With indoor dining closed due to COVID-19 spike, is Miami Spice offering takeout?

Our return to dining in air-conditioned comfort may not happen in Miami-Dade County as soon as we’d like, thanks to the rising number of COVID-19 cases.

But the Miami Spice promotion will live on anyway — in an altered form.

The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, parent of Miami Spice, has adapted this year’s beloved prix fixe progam to include to-go options for more than half the restaurants involved. The restaurants will also offer Spice menus for outdoor dining.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez issued emergency orders to close all indoor dining rooms on July 8, leaving restaurants scrambling to set up outdoor seating, alter their menus or temporarily close until things get better.

Even so, more than 100 restaurants are involved in the 2020 version of Miami Spice, with more than 60 restaurants offering Miami Spice To Go, including Azabu Miami Beach, Stubborn Seed, Byblos and Diya Indian Kitchen. Last year more than 220 restaurants participated.

The popular summer promotion, which features a fixed-price menu for lunch, brunch or dinner on a three-course meal, usually runs in August and September. This year it began in June in hopes of bringing wary customers back to dining rooms after the first coronavirus shutdown. The fixed-price meals, which include an appetizer, main course and dessert, cost $25 for lunch and brunch and $39 for dinner.

For a full Miami Spice lineup, visit www.miamiandbeaches.com/offers/temptations/miami-spice-months

This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 1:51 PM.