Boia De

CITY GUIDES | MIAMI

Miami’s Restaurant Scene Is on a Tear. Start With These Tables.

In one of the country’s most exciting restaurant cities, these spots keep earning their place on the calendar.

By Eric Barton
Updated Sept. 24, 2026

AUTHOR BIO: Eric Barton is editor of The Adventurist and a freelance journalist who has reviewed restaurants for more than two decades. Email him here.

I've been enjoying the headlines lately about Miami getting listed as one of the best restaurant scenes in the country. Those of us who live here have known it for some time now, this place that's a jumbled mix of Cuban cafés, chefs' tasting menus, and smashburger spots with lines around the corner, sometimes on the very same block. Which is why it was so hard to narrow down this list of Miami's best restaurants. I could've put a hundred places on it, although that would help nobody choose where to make a reservation tonight. So I've cut and trimmed and dropped a few longtime favorites (sorry, Joe's). The end result is 15 very good restaurants, not just for Miami but anywhere. Here are the best restaurants in Miami right now.

Ariete

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Michael Beltran’s Ariete has become synonymous with Miami’s contemporary dining scene. The Michelin-starred spot blends Cuban roots with French techniques, resulting in dishes like the signature foie gras with smoked plantains. The modern, minimalist interior is a perfect backdrop for indulgent plates, and the cocktail program—heavy on local citrus—makes it worth lingering.

Best for: Appreciating the talents of one of Miami’s best chefs

Ava MediterrAegean

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Ava MediterrAegean is the sort of restaurant built to make an entrance, all stone, greenery, hidden corners, and enough drama to justify the walk up. It’s from chef Michaël Michaelidis and the same team behind Mila , Ca sa Neos , and Cla udie. Here, the menu swings from a dip trio and keftedes to truffle cream spaghetti and a salt-crusted branzino set on fire tableside, which sounds like pure theater until the fish arrives flaky and dead-on. In a city that keeps confusing pretty restaurants with good ones, Ava manages to be both.

Best for: A big-night-out dinner that still gets the food right

Boia De

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

From the unassuming strip mall entrance to the kaleidoscopic neon sign, Boia De revels in contradictions. The brainchild of Luciana Giangrandi and Alex Meyer, this James Beard-nominated and Michelin-starred gem offers dishes like ricotta gnocchi with brown butter and crispy pig ears with a Calabrian chili kick. The cozy space feels like a dinner party at your coolest friend’s house—if your friend had impeccable taste and an encyclopedic knowledge of Italian wines.

Best for: Impressing that friend in town who knows good food

Buccan

$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

I loved the original Buccan when I lived in West Palm Beach, so I arrived at its Coral Gables offshoot with more than a little hope riding on dinner. Chef Clay Conley’s menu still makes it easy to order widely and pass plates around. The tuna crisps give way with a satisfying crack; the wagyu short rib barely needs a knife. And then there’s the sweet corn agnolotti, with ricotta, Espelette butter, and bacon, which I called one of the best things I’ve ever eaten when I gave five stars to Buccan. I stand by it.

Best for A meal where every single thing you order could be your favorite

Cote Miami

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Miami’s outpost of the Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse from NYC delivers both sizzle and style. Chef Simon Kim blends Korean tableside BBQ with a fine dining ethos, thanks in part to the fact that the server does the cooking instead of that guy at your table who swears he knows what he’s doing. The star here is the butcher’s feast, a procession of prime cuts grilled tableside, accompanied by an orchestra of banchan. The sleek, dimly lit interior, punctuated by neon accents, feels like stepping into a glossy, futuristic Miami.

Best for: You want Korean steakhouse but as dinner theater

Cotoa

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

In a quiet North Miami strip mall, Cotoa is turning out some of the city’s most inventive cooking, Ecuadorian or otherwise. Chef Alejandra Espinoza rethinks traditional dishes with actual ambition—like seco de pollo reimagined as plantain tortellini, or palo santo infused into butter without turning it into a spa treatment. The cacao shows up in sauces, desserts, even drinks, each one layered and surprising. It’s a tiny space, more library than restaurant, but every dish feels like a bold footnote in the story of what Miami food can be.

Best for: Taking a journey into Ecuadorian dishes

Doya

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Wynwood has largely shed its gallery past for flashy restaurants, but Doya stands out as a place that nails vibe, value, and serious flavor. Led by chef Erhan Kostepen (formerly of much-loved Mandolin Aegean Bistro), Doya’s menu is full of sharable plates built around impeccably sourced ingredients and wood-fired cooking—chargrilled octopus, crispy branzino carpaccio, lamb kebap, and even a short‑rib baklava that writes its own rules. The space—part lush patio, part intimate bar—never feels stuffy; it just buzzes with energy that makes every visit feel like a night out. Add the Michelin Bib Gourmand stamp and the fact that F1 champ Max Verstappen celebrated here, and you’ve got a spot that’s both locally loved and globally noticed.

Best for: Chill Wynwood vibes but with memorable food

Fooq’s

$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

The old Fooq’s downtown was so small that the next table could become part of your conversation without anyone moving a chair. Its return in Little River is a grand production, with a dining room, an outdoor bar beneath a banyan tree, and a lounge upstairs. Founder David Foulquier recently brought in chef Roel Alcudia as culinary director, and the Persian-influenced menu is full of decisions I’d be happy to make twice: tomato pide with stracciatella and basil, fried quail with jalapeño honey, and roasted, well-spiced lamb shoulder with green garlic yogurt. This is pretty far from the old, cozy Fooq’s, but I’m glad to say it’s just as good.

Best for: Persian-influenced plates in a dramatic space

Ghee Indian Kitchen

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Plenty of restaurants call themselves farm-to-table, but few actually have their own farm. Chef Niven Patel grows much of the produce at his Homestead farm and builds Miami-inspired Indian dishes around it—think bhel puri ceviche, turmeric-marinated local fish, and bhatura dough spiked with avocado. The Wynwood location, the second for Ghee, feels sharper and more modern than the original (and also closer to home for us condo-dwellers). But the soul at both locations is the same: unapologetically Indian, unmistakably Miami. It’s the kind of place that reminds you there’s room in this city for vindaloo right alongside pastelitos and cafecito.

Best for: You want Indian spice but in a cool vibe

Los Félix

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Corn reigns supreme at Los Félix, a Coconut Grove restaurant that’s as much about heritage as it is about flavor. The masa is milled in-house for tortillas that cradle everything from carnitas to huitlacoche. With a Michelin star under its belt, this spot marries traditional Mexican techniques with an ingredient-driven ethos.

Best for: Mexican dishes with elaborately sourced ingredients

Macchialina

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Macchialina has matured into one of South Beach’s most beloved Italian restaurants, with a recent renovation transforming its rustic charm into a space that now matches the excellence of its menu. Chef Michael Pirolo’s house-made pastas remain the star, from toothy agnolotti in butter-sage sauce to linguine in a luxurious mushroom truffle cream. The expanded courtyard and atmospheric interior—complete with moody lighting and tropical touches—no longer just a neighborhood favorite but now just simply one of Miami’s Best restaurants.

Best for: When you just need a good bowl of pasta

Ogawa

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

At Ogawa, a 10-seat omakase spot in Little River, chef Masayuki Komatsu serves the kind of sushi you’d expect in Tokyo’s Ginza district, not a Miami warehouse district. Restaurateur Alvaro Perez Miranda created a space that’s the one-night equivalent of a trip to Japan; there's no imported flash or DJ booth—just pristine fish, mostly from Japan, sliced with quiet precision and served with reverence. Each bite is deliberate, every detail exact, down to the housemade soy sauce and wasabi root grated to order. The experience is intimate, serious, and surprisingly unpretentious, a reminder that great sushi doesn’t need theatrics. It just needs a chef who knows exactly what he’s doing. Miami has many great omakase restaurants right now (Shingo, Queen Omakase, and Ogawa’s sister restaurant Hiyakawa among them), but what sets this one apart is Komatsu, a master not only at preparing fish but at reading his customers and tailoring whatever the next bite will be to exactly what you want.

Best for: You want to go to Japan but without the airline ticket

Sunny’s Steakhouse

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Among the warehouses of Little River, Sunny’s Steakhouse isn’t just one of the best Miami restaurants—it’s a fully realized concept. The service is spot-on without being fussy, the courtyard sparkles under a banyan tree, and the energy inside strikes that perfect balance between celebratory and relaxed, never veering into clubby. Chef Aaron Brooks reimagines steakhouse classics with the right amount of creativity: steak tartare on sourdough with burnt leek aioli, smoky rigatoni in pork tomato sauce, and a hanger steak so perfectly seared under périgourdine sauce it might just be the city’s best. There’s tableside martini service, sure, but also something more rare: a sense that every detail, from the cocktails to the playlist, has been thought through.

Best for: Special occasions, splurging, or just celebrating the end of a Tuesday

The Surf Club

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

In a restored 1930s landmark, The Surf Club is what happens when Thomas Keller, America’s culinary godfather, sets up shop in Miami. Expect old-school glamour with a contemporary twist—think lobster thermidor and a tableside Caesar salad that could convert the most hardened kale loyalist. The ocean views and impeccable service are almost as satisfying as the lemon tart finale.

Best for: You want fine dining without stuffiness

Tâm Tâm

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Chef Tam Pham created Tâm Tâm as a love letter to the foods he recalled from his childhood in Vietnam. The vibe is the antidote to fussy dining. Across from the courthouse in a part of downtown without a whole lot of other restaurant options, this charming spot (there’s a karaoke machine in the bathroom!) doles Cantonese-style fish, a "lamb situation" inspired by street vendors, and wings that arrive in a sweet-tangy caramel sauce. Tables here are close enough together that you’ll find yourself describing dishes to people who sit down next to you—although fight the urge to ask for a bite of their grilled escarole.

Best for: It’s fun, the food’s incredible, and there’s bathroom karaoke