mail: info@wishrestaurant.com
Website: www.wishrestaurant.com
Price: US$55. Wine: US$28.

Budget

Johnny Rockets
The pastel-coloured Art Deco buildings of South Beach provide a suitably light-hearted backdrop for Johnny Rockets diner, one of the most popular breakfast venues in the district, with its sensational cooked breakfasts served on the pavement terrace in full view of all the film-star wannabes, supermodels, tourists, joggers and rollerbladers cruising on Ocean Drive. The rest of the day, this classic diner, decked out with old jukeboxes and a Harley Davidson, serves old-time favourites (hamburgers, hot dogs, salads and club sandwiches) along with milk shakes, ice cream sodas and hot fudge sundaes.

728 Ocean Drive, South Beach
Tel: (305) 538 2115. Fax: (305) 538 2567.
Website: www.johnnyrockets.com
Price: US$18. Bottle of local beer: US$3.99.

Little Havana
Proof positive that there is authentic Cuban food outside Calle Ocho, witness Little Havana in North Miami Beach, a friendly, popular choice with locals. Open daily for lunch and supper, enjoy such menu items as lobster-stuffed yucca pastry or the masas de puerco, a tender, crispy fried pork dish that is a favourite among patrons. Some dishes are big enough for two and all items are reasonably priced. The entire brightly lit dining room is non-smoking.

12727 Biscayne Boulevard, North Miami Beach
Tel: (305) 899 9069.
Price: US$15. Wine: US$14

News Café
A cult address – as it is the place where Gianni Versace drank his last cup of coffee shortly before he was murdered on his own doorstep just two blocks away. This trendy, European-style café of minimalist decor is one of South Beach’s coolest hangouts. It is an ideal place to while away the hours – all 24 of them in fact. (The adjacent News Store is conveniently stocked with magazines and newspapers.) The menu boasts everything from eggs Benedict to bagels and ice cream sundaes, and there is also an excellent wine list. The signature ‘News Cake’ is a must for chocoholics.

800 Ocean Drive, South Beach
Tel: (305) 538 6397. Fax: (305) 531 0394.
E-mail: info@newscafe.com
Website: www.newscafe.com
Price: US$27. Wine: US$22.

Shorty’s Bar-B-Q
Located in a log cabin in South Miami and decorated with mounted boar and caribou heads, saddles and cowboy hats, this barbecue house is a veritable institution. The informal, fun menu is served at long wooden picnic tables, with specialities including barbecued ribs and chicken (slow-cooked over hickory logs and smothered in Shorty’s own spicy barbecue sauce) accompanied by fries, coleslaw and garlic bread or such sides as barbecue beans, corn on the cob and chilled, thirst-quenching beers.

9200 South Dixie Highway, South Miami
Tel: (305) 670 7732. Fax: (305) 670 7733.
Website: www.shortys.com
Price: US$15. Pitcher of local beer: US$7.

Versailles
Versailles is where the local Cuban community of Little Havana come to eat simple, authentic cooking from their home country. Large, lively and brimming with immigrant optimism, this is one of Miami’s most ornate budget eating places and a landmark on Calle Ocho, with tuxedoed waiters and an elaborate decor of mirrors, murals and chandeliers. The sopa de platanos (plantain soup) and ropa vieja (beef stew) are especially tasty, and the café cubano (a thimble-sized cup of exceedingly strong, sweet black coffee) is reputedly the strongest shot of caffeine in South Florida.

3555 SW Eighth Street, Little Havana
Tel: (305) 444 0240.
Price: US$20. Wine: US$14.

Personal Recommendations

Big Pink
At the heart of the South Beach hustle, this upscale, modern diner and sports bar serves classic all-American fare to a young, hip crowd. Living up to its name, everything is pink – the bar stools, the lamps, the Plexiglas tables& even the menu, which consists predominantly of pizzas, burgers, pasta and salads, all served in hearty, value-for-money portions. The real speciality here, however, is the TV dinner (US$13.95) – a six-compartment metal tray loaded with satisfying comfort food.

157 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach
Tel: (305) 532 4700. Fax: (305) 532 4187.
E-mail: info@bigpinkrestaurant.com
Website: www.bigpinkrestaurant.com
Price: US$20. Wine: US$22.

Grass
Located in the newly fashionable Design District, Grass is an outdoor restaurant/lounge whose décor blends Caribbean and Indonesian influences with cutting-edge contemporary design offering patrons a gorgeous dining and lounging alternative to the South Beach scene. The menu keeps the focus on freshness with such dishes as Malaysian mixed seafood ceviche, or the tamari ginger marinated skirt steak. The restaurant turns into a lounge with bottle service later in the evenings and the door policy is strictly enforced at weekends. Casual Chic is the order of the day. Reservations are required.

28 NE 40th Street, Miami
Tel: (305) 573 3355.
Website: www.grasslounge.com
Price: US$55. Wine: US$40.

Grillfish
Casual and moderately priced, Grillfish offers great grilled seafood and pasta in a friendly, lively atmosphere. Menus are written on chalkboards throughout and the signature floor-to-ceiling erotic mural is a sure conversation starter. An open-concept kitchen affords diners vistas on leaping flame and efficient wait-staff deliver such dishes as blackened salmon cakes, or grilled whole yellowtail snapper with sweet onion sauce. Desserts are fresh and homemade; forget the calories and try the brownie sundae with caramel pecan sauce. Open seven days for lunch and supper. Reservations suggested for supper.

1444 Collins Avenue at Espanola Way, Miami Beach
Tel: (305) 538 9908.
Website: www.grillfish.com
Price: US$35. Wine: US$25.

Joe’s Stone Crab
A meal at this venerable institution is undoubtedly one of Florida’s most entertaining dining experiences, with its huge baskets of stone crab claws (Florida’s tastiest seafood delicacy) boiled, cracked and served with melted butter, piquant mustard sauce, a cracking board, mallet and bib. Opened in 1913 as a simple shack and steeped in tradition, the restaurant has now grown to over a thousand covers – all non-smoking. No reservations are accepted and there are frequently long queues but the delicious fare (which also includes soups, steaks, salads and other seafood dishes) is well worth the wait. Closed mid-May to mid-October. No lunch Monday or Sunday.

11 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach
Tel: (305) 673 0365.
E-mail: QandA@joesstonecrab.com
Website: www.joesstonecrab.com
Price: US$60. Wine: US$22.

Nemo’s
Not only does this ultra-chic restaurant count among America’s best, it also represents the epitome of South Beach cool. Chef Michael Schwartz’s eclectic menu blends Caribbean, Asian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influences with his seafood-oriented cooking to produce signature dishes such as steamed Mediterranean mussels with tomato-harissa broth, sticky black rice and garlic chips; wok-charred salmon with four-sprout salad, toasted pumpkin seeds and soy-lime vinaigrette; and key lime and white chocolate cheesecake flan for dessert, served with a drunken tropical salsa. The bright colours of the jewel-studded restaurant create the perfect backdrop for the sophisticated cuisine, while the tree-shaded terrace tables offer a more relaxed seaside atmosphere.

100 Collins Avenue, South Beach
Tel: (305) 532 4550. Fax: (305) 532 4187.
Website: www.nemorestaurant.com
Price: US$65. Wine: US$21.