Miami and Miami Beach—currently in the art world spotlight with the return of the annual superfair, Art Basel—are home to umpteen quality restaurants.
This number skyrocketed in the pandemic years, as entrepreneurs and consumers alike fled to the Sunshine State for its lax rules, lack of state income tax and agreeable weather. Pre-Covid, I used to tell people that Miami kind of felt like a great secret hidden in plain sight. That’s no longer the case, and while many bemoan the vanishing of “old” Miami, its current popularity has brought with it a litany of investment—restaurant and bar openings very much included. But that’s not to say some of the old guard hasn’t stuck around…
Below, we’ve selected a mix of places then-and-now; each is a uniquely Miamian experience unto itself, and each is a knockout. (And, disclaimer: there are plenty more than what is on this list, and these are all personal preferences—I just couldn’t include all of them here.) From private omakase counters to Cuban coffee counters and everything in between, this town really does, to use a common yet applicable adage, have something for everyone.
Sunny’s
The “Hottest Steakhouse in America”
Yes, that’s what this steakhouse in Little River is known as, thanks to a November New York Times article labeling it so. Sunny’s has no PR department, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more successful word-of-mouth campaign around a restaurant before. But the words are valid–Sunny’s is delicious and lively and warm (and, tying it back to old Miami, the team behind it also opened the legendary but now shuttered Jaguar Sun). Sunny’s actually started as a pop-up during the pandemic; a portable grill and picnic tables, fanning out around its (still standing) centerpiece Banyan tree. The idea grew exponentially from there. Now, it’s the best table in town, and that rare place where hype and high standards are equally met. Try the hanger steak.
Milos
The Classic South of Fifth Outing
Photo: Courtesy of Milos
