Faena Theater, 3201 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33140
See C'est Rouge! at Faena Miami Beach
The Faena Miami Beach could win the title as Miami's fanciest, most over-the-top hotel based solely on the strength of its four-block art complex and multimillion-dollar gold woolly mammoth statue. It also has a velvet, 150-seat theater with glimmering chandeliers, and on the weekends you can go there to see a sexy-ass cabaret show that jams together Latin, jazz, and R&B influences. Tickets are $45 each, but you're getting a show choreographed by a dancer who got gold medals from the king of Spain, with dancers wearing Louboutins. Worth it.
Chotto Matte, 1664 Lenox Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Chotto Matte
A retractable-roof tropical paradise with first-class sushi and over-the-top drinks. Miami’s most visually-stunning new restaurant of 2018 feels almost like dining at the bottom of a cenote, where tropical foliage drapes down the restaurant’s open center, leading to a boulder and palm trees behind the perpetually-buzzing sushi bar. The London Nikkei-Peruvian import has a retractable roof, for obvious reasons, under which you’ll feast on some of the most expertly-created Asian food in Miami. As you’d expect, the seafood is divine, with flavorful offerings like the langosta deluxe ceviche, tuna tartare with dragonfruit and ponzu chili dressing. And you’d be remiss not to indulge in the 96-hour marinated, applewood-smoked lamb chops. But the drinks here are almost as impressive as the decor, worth a visit lychee picante, topped with three slices of dragonfruit. Or Holy Water, delivered in a literally-flaming grail.
Santorini by Georgios, 101 Ocean Drive, Pool - Beach Side, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Santorini by Georgios
Heaping portions of fresh Greek food, served next to the ocean Traditionally, poolside cuisine in Miami has been relegated to $20 hamburgers with mini-bottles of Grey Poupon and/or a $7 slice of watermelon. All that’s changed at the Hilton Bentley Bay, where the poolside restaurant is serving the best Greek food in Miami. Creator, owner, and executive chef Georgios Vogiatzis has crafted a fresh menu long on creative salads, flavorful meats, and humongous gyro and pita sandwiches. If you want to be indulgent, opt for the seafood platter, where every piece is grilled with a buttery, lemon glaze and tastes just like it would on an island in the Med. It’s the odd place where you can take in the Miami scene, dine on great food, and not lose half your paycheck in the process.
Red, The Steakhouse, 119 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Red, The Steakhouse
Miami’s best steakhouse has more than just meat When almost every season a new high-end steakhouse opens up and serves prime cuts with great service, it’s tough to stay on top. But despite expansion into other cities Peter Vauthy still maintains the best steakhouse in the city by offering a menu that extends far beyond his trademark filets and tomahawks. Red also has some of the best tapas and the best donuts, plus a menu of Italian offerings that would make it a standout without a single cut of meat (try anything with the “Red Lead” sauce, trust us). Despite all that, the place has zero attitude or pretentiousness, and strikes the rare balance of fine dining and a relaxed atmosphere that’s so rarely found in South Beach.
Café Mistral, 110 Washington Ave, Miami Beach , FL 33139
Café Mistral
Decked out to look like a Parisian hole-in-the-wall -- minus the chain smoking and cold weather -- this SoFi sidewalk café run by a Euro-Latin fusion family keeps their cuisine simple with stuff like short ribs, garlic grilled shrimp, and a gluten-free veggie lasagna that actually tastes like a lasagna. Plus breakfasts with fresh, housemade made croissants, breads, and fruits.
Cavalli Restaurant, 150 Ocean Dr, Miami Beach , FL 33139
Cavalli Restaurant
Named for famous designer and owner Roberto Cavalli, this swanky Miami Beach restaurant is also a club and lounge. The high end Italian dishes are light and flavorful, and the interior is high energy and bright. It's probably not the place for a quiet dinner date, but its good for a fun night out.
Tongue & Cheek, 431 Washington Ave, Miami Beach , FL 33139
Tongue & Cheek
Tongue & Cheek is a restaurant that embodies sophistication and whimsical humor. Presenting innovative, honest food in a relaxed and classically modern surrounding, from the food to the décor, Tongue & Cheek is a place where guests can enjoy good food, good friends and good conversation.
Prime 112, 112 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach , FL 33139
Prime 112
Located in the historic Browns Hotel, this chef-driven boutique steakhouse offers an innovative menu in a high-energy, sophisticated environment. There’s no better place in Miami to people-watch as celebrities chow down on dry-aged steaks and truffle-sprinkled sides, but you may have to do it for a while, as Prime 112 in SoFi promises notoriously long waits.
Joe's Stone Crab, 11 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Joe's Stone Crab
Six months a year, Miamians go insane for stone crab claws. Harvested in the wild from October 15 through May 15, only one claw is taken from each crab, which is then set free for its claw to regenerate, which takes about a year. The claws are steamed on the boats then delivered daily to Miami's best seafood markets and restaurants. The sweet meat is served chilled with a savory mustard sauce for dipping. Miami Beach's most iconic restaurant, Joe's Stone Crab, has been open since 1913 -- making it actually older than the city it calls home. The restaurant closes during the summer months and when open takes no reservations, so be prepared to wait for upwards of an hour or more for a table. Once seated, though, you'll be treated to Old World service by waiters in dinner jackets. It's also been a favorite of US presidents, gangsters, and the occasional celeb -- don't be shocked to see Martha Stewart or Cindy Crawford at the table next to you. People are so obsessed with Joe's Stone Crab that a few have requested their ashes be scattered on its grounds.
Icebox Cafe, 1855 Purdy Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Icebox Cafe
Let’s say you’re hanging out on South Beach and a craving for cake strikes (which, let’s be honest, probably doesn’t happen all that often on South Beach, but it should), and you’re not far from this place called Icebox Cafe that’s home to, according to the fabulous Oprah Winfrey herself, one of the “best cakes in America.” Your next move is to not only run to Icebox, but to bring your friends and a hefty appetite because there’s more than just cake to be had at the industrial cafe and tearoom on Purdy Avenue. Health-centric, Mediterranean-inspired dishes make up the breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus, so you don’t have to feel guilty about digging into the creamy cheesecake brownie- and chocolate mousse-filled Chocolate Delight cake you’re going to indulge in immediately after, no matter time of day.
Panther Coffee, 1875 Purdy Ave, Miami Beach , FL 33139
Panther Coffee
This gleaming, industrial-chic space in South Beach has constant lines out the door for local craft coffee, from pour-overs and French presses to Japanese-style slow drips. The beans are roasted on-site, and coffee drinks are served alongside cookies, savory bites, wine and beer. Local artwork lines the walls, and free WiFi makes this the perfect work space.
True Loaf Bakery, 1894 Bay Rd, Miami Beach, FL 33139
True Loaf Bakery
Cult following is putting it lightly. They don’t have a menu as their items are baked fresh daily and constantly change except for their flaky croissants of varying fillings,.
