Hot New Restaurants and Bars in Miami

If you’re wanting a taste of Old Hollywood well south of the Suncoast, Papi Steak fits the bill. With every bit of the original charm of the oldest of old-school star-studded hotspots, Papi Steak has the exclusive-yet-neighborhood feel and the red velvet banquettes and smoky mirrors you need in a place with this vibe. Owner David Grutman’s impeccable style and David “Papi” Einhorn’s passion for quality steak bring you an elevated menu that offers up prime cut steaks fired at over a thousand degrees.

James Beard Award-winning chef-owners – and couple – Janine Booth and Jeff McInnis’ recent addition to their home-grown, comfort food portfolio has landed the Australia and Florida natives in Miami. Although both have experienced a wide variety of cuisines from both sides of the plate, it’s their respective tours of the Italian countryside that inspired this new restaurant. From Lasagna Night on Wednesdays to the highly addictive, supremely shareable Sunflower Pizza, Mi’talia is your spot for family, from-scratch Italian cooking and after-dinner drinks on the breezy patio bar.

With its uniquely situated location deep in the Miami Design District, Le Jardinier promises to offer a high-style, high-concept dining experience in keeping with the idea of “design” itself. Invest Hospitality has partnered with Michelin-starred chef Alain Verzeroli to produce a modern, bright vegetable-forward menu that only highlights the similarly-designed dining room. With its host of local, seasonal produce and inspired, sustainable fish and poultry, the modern natural concept extends to the patio, where a lush tropical garden in the heart of the city makes for the perfect group dining experience.

Classic, clean-lined barbershop by day, speakeasy by night. If you happen by the Blind Barber during the day, you’ll see clients receiving top-notch beard trims, haircuts and more – of course, with a quality cocktail on the side. At night, however, you’ll be ushered around to the back where you’ll find a lush speakeasy-style bar location, complete with aptly named creative cocktails and a luxury grilled cheese menu to die for. Owner Jeff Laub ensures the highest quality of all services, from salon to product – food and drink alike, making this unique establishment a must-visit.

Hialeah is well-known in the Miami footprint for its status as a widely diverse, yet home-grown community. That sensibility stands out in La Cocina, the area’s first cocktail bar, with its decorative homages to the neighborhood itself – complete with a Cuban flag and what one critic praised as something you might find “in Abuela’s back yard.” The drinks are a fun, crafty perusal of the best of Latin-American culture, while the bar snacks borrow heavily from the authentic deli next door. Overall, La Cocina offers every bit of the local flair you’d expect, all while serving up food and drink with a quirky sophistication that’s uniquely Hialeah.

In a city as diverse as Miami, even American comfort food can seem niche, and Tigertail + Mary offers a luxury, bohemian oasis in which to eat it. Owner Michael Schwartz’s vision serves up vegetable-focused comfort dishes with a sustainably raised, premium meat and fish to back them. The design sensibility of the establishment only serves to emphasize this focus, with environs that draw heavily from the tropical, quirky feel of the surrounding area. Visit the bar, dining room, chef’s table, bakery-cafe or patio for a constantly-unique experience each time.

A fresh take from popular food-truck duo Luciana Giangrandi and Alex Meyer, Boia De may be a far cry from the La Pollita food truck that was so popular with locals, but it promises to showcase the best of the pair’s fine dining training. With its focus on quality ingredients, Boia De is able to highlight the unique flavors of the area in dishes like suckling pig porchetta and grilled octopus with roasted peppers. In addition, the full bar boasts local and regional favorites plus Chilean wine and a broad selection of beers.

Multiple James Beard Award-Winning Chef Michelle Bernstein teams up with world-famous cantinero Jose Cabrera to bring Cafe La Trova to Miami. These two long-time friends and business partners say the place is their ode to Cuba, and it shows in the 80s-inspired Cuban dinner menu, full bar, and coffee counter. Try a selection of empanadas or other Cuban classics like paella with a modern twist. Similarly, the full bar offers Cubanos Classicos – traditional rum drinks – as well as a diverse array of beers, wines, and even cigars.

If recent Miami food culture is a study in diversity, The Citadel is Miami food at its epitome. With fifteen-plus food and beverage outlets underneath a single roof – including a rooftop bar – a marketplace, and a recording studio among the establishments housed by the Citadel, you’ll never lack options. Local favorites like Vice City Bean coffee roastery, Bianco Gelato, and Taquiza tacos join new classics like Ash! Pizza and Rare Burger, both from some of the most extraordinary culinary minds in Miami.

From chef-owner Brad Kilgore and chef de cuisine Nick Graves comes a fresh take on Miami as a melting pot by melding it with the classic American bistro. Featuring a wood-fired grill that lends a smoky flavor to meats and unprecedented depth to a whole host of vegetables and sides, Ember exceeds what the diner expects from Miami comfort food. From poutine to beignets, you’ll find the ultimate in diversity goes hand in hand with the comforts of home.

New to Wynwood and Miami’s Art District, Laid Fresh features an all-day, fast-casual concept from co-owners Chef Michael Lewis and Steven Haigh. At its heart, Laid Fresh was generated from the owners’ desire to serve up quick, hearty, creative breakfast and lunch options – but it far exceeds expectations. Try a freshly made sandwich, hot beignets, or the signature LAID egg – a soft poached egg served with a potato cake and bacon marmalade – and jump-start your day the Miami way.

When you think diner, you may think greasy spoon – not so with this Cuban take on an American classic. From owner Michael Beltran, Chug’s Diner serves up the area’s best in Cuban-American diner food, like the pastelitos filled with filled with peanut butter and jelly or the fresh cast iron alternatives to diner classics like the pancake. You can choose to eat at the counter for the ultimate in diner nostalgia or outside in the fresh, breezy courtyard; either way, Chugs is the perfect marriage of traditional Cuban foods with classic American diner sensibilities.