Where to Find Some of Miami’s Most Remarkable Tasting Menu Adventures

When faced with a selection of steaks as impressive as Cote’s, picking just one seems like a big exercise in FOMO. Cote knows this, and offers its signature Butcher’s Feast for indecisive eaters, where four cuts of prime and American Wagyu beef are cooked at a grill on your table. The feast is served with a selection of Korean sides dishes, like pickled veggies and spicy kimchi. It’s a fantastic deal at $68 per person, though those packing larger appetites can opt for the steak omakase, a beef tour de force, for $225.

Miami’s lone two-Michelin-starred restaurant is as much a spectator event as a dining experience. The tasting menus — both Seasonal and Evolution — don’t have a weak spot among them. But the real attraction is watching the chefs work their magic. The open kitchen allows diners to post up at the bar as they witness their meals prepared, watching the kitchen staff create each dish in near silence like a knife-wielding precision drill team.

Zitz Sum’s meteoric rise from pandemic-era dumpling sensation to Michelin-rated restaurant has thrust it to the forefront of the Miami dining scene. And one of the best ways to see why it got so hot, so fast, is to try the six-course omakase experience, where you’ll be treated to a selection of both on- and off-menu items from chef Pablo Zitzman.

Miami’s classic neighborhood Italian taverna is the kind of place one wants to linger over several courses of fresh pasta, savory grilled meats, and curated Italian wines. Macchialina’s tasting menu makes this experience easy, giving chef Michael Pirolo the reins for five courses as he makes you realize why his restaurant’s been a locals’ favorite for over a decade. At $70 per person with an optional $55 wine pairing, it’s an excellent value as well, and offers a leisurely way to get to know the South Beach Italian staple.

Joel Robuchon protégé Alain Verzeroli notched himself a Michelin star with this vegetable-forward, ultra-modern space in the Design District. Because the menu revolves around vegetable availability, the seasonal tasting menu is the best way to discover what Verzeroli can do. It’s not an exclusively vegetarian experience, though, as this fall’s lineup includes a foie gras and butternut squash parfait, and a wagyu bavette au jus with variations of eggplant, broccolini, and mushrooms.

Some hotels use their vacant meeting spaces as storage. The Ritz-Carlton in Bal Harbour, however, showed some serious innovation this past year and transformed one of its ballrooms into the Gold Standard omakase experience. Rather than name tags and coffee, enter this meeting room and you’re met with sparkling wine or Japanese whisky. After a round, the fun adjourns to a small counter with only a handful of seats, where you’ll enjoy 15 courses that range from vegetables to A5 Wagyu beef. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of seafood, too.

Call 786-613-2310 for reservations. Find more info here.

If you’re looking for the luxurious omakase experience, but don’t have hundreds of dollars to throw around, book a table at Omakai. Here, you can get a full omakase experience for as little as $26, which still includes six courses. Even the top-tier omakase is still under $100, which offers 10 courses boasting multiple pieces. Vegans aren’t left out of the action, either, as Omakai has the only dedicated vegan omakase option on any menu in the city, a surprisingly experience that’s only $28.

Call 786-579-9995 or email info@omakaisushi.com for reservations. Find more info here.

Set in the landmark art deco tower on 5th Street and Washington Ave., HaSalon is Major Food Group’s foray into Israeli-inspired cuisine, set inside one of the largest dining rooms in South Beach. Chef Eyal Shani offers his tasting menu early in the evening, with reservations available from 6:00-7:30 p.m., giving guests choices among four courses of vegetables, pasta, meat, and dessert. The white “eggplant lines” on tahini are the most unique offering on the menu, though the golden beetroot ravioli and skirt steak in tomatoes both leave a lasting impression.

Taking barbecue hints from Texas is always a good idea. But sushi? This Austin import shows the Lone Star state can do raw fish as well as it does smoked meats, as chef Tyson Cole offers a constantly-changing collection of fresh fish, veggies, and Japanese Wagyu beef. If you want a taste of what Uchi’s doing without committing the time (and money) to a full omakase, stop in for happy hour, where you’ll find many of the items on the tasting menu available a la carte at a much more manageable price point.

Call 305-995-0915 for reservations.

While food halls are wonderful spaces for sampling different dishes from small local restaurants, they’re not typically known for chef’s tasting menus. But at Time Out Market, chef Aitor Gerate Berasaluze is giving guests a curated trip through Basque cuisine at Lur,  with three and eight-course dinner options. The chef cut his teeth at Michelin-starred kitchens in the Basque region of Spain before making his name locally at Leku. His prix fixe dinners are served at Lur’s tiny chef’s counter, so the only way to experience it is by making a reservation.