These are the 20 Miami Spice restaurants we’re most excited to try in 2021
Staring down the expansive list of restaurants participating in Miami Spice can be daunting.
The annual summer dining promotion from the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau offers three-course, fixed-price menus at more than 115 Miami-Dade County restaurants. Prices range from $28 a person for brunch and lunch and $42 for dinner. Spice can be a great opportunity to try new restaurants or pricey favorites at a discount.
If you need help knowing where to start your culinary tour, we’ve picked 20 restaurants we are looking forward to during the promotion, which runs from Aug. 1 to Sept. 30. Menus can change, so check with the restaurants before you go.
Azabu
What makes it special: This intimate hotel restaurant, part of a Michelin-starred concept that is the offspring of Sushi Azabu in Tribeca, New York, is named after a district in Tokyo. Azabu is a full-service dining room with an open kitchen, but there’s also Bar Azabu, with more than 40 whiskeys as well as The Den, an exclusive, hidden sushi counter with a jaw-dropping omakase experience.
What we’re ordering: Each Spice meal begins with an amuse bouche. We love an amuse bouche. Now, you do not have to order sushi or sashimi to make yourself happy at Azabu, but we’ll start with it anyway and choose the hamachi jalapeno as our starter. Then we’re diving into the Karaage Fried Chicken, made with marinated chicken thigh and bonito oil. You can choose one side, and we’re going with the terikayi Brussels sprouts (other choices are honey-glazed sweet potatoes or broccolini in spicy bonito barbecue sauce. For dessert, only the Chokoreto will do (note: trust us, it’s on the menu). It’s a dark chocolate torte with white chocolate matcha ice cream, chocolate crumb and other ridiculously pleasing ingredients.
Address: 161 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach (inside the Marriott Stanton South Beach)
More info: 786-276-0520 or www.miamiandbeaches.com/restaurant/azabu-miami-beach/13517?category=14
Blue Collar
What makes it special: This original restaurant from Danny Serfer is the sweet spot between elevated food and food that’s just rich, comforting and delicious. Think shrimp and grits, mac and cheese, a roasted veggie of the day and the beloved Parm of the Day (could be veal, chicken, eggplant and more). And for Spice there’s no tiny-bite menu. You pick any appetizer, entrée and dessert from the regular menu. That’s value.
What I’m ordering: conch fritter with spicy tartar sauce, parm of the day, butterscotch Heath bar bread pudding.
Address: 6730 Biscayne Blvd., MiMo District
More info: 305-756-0366. https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/restaurant/blue-collar/4676?category=14
Bourbon Steak Miami
What makes it special: Bourbon Steak Miami, from James Beard award-wining chef Michael Mina, is famous for butter-poached steaks and duck fat fries. Forget the fries. He had us at butter-poached steak. The restaurant’s swanky interior transports us to another world, and there are more than 850 wines on the menu. Remember, however, Miami Spice does not include wines, and judge accordingly.
What we’re ordering: We’re at Bourbon Steak. We have to order the filet mignon. But since we’re not going alone, one of us is going to try the local snapper with lemon and herbs. We’ll start with a Caesar salad, of course. Choosing between the sides — black truffle mac and cheese, garlic mashed potatoes, creamed spinach with shallots — is just about impossible, so maybe we’ll flip a coin. For dessert, we hear Nutella cheesecake calling our name.
Address: 19999 W Country Club Dr., Aventura
More info: 786-279-6600 or www.miamiandbeaches.com/restaurant/bourbon-steak-miami/989?category=14
Byblos
What makes it special: Be warned: Miami Spice at Byblos is a feeding frenzy. You will be able to order two substantial appetizers, plus a main and a side dish. You will leave in a food coma, but this is Byblos. That is a good thing.
What we’re ordering: The strategy here is to bring three friends and order everything on the menu. If you don’t get at least two orders of roasted red beets — which are served on the creamiest labneh possible — and enough Duck Kibbeh to go around, there might be tension at the table. For the entree, we are going with the Baharat crusted skirt steak, served with eggplant puree, pine nut gremolata, charred pearl onion, za’atar butter and veal jus. For the side, either the Persian kale rice or the cauliflower.
Address: 1545 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
Info: 786-864-2990 https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/restaurant/byblos-miami/5907?category=14
Café La Trova
What makes it special: Usually you have to pay for dinner and show, but not at Michelle Bernstein’s Little Havana ode to Old Havana. There’s live music every night and her business partner, bartender Julio Cabrera, puts on a show with “cantineros” as they make powerful and flavorful cocktails to accompany the star chef’s always satisfying cooking.
What we’re ordering: hand-cut steak empanadas with caramelized onions; rabo encendido oxtail with mascarpone pecorino and pasta; flan with passionfruit sauce.
Address: 971 SW 8th St., Little Havana.
More info: 786-615-4379. https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/restaurant/cafe-la-trova/16857?category=14
Casa Isola Osteria
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What makes it special: Five-time James Beard award nominee Jose Mendin opened this Italian restaurant in the space that his groundbreaking Pubbelly occupied in Sunset Harbour. He teamed up with Sicilian Chef Santo Agnello to offer a fresh take on Italian favorites.
What we’re ordering: Every day is a good day for a fried ball of rice, so the Arancini Isola is the appetizer of choice. You could go for one of the pasta dishes as a main dish, or pay the $30 upcharge to try the veal parm, but the branzino, with little neck clams, white wine, parsley and tomato, is what we are picking.
Address: 1418 20th St., Miami
Info: 786-558-5787, https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/restaurant/casa-isola-osteria/24731?category=14
Chica
What makes it special: Chef Lorena Garcia’s pan-Latin spot nestled between Little Haiti and Morningside has been a scene ever since it opened in 2019. If you don’t love scenes, try the Spice lunch menu to sample Garcia’s take on favorites from Latin America. It has big shoes to fill, taking over a beautiful space, with high ceilings, that Mark Soyka designed for his namesake restaurant.
What we’re ordering: Skip that salad and hit one of the two Latin American favorites on the appetizer list — the arepas or the empanada. The Beef Empanada Pabellon, which is beans, rice, plantains and beef deep fried in a corn flour crust, is the standout. Should we even keep going at this point? That sounds like a whole meal. Yes, because we are about to eat some pork belly tacos topped with cabbage slaw. For dessert, there is fresh fruit because you really can’t go back to work if you eat anything else.
Address: 5556 NE Fourth Ct., Miami
Info: 768-632-7725 or https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/restaurant/chica/18588?category=14
Diya Miami
What makes it special: This family-owned restaurant, led by Chef Vidya Maharaj (who also happens to be an epidemiologist and loves to use health-boosting spices), has expanded its menu beyond its original Indian fare to add tapas and more bar-friendly food. But its Spice menu features the classics, all vegetarian and bursting with memorable, complex flavors.
What we’re ordering: Start with the vegetable samosa, even if you think: “But wait — I’ve had this before.” You haven’t had Diya’s samosa. For an entree, we’re partial to the palak paneer, rich in flavor and deeply satisfying. For dessert, there is only one choice: the fantastic panna cotta, sweet cream topped with fruit compote. And if you crave a before-dinner cocktail, order a gin and tonic and prepare to be amazed. Diya’s unique version might just be the best G&T on the planet.
Address: 1766 Bay Road, Miami Beach
More info: 305-763-8948 or www.miamiandbeaches.com/restaurant/diya-miami/19671?category=14
Drunken Dragon
What makes it special: This Asian-inspired gastropub and cocktail bar is tucked inside a strip mall so don’t expect anything too-too. Think of it like a cool speakeasy with an authentic, evocative feel with belly- and palate-pleasing plates meant for sharing.
What we’re ordering: Start with the crispy bok choy or edamame then leave room for the can’t miss miso salmon or galbi, sweet and savory grilled ribs served with marble potatoes specked with pecorino cheese (yes, this works). Ideal finale: The green tea leche dessert.
Address: 1424 Alton Road, Miami Beach
More info: 305-397-8556 or Drunken Dragon (miamiandbeaches.com)
Edge Steak & Bar
What makes it special: It may be inside the Brickell Four Seasons but Aussie chef and grillmaster Aaron Brooks runs the restaurant inside like his own passion project. He uses his full rein to create meat-centric dishes with the highest quality ingredients and locally sourced vegetables — including spices and herbs from the hotel’s own garden.
What we’re ordering: pork and duck terrine served with orange marmalade and pickled carrots; Berkshire pork chop with charred tomatillo and corn; tres leche trifle with cajeta ice cream and spiced rum.
Address: 1435 Brickell Ave., in the Four Seasons Brickell
More info: 305-381-3190 https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/restaurant/edge-steak-bar/4648?category=14
Esotico
What makes it special: You can get your tiki bar fix with this newish gem smack in the middle of the up and coming Arts and Entertainment District. It has a fun, modern tropical vibe with food that doesn’t play.
What we’re ordering: Get in ma belly eats like steamed vegetable dumplings with ponzu sauce followed by The Luau Pig, slow cooked and smoked pork shoulder on banana leaf served on top of roasted pineapple disk. Yasss to all of it.
Address: 1600 NE 1st Ave., Suite 102, Miami.
More info: 305-800-8454, Esotico Miami (miamiandbeaches.com)
Fontana
What makes it special: Fontana is where you want to go if you are still all about outdoor dining — no restaurant can top its fountain-centered terrace for a romantic night out. The menu focuses on Italian classics, the wine list is extensive and the terrace offers a great spot to appreciate the elegant Biltmore Hotel.
What we’re ordering: This is the place to hit the carbs hard. The Strigoli alla Norma, hand-twisted pasta with grilled eggplant, home made tomato sauce, garlic, basil and ricotta, is the move for the main. Sure, you can opt for the 10 oz ribeye or, for $20 more, get the 20 oz T-bone steak. But when in Rome, stuff your face with pasta. That said, we are going for one of the two salads to start: the burratina stuffed with avocado, heirloom tomatoes, scallion and micro basil will offset the carbicide. For dessert, whatever is chocolate. For now, that’s the Torta al Cioccolato e Crema Pasticcera, which is a long way to say chocolate brownie with chantilly cream.
Address: 1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables; inside the Biltmore Hotel
More info: 305-445-1926 or https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/restaurant/fontana/3560?category=14
Le Zoo
What makes it special: We admit it. We are not in the sort of income bracket that allows us to spend a lot of time in Bal Harbour. Miami Spice is our chance, and Le Zoo is our destination. Stephen Starr’s French brasserie conjures up images of Paris and St. Tropez, and since we’re not traveling just now, this is the next best thing.
What we’re ordering: Our eyes stray to the salmon tartar, mais non. We are cooling off with the chilled cucumber soup with green apple, Marcona almonds and radish, then turning to the moules frites (mussels in white wine, Provence herbs, lemon and garlic). We are beginning to remember our college French now. Since we have eaten lightly, we’re ordering creme brulee for dessert.
Address: 9700 Collins Ave. #135, Bal Harbour Shops
More info: 305-602-9663 or www.miamiandbeaches.com/restaurant/le-zoo-restaurant/6398?category=14
Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann
What makes it special: The Argentine master of open-fire grilling, Francis Mallmann was featured on Netflix’s “Chef’s Table” and his wood-fired cuisine is the main attraction at the lux Faena hotel in Miami Beach. Usually that means a mortgage payment of a bill. Spice is a great time to try these dishes, enjoy beautiful scenery overlooking the pool and see if you want to skip a rent payment later in the year to eat here.
What we’re ordering: wood-fire chicken liver tartine (served with charred sour dough and foie gras butter), slow-cooked short rib and dulce de leche napoleon with tiramisu ice cream. (We’re tempted to pay the $35 upgrade for the full parrillada experience for two: snapper, skirt steak, short rib, chorizo, morcilla, domino potato, sweet potato al rescoldo, criolla, chimichurri)
Address: 3201 Collins Ave., Miami Beach.
More info: 786-655-5610. https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/restaurant/los-fuegos-at-faena-miami-beach/6474?category=14
Mignonette
What makes it special: Housed in a former-1930s gas station in a nondescript corner of Edgewater (it’s across the street from the Miami City Cemetery so think eerily serene), this veteran oyster bar with a twist has character, ambiance and off-the-charts food.
What we’re ordering: Oysters, obvio. A half dozen of these tasty suckers are on Spice. But don’t sleep on mains like a sublimely cooked Alaskan halibut served with rainbow chard in a lemony chili broth that is the stuff of dreams.
Address: 210 NE 18th Street, Miami.
More info: 305-374-4635; Mignonette (miamiandbeaches.com)
Red Rooster
What makes it special: Celeb chef Marcus Samuelsson helped inject new life into Overtown by bringing a version of his popular Harlem restaurant here, and it has been a hit with locals and celebs. His dishes mix classic soul food with Miami’s Caribbean touches and Samuelsson’s own inspired flavor combinations. It’s a knockout of a restaurant.
What we’re ordering: “Chicken fried” green tomatoes with comback sauce and trout roe; fried yard bird with sour orange spicy honey; Viking of the Keys lime curd with white chocolate fennel cream and Florida strawberries.
Address: 920 NW Second Ave., Overtown.
More info: 305-640-9880. https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/restaurant/red-rooster-overtown/24786?category=14
Strada in the Grove
What makes it special: Italian food is the ultimate comfort food. We all need comfort, and this Italian gem in Coconut Grove will provide it with classic dishes and regional specialties. It offers lunch and dinner Spice menus.
What we’re ordering: Our two favorite elements of Italian fare are cheese and pasta, so this is easy. We’ll start with the creamy burrata with tomato, anchovy and pesto dressing, then dive directly into homemade pappardelle in a truffle porcini mushroom cream sauce (although we could be tempted with the wild mushroom risotto). Panna cotta for dessert. We’re comforted.
Address: 3176 Commodore Plaza, Miami
More info: 305-444-1312 or www.miamiandbeaches.com/restaurant/strada-in-the-grove/6385?category=14
Strawberry Moon
What makes it special: Celebs like David Beckham and Kim Kardashian first hit up this upscale Mediterranean at David Grutman and Pharrell’s new GoodTime Hotel. Grutman told Miami.com he gave the cheerfully fancy eatery its name after seeing an inspirational pink moon one night, the last full lunar evening of spring.
What we’re ordering: Not sure you could go wrong with a starter of Kefte meatballs, ground beef with Moroccan spices. Then dig into the branzino, with a luscious chickpea tabbouleh, and yeminite zhug, which packs a nice heat. Let the baklava ice cream sandwich cool things down for dessert.
Address: 601 Washington Ave., Miami Beach.
More info: 786-745-8050, Strawberry Moon (miamiandbeaches.com)
Tur Kitchen
What makes it special: If you couldn’t take off on your yacht getaway this summer, this “ingredient forward” menu should transport you to the Mediterranean by way of Coral Gables.
What we’re ordering: The upbeat beets and asparagus salad is a good place to start, with frisee, grapefruit, sunflower seeds and aleppo pepper. We’ll be checking out the baby pork ribs with aromatic moruno sauce, organic greens and pomegranate, thank you very much. The chocolate souffle is also definitely happening.
Address: 259 Giralda Ave., Coral Gables.
More info: 786-483-8014, Tur Kitchen (miamiandbeaches.com)
Wayku
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What makes it special: This new spot in Wynwood calls itself an “experimental kitchen.” Owned by Buenos Aires-based restaurateur Diego D’Alvia, the menu starts off in Latin America — specifically the Andes — but then takes multiple detours.
What we’re ordering: For starters, the ceviche is a good choice. The chunks of fish are served over a green gazpacho and adorned with pickled vegetables. For the main, try the Kanka Cauliflower, and not because you are going vegan, but because the way they roast this thick slice of cauliflower makes it feel as substantial as a steak. Someone else at the table needs to order the Challwa, pan seared salmon with aji amarillo Hollandaise. That is served with pink peppercorn and black rice salad and microgreens. You can eat off that person’s plate as well.
Address: 73 NW 26 St., Miami
Info: 786-584-8487 https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/restaurant/wayku/24513?category=14
Miami.com staffers Amy Reyes and Madeleine Marr contributed to this report.
This story was originally published July 30, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
