50 Best Restaurants in Miami and Miami Beach, Florida

There's always a festive vibe at this Cuban hot spot from James Beard--winning chef Michelle Bernstein and famed Cantinero bartender Julio Cabrera. Old-school cocktails like the daiquiri, Hemingway fizz, and mojito are made slowly with showmanship straight from 1950s Cuba, while menu highlights include roast calabaza empanadas, arroz con pollo, and skirt steak ropa vieja. Daily live music is known to prompt dancing, and there's a Miami Vice--theme speakeasy with a separate 1980s-inspired cocktail menu—think Cosmos and apple martinis.

Some of the best bites come from the smallest spots, and that's especially true at Clive's Cafe. This local gem serves hearty plates of some of the best Jamaican food in Miami. Each entrée, from curried goat to jerk chicken, is piled high and features your choice of two sides, such as the popular rice and peas or macaroni salad. Don't forget to grab a spicy beef patty for the road.

Home to some of Miami's best sushi rolls, fish bowls, and ceviches, this family-run Nikkei concept (owned by James Beard--nominated brother and sister duo Nando and Valerie Chang and their father Fernando) is a hot spot amid the designer stores of the Design District. Dishes are prepared tenderly with fresh seasonal ingredients and high-quality seafood and served in a casual outdoor setting in the center of Palm Court.

In South Beach's decidedly new-money scene, the stately Joe's Stone Crab is an old-school testament to good food and good service. Stone crabs, served with legendary mustard sauce, crispy hash browns, and creamed spinach, remain the staple at South Beach's most storied restaurant (which dates from 1913).

This posh taverna featuring grilled fish and classic mezes is also a good place for celebrity sightings—from local basketball stars to pop music moguls. The lush waterfront hideaway has an inviting patio with blooming bougainvillea, whitewashed walls, secluded “cabana” tables, and navy-cushioned seating. Chef Steven Rhee sources ingredients like olive oil, honey, and spices from Greece while also maintaining a local and seasonal menu.

Foodies and locavores love this eco-minded restaurant in the heart of Wynwood, which plants five trees for every tree burned in its Japanese wood-fired grill. The Asian-inspired, small-plates menu wows through creative dishes such as the epic roasted cauliflower with goat cheese and shishito-herb vinaigrette and sizzling Thai fried-rice stone pot with king crab.

Peruvian celebrity-chef Gastón Acurio dazzles with a sublime menu and an atmospheric, bay-side setting to match. Tour the far corners of Peru through La Mar’s signature cebiches (ceviche) and tiraditos (similar to crudo), freshly grilled skewers of street-style anticuchos, causa dishes (mashed potato topped with meat and vegetable toppings), and national libations, like the pisco sour.

Miami is filled with great steak houses, but this is arguably the best. Located in the glamorous art deco open lobby of The Betsy hotel on Ocean Drive, noted chef Laurent Tourondel (of BLT Steak fame) presents a seasonally inspired menu that includes fresh seafood, sushi, the highest-quality cuts of USDA prime and certified Black Angus beef, and decadent sides (don't miss the hand-cut Parmesan truffle fries with truffle aioli).

Stephen Starr's Japanese headliner, executed by celebrity-chef and master of Edomae-style sushi Makoto Okuwa, now sits in a new, much larger space and offers two menus: one devoted solely to sushi, sashimi, and maki, the other to Japanese cold and hot dishes. Look forward to hyperfresh raw dishes, tempuras, meats, and vegetables grilled over Japanese charcoal (robata), rice and noodle dishes, and a variety of steaks and fish inspired by the Land of the Rising Sun.

A step inside this 1940s house-turned-bistro transports you to ya-ya’s home along the Aegean Sea. The Greek and Turkish cuisine is fresh and the service warm, matching its charming dining garden enlivened by an awning of trees, a rustic wooden canopy, and traditional village furnishings.

Michael's is often cited as one of Miami's top tried-and-true restaurants, and it's not hard to see why: this indoor-outdoor bistro in Miami's Design District is an evergreen oasis for Miami dining sophisticates. Owner and chef Michael Schwartz aims for sophisticated eclectic cuisine with an emphasis on local and organic ingredients, and he gets it right (think crispy, sweet-and-spicy pork belly with kimchi and steamed mussels in coconut milk).

On a residential street in SoBe’s western reaches, this petite eatery attracts the who’s who of beach socialites, hipsters, and the occasional tourist coming to chow down on inventive Asian-Latin small plates, sushi rolls, and grilled skewers of meat and seafood by executive chef-owner José Mendin. From bigeye tuna spicy rolls to short-rib and truffle dumplings, the menu constantly pushes the envelope on inventive cuisine, and locals simply can’t get enough.

A local favorite for a quick bite while hanging out on The Key, Sir Pizza keeps it simple with square-cut thin-crust pizzas, sandwiches, and hefty deli salads. Using fresh ingredients, special marinara sauce, and tiny cubes of pepperoni, these pies are ones you'll likely think about for awhile. Grab an extra side of ranch for pizza dipping---it's a must at Sir Pizza.

Texas-inspired barbecue is all the rage at Society BBQ, where meats reign supreme and everything is smoked. The carved-to-order smoked meats and made-from-scratch sides are finger-licking good. The meat market menu includes burnt ends, pulled chicken and pork, sliced brisket, and giant beef ribs. For sides, expect your run-of-the-mill barbecue favorites like mac and cheese, loaded potatoes, and pit-smoked beans.

Miami visitors looking for that "Cuban food on Calle Ocho" experience, look no further: this storied eatery, where old émigrés opine daily about all things Cuban, is a stop on every political candidate's campaign trail, and it should be a stop for you as well. Order a heaping platter of lechón asado (roasted pork loin), ropa vieja (shredded beef), or picadillo (spicy ground beef), all served with rice, beans, and fried plantains.

A restaurant, a bar, and an entertainment venue with live DJs wrapped into one space, this hip, 10,000-square-foot Asian food hall has seven restaurants and a full bar to choose from. Take a trip through Asia's many cuisines with everything from dumplings and pho to poke to sushi, and even Peking duck. Save room for dessert where photo-worthy red-bean ice cream cones are on the menu.

Under the glow of a green neon light in a hip industrial space, this locally loved, independent coffee shop offers quick service and a curated list of rotating coffee blends, pastries, and sandwiches for breakfast and lunch. Coffee connoisseurs will delight in the several preparations of nitro cold brew, pour over, and carefully crafted lattes. Most popular of the bites is the Runny & Everything sandwich, an aptly named sunny-side up egg sandwich with bacon, cheddar, lettuce, and tomato on an Everything brioche bun, but you'll also find local staples like croquetas and fresh-squeezed Florida orange juice.

High atop the 16th floor of Downtown Miami's Kimpton EPIC Hotel, memorable and sustainable ocean-to-table cuisine is prepared in the bustling, beautiful open kitchen. Look forward to a seafood-centric menu with innovative flavors and a hefty portion of ethos—all fruits of the sea here are certified by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch.

Discover a small, sumptuous piece of coastal Mexico at this feet-in-the-sand Mexican restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Miami. (Note: non–hotel guests are welcome.) Order the guacamole, prepared tableside, a few tequila-infused cocktails (like the sour black cherry Black Diamond margarita), and then move onto heartier plates of fajitas and enchiladas.

As expected for its ritzy location, this upscale restaurant matches its high-fashion neighbors: waiters don bow ties and coattails, even for lunch hours, yet are approachable in their knowledge and attentiveness. Practically everything on the menu jumps out, though the handmade mozzarella antipasti, clam linguine, and namesake beef carpaccio are signature dishes. An extensive list of wines from Italy, California, and other locales around the world perfectly complements a meal here.

The wait for a table at this outpost of the legendary Italian restaurant is just as long as for its counterparts in West Hollywood and London. Expect heavy portions of atmosphere: it's a real scene of who's who and who's eating what, cast in a seductive, vintage-chic setting across the courtyard of Soho Beach House.

Chez Le Bebe offers a short menu of Haitian home cooking—it's been going strong for over 30 years and has been featured on shows like the Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern and The Layover with Anthony Bourdain. Try the stewed goat (the specialty) or the tender and flavorful chicken, fish, oxtail, or fried pork; each plate comes with rice, beans, plantains, and salad, for around $15.

With bright graffiti walls, a buzzing bar, and an open-air roof, this trendy Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant has brought sophistication and edge to Lincoln Road. Order a pisco or Japanese whiskey and settle in for flavor-packed Nikkei-style cuisine and some of the best sushi in town.

From the same team behind Brooklyn's famous Lucali restaurant comes a fast casual New York--style pizzeria specializing in thin crust brick-oven pies and hearty Italian comfort dishes. Menu highlights include massive meatballs, chicken Parmesan, pepperoni chips, and salads. Make sure to visit the bar in the back, Dom's, for refreshing cocktails and wine and a rowdy karaoke night on Thursday.

It's farm-to-table surf and turf at this elegantly understated restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel Miami, where hefty portions of the finest cuts and freshest seafood headline the menu, prepared by renowned chef Aaron Brooks. For a more casual experience, enjoy your meal and the restaurant's artisanal cocktails under the skies on the alfresco terrace.

Don't overlook happy hour weekdays 4--7 pm with $1 oysters, 2-for-1 bites, and $8 bubbles and cocktails.

To the northwest of Coral Gables proper, this small but boisterous indoor-outdoor market is one of the easiest and truest ways to see Miami's local Latin life in action. Besides the rows of fresh, tropical fruits and vegetables—and the shakes you can get with any of them—Miami's original food hall has numerous counters where you can order a wide variety of Latin American food, from pan con lechón (roast pork on Cuban bread) to fried pork rinds.

With a design that fuses the indoors and outdoors in the middle of Coconut Grove’s residential Peacock Park, this charming, family-friendly restaurant is as picturesque as it is unexpected. Parents can sit back and enjoy some incredible gourmet-style sharing plates (featuring local catch and produce) and the sensational wine selection while the little ones are thoroughly entertained outside (there's even a playground).

When Cuban families want an affordable home-cooked meal with a twist but don't want to cook it themselves, they come to this big, unassuming restaurant. The fare is traditional Cuban: long, thin, panfried steaks known as bistec palomilla, roast chicken with citrus marinade, and fried pork chunks. Most dishes come with white rice, black beans, and a choice of ripe or green plantains.