15 Best Restaurants in Miami

Phuc Yea

Located off Biscayne Boulevard in the MiMo District, Phuc Yea combines the best of Vietnamese and Cajun cuisine for a spice-packed experience. In Vietnamese, the word phuc means "blessings and prosperity" and in this restaurant, the chefs have reinterpreted classic Vietnamese recipes and blended them with Cajun-style cooking. Not your typical Vietnamese place (pho is only served during happy hour), Phuc Yea serves unique dishes with a unique twist of flavors like the curried mussels and the smoked short rib that comes with a spicy watermelon salad.

PLANTA South Beach

Originating in Toronto, PLANTA has three locations in Florida, but the South Beach restaurant is the one most often lauded as the best vegan restaurant in Miami Beach. Serving up a 100 percent plant-based menu, this is the perfect restaurant choice for vegans and vegetarians looking for varied and delicious meals that even meat-eaters can look forward to. Sushi options use ingredients like truffle miso and hearts of palm while poke bowls make creative use of watermelon and beets. You'll also find PLANTA's signature dishes which range from your standard veggie burgers to quesadillas made with cashew cheese.

If you need to sustain a meatless diet for a longer trip to you can discover the best vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Miami here.

Zuma

Zuma, in the Kimpton EPIC Hotel, is the brainchild of internationally acclaimed chef Rainer Becker who has already duplicated the high-quality concept in London, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Dubai, and Bangkok. The restaurant serves sophisticated and flavorful dishes all inspired by izakaya, Japan's informal, pub-like dining experience. The restaurant is located in downtown Miami and offers riverside views from the covered terrace, which is also air-conditioned.

Customers can order a variety of food from either the main kitchen, sushi counter, or the robata grill. Zuma also offers a brunch menu that ranges in price depending on if you order the Brut Premier, Premium Sake, or Dom Perignon as your alcohol accompaniment. It includes a selection of appetizers, sushi, and sashimi, plus cold and hot dishes. Large plates like the truffle hot pot, sashimi platters, and wagyu beef dishes are also available to share.

Miami's waterside location means you can count on fresh fish, so if you're craving something you can dip in soy sauce, check out some of the other best sushi restaurants in Miami.

Garcia’s Seafood Grille & Fish Market

Half restaurant half fish market, Garcia’s serves up the freshest seafood daily. Since 1966, this has been a favorite spot to enjoy Cuban seafood while taking in the view of boats gliding by on the Miami River. It's located northwest of Downtown Miami and is just a 15-minute walk from the Government Center Train Station. Garcia's is most famous for its stone crabs, which are best enjoyed between October and May, but everyone also knows they can count on Garcia's to serve up consistently fresh ingredients plucked directly from the Florida coast.

Choose from its daily blackboard menu or a house special like fried grouper or the catch of the day. Menu options range from casual lunch dishes like shrimp po'boy sandwiches and lobster macaroni and cheese dishes to more classic options like seared scallops and the famous fish dip.

Miami has no shortage of good seafood, so while you're there, you can discover some of the other best seafood restaurants in Miami.

La Sandwicherie

You don't have to miss out on one of Miami's classic restaurants just because you have to take your food to go. La Sandwicherie may be more of a walk-up counter than a restaurant, but it’s been serving up tasty sandwiches since 1988. Think fresh French bread, juicy deli meats, and a variety of cheeses, sauces, and salad toppings like ripe tomatoes and gherkins. Seats at the counter can be hard to come by, but the beach is only steps away if you're visiting the original location. The sandwich shop is also located in Wynwood, North Beach, and Coral Gables.

Ms. Cheezious

Miami locals no longer have to chase down Ms. Cheezious for a taste of grilled cheese supremacy. What began as a cult classic food truck has now become a brick-and-mortar store on Biscayne Boulevard. The menu consists of any grilled cheese you could ever dream of, such as the Mackin' Melt, a sourdough bread grilled cheese sandwich with mac 'n' cheese in the middle, and more creative concoctions like Frito Pie Melt with chili, onions, and Fritos. The menu is sure to thrill any cheese-loving kid and kids-at-heart. The fun family atmosphere makes the entire experience enjoyable and you'll be inspired to up your own game the next time you make grilled cheese at home.

Lokal

All the burgers at Lokal are made from grass-fed meat that’s ground in-house and many of the ingredients, and the beers on tap, are sourced from Florida businesses. The restaurant processes the meat in-house with their own hand-grinding and pressing methods and has put together a menu of delectable burgers with funky ingredients. You can try the Childhood Dream Burger, a 4-ounce patty topped with American cheese, candied bacon, and a fried egg, all served on a donut bun.  Or go all out with Juan's Fidy-Fidy, a burger with a patty that's half-beef and half-bacon, and also topped with even more bacon for good measure.

If you're traveling with your canine companion, you can also order for them off the Doggy Menu. Served exclusively outside, you can choose between chicken and meatloaf with a side of non-alcoholic beer designed just for dogs.

Lolo's Surf Cantina

Voted "Best Tacos" by the Miami New Times, Lolo’s is an all-around spicy treat for anyone looking for authentic Mexican food. Chef Richard Ampudia brings his Mexican roots to every dish he creates at Lolo’s. From the tacos to the burritos, this is Mexican comfort food at its best. On Miami Beach's Ocean Drive, the cafeteria-like setting and casual bar area make this a great place to meet friends for a Sunday brunch or weeknight catch-up. The huge menu features typical Mexican street food like churros and elote, which is spicy roasted corn with cheese and vegetarians can order an Impossible Torta that uses plant-based meat.

The River Oyster Bar

Right in the heart of Brickell is the popular happy-hour hot spot, River Seafood Oyster Bar. The bar offers fresh Alaskan fish, locally hand-selected produce, and a wide array of cold-water oysters. It’s a fun joint to hit up with friends or for a casual family dinner. Oysters are served raw or roasted and the menu is full of eye-catching and creative ingredients like squid ink, pork belly, and pineapple kimchee. The restaurant works with many different seafood purveyors, fishermen, and farmers to build their menu, and oysters are flown in from all over the country—often directly from the farms they are raised in.

Cantina La Veinte

La Veinta is an art deco-inspired Mexican cantina with a menu that represents the many different regions and styles of cuisine found across Mexico. Located in Brickell, this restaurant offers a full menu of classic dishes from tacos to prime rib and ceviche, so an appetite of any size can easily be accommodated. The tortillas are handmade and the salsas are blended in a traditional molcajete (the Mexican mortar and pestle). While you can expect classic flavors and dishes, you should also be ready for some of the kitchen's favorite high-tech gastronomy tricks like vacuum cooking and spherification.

Pizza & Burger by Michael Mina

If you're going out in Miami Beach, head to the Fontainebleau's Pizza & Burger by Michael Mina for an upscale experience with traditional late-night eats. Compared to the other restaurants in the Fontainebleau, this restaurant is more casual, offering a wide variety of mouthwatering comfort food. For example, the Hippie Chick is a staple burger choice and comes with your choice of burger served with grilled eggplant, halloumi cheese, and a stack of potato chips for crunch. It's a great way to end, or start, a night out.

Etzel Itzik Deli

If you’re into Israeli street food, you do not want to miss Miami’s Etzel Itzik on the Dixie Highway near North Miami Beach. This authentic Israeli restaurant will give you a true and delicious taste of the Middle East, from its schnitzel and kebabs to the shawarma. Dining inside, you can't help but notice that the walls are plastered in photographs, which makes this restaurant feel like a cozy hometown staple. Don't leave without trying the shakshuka, a popular Israeli breakfast of sunny-side-up eggs and tomato sauce.

Edge Steak & Bar

Located inside the Four Seasons Miami in Brickell, Edge Steak & Bar is a modern steakhouse with a classically delicious menu. Executive chef Aaron Brooks cooks up a variety of high-quality cuts from filet mignon to New York strip steaks. Ingredients come from local farms and businesses and there are many different menus not only for breakfast, lunch, and dinner but also for happy hour and bar bites. As you might expect, you can order many different types of steak from a six-ounce grass-fed filet to the 24-ounce Porterhouse. For vegetarians, the chef even offers a charred cauliflower steak so you don't have to miss out on a flavorful experience.

Sugar Factory Miami

With about 20 locations worldwide, Sugar Factory knows exactly how to appeal to and satisfy the sweet tooths of the world. The Miami location does not disappoint. Located inside the Victor Hotel on Ocean Drive, the restaurant is sure to excite kids with their kid-friendly menu and candy-coated and photo-worthy milkshakes like the Bacon Cheeseburger Milkshake that comes with a mini cheeseburger and is served in a chocolate mug. For adult-sized appetites, the burger menu really creative with the Waffle Breakfast Burger, an eight-ounce beef patty sitting between two waffles, topped with a full breakfast, and drenched in warm maple syrup and gravy. Groups of 12 or more should go for the King Kong Sundae, made up of 24 scoops of ice cream and topped with everything but the kitchen sink.

Andiamo!

If you’re looking for a more adventurous slice head to Andiamo! for brick oven pizza you can design yourself. Located in the MiMo District on Biscayne Boulevard, you can try the pizza that has been hailed by many to be the best in Miami. In addition to the combinations you can make yourself, you can also try the signature pizza combos like the Bella Bambina that is topped with pancetta, caramelized onions, and smoked gouda or the Godfather, which is a festival of flavor, packed with Italian sausage, pepperoni, meatballs, peppers, mushrooms, and olives. If you're not feeling the pizza, you can also try the homemade meatballs or order a sandwich or panini.