Where to Eat in December: Old Greg’s Pizza, Contessa, Rouge, and More

Perhaps no national food group has made a bigger splash down here in the past couple of years than Major Food Group, bringing its trendy portfolio of restaurants to town, headlined by Carbone, ZZ’s Club, Dirty French Steakhouse, HaSalon, and Sadelle’s. Now we can add Contessa to the list. Originally popularized as a rooftop restaurant in Boston, this Northern Italian dining concept aims to transport guests to the posh resort destination of Lake Como. In addition to pastas like spicy lobster capellini, rigatoni carbonara, and fusilli Genovese, Contessa serves pizzas, which is a first for Major Food Group.

One of the most prominent restaurant trends lately has been popular upscale restaurants from other places coming to town to expand their proven concepts to Miami. Newly located in Bal Harbour Shops mall, Aba is a Mediterranean restaurant from Chicago that’s now expanding the reach of its Israeli, Lebanese, Turkish, and Greek cuisine to South Florida. “Top Chef” alumnus Chef CJ Jacobson is at the helm, and true to his West Coast roots, he puts a Californian spin on things with dishes like whipped feta spread and grilled cauliflower kebabs; muhammara; and The Everything Jerusalem Bagel with smoked salmon spread.

Call 305-677-2840 for reservations.

Opa! Avra Estiatorio, a famed celebrity hot spot in cities like Manhattan and Beverly Hills, has set up a new outpost for South Floridians at the luxurious Estates at Acqualina. The upscale Greek eatery focuses on the freshest seafood sourced from the Mediterranean, vegetables, and other imported ingredients, like hand-pressed extra-virgin olive oil from Greece’s Peloponnese and Mediterranean sea salt. Guests can pick their catch of the day from an ice bar display and choose how to have it prepared, whether that be grilled over charcoal, baked in salt, or even raw as a carpaccio. Unique menu items made for Avra Miami include locally inspired dishes like grouper en papillote and ceviche with chickpeas and seasonal fruit in a leche de tigre sauce. We recommend booking a patio seat on Avra’s alfresco terrace so you can look out at the Atlantic Ocean, listen to the waves crash, and imagine you’ve been whisked away to the Greek Isles.

We’ve touched on a few restaurant imports but we also like to shine a spotlight on long-running local spots. This cozy, romantic restaurant has called North Beach home since 2011 and is loved by locals for its outdoor garden oasis and live jazz music. The menu spans the cuisine of the Mediterranean Riviera, from St. Tropez to Marrakesh, with dishes like homemade duck foie gras terrine, olives marinated in Moroccan spices, bouillabaisse, and lamb shanks. This is the spot to book for your next date night outing, or a meetup with friends for a glass of wine and live entertainment.

Whether we’re talking Fox’s Lounge, The Gibson Room, or Mayfair Grill, another trend we’ve seen on the South Florida restaurant scene has been the revitalization of long-standing spots with a new, reimagined sheen. Well, now we can celebrate that John Martin’s is added to this list. The beloved Irish pub shuttered in 2020, but this classic haunt is now back in modern form under new ownership — the team at Breakwater Hospitality Group, the same folks behind The Wharf. The renovation was a passion project for the partners, who grew up in the area, and they consulted with John Martin’s former owners to make sure their design plans honored the original, while pulling new inspiration from today’s modern pubs in Ireland. Rest assured, they’ve already confirmed John Martin’s signature St. Patrick’s Day celebration will be back in full swing this coming March.

Call 305-209-0609 for more info or for reservations for parties of 10 or more.

Palm Beach County’s favorite Asian fusion spot, Kapow Noodle Bar, has debuted its new expanded location in Boca Raton — still in Mizner Park but now in a much larger 5,175-square-foot space with double the seating capacity. Their expanded footprint includes an indoor/outdoor wrap-around bar, covered patio seating, and three private karaoke rooms — because belting it out to your favorite tunes goes perfectly with dim sum, steamed buns, and sushi. Kapow now also has its own omakase bar, offering an intimate 10-course omakase experience with chef Vincent Lau for $85 per person on Friday and Saturday nights.

Chef Brad Kilgore’s return is officially here with the highly anticipated opening of MaryGold’s in the new Arlo Wynwood hotel. The Wynwood pioneer and local James Beard Award nominee collaborated with the team at Bar Lab to develop the concept. Described as “sophisticated meets approachable,” the creators wanted MaryGold’s to reflect the spirit of the Wynwood neighborhood itself. The menu of modern American cuisine with Florida flavors includes creative plates like savory beignets with jerk oxtail, coconut-Gouda, and green onion; shareable entrees for two like the Chicken & The Egg, which features hay-smoked young chicken with soft scrambled eggs; and a twist on a classic dessert called The Baked Florida. If you’re in the neighborhood and need something quick, check out Mary G’s, the grab-and-go counter, for salads, sandwiches, pastries, and vintage candy.

Call 786-522-6601 for reservations.

One of the more notable developments of the Miami restaurant scene over the past year has been the surge of some incredible new pizza spots, and leading that movement is Old Greg’s Pizza. Don’t be fooled by the laid-back vibes — they’re serious about their sourdough crust square pizza. After initially making their name as a take-out pop-up during the 2020 “stay at home” days, Old Greg’s has settled into a permanent home in the Design District, where they’re serving expertly crafted square pies alongside eclectic accompaniments like polenta-crusted wings, porchetta hoagies, and housemade bomboloni. Until recently, they’ve been walk-in only, but now you can secure your spot with Resy. Old Greg’s is known to mix things up on the fly with experimental menu items just for the fun of it, so be sure to look out for any special drops they announce on Instagram.

After growing in popularity across Brooklyn, Manhattan, Jersey City, and Los Angeles, the outdoor Smorgasburg food market is another high-profile expansion to Miami. It opened earlier this year under the direction of Miami’s own Gaston Becherano Cohen, and after months of operating as a Saturday-only event, Sundays are now officially a thing over at Smorgasburg in Wynwood. “Smorg Sundays” doubles the fun for those looking to try their many vendors including Los Dos Amigos Tacos, Burger Bar by La Traila, D’Abruzzo, and Broad Street Oyster Co. Plus, Smorgasburg has added on special hours of operation during Art Basel with the market open Wednesday, Nov. 30 through Friday, Dec. 2 from 6 p.m. to midnight in addition to its standard weekend hours, so Basel goers can experience it throughout Miami Art Week, too. 

Call 954-399-1583 for more info.

Three words: Bottomless Jazz Brunch. The folks at Vinya Table on Miracle Mile are kicking things up a notch with a bottomless brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, with live jazz music to set the mood. The menu consists of new brunch favorites including lobster Benedict on cheddar-jalapeño biscuits, French toast with maple-sriracha pork belly, and scrambled egg pizza. Not to mention bottomless Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut Champagne for $55 per person.