The best restaurants to eat at during Miami Spice

Get ready to eat your heart out in Miami. With summertime in full swing in sizzling Magic City, some of the area’s best restaurants are unveiling specials for a two-month dining promotion called Miami Spice. The specials happen August through September, so you have plenty of time to book a trip and make a few reservations. And if you can’t make it during Miami Spice, these restaurants are just as hot year round. 

Related: 5 Miami Beach hotels that ooze beach chic

Bagatelle Miami Beach | Photo courtesy of Tadeu Brunell

Bagatelle Miami Beach

Worldly, well-heeled clientele who demand the highest standards for their cuisine flock to Bagatelle on Miami Beach to taste Chef Matthieu Godard’s French and Mediterranean flavors. Having trained under Chef Daniel Boulud in New York, Chef Godard dazzles with dishes like yellowfin tuna tartare in a lime soy vinaigrette and Moroccan-spiced Florida mahi mahi with cauliflower couscous, hen of the woods mushrooms and sprinkled with almonds. Save room for champagne because as the meal continues, a DJ transforms the elegant dining room into a chic Euro-dance party, complete with dancing bartenders and neon lighting effects. The party rages during brunch on Saturday and Sunday afternoons as well as nightly for dinner service.

Photo courtesy of Komodo

Komodo

Brickell’s hottest new restaurant Komodo is the brainchild of Miami impresario David Grutman, the man behind celebrity-studded nightclubs LIV and STORY. It’s not uncommon to spot Kim Kardashian and Kanye West dining at this haute haven when they’re in town. The couple recently made an appearance during Grutman’s A-list wedding nuptials to drop-dead gorgeous model Isabela Rangel at Wynwood Walls. Under the culinary direction of Jeffrey Chodorow, Komodo combines Southeast Asian cuisine with a distinct South Florida vibe. Your order should include the Komodo roll, Grutman pastrami egg roll, sweet soy salmon and triple duck udon (Grutman’s personal favorite).

Photo courtesy of Edge Steak & Bar

Edge Steak & Bar

Located inside the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel Miami, Edge Steak & Bar is a sophisticated and stylish American steakhouse with a happy hour that draws Brickell’s trendy young professional set. Dine on the stunning outdoor terrace overlooking the hotel’s expansive pool deck with its urban tropical oasis style ambiance. Aussie Chef Aaron Brooks tantalizes tastebuds with dishes like crispy pork belly, char grilled octopus, Aussie lamb and saw-cut bone-in ribeye. Chef Brooks recently made an appearance on The Cooking Channel’s Man Fire Food with host Roger Mooking, and they cooked up a Miami backyard BBQ that had party guests raving for days over its impressive paella.

Photo courtesy of The Sarsaparilla Club

The Sarsaparilla Club

Craving dim sum? How about noshing on chefs Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth’s innovative take on the cuisine at The Sarsaparilla Club located inside the historic Art Deco style Shelborne Wyndham Grand on South Beach. They’re calling it American dim sum. Think “drunken” deviled eggs, pork belly bacon steamed buns, fried chicken and crispy duck leg French toast. And it’s more than just the food, it’s an entire experience. Servers push simsum carts throughout the restaurant and you can see everything before you taste. Although your eyes might be bigger than your stomach, every bite is worth it.

Photo courtesy of Via Verde Cucina Rustica

Via Verde Cucina Rustica

It’s no wonder Miami’s top pro athletes flock to Via Verde Cucina Rustica to score heaping plates of Italian cuisine in Miami’s historic MiMo district. Twin chefs Nicola Carro and Fabrizio Carro, along with partner Cristiano Vezzoli, serve up authentic and traditional Italian favoritescombined with inventive new dishes that are sure to fill you up on the spot. And the wine list is quite impressive. Try the gnocchetti campidanese shell pasta with salami and soffritto, and the crema di pecorino, which is spicy goat cheese mousse with crispy bread.

Photo courtesy of Byblos

Byblos

Housed inside the Shorecrest building on Miami Beach, Byblos has a dynamic combination of flavorful Eastern Mediterranean fare and creative cocktails. Created by Executive Chef Stuart Cameron and Chef De Cuisine Nelson Fernandez, Byblos’ unique menu includes must-tries like the short ribkebeb with shatta hot sauce and braised green beans as well as the grilled whole branzino with saffron toum and watercress. For a cocktail you won’t soon forget, head to the newly opened lounge and sip on the Gulab (meaning rose in both Hindi and Arabic) with rose-infused Absolute Elyx vodka, pomegranate, lemon and rose water.

Photo courtesy of Cantina Beach

Cantina Beach

If deliciously authentic Mexican food is what you crave, then look no farther than Cantina Beach at the Ritz-Carltonon Key Biscayne. Not only is it located directly on the picture-perfect island just seven miles from downtown Miami, it’s housed underneath a thatched palapa roofed hut built by the local Miccosukee Tribe. Soak in the serene oceanfront setting and you’ll quickly realize why the area’s first settlers called the location, “favorite path of the rising moon.” Order one of Tequilier Heriberto Ovideo’s selection of 110 premium tequilas and enjoy favorites like fish tacos, fajitas and freshly made guacamole. The resort is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, so even more reason to toast to the moon.

Photo courtesy of Jaya

Jaya

The Setai’s haute new restaurant on Miami Beach is quite the showstopper with its eclectic cuisine and sensual atmosphere. Curated both by Executive Chef Mathias Gervais and Executive Sous-Chef Vijay Veena, Jaya’s menu brings together specialties from Southeast and Northern Asian Cultures. Indulge in dishes like the pork belly bao, freshly caught grouper, delicious pad Thai or tandoor chicken masala and you won’t be disappointed. Wine pairings are available as well.

For a full list of restaurants participating in the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau’s two-month Miami Spice promotion, visit miamiandbeaches.com.

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