Miami Eating and Drinking
Miami has a big foodie scene so you can find pretty much any type of restaurant at every price point and where and what to eat and drink is definitely a matter of budget and personal preference. Local cuisine falls under the broad heading of Floribbean – fusion food resulting from influence from the Caribbean and Latin America. You should be able to find good fresh fish and shell fish, ceviche (raw fish marinated in citrus juice with herbs and spices), conch chowder or fritters, a range of Cuban pastries and good key lime pie without working too hard.
View along Collins Avenue, Miami
If you are in South Beach there is a huge range of restaurants along Lincoln Street Mall. This is a great place to go with a family and if you have no particular destination in mind and feel like taking pot luck. We have eaten at several of the restaurants along here and in our experience the food is very run of the mill – we have never had a bad experience but we struggle to recall a restaurant that stood out as having particularly good food. It is a great option however if you are looking to be fed in a lively environment with plenty of choice of restaurants.
The other big conglomeration of restaurants and bars in South Beach is along Ocean Drive. There are countless bars, cafes and restaurants and is definitely a fabulous place for a bar crawl.
A view of Southbeach
If you are looking for a South Beach institution then head for Joe’s Stone Crab on Washington Avenue. You may very well queue to get in but it is a noisy fun environment with stone crabs in season, shell fish, fish and steaks. Another massively popular place is the News Cafe on Ocean Drive. This is a great place for brunch and a brilliant spot for people watching, but again, expect to queue. If you feel like a major calorie blowout, the Yardbird Southern Table and Bar on Lennox Avenue does great fried chicken and you can reserve a table. BLT Steak in the Betsy Hotel on Ocean Drive also takes reservations and does great steaks and good fish. It is also a great spot for brunch. Las Olas Cafe on 6th Street is another place you may end up queuing but it is good place to pop into for some inexpensive Cuban food – I like their sandwiches.
If you want a change from South Beach and to try some Cuban food a great place to go is Little Havana – head for Southwest 8th Street between SW 11th and SW 17th Avenues. There are lots of places to eat but one of the best is the Versailles Restaurant. The food is great and so is the atmosphere.
Another fun place to go is Coconut Grove. The Jaguar Ceviche Spoon Bar and Latin Grill on Grand Avenue is a good bet and the Grove Spot on Virginia Street is a great bar. CocoWalk has a mix of shops, restaurants and cafes and is normally pretty lively.
If you are looking for somewhere to eat in Coral Gables, Havana Harry’s is a good option on South Le Jeune Road and there is a huge range of restaurants clustered in the blocks around SW 22nd Street between SW 37th and SW 42nd Avenues.
Finally, if you are into street food then Miami has a vibrant food truck scene. Check out the following for more information.