The Best Restaurants in Miami (for Long Days and even longer nights)
Miami is not short on restaurants. It is short on places that get it right consistently – the lighting, the crowd, the pacing, the moment where you order another bottle without consulting anyone. These are the ones that matter and when in the day, they matter.
The Best Brunches in Miami
1. Lido at The Surf Club
Understated, elegant, and quietly expensive – the holy trinity. Lido is where brunch feels like a long lunch and nobody’s checking the time.
Location: Surfside
Price: €€€€ – Subtle luxury pricing
Pro Tip: Start late and don’t plan dinner
Image Idea: White tablecloths, ocean breeze, calm wealth energy
2. Mandolin Aegean Bistro
A Mediterranean garden (casual) fantasy tucked into the Design District, serving food that makes you cancel the rest of the day.
Location: Design District
Price: €€€ – Dangerous value for how long you’ll stay
Pro Tip: Mezze, grilled fish, rosé and stop thinking
Image Idea: Courtyard dining, stone walls, dappled sunlight
3. The Setai Courtyard
Brunch without chaos. Soft jazz, hotel guests, and champagne served like it’s normal to drink it before noon. Oh, come on… no-one is judging you hun.
Location: South Beach
Price: €€€€ – Hotel brunch maths
Pro Tip: Anything involving champagne is the right choice
Image Idea: Symmetry, muted tones, discreet service
4. Cecconi’s Miami Beach
Downstairs at Soho House. Reliable, trendy, and always full for a reason. Is it Michelin dining? No. But it isn’t supposed to be. This is brunch for people who “just popped in” and stayed two hours of Picantés.
Location: Soho Beach House
Price: €€€ – Controlled indulgence
Pro Tip: Truffle eggs and a Bellini
Image Idea: Greenery, marble tables, effortless crowd
The Best Dinner Restaurants in Miami
1. Carbone
Other than NY, I think the best one. Loud, glossy, theatrical and still elite. If you’ve eaten here before, you’ll eat here again.
Location: South Beach
Price: €€€€ – Reservation economics
Pro Tip: Order the spicy rigatoni and stop pretending you won’t
Image Idea: Dark interiors, white tablecloths, martinis everywhere
2. Zuma Miami
Still flawless. Still full. Still the place where dinner quietly turns into drinks and nobody leaves early.
Location: Downtown Miami
Price: €€€€ – Precision costs money
Pro Tip: Book at sunset and let the night happen
Image Idea: River views, candlelight, skyline reflections
3. Casa Tua
Half restaurant, half private dinner party you weren’t meant to know about. Romantic, intimate, and dangerous for late nights.
Location: South Beach
Price: €€€€ – Hush Hush luxury
Pro Tip: Sit outside and order wine you don’t recognise while pretending you do
Image Idea: Garden lighting, warm tones, intimate tables
4. Il Gabbiano
Italian power dining on the water. Serious food, serious crowd, and yachts as background decoration.
Location: Downtown Miami
Price: €€€€ – Classic and confident
Pro Tip: Martini first. Menu second.
Image Idea: Waterfront terrace, white linen, city lights
The Best Beach Clubs in Miami
This is tricky, as Miami is as much a social melting pot of inclusion and welcomeness…… as it is an elite Membership hub… Go figure. Here’s a selection of both.
1. Soho Beach House
Members only, discreet, and completely uninterested in explaining itself. Fun Saturday vibe with a laidback ambience.
Location: Mid-Beach
Price: €€€€ – Membership required
Pro Tip: Sundays are quietly iconic
Image Idea: Muted tones, shaded loungers, zero chaos
2. Faena Beach Club
Luxury as performance. Plush cabanas, choreographed service, and dramatic surroundings. Visually its giving 1980’s cool.
Location: Mid-Beach
Price: €€€€ – Theatre isn’t cheap
Pro Tip: Book a cabana or don’t bother
Image Idea: Gold accents, red tones, oceanfront drama
3. The Surf Club Beach
Yes, I know….Not technically a club… which is exactly why it’s elite.
Location: Surfside
Price: €€€€ – Absolute discretion
Pro Tip: Say less, do more
Image Idea: Empty loungers, symmetry, quiet luxury
4. Joia Beach (VIP Only)
Only counts if done properly. Their dress code is, and I quote… “Upscale Beach Chic.”
Location: Watson Island
Price: €€€€ – Table or nothing
Pro Tip: Sunset booking or skip it
Image Idea: Golden hour skyline, candlelit tables
…. Oh go on then… you can have two more you lucky huns
5. The Beach at The Miami Beach EDITION
Understated, elegant, and quietly superior. No chaos, no over-branding, just excellent service and people who know where they are.
Location: Mid-Beach
Price: €€€€ – Resort-level indulgence
Pro Tip: South-facing cabanas catch the best light
Image Idea: White canopies, calm water, effortless polish
6. Nikki Beach Miami
A classic for a reason. White linens, barefoot glamour, and an atmosphere that understands long lunches are the point.
Location: South of Fifth
Price: €€€ – Social luxury pricing
Pro Tip: Book early and commit to the day
Image Idea: Endless white loungers, champagne on ice
Miami is not about doing everything. It’s about doing these things, in this order, without explaining yourself.
