The first time I enjoyed a meal along the Miami River was more than 10 years ago at Garcia’s, a family-owned restaurant and fish market with wood bench seating and a simple menu of fresh seafood staples. Back then and far earlier (the restaurant has been open for more than 40 years), Garcia’s was the go-to on the river, a laidback and affordable spot for locals to sip Coronas, slurp oysters and watch the little cargo boats slip by during golden hour.
Since then, as redevelopment along the short commercial waterway progressed, several more restaurants have popped up on either side of humble Garcia’s, each seemingly more upscale than the last. Never mind that a salty breeze along the waterfront can carry the faint scent of gasoline, fish or pollution. (This is, after all, a working river shipping out loads mostly to the Bahamas.) In the mid-2010s, clubstaurants Seaspice and Kiki on the River created a new scene, pairing waterfront “fine dining” with DJs, dress codes and bouncers.
In 2017, The Wharf added to the party scene with its lively outdoor atmosphere, food stalls, multiple bars and weekly programming geared toward young people. Though it stopped operating as a regular venue last year, the pace of new offerings on the Miami River has only quickened. The latest buzzy opening comes courtesy of Elia, the elevated Italian flagship restaurant of the River Landing Shops & Residences development.
Helmed by Aden Hospitality Group, the same team behind ZOI in MiMo, Elia takes its inspiration from Southern Italian culinary traditions, serving brick-oven pizzas, homemade pasta, all-day tapas and seafood selections like scorpion fish, squid, swordfish, amberjack, and grouper. The bar features a menu of aperitivio-adjacent signature cocktails along with the classics.
With more than 3,500 square feet of luxuriously designed space by Saladino Design Studios—including a beautiful open-air terrace with lots of plush seating—Elia aims to be the river’s newest dining destination, though it’s competing with another high-end concept just a few minutes south down the river. Red-hot Riviera Dining Group (behind MILA in South Beach and the forthcoming Claudie in Brickell) just opened CASA NEOS last month, a stunning multi-level venue that includes a restaurant, a private members club, a boutique hotel and a rooftop lounge.
Centrally located just west of downtown, the emerging Miami riverfront scene is more accessible than the beach, at least in terms of getting there. It’s also exciting to witness Miami’s culinary footprint venture into new territories. When it comes to value, though, guests might be surprised (or not) to find the same lofty prices of similar restaurants on the Atlantic Ocean—and those views, frankly, just can’t compare.