Miami is in one of those moods again—the kind where new restaurants drop like limited-edition sneakers, Michelin-level chefs appear out of thin air, dining rooms glow like curated installations, and the whole city suddenly decides wagyu is a basic food group. It’s delicious chaos in the best possible way.
Now Open: Le Specialità
A Milanese classic living its best Miami life
Le Specialità arrives from Milan with decades of swagger, and it shows. The Design District location feels like a retro Italian film filtered through Miami sunshine: terrazzo floors, curved lines, warm lighting, and a little bit of glam that invites long, lingering lunches.
The food stays true to its Milanese roots—velvety pastas, blistered pizzas, and timeless dishes that never needed modernizing. Add in pieces from founder Andre Sakhai’s private art collection (yes, that’s a Basquiat above your burrata), and the whole space becomes its own stylish cultural moment.
Now Open: AVA MediterrAegean
For the linen-wearing, sea-scent–dreaming crowd
AVA MediterrAegean is pure Greek island escape: citrus in the air, saltwater energy, and food that tastes like it caught a flight from the Cyclades minutes ago. Expect charred proteins, chilled plates that hit like a plunge into turquoise water, and yogurt sauces with that perfect tangy lift.
Hidden inside is AVA MM, a members-only Japanese-inspired sanctuary offering chef-led dinners and intimate tastings. It’s discreet, polished, and quietly glamorous.
Upcoming: Karyu
For people who treat wagyu like a religion
Karyu is poised to become the omakase reservation everyone competes for. As the first U.S. outpost of Tokyo’s Michelin one-star Oniku Karyu, it centers the experience around Tajimaguro wagyu—the most prized of the prized.
The vibe is serene and minimal. Chefs whisper their technique through the work: slicing, brushing, torching, folding wagyu into preparations you didn’t know were possible. It’s precision, seasonality, and reverence wrapped into one deeply special meal.
Upcoming: Yasu
A love letter to Japanese hospitality, rolled in perfect rice
At Yasu, Chef Yasu Tanaka treats sushi rice like a craft—two styles, Akazu and Yonezu, made every two hours to match each fish precisely. The result is sushi with its own rhythm and personality.
During a recent trip to Japan, Yasu and his wife sourced the fish, ceramics, and decor through family ties, giving the restaurant a warmth that feels lived-in rather than staged. Expect melt-in-your-mouth cuts and hospitality that feels genuinely personal.
Miami’s Leading Dining Destinations
Miami Design District
Contessa Miami
Glossy, glamorous, Northern Italian maximalism
Contessa is what happens when Lake Como elegance meets Miami confidence. Jewel-tone interiors, marble, and perfect lighting frame antipasti that sparkle, pastas that twirl beautifully, and housemade gelato with enviable silkiness. It’s all very “I own linen napkins at home” energy.
ZZ’s Club Miami
Omakase, Wagyu, cigars, and secret rooms—choose your adventure
ZZ’s Club delivers Tokyo-level omakase downstairs, along with a Japanese sports bar and courtyard perfect for high-end sipping. Upstairs, members find cigar lounges, backgammon terraces, and expertly crafted cocktails. The cuisine leans into luxury—Wagyu that dissolves, seafood flown in that morning, and sauces that punctuate every bite.
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon
Two Michelin stars and zero chill about it
Miami’s only two-star Michelin restaurant is a choreography of French precision and Japanese counter dining. Chef James Friedberg presents dishes with foams, reductions, and textures that surprise without overwhelming. It feels like dining in the front row of an edible fashion show.
Le Jardinier
Peak-season vegetables, French finesse, calm luxury
This vegetable-forward jewel celebrates seasonality with sculptural plates, bright herbs, and feather-light dressings. Every dish feels thoughtful and quietly luxurious—like a botanical garden where everything is delicious.
Miami Beach
Carbone Miami
The spicy rigatoni that launched a thousand Instagram stories
Carbone Miami is theatrical, nostalgic, and unapologetically fun. Picture red-sauce classics served with flair, martinis poured with confidence, and an atmosphere buzzing with people ready to eat like they mean it.
Estiatorio Milos
A shrine to pristine seafood
Milos excels by letting seafood speak for itself—whole grilled fish, shimmering trout roe, and raw offerings executed with subtlety. Minimal fuss, maximum flavor.
MILA
A rooftop fantasy with MediterrAsian wow-factor
MILA blends Michelin-level cooking with immersive design. Expect incense, textured shadows, and dishes that arrive with just enough drama to make the whole meal feel like an experience. The omakase room is a jewel box for fish lovers.
The Joyce
A tiny steakhouse with big speakeasy seduction
The Joyce is intimate, moody, and art-forward. Dim lighting, walnut paneling, and rotating pieces from Andre Sakhai’s collection set the ambiance. The food is technique-driven American cuisine—flawless steaks, shareable sides, and a sense of cool without trying too hard.
Brickell & Downtown
CASA NEOS
Waterfront Mediterranean escape, but make it fashion
CASA NEOS spans 30,000 square feet across a Mediterranean restaurant, beach club, and Moroccan-inspired rooftop. Bright herbs, sunny flavors, and flowing energy carry the space from lunch through golden hour into late-night glam.
CLAUDIE
South of France soul in the heart of Brickell
CLAUDIE channels Riviera warmth through vibrant, lemony, herb-forward dishes. The space is breezy and elegant, with a patio that practically begs for rosé.
Chateau ZZ’s
Mexican cuisine inside a historic mansion—casual
Major Food Group transformed a 1931 manor into a lush Mexican dining experience. Gardens, rare tequilas, and richly flavored dishes create a setting that’s dramatic but inviting.
Dirty French Steakhouse
Loud, glamorous, steakhouse chaos
Dirty French reimagines classic steakhouse swagger with bold sauces, massive cuts, and unapologetically glitzy energy. It’s indulgence turned all the way up.
Coconut Grove
Carbone Vino
Red sauce, rare wines, and walk-in friendly magic
Carbone Vino delivers all the hits alongside rare wines by the glass and a bar designed for spontaneous nights out. It’s the effortless sibling that still knows how to put on a show.
AVA MediterrAegean
Cycladic flavors, Miami glow
Opening November 20, this new outpost leans into herbs, citrus, aromatic spices, and charred vegetables—bright, sunny, and deeply satisfying.
Sadelle’s
Brunch royalty. No notes.
Bagels, chopped salads, French toast, caviar—the icons that made Sadelle’s a daytime dining legend. Every meal feels celebratory.
Pura Vida Miami
Wellness café, but make it actually tasty
Pura Vida brings fresh bowls, smoothies, and wraps that hit the sweet spot between healthy and craveable. Beachy, bright, and reliably good.
Where to Party (Art Week Edition)
Where you swear you’ll be in bed by midnight and then somehow see sunrise
Miami Art Week doubles as a citywide endurance test—dancing, sweating, hydrating, talking to someone named “Luca from Ibiza,” and eating fries at 3 a.m. This year’s nightlife lineup is especially stacked.
CASA NEOS MM Beach Club
Where the French Riviera crashes the Miami River
The Shellona St. Tropez U.S. debut on December 5 is the Art Week moment. Shellona is a French Riviera icon—sun-drenched, stylish, music-driven—and Miami gets its first U.S. appearance thanks to DBG’s David Barokas and RDG’s Gregory Galy. Expect breezy whites, bronzed skin, and Adriatique guiding the night into full bliss-out mode.
Why it matters:
Only Shellona event in the U.S.
Preview of CASA NEOS’s St. Tropez takeover in July 2026.
Art Week Lineup
Dec 5: Shellona St. Tropez with Adriatique
Dec 6: PAWSA
Dec 7: Marco Carola
Location: 40 SW North River Dr, Miami
MILA Lounge
Moody lights, deep beats, and the kind of night that needs a next-day debrief
During Art Week, MILA turns into a sensory playground—incense, shadowy corners, velvet textures, and cocktails that go down far too easily. From Dec 2–7, DJs like Miguelle & Tons, ANOTR, Dixon, Desiree, Valeron, and Kimonos take over. Plus, a weeklong MILA x Philippe Carteau crossover adds an artsy edge.
Pro tip:
Start with dinner upstairs. Pretend you’re calling it an early night. You will not.
Conclusion
Miami this season is fully in its main-character era—bolder restaurants, hungrier chefs, louder dining rooms (in the chic way), and nightlife that refuses to let you go home at a reasonable hour. Whether you’re chasing wagyu dreams, Greek-island sunshine, red-sauce nostalgia, or a dance floor that may permanently shift your circadian rhythm, Miami is thriving in its “everything all at once” phase.
So order the extra pasta, say yes to the late-night DJ set, and let yourself get swept into the Art Week whirl. Miami is cooking—and dancing—at a level that’s impossible to resist.
Hungry? Good. You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.
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