6 Top-Rated Miami Restaurants You Need to Visit Soon
Miami was recognized by Bon Appétit as the 2023 Food City of the Year, and it’s no surprise. The dining scene in the South Florida city has exploded in recent years. The diverse, culturally rich metropolis has benefited from an influx of homegrown and imported culinary talent.
Locals and tourists have no shortage of great restaurants to choose from, but which are the best? Let’s look at six spots with Michelin stars that stand above the rest.
1. Ariete
Few chefs bring as much creativity to their menus as Ariete’s Michael Beltran. Blending Cuban, French, and American influences, Beltran and his team create bold dishes that impress and surprise.
Ariete’s pressed duck, for instance, is not simply an entree but a multipart dining experience featuring a reduction made tableside. The truffle-stuffed chicken merges the high and low artfully—and deliciously. The monkfish wellington is served with a smoked eel-shrimp mousse.
First-time visitors to this cozy Coconut Grove nook should try the tasting menu. And don’t forget to bring your phone. Along with being delicious, Ariete’s food is so beautiful you’ll want to snap a pic for the ‘Gram.
2. Boia De
The glowing exclamation point above the front door is the first sign there’s something special here. Tucked in a nondescript Buena Vista strip mall near the border of Little Haiti, Boia De welcomes diners with a lively menu that defies expectations.
Nominally an Italian place, Boia De is so much more. The beef tartare is topped with a crispy garlic-shallot crumble and fried capers, then smothered in a delicious tuna-tomato sauce. While there’s plenty of pasta, cheese, and other Italian staples, unexpected ingredients (king crab, potato skins) abound.
The menu is the brainchild of Chefs Luciana Giangrandi and Alex Meyer. The dishes are intended to be shared, making it easier for diners to decide what to order. Refreshing wines and cocktails complement the contemporary Italian fare. Be sure to make a reservation, as there are only 24 seats and they fill up quickly.
3. Cote Miami
The original New York City location of this upscale Korean steakhouse has won numerous awards for its 45-day dry aged beef. Now with a spot in the Design District, Cote’s Miami branch has upheld the original’s sterling reputation.
Charcoal grills at each table allow diners to watch as their meal is prepared by Cote Miami’s chefs. Unlike other Korean barbecue restaurants, the grills here are smokeless, meaning your clothes won't smell afterword. Nearby, the dry-aging process can be witnessed firsthand in a red-lit room that doubles as a showroom-like display for the high-quality marbled beef.
Despite being an upscale restaurant, Cote Miami has some accessible price points. Consider ordering the Butcher’s Feast, a generous tasting menu that for $68 will allow you to sample some of the restaurant’s best cuts.
4. Los Felix
Diners won’t be able to miss the molino that sits in the middle of this modern Mexican spot in Coconut Grove. The old-fashioned mill is an indication of how seriously Los Felix takes its tortillas. Often an afterthought at Mexican restaurants, the corn disks are so good here that you can eat them on their own.
Fortunately for diners, the care and attention of the tortilla-making process extends to the rest of the menu. Tender pork-cheek carnitas, perfectly seasoned shrimp and seafood, an array of distinct salsas, even the vegetarian and vegan options—everything here feels meticulous. Have a question? The attentive servers have subject-matter expertise on every ingredient.
Unsurprisingly, Los Felix’s care and attention is also reflected in the prices. Portions here are petite, and a meal can easily reach $100 per person. Those willing to pony up can sit in Los Felix’s bright, art-adorned dining room, or people watch from a table on its tree-shaded sidewalk.
5. Stubborn Seed
There was significant fanfare about this South Beach restaurant ahead of its opening. Helmed by Top Chef winner Jeremy Ford, Stubborn Seed has lived up to the hype.
Ford has built a daring menu that builds on familiar American influences to create something unique. A cheddar and jalapeno biscuit comes with a side of bread-and-butter pickles, and celery root puree combines with maitake mushroom to dazzle the taste buds. Meanwhile, truffle chicken is a can’t-miss highlight.
Each dish here is fussed over, both in terms of flavor and appearance; however, the subtleness of the cooking always shines through. Consider ordering the eight-course tasting menu, and don’t forget to try one of the restaurant’s many imaginative drinks and desserts.
6. The Surf Club Restaurant
Acclaimed chef Thomas Keller’s first Florida restaurant is housed within a restored Four Seasons hotel and no detail was overlooked during the renovation. With it elegant furnishings, sartorial servers, amber-hued lighting, the Surf Club transport diners to an exclusive midcentury members-only club.
Unsurprisingly for a Thomas Keller establishment, the Surf Club's food is equally impeccable. Classic American dishes like beef Wellington and seared crab cake are executed to perfection. Even better might be the sauces, a highlight being an impressively creative take on Maine lobster thermidor.
A winner of the James Beard Award for best new restaurant, the Surf Club is not for those on a budget. It is, however, a stunning example of one of the world’s best chefs firing on all cylinders.