Eric Barton

For being America’s best foodie city, it’s only appropriate that our airport reflect such a status, right? The culinary scene at Miami International Airport has evolved tremendously in recent years, going from generally bland offerings to a diverse lineup of authentic flavors and solid eats that better hint at the Magic City’s growing foodie clout.  Today at MIA, you can nosh on one of the best Cuban sandwiches on Earth, kick it at a beach house-inspired bar, snag oodles of creative empanadas and get cozy at a hidden gem within the airport’s hotel. Whether you’re an early bird, looking for a memorable meal during a layover or South Florida’s rainy weather has you grounded, these are the best restaurants at Miami International Airport to hang out and nosh a while. RECOMMENDED: The best cheap eats in Miami for a budget-friendly meal out

I’ve always had a soft spot for the classic American diner—the kinds of places where the waitresses call you “hon,” the hash browns come with a side of nostalgia and the coffee tastes like it’s been brewing since the Dolphins were last in the Super Bowl. In Miami, where the trend leans more toward $30 avocado toast, finding these spots is like finding a gold watch in the sands of South Beach. Since the days when Miami Beach delis were packed with retirees (pour one out for Wolfie’s), diners have blended this city’s American and imported cultures more than most places. Whether it’s an egg-loaded sandwich at a bagel shop or an all-day breakfast in a retro booth, these are the spots that make you feel at home in Miami, even if you’re just passing through. RECOMMENDED: The best breakfast in Miami for the perfect start to your day

Perk number 7,345,689 of living in Miami? There are plenty of destinations within a quick-ish drive. Sure, geographically, we may be at the Southern tip of the continental US, but there are plenty of unique beach landscapes, inland treasures and, yes, even further southern destinations to dabble in. As for what to do, where to eat and where to stay (should you want to extend that day trip into a multi-day trip), we’ve got the musts. Here are our tried-and-true picks for the best road trips from Miami to satisfy that wanderlust without wandering too far. RECOMMENDED: Where to stay in Miami: a neighborhood guide

The bachelor party is an American male rite of passage, a time-honored tradition that’s about as subtle as a guy in rented tuxedo shoes doing the worm at the reception. Without proper planning, the final send-off might feel more like a typical Tuesday night at that corner bar with worn carpet and lukewarm Hot Pockets (I speak from experience, Frazier’s). Luckily, the options for an epic destination bachelor party in the U.S. are endless: classic debauchery in Vegas, outdoor escapades in Lake Tahoe, or perhaps bourbon-soaked nights in New Orleans. Whether your crew is looking for wild nights out, low-key bonding or activities that justify getting approval from work and home, we’ve got the best cities for a bachelor party in America. From the usual suspects to unexpected gems, this guide ensures the groom’s last hurrah is one to remember—or not, depending on how the night goes. RECOMMENDED: The bachelorette party destinations in the U.S. 

Ask any Miami local about Lincoln Road, and you’ll likely get an eye roll. “Too touristy,” they’ll scoff, citing overpriced mojitos and pushy hostesses with their giant illustrated menus. But here’s a secret: Lincoln Road can be a great place to eat—if you know where to go.  Beyond the crowds and chain restaurants, there’s a mix of hidden gems, rooftop hotspots and long-standing favorites that deliver a genuinely good meal. Follow our dining guide to navigate the pedestrian mall like a local and eat well, whether it’s date night, a post-beach bite or just a casual stroll with good food along the way. RECOMMENDED: A comprehensive guide to South Beach, Miami's most famous neighborhood

November 2024: Just as quickly as some of our favorite Miami restaurants close their doors, new ones seem to appear in their place. It's a bittersweet cycle, but we continue to be impressed by the risk-taking and innovation across Miami's dining scene (even despite the recent deluge of Italian restaurants.) We’re always keeping tabs on what’s new and hot in Miami and update this list every quarter. Here are the best new restaurants in Miami to try right now, including a spot in Little River, one of Time Out's Coolest Neighborhoods in the World for 2024. You’ve got your go-to spots. You’ve probably made your way through Miami’s best restaurants, maybe twice. And when it’s time to down mimosas over chit chat, you know exactly where to brunch or sit down for a cup of joe at the best coffee shops all around town. But here's the thing about Miami – just when you think you know everything to know about this city’s food scene, more and more new restaurants keep opening up around town. Whether you’re a proud foodie, an avid early adopter, or you just want to shake up your list of favorite restaurants with something new, we’ve got you covered. Here are the best new restaurants in Miami to try right now.

December 2024: The festive season is upon us and Miami is falling in line with a slew of Christmassy events and stacked holiday menus, including epic New Year's dinners and brunches. For a healthy dose of those brisk Miami winter breezes, try dining on the water or in the sky at a Miami rooftop restaurant this month. And it's only a matter of time before the snowbirds arrive, so be sure to get your reservations in early at this season's hottest new restaurants, too.  Our top places to eat in the city are a true mix of flavors and feels, from white tablecloth fine dining—like some of Miami’s best steakhouses—to tried-and-tested cheap eats in Miami that never, ever disappoint. And where there’s a solid cocktail there’s likely to be an epic dish that follows, so expect to run into some of Miami’s best bars on this list. Just as we've always done, Time Out’s local experts scour the city daily for great eats, great value and insider info. We emphasize fun, flavor and freshness at every price point, and update this list monthly with standout finds. If it’s on the list, whether it's a short-lived pop-up or a mega clubstaurant, we think it’s awesome and hope you will, too.

Waffles have long been the ultimate shape-shifters of the culinary world. Slather them with butter and syrup and call them breakfast. Add fried chicken, and suddenly, they’re brunch. Put a smashburger between them and, let’s be honest, you’re probably quite high. Here’s the thing about waffles: they’re dependable and versatile, and, gummies or not, they just might be the star of any table from sun-up to well past closing time. This is perhaps why Americans now prefer waffles over pancakes, according to a survey by First Watch (which is awesomely named The Brunch Report). Whether you’re hunting for a classic Belgian or some new waffle creation, these are America’s top restaurants where the waffle magic happens. RECOMMENDED: The best fast food breakfasts in AmericaThe best items on the IHOP menu

Miami’s food landscape is a melting pot, but when it comes to comforting bowls of fatty meat, we’ve always been more of a ropa vieja kind of town. Ramen skeptics doubted that hot soup could thrive in a city where the humidity hugs you like an overenthusiastic relative. But the trendy Japanese dish has nevertheless prevailed, with broth so rich and flavorful even the most die-hard gazpacho fans can get behind it. It hasn’t been all smooth simmering, though. Some of this town’s earliest ramen pioneers faded faster than a Miami sunset, leaving behind only the hardiest of spots—and making room for some brand-new challengers—to keep us slurping. Now, whether you’re a traditionalist craving tonkatsu or a culinary daredevil seeking the spiciest curry, Miami’s ramen game is strong enough to call the streets of Tokyo to mind. These are our picks for the best ramen in Miami right now. RECOMMENDED: The best omakase in Miami serves up art on a plate

Hiking in Miami probably doesn’t come immediately to mind when thinking of this oceanside paradise. We’re more of a mojitos-and-long-brunches kind of city. And to be honest, the only summits we have around here are towering mountains of rubbish. But don’t underestimate the joy of a brisk Miami hike where the air is thick enough to chew. Whether you’re searching for a shaded escape through native trees, a scenic stroll along the waterfront or just a peaceful trail where flip-flops won’t betray you, Miami offers plenty of places to get your steps in—without ever needing to learn how to use crampons. RECOMMENDED: The best free things to do in Miami

There was a time when options for delivery food boiled down to one thing: places near you with a driver on staff. Nowadays, thanks to all those competing delivery apps, the world is not only your oyster, but you can literally get a dozen oysters handed to you at the front door in less than an hour. But that doesn’t mean what you get delivered will actually be good (like, for instance, oysters). This is why I tested and tried and sometimes failed at getting delivery from all manner of restaurants. This list below narrows down the best delivery foods that are hearty, travel-friendly and taste just as good when reheated—or even better cold (hello, pizza). Whether you're a die-hard dumpling fan or craving a rack of barbecue heaven, this list of the best delivery food has you covered for your next order. RECOMMENDED: The best gourmet chocolate gift box deliveries in the USA

Miami may be a city of champagne brunches and rooftop cocktails, but most of the time, we locals just want a good meal that won’t require making minimum credit card payments for a year. Thankfully, Miami has plenty of spots where you can feast without semi-seriously contemplating a dine-and-dash when all is said and done. From next-level tacos to a Cuban sandwich that’s poetry in pork, these cheap eats prove you don’t need a black card to eat well in the 305. So, loosen your belt and tighten your budget. Here are the best cheap eats in Miami that let you keep your cash—and your dignity. All of these items ring in around $10 or less. RECOMMENDED: The best free things to do in Miami right now

Out of all the hotly anticipated Miami restaurant openings of 2024, Mother Wolf in the Design District might be the hottest of them all. It ticks every Miami dining box: a trendy concept, a celebrity chef and a design as stunning as a Brickell sunset. Is it worth splurging your hard-earned (or not) bitcoin profits here? The answer comes with an asterisk. Mother Wolf is a visually dazzling space with Italian classics that range from stellar to slightly uneven. Even with its flaws, it’s one of the most special-feeling spots in Miami right now. The experience begins with a foyer fountain, a guy playing an ivory grand piano and a pasta lab where chefs cut noodles in controlled humidity. Beyond ornate curtains lies a massive, dimly lit dining room buzzing with energy. It feels important, like a pivotal movie scene in progress. This is the third location of chef Evan Funke’s Mother Wolf empire. Known for his Roman-inspired cooking, Funke adds coastal influences to the Miami menu, combining the flavors of Italy’s capital with ingredients of seaside villages. The meal started strong with a lightly dressed salad alongside focaccia as fluffy as mascarpone. Then came a standout: ropa vieja-like short rib meatballs, battered and stacked, with red sauce and cheese. The oozy burrata island on a red sauce pizza was another highlight. But for a place that specializes in it, the pasta course flabbergasted me. While the spaghettini with uni and the rigatoni with guanciale were initially tasty,

It hit me just as I walked into Cowy Burger: a heady, griddled beef perfume. Crowding the tables: people drunk from happy hour and people getting ready to get drunk later. On the menu overhead: burgers, along with a few sides and a few beers—and really, isn’t that all anybody needs? Cowy Burger was once a roaming burger joint that has found a permanent Wynwood home, with casual counter service, a tight menu and a burger that nails the fundamentals.  The signature Cowy Burger is everything you want from a smash patty: lacy, caramelized edges, a juicy center and just nearly too much melty American cheese. But it’s the accouterments that elevate it: bacon jam so smoky it could moonlight as barbecue, caramelized onions that melt into the burger like butter and the Cowy Sauce, which strikes a delicate tangy-creamy balance. The bun is soft but sturdy, managing to hold its fluffy integrity right down to that final cheesy, saucy bite.  Unlike many of the minimalist smash burger joints these days, there’s a good number of options here. They’ve got an Oklahoma burger with a dump truck of onions. There’s a frita-like number with chorizo. And then there’s the Grand Slam, a breakfast-in-a-bun special with bacon and egg. Even though they start at an entirely reasonable 10 bucks, these are substantial burgers—you won’t need two of them, also unlike many of the other smash burger spots.  And sides are no afterthought. I got the loaded waffle fries with bacon and chives and enough melty chees

The first thing that arrives on the table at Sumak is a downright marvel: too-hot-to-touch pita bread that’s fluffy, pleated and dotted with sesames. I knew I’d want it later for the eggplant dip, but I also just couldn’t help tearing off pieces, ignoring burning fingers for pita that could solve all a day’s problems. That bread is a shining star at Sumak, a Miami Beach spot where otherwise dishes can be uneven but still worthy of a drive over the causeway.  Dark and dominated by an off-to-the-side bar under a shiny tin ceiling, Sumak is a charming antidote to the traffic screaming past on 71st Street. Our server was welcoming, and the owner’s kid watching iPad videos in the back gave the place a lowkey dinner party vibe, albeit with pumping house music setting an odd lunchtime tone. I had the highest hopes here after that pita, and the eggplant dip served as a nice accompaniment, smoky and full of garlic. The Sumak salad arrived without dressing or salt, although they brought olive oil and vinegar after we asked. My well-charred beef kebabs needed a sauce—tzatziki, maybe?—to bring it all together. And my wife’s vegetarian plate required more help, a pasta or rice perhaps, as it was simply every vegetable in the house (peas, carrots, asparagus, eggplant, cauliflower) swimming in red sauce. In the end, though, sweet grilled künefe cheese arrived on a honey-laced sauce, topped with shredded phyllo and toasted pistachios—sweet, salty and just hard to stop eating. Sumak also impo

I had a thought just as we walked into Sunny’s, passing through the nondescript entrance among Little River warehouses, through the courtyard lit by twinkly lights and into the stately dining rooms that encircle it. Then it became clear: This is mainland Miami's answer to the legendary Joe’s Stone Crab on Miami Beach.  Sunny’s is just as celebratory as Joe’s, a space that’s buzzing with servers and busboys and customers, where the food just nearly outshines the space. Like a modern, trendy version of Joe’s, Sunny’s wears newer clothes in a fledgling neighborhood, with a supper-club-like dining room and a stunning courtyard anchored by a very old banyan tree. The hanger steak came well-dried, seared black, pink yet warm in the center, a fragrant périgourdine sauce on the side. I’ve not met a better steak. The original Sunny’s pop-up was run by the team behind the much-missed Jaguar Sun, co-owners Carey Hynes and Will Thompson. Now, they’ve brought in ex-Edge chef Aaron Brooks to run the kitchen. The theme is steakhouse classics turned sideways, as in the Caesar dominated by super-crisp fried breadcrumbs. Steak tartare is pre-slathered on sourdough above a burnt leek aioli that adds sophistication to the dish. Things veer from a traditional steakhouse with a pasta section. The toothy rigatoni came with a pork tomato sauce that’s surprisingly smoky. The agnolotti with blue crab, corn and saffron tasted deeply of the sea. The steaks are headlined by a $260 wagyu ribeye, but I we

I’ve eaten at all three of the highly publicized and also very good restaurants that recently opened in Miami specializing in just one thing: house-made pastas. If you’re here, you might be wondering how they stacked up and what sets them apart. At PASTA in Wynwood, the most distinctive element became apparent as soon as I took a seat at the chef’s counter. The husband-and-wife chef-partners Janice Buraschi and Juan Manuel Umbert were right there, quite literally putting everything they’ve got into each dish. PASTA was born in Lima in 2019, and the couple started scoping out spots for a second location in Miami two years later. Opened in October 2024, the new restaurant occupies a 77-seat industrial space made cozier with warm woods and a canopy of rattan pendants that bring down the high ceilings. The silky quartz chef’s counter is the draw here, with front row seats to the elegant mise en place.  Our server was excited to explain things, as was Buraschi, who held down the expo station just in front of us as she demonstrated how they pull the stracciatella and introduced us to the sourdough starter used for the bread served alongside it. The appetizer is just those two things, bread and cheese, and it’s indicative of the concept itself. Most everything is made right behind the counter, served simply and wholesomely. From there, we liked it all: the razor clams served al dente with nduja-spiked salsa verde, taken like shooters; the romaine salad in which the breadcrumbs starr

If there’s one thing to criticize at the Wynwood pasta restaurant Otto & Pepe, it’s the slogan: “Mean pasta & natty wine.” I figured crabby servers would be pouring nothing but mushroom-flavored grape juice. The truth is that Otto & Pepe has a friendly staff and a wine list that’s far more approachable than the slogan suggests. It’s quite simply my new favorite Italian restaurant in Miami. You enter through a wine market, with a window into the pasta-making station, and then pass into a dining room wrapped around the open kitchen. They nailed a Wynwood-friendly vibe that’s both festive and comfortable, fun but never too loud. Booth seating off to the right looks comfy, and the leafy outdoor courtyard is likewise inviting. We sat at the pasta bar with views of the line cooks, and watching them work builds anticipation for the coming dishes. We loved everything they made: fried egg and soft potato polka-dotted with black truffles; orecchiette with eggplant and aged ricotta; lasagna rich from bechamel and a ragu of beef and bacon. There isn’t a roast chicken or whole fish or steak on the menu, a testament to mastering a single thing rather than trying to do it all.  Michelin-pedigreed Milanese chef Viviana Varese designed the menu, but the execution has been left to a local team of all-stars, including restaurateurs Gabriela Chiriboga and Samuel Ghouzi of 1-800-Lucky. The night I went, the house wine expert was Mariel Dalmau. I shared my preferences (and a couple of bad natural

It would be hard to overstate how different Miami restaurants were when Marion opened back in 2015. It’d take just one hand to count the good restaurants in Brickell and downtown. Years would pass before every New York restaurant transplanted here—and we hadn’t yet entered the era of the clubstaurant. Now, after a brief closure and $4 million renovation, Marion has reopened, transforming from a charming market-slash-restaurant into a blinged-out supper club. It feels very much like it wants to be the spot for your next outrageous night out, but generally stops short of a place you’d go on your next bender. I dined on a Thursday, which I’d heard was the biggest party night at Marion, with promised entertainment starting at 9pm. The space is a study in maximalism: rainbow-hued glass partitions, speckled terrazzo floors, wild patterned upholstery with gold and burgundy splashed everywhere else.  The menu covers a lot of ground. From the sushi side of the menu, we got yellowtail crunchy tacos and tuna crudo crackers, followed by a pair of rolls, the salmon torched tableside. Prime beef tartare arrived with lots of truffles shaved over top.  For the entrees, a branzino swam above a sweet carrot puree, and sliced skirt steak was topped with parm and arugula. We finished with a lava cake that was the only true miss, tasty but with an oddly grainy texture. Though it was decadent, the meal itself wasn’t very memorable.  We were at dessert when three women ascended the elevated walkway

Remember in Harry Potter how young wizards would learn some unsuspecting word—lumos, for instance—and suddenly magic would happen, like light appearing in the darkness? Great chefs do something similar, making unforgettable meals out of unexpected and deceptively simple things. Consider Niven Patel’s new island-inspired restaurant, Paya, where each dish was excellent, and unlike any version I’d tried before. That’s always been Patel’s way, with his award-winning takes on Indian dishes at Ghee and homage to Italian classics at Erba. At Paya, Patel has once again teamed up with partner and hospitality pro Mohamed “Mo” Alkassar. They’ve refreshed the former Joliet space just east of Sunset Harbour, reconfiguring the entrance along with the poolside terrace, which will open soon. For the menu, Niven uses produce from his farm, blending it with island and Indian flavors. I started with the tangy papaya salad with shrimp; scallop crudo served on starfruit with passion fruit puree; oysters with jackfruit mignonette; tamarind-glazed lamb chops with roasted plantains, and a Caribbean-spiced crab cake with fruit salsa.  Then there’s the grilled cheese, cut into quarters and standing upright like the ones you’d dip into tomato soup, but here it’s served on fluffy sourdough with truffle brie and anchored in mango jam. This dish—just three ingredients—was pretty otherworldly. I’d already eaten too much before the entrees arrived: a crispy tripletail in coconut curry and peri peri chicken

Some of our favorite Miami restaurants are the most simple ones, where it’s all about an extremely talented chef (or chefs) playing with what’s possible. Spots that come to mind from this category are Zitz Sum, Boia De and, perhaps the most experimental of them all, Itamae AO. Now add Kojin 2.0 to that list, where husband and wife Pedro and Katherine Mederos have set out to create a restaurant of the unfamiliar and reinvented.  Born in Cuba and raised in Miami, Pedro Mederos spent time in California before returning home to work at Brad Kilgore’s Alter. He and Katherine launched Kojin as a pop-up inside a ramen shop and recently expanded the concept into its own Coral Gables space. It’s simple: wood tables and chairs under a black drop-ceiling, with a lit-up kitchen pass-through. Mederos presides over the front of house, delivering and explaining dishes. Like a caesar that he says took inspiration from the one at Flanigan’s. It’s a bomb of umami, topped with smoked trout roe and nori and a bed of parmesan shavings, extra dressing pooled up below the baby lettuces.  The menu emphasizes hard-to-source ingredients: rare American Iberico pork with mashed acorn squash; grass-fed short rib that’s braised, smoked and glazed, ending up with a sirloin texture; and the fresh catch looking like a ship in rough seas, flaky corners rising out of a pile of creamy potatoes. All of that came as part of a $150 tasting menu for two. There’s also an “executive” option for a fairly astounding $4

For a time, Sushi by Bou operated in a memorable spot: from a six-seat counter set up in Gianni Versace’s former bedroom in his infamous Miami Beach mansion. With that temporary setup in the rearview mirror, New York’s Sushi by Bou opened the 13th location of its speakeasy-style omakase theme in the SLS Brickell. Now, you can find what's perhaps the restaurant's most "Miami" location to date inside the artsy boutique hotel Arlo Wynwood, complete with neon signage, graffiti artwork and a portrait of Miami's own 2 Live Crew and Trina aka The Baddest B*tch on the wall. Sushi by Bou’s chefs hit all the notes that have made omakase popular, blowtorching their wagyu nigiri and handing guests single-servings of well-sourced sushi from an intimate, curtained-off counter that includes 14-seat seats, plus an eight-seat bar and cozy 14-seat lounge area where you'll also find fancy cocktails, imported sake and rare Japanese whiskeys. Choose between a 12-course, $65 experience or a 17-course, $125 experience—both of which breeze by for a sometimes-rushed but reliably delicious omakase experience. The restaurant is located inside the hotel's third-floor cocktail lounge, Higher Ground, so you can plan to grab a drink there before or after, too. 

If you’re a local who’s into food, you’ve heard of Recoveco, the tucked-away South Miami restaurant with a chicken dish pictured all over social media because it’s served with a foot, claws splayed out like the grasping hand of a macabre haunted house witch. But before we get into whether that chicken is good, I want to tell you about the shrimp. Because it’s a dish that sums up this restaurant well. Five waning moons of halved, chilled shrimp, each with a slice of avocado, a dainty wild chervil leaf and a thread of tropea onion. My initial thought: Did I just pay $24 for about 87 calories worth of food? But then I scooped up the sauce with the giant spoon they leave beside you all night (one of the quirks of this place). It’s white miso, according to the tiny menu (another quirk), and its unbelievably complicated—just like everything coming out of this kitchen. Recoveco opened behind Fox’s, in a space that feels simple, with laminated plywood furniture but also with serious big-city charm. In its early days, a lot of the buzz came from that chicken, which can be served without the foot. Like the shrimp, the $60 chicken looks tiny. But it’s also deceptively complicated, crispy skin seasoned with something mysterious, two sauces below, green mango and hoja santa, more interesting the more you try them.  It was the same with a celery salad under a bed of prettily shaved pecorino toscano and just-picked star fruit. It was true also for sausage-stuffed peppers with caramel chicke

Chef Giorgio Rapicavoli is behind many of our favorite things to eat in Miami. There’s his carbonara at Eating House with an egg yolk mixed in at the table. And the patate fritte at Luca with its, uh, egg yolk mixed in at the table.  But even his non-egg-yolk dishes make his two Coral Gables restaurants longtime favorites, especially among those who decide where to eat based on the quality of food and not necessarily the restaurant’s design.  Rapicavoli’s latest venture takes over the restaurant at the historic Mayfair House Hotel & Garden in Coconut Grove, and his recipe that’s worked elsewhere—serving things that taste good in otherwise plain spaces—translates well here, too. Although calling the Mayfair Grill “plain” is not entirely accurate. Inside, it’s a pretty simple-looking hotel restaurant. But out back, you’ll find tables scattered around a handsome fountain, with a leafy vestibule of the hotel rising above. (Consider coordinating your visit with the weather app if you prefer an outdoor ambiance.) As for the menu, this is a live-fire concept built around the hefty Josper grill setup just off the dining room. The dishes I had on a recent visit were done similarly to those at other Rapicavoli restaurants, like the avocado caprese, which subs out tomatoes for avocado chunks arranged around a nice hunk of burrata—a straightforward and quite excellent dish. The clams come in a broth worthy of the accompanying crusty bread, the shells serving as scooping vessels for earth

Gastón Riveira sits across from me at his new Coconut Grove restaurant. “We will start with the meat, then the appetizers,” he states. “We will do things in reverse.” I don’t know why we’re doing things backward. But when you’re sitting down for a meal with the world’s most famous master of the Argentinian asado, you don’t question the order of things.  Riveira is the owner and chef of La Cabrera, a chain of Argentine restaurants that stretches from the Philippines to Spain. He’s recently added two outposts in Miami—Coconut Grove and Sunny Isles—with a third coming soon in Midtown. Riveira opened his first La Cabrera in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires in 2002. The concept was to stay true to a parrilla, an Argentine tradition similar to a Brazilian steakhouse but generally without all the skewers parading through the place. Since then, Riveira has penned several cookbooks and his restaurant has collected many awards, including landing on at least one list of the world’s best steakhouses.  Photograpg: Tim FitzgeraldLa Cabrera Our first course arrives, a strip steak sliced thick in a cast-iron platter, seasoned with salt and pepper. Riveira and I stab slices and slather on chimichurri as he talks about his abuelo, his hero and mentor, the man who taught him how to cook meats over an open flame. Growing up in Argentina, the asado was how holidays were celebrated, or just the conclusion of a week. It’s a grill-out, essentially, usually with sausages and various cuts of

On a fall Sunday in Asheville’s busiest tourist season, I drove to the charming downtown recently to see what’s opened since the destruction of Hurricane Helene. Chairs sat upside-down on the tables of White Duck, so I looked around as a rainbow of leaves drifted down the mostly empty street.  And then I noticed it: Cúrate, literally my favorite restaurant in the world. It was open. Just two other people occupied a single table when I took a seat at the chef’s table, facing the Josper oven. I ordered a traditional gilda tapas, then a wonderful bibb salad with olives and orange, before going on to a fried shrimp bocadillo, like a mashup of a po-boy and an Iberian sandwich.  I’ve been traveling to Asheville for nearly two decades now and became a part-time resident two years ago. And the last time I snuck into Cúrate without a reservation in the height of season? Probably a decade ago. It’s indicative of the state of the city now. Fewer tourists mean the city is like it was a generation ago before the digital nomads and vacationers discovered it.  Photograph: Eric Barton for Time OutA fried shrimp bocadillo from Cúrate During my recent trip there, I learned that’s both bad and good. Some tourist attractions are still shuttered, as are an estimated 56 percent of local businesses, according to Explore Asheville. But fewer people means what is open is far more accessible, and so, in many ways, it’s a delightful time to visit Asheville. Just how hard of a hit Asheville is taking

Here at Time Out, our mission is to bring you the very best of Miami, and that very importantly includes Miami's best restaurants. Of course, on that mission, we editors find ourselves dining out quite a lot. Whether we're trying out the latest buzzy concept from one of the city's homegrown star chefs, hunting down the most delicious new smash burger in a tidal wave of Miami smash burgers or suiting up to make it past the velvet rope at South Beach's hottest new clubstaurant, it's all in day's work to present you with our findings. Though we don't give full, rated reviews to every Miami restaurant, bar or venue we visit, we take a lot of time and care with the ones we do. These writeups represent our honest impressions of the place, regardless of whether we were invited to experience it as a media guest or if we paid our own way. Our editors and contributors are committed to helping you decide where to go out in Miami and what to do with your time (and money), because we know it's precious. That said, we'll be recapping all the new Miami restaurants we review each month in one easily digestible post. Here are the new restaurants Time Out Miami editors tried in October—and what we thought. Bon appétit!    Photograph: Courtesy Otto & Pepe Otto & Pepe Rating: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5 stars) "If there’s one thing to criticize at the Wynwood pasta restaurant Otto & Pepe, it’s the slogan: 'Mean pasta & natty wine.' I figured crabby servers would be pouring nothing but mushroom-flavored

Ah, fall. That magical, brisk and cozy time of year that lasts about six hours in Miami before it’s hot as hell again. Fall is also when new Miami restaurants tend to arrive en masse as chefs and hospitality groups get warmed up before The Coming Of The Season. This fall, we’re witnessing the continuation of a trend we’ve seen in Miami since the pandemic as major restaurant groups from across the globe plant roots in the 305. We’ll also be getting several reborn versions of local favorites, places we’ve definitely been missing. How do you plan for the fall restaurant arrivals? Don’t worry: As reliable as pumpkin spice everything this season, we’ve got you covered with our roundup of the most anticipated new restaurant openings this fall in Miami (listed alphabetically). RECOMMENDED: The 39 best restaurants in Miami right now Photograph: Courtesy Aviv 1. Aviv Miami Beach Philly chef Michael Solomonov returns to Miami with this Israeli concept on the ground floor of the 1 Hotel South Beach. The restaurant promises to “blend ancient charcoal cooking methods, mezze plates, easy-drinking cocktails” and offers an extensive wine list. Expected opening: October Rendering: Courtesy Casa Gianna 2. Casa Gianna Downtown Contemporary and traditional dishes will dominate the menu by chef David Caceres in the Gale Miami Hotel & Residences. There’s a piazza off the main dining room and also a caffè è pasticceria, which, essentially, is Italian for you’re about to gain 10 pounds. Expected

There was a time not long ago when a bartender in Miami fit a very specific stereotype: former Northerner, disheveled, probably at least half-drunk, and quite likely still matted with beach sand from last night’s adventures.  But Miami saw a revolution behind the bar in the past generation as a new crop of cocktail makers took things far more seriously. We’re talking places like the Broken Shaker (whose Miami founders recently sold to Generator Hostels), The Regent Cocktail Club, Jaguar Sun and Lost Boy. (We’re probably not even mentioning your favorite because, hell, we’ve got a lot of really good bars in Miami now.)  If you strike up a conversation with your barkeep (highly recommended), you might catch wind of something new influencing mixology in Miami lately: an influx from overseas. Bartenders from Italy to Japan come for a pop-up or bar takeover and end up making a permanent move. We spoke to a few of the most influential bartenders around Miami to find out how this very welcome foreign invasion is shaking up the local cocktail scene. Photograph: Anthony Nader - 52 Chefs You couldn’t talk about ‘Miami-style’ bartending previously, but now everybody knows it. It’s like a mix of everything that’s happening around the world. Julio Cabrera, Café La Trova Where he’s from: Born in Calimente, Cuba, in 1964, Cabrera grew up hearing stories about the bar his father owned before the revolution, a community gathering spot where factory workers would start the day with a coffee

While Bogotá is a cosmopolitan city full of panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and a thumping nightlife scene, I’ll admit I wanted to go for one reason: arepas. I’m fairly obsessed with the discs of corn and all the ways Colombians prepare them. There are the small, simple ones from the País region that serve as vehicles for salsa. Then there are the corn pancakes, sweet and doughy and oozing with cheese.  For those who might also share my passion for arepas, or simply want to check out Colombia’s vibrant capital city, there’s a brand new way to get there: The high-end Emirates Airlines just launched a daily, non-stop route from Miami, and I recently had the opportunity to experience the inaugural flight. Full disclosure: Emirates paid my way as part of its media rollout. Nonetheless, I’ve outlined my unfiltered takeaways below. TLDR: If you’re planning a trip to Colombia anytime soon, you might just want to book yourself a ticket if you can. Photograph: Courtesy the authorTime Out contributor Eric Barton on the inaugural Emirates flight from Miami to Bogotá 1. The only luxe way to reach Colombia Several airlines fly directly into Bogotá, but Emirates is the only one with a first-class cabin. The good seats on an Emirates plane are as nice as you’ve probably heard. Yes, you could fly economy roundtrip for around $350, but upgrading just might be the best part of your vacation. First class, where each seat is like a little apartment, will cost you the downpayment o

The James Beard Foundation last night named Miami’s Valerie Chang the South’s best chef, and it’s a reward not only for a talented young restaurateur but also a long-deserved recognition for an entire state. Chang’s award is the first time a Florida chef has won the Best Chef: South category since Michael Schwartz claimed the recognition way back in 2010—remarkably 14 years ago.  It’s a point Chang made from the podium at the awards ceremony in Chicago. “Miami—finally, we won! We got something for Miami!” Chang’s voice mixed with laughter and exuberance as she triumphantly held up the medal. Chang’s Midtown restaurant Maty’s is an homage to her heritage, her Peruvian immigrant parents and to her grandmother, the restaurant’s namesake. At the podium last night, Chang talked about the emotional rollercoaster of winning the award not long after losing her grandmother. “To my grandmother who passed away five days ago, and you know I named the restaurant after her, and I can't believe I'm standing here.” Her brother and business partner Nando Chang said in the comments of an Instagram post: “What a way to honor Maty. @chifitachang I love you very much and I’m so proud of you.” Photograph: Isa ZapataMaty's If you haven’t been to Maty’s, chances are it’s going to become harder to score a reservation after last night. But it's well worth whatever wait is required, with oysters bathed in a tangy leche de tigre, charred cauliflower with ocopa sauce and what's become the restaurant's

There’s a truth about Miami that maybe you didn’t know, something that’s developed over the last few years, pretty much out of nowhere: We now have a die-hard contingent of folks who will do whatever—brave the heat, long lines, uncomfortable seating and those daily hurricane-like rainstorms—just to eat something delicious.  Because of this, pop-up restaurants now thrive here. Those responsible for the pop-ups (both experienced chefs and young upstarts with no training) credit these people, the ones going above and beyond to discover Miami’s next best foods, with allowing them to do what they do.  There’s proof by the dozen across town, with many of Miami’s best restaurants growing out of pop-ups or humble food trucks. Among our favorites, Boia De, now a Michelin-starred restaurant, launched as a food truck serving fried chicken sandwiches; Zitz Sum, one of the city’s most awarded restaurants, started with a chef making dumplings in his home kitchen; Old Greg’s, some of the best pizza in town, began as a pandemic side project; and the new QP Tapas, technically still a pop-up, is among our favorite new restaurants this year.  The growth of these experimental, temporary restaurants and their committed followings has fundamentally changed the restaurant industry in Miami in ways that make it entirely better. How? Why? We spoke to the teams behind many of Miami’s pop-up success stories to find out. RECOMMENDED: Why is it so damn hard to open a restaurant in Miami? Photograph: Cou

It seems like every week there’s a new national outlet arriving in Miami to report on something we locals already know: This city is having a serious restaurant moment. It began well before pandemic lockdowns but, ever since, Miami has seen an influx of major restaurant groups clamoring for their piece, along with homegrown chef-owners carving out new concepts throughout the county. This season, there’s lots to be excited about, from (yet another) Miami omakase courtesy of the Itamae team to Klaw’s stylish new Italian neighbor. As the not-so-slow summer ends and fall picks up, here are our top Miami restaurant openings to bookmark on Google Maps this season from Wynwood to South Beach and beyond. RECOMMENDED: Every Michelin-Starred Restaurant in Miami Photograph: Courtesy Itamae Ao 1. Itamae Ao Much-loved Nikkei destination Itamae swaps its Design District digs for a new, 12-seat omakase-style counter next to sister restaurant Maty’s in Midtown. Brother-sister duo Nando and Val Chang were just named best new chefs by Food & Wine, so expect hard-to-get reservations from day one. 3255 NE 1st Ave Photograph: Courtesy Alpareno Restaurant GroupAlpareno Restaurant Group founders Mohamed “Mo” Alkassar and Chef Niven Patel 2. Erba Niven Patel, the celebrated Miami chef behind Ghee, Orno and Mamey, began this pasta concept as a pop-up way back in 2019. Ever since it’s been just on the cusp of reopening in a permanent home. This fall, Erba finally lands in Coral Gables with a menu

Vikram Thadani first came to Miami from Chile on vacation when he was 17, and he swore right then that someday he’d open a restaurant here. That was in 2002, and after opening four restaurants back home, he decided in 2021 he’d attempt to pull off his dream. Thadani settled on a space in Wynwood. He figured it would take six months to open. “Everyone laughed when I told them that,” he says.  Eighteen months later, after endless red tape and reams of paperwork thrown at him by the City of Miami, he finally opened his Indian restaurant, Rishtedar, in February. He can’t even calculate how many tens of thousands of dollars the delays cost him.  “That’s why I’m living in my car at Home Depot,” he says with a laugh. “Just kidding, just kidding.” Thadani’s experience is similar to stories I’ve heard over and over from chefs and restaurant owners in my 20 years covering the industry in South Florida. Miami’s inefficient and often beguiling bureaucracy can lead to months—sometimes years—of delays in even a simple restaurant opening, costing operators sometimes upwards of six figures. The reasons for the delays in Miami are often baffling, owners say. In Thadani’s case, one problem arose when the Post Office changed his restaurant’s mailing address. Suddenly, inspectors stopped showing up, leading to a two-week pause in the process—and adding to months of delays. Some might shrug this off as a problem suffered only by well-off restaurateurs. But it can also hurt workers who get stuck i

It’s after 2 o’clock in the afternoon when we hook up with Brittany Brave, and she’s just finishing up breakfast at Mamey in Coral Gables. She polished off a coffee, a mimosa, coconut water, tuna tostones, and grilled cheese bites—all with the desperate hope of beating the hangover. Having just barely answered the phone, she’s already apologizing profusely for sleeping through multiple alarms and jumping on the call late. “I don’t know what I was thinking scheduling a 10am Monday phone call.” You can’t blame her. The night before, 31-year-old Brave had headlined the Miami Improv for the first time, all part of what seems to be a major moment for this homegrown comedienne. In the past year, Brave has racked up headlining spots and accolades including being named by the Miami New Times as the city’s best comedian. Is this officially a thing? “Um, yeah, I am afraid—well, first off thank you for saying that—but I’m afraid to use language like that,” Brave says. “You never want to jinx it, and you never want to think you’re ahead of where you are.” Up until recently, she was a starving artist. “Sometimes literally starving,” she says. And as such, she doesn't want to ruin things. Brave grew up in west Kendall, the only child of a cosmetologist mom and sales manager dad. Her parents remain the funniest people she knows, she says, and she figured out early on that she loved making them laugh. Some of her earliest memories are of standing in the middle of the room at get-togethers an

Take a stroll through the lush grounds behind the Vizcaya Museum & Gardens and you’ll find yourself at a one-of-a-kind staircase. The steps are made of hardened coral called coquina, and they lead down into the murky depths of a mangrove forest. There are a couple of moorings at the bottom that look like barber poles, where you can imagine Venetian gondolas pulling up. While the stairs make a sweet backdrop for engagement photos, they’re also a harbinger. David Hardy, the horticulture manager at Vizcaya for a decade now, has watched as the bay waters creep up those stairs inch by inch. More and more every year, the rising waters also carry in plastic bottles, wrappers, netting—the detritus of society that, let’s be honest, doesn’t look great in a selfie. Photograph: David Hardy All that junk will vanish over the span of a day when a few hundred volunteers descend on Vizcaya to fish around 700 pounds of trash from that mangrove swamp. The efforts are part of Baynanza, a county-wide series of events with the goal of cleaning up Biscayne Bay and raising awareness around the constant challenge of preserving our local waterways. “This is truly critical,” Hardy says of Baynanza. “And the level of enthusiasm of the people who come out, and their concern for the environment—it’s encouraging to see how many people really care.” Since it began in 1982, more than 100,000 volunteers have shown up for Baynanza’s annual Biscayne Bay Cleanup Day and collected more than 500 tons of trash f