Cruising from Miami? Here's Where to Dine
Tropical, hip and beachy, Miami is unlike any other city in the United States and PortMiami is the busiest cruise port in the United States. There's a vibrant Latin influence that permeates not only the city's culinary culture but also the world-class nightlife and laidback lifestyle. People dine late here, and many restaurants even transition into nightclubs after dark.
Whether you're buying cigars and going salsa dancing in Little Havana, visiting the plethora of art galleries and museums including Wynwood Walls, or soaking up the sun on South Beach, it's definitely worth staying a few days pre- or post-cruise to fully experience Miami and continue living your best swimsuit life.
Here are our picks for dining out at all times of day, including breakfast, lunch, weekend brunch and dinner. Miami is a very health-conscious city so there are plenty of vegetarian options at most spots too. If you visit during August or September, take advantage of the incredible deals available during Miami Spice restaurant months.
Breakfast in Miami
Yann Couvreur – Parisian pastry chef Yann Couvreur caters many top weddings in Europe and he recently debuted in the United States with two café locations in Miami – downtown and in the artsy Wynwood neighborhood. Beautiful cakes, chouquettes, viennoiseries and chocolate raspberry tarts beckon from the gleaming pastry case and brunch is served daily too. Impossibly flaky croissants are laminated with the best Isigny French butter and everything is packaged nicely in chic boxes if you want to take treats to go. Don't miss the meticulously sculpted chocolate fox filled with crunchy hazelnut praline. The fox is Couvreur's spirit animal for its mystery and elegance, qualities he definitely embodies with his entremets and pastries.
Sagrado Cafe – Start your day with a fun Brazilian breakfast at this all-day cafe with excellent coffee, pastries and waffles along with traditional Brazilian dishes like coxinha chicken croquetas and gluten-free tapioca crepes. Dogs are welcome and there is a large outdoor patio where you can listen to bossa nova beats with your coffee and croissant or cheese bread. Don't forget a box of brigadeiros to take with you as a snack or gift. These distinctly Brazilian chocolate confections are like a cross between chocolate truffles and fudge.
Lunch in Miami
Sugarcane – A local favorite for more than a decade, this Midtown Miami restaurant serves sushi, salads, burgers and bottomless brunch daily with unlimited sangria and prosecco. Yucas bravas, BBQ spiced crispy pig ears and hamachi taquitos are a few very Miami snacks to share with friends. The crispy duck leg confit and waffle with mustard maple syrup is a signature breakfast-for-lunch pick and there's a great raw bar and colorful salads for lighter appetites too.
Verde – Grab a bite at this breezy all-day cafe tucked behind the Pérez Art Museum Miami after perusing the museum's contemporary art collection. There are lovely waterfront views and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, so there's no need to make a reservation. The menu changes seasonally, featuring local produce, with bright flavors and many appealing vegetarian options, from tomatoes and stracciatella with grilled rosemary bread to ricotta-stuffed fried zucchini blossoms, salads and pizza. Sometimes cocktails and dishes are even inspired by the current art exhibitions.
Weekend Brunch in Miami
Red Rooster Overtown – Overtown is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Miami, first settled by Black workers building Miami's railroads and rising to fame as the “Harlem of the South.” Chef Marcus Samuelsson serves Southern comfort food here with a tropical twist and weekend brunch is a real treat with live gospel music on Sundays. Share Florida crab cakes topped with mango jam before diving into jerk smoked salmon on challah toast, cheesy grits and biscuits with andouille sausage gravy.
Dinner in Miami
Stubborn Seed – Chef Jeremy Ford's flagship restaurant is the most consistently creative and delicious fine dining in Miami, with friendly service to boot. The Top Chef champion purchased a six-acre farm last year in Homestead, about 40 miles from Stubborn Seed, and grows fruit, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers here for the restaurant that make appearances in nearly every dish. From marigold petals atop a kaluga caviar macaron to dollops of Ford's Farm papaya gel on tender potato crusted swordfish, every detail is thoughtful and sublime. Ford is one of the most humble celebrity chefs you'll ever meet, crediting every team member in both the kitchen and front of house on his written menus. You can't help but like the guy and dinner at Stubborn Seed is always a home run.
Tambourine Room by Tristan Brandt – It feels like chef Timo Steubing is your private chef for the evening, presenting each course with tableside flourishes at this intimate 18-seat restaurant hidden just off the lobby in the Carillon Miami Wellness Resort. The five-course tasting menu is accompanied by an interesting wine pairing and plenty of small surprise bites along the way, blending precise French technique with Asian and Latin flavors, from a lobster elote corn custard to a reimagined eggs Benedict that's both playful and delicate, familiar yet fanciful.
Osaka – A sexy restaurant specializing in Nikkei (a fusion of Peruvian and Japanese food) cuisine, Osaka has seven other locations across Central and South America, but this is the only outpost in the United States. Pisco-based cocktails and Japanese sake are paired with a boldly seasoned explosion of ceviches, tiraditos and delectable bites of nigiri along with ponzu charred veggies, chargrilled octopus anticucho, duck confit gyoza and the requisite Japanese A5 wagyu steak cooked on a hot stone. Cocktail connoisseurs should check out new speakeasy bar Kero that's hidden in the back of the restaurant for complex cocktails that will make your head spin.