Jen and I are staying in South Beach on Dec 28th, staying at the James Royal Palm. I see a few recommendations in threads from years past, including Milos, Michael Genuine, and Sardinia, and welcome any more suggestions. I’m a bit of a ‘when in Rome’ guy, so Italian places are not interesting - I’d love to go to a great Cuban place that is a bit on the fancy side, not just grab some Cuban pork sandwiches and eat on the boardwalk. We’re needing a good dinner spot.
I won’t get into restaurants, but a killer spot right on the water (and there are very few of them in SOBE) is The Standard. Killer spot for pre-dinner champagne or cocktails.
Michael’s uses local ingredients to do new American food. Probably best food and wine list (well chosen, not marked up 3x) in Miami.
If you’re dead set on fancy Cuban they’re going to be tourist traps on Ocean: Lario (Gloria Estefan’s place) and De Rodriguez Cuba.
The best Cuban food you’ll get will be at Puerto Sagua. It’s a casual diner. Ideal for lunch. The chicharrones de pollo (fried chicken chunks) and masitas de puerco (fried pork chunks) are my favorites. They also have really good ropa vieja and roasted chicken if you want to go that route. The cafe con leche is wicked good.
I would recommend Puerto Sagua for lunch and Michael’s Genuine ($25-30ish cab one way) for dinner. Win win. Design district is very posh these days and worth checking out.
SLS Hyde bar post dinner drinks for eye candy (after 11).
Thanks, Fred and Bone. Don’t want tourist traps, and I’m not stuck on Cuban food at all, if it means my choices are the equivalent of Rainforest Cafe.
Lunch is perfect for Cuban food, so I like your idea of Puerto Sagua for lunch and Michael’s Genuine. We have a car, so we’ll probably find parking.
Depending on when you go, there is metered street parking in front of Michael’s. There is also valet parking if you can’t find anything. Pretty reasonable.
If you guys have another meal unaccounted for there is always Joe’s Stone Crab. Classic Miami like in the same way Peter Luger is classic NYC. Old school. No reservations. Expect long waits during prime time.
Two words: Stone Crabs. Joe’s is ok but I like http://www.montyssobe.com/
Valet at Michaels is cheap, maybe $3 or $5.
Any nice BYO places near Aventura/North Miami?
I am fond of Bourbon Steak in Turberry Isle (North Dade & Ocean). Only been there a few times & corkage was waived ,(it is a Schlep from my end of town) but we were opening some knockouts ('45 Montrose ? amongst others) & shared with the wine guy.
Not cheap , but good.
BOURBON STEAK, Miami
Located in the famous Turnberry Isle Miami, BOURBON STEAK is celebrity chef Michael Mina’s modern twist on the classic American steakhouse. BOURBON STEAK is one of South Florida’s favorite steakhouses, with a localized menu that features prime cuts of all-natural, organic and hormone-free beef and the freshest seafood available from around the world.
Turnberry Isle Miami
19999 West Country Club Drive
Miami, FL 33180
Tel: 786.279.6600
Agree 100%. Oak Tavern is great if Michael’s is booked. Also just up on Biscayne Blvd. is Michy’s. Awesome food and wine selection.
I like both Michy’s and Michael’s, but neither is great in my book. I can’t say there are better though (there are a couple further north that I think are super, in Ft. Lauderdale and Delray Beach).
Nobu is probably the best I’ve went to in SoBe, super load, good as the other Nobu’s, other than eye candy the food is the same as at all the other Nobu’s.
<---- not a fan of Nobu
Not exactly Cuban but still Latin and damn good is OLA:
I do like Michael’s Genuine as well.
ola was very good when i was there
the 2 i would go to now based on friends’ recent visits would be
jose andres bazaar at the sls
and pubbelly
check out the menu at these places todd. they sound amazing and have gotten some great reviews.
http://www.sbe.com/menu/bazaar/Bazaar_South_Beach_Dinner.pdf
Not a fan would be my attitude to all of the SoBe dining, although I haven’t kept up. Michael’s is good, not worth a $30 cab ride from SoBe, but easy to get to and park given that you have a car.
I think they allow BYO (2 bottle limit).
Michael’s Genuine is excellent, probably my favorite regular spot to visit.
The Bazaar is excellent, but pricey.
Not a fan of Bourbon Steak, but if you are in that area there not many other options. The crowd and the service brings it down.
For lunch I love Ortanique on the Mile. Great mix of Afro/Cuban flavors.
Casa Tua is an old school favorite (Italian). The people there will tell you about three or for new, hotter places, like Scarpetta, but they are not for me. For casual Italian, and awesome, from the Pubbelly group I love, love Macchialina (right next to Umami Burger).
Michy’s, not far from Michael’s, in the Design District, is also very good.
Michael Schwartz has other places of note- The Cypress Room, Harry’s Pizza, etc.
Khong River House is excellent.
Prime 112 if need to get a huge steak and see beautiful people (share everything).
Been seeing The DILIDO pop up in a few places these days.
But also heard that the check might be a bit stiff.
I’ve done BYO at Michael’s and we were treated very well.
Bazaar looks great but can’t tell if it’s more show than substance. Helpful to hear some first hand experience.
Great rec John! We had a fantastic meal there (even though we had to wait about 45 minutes to be seated) and the service was top-notch.
Sandia and I ate at both Michy’s and Michael’s Genuine. We enjoyed both, but Michael’s Genuine was the highlight of the trip.
Get the Crispy rice cake with chorizo, fresh egg, rock shrimp and chili aoli - hands down best plate of the trip.