The Resy Hit List: Where In Miami You’ll Want to Eat Right Now
There’s no question we hear more often: Where should I go eat? And while we at Resy know it’s an honor to be the friend who everyone asks for restaurant advice, we also know it’s a complicated task. That’s where the Resy Hit List comes in.
Consider it your essential resource for dining in Miami and South Florida: a monthly-updated guide to the restaurants that you won’t want to miss — tonight or any night.
Three Things In Miami Not to Miss This Month
- No-Guilt Comfort Food: We’re desperately craving healthier eats after the holidays, so you’ll find us at Miami spots with wholesome options — at least for this month. The good news is, if your best friend just started a new trendy diet or your vegan sister is in town visiting, you can all still meet up for a good meal at Ol’Days, a cafe where cuisine crafted with quality ingredients is meant to bring people together with soul-nourishing comfort food, instead of keeping us apart.
- Wine Time: Our New Year’s resolution: become a wine expert, starting with a wine tour from the comfort of your counter seat at La Bibliothèque By Chèvre Miami. On Jan. 10 and 11, the spotlight is on Wines of California – the ticketed event gets you access to try a few pours, or the entire list, as you pay by the pour or flight. A menu of Chèvre’s world-class cheeses and sandwiches will also be available a la carte, and full wine bottles will be available for sale afterward.
- Molto Italiano: The trend of Italian restaurant openings in town shows no sign of slowing down, but luckily every new concept offers its own spin. The L.A.-based Jon & Vinny’s diner-style Italian spot has launched a residency at the Rubell Museum in Alapattah for as long as they feel like it. Carbone Vino in Coconut Grove is Major Food Group’s latest endeavor here, an offshoot of their iconic Carbone inspired by Italy’s enotecas that doubles as a wine shop and restaurant, offering a 600+ bottle wine list alongside new pastas exclusive to the space. And MIKA by Michelin-starred chef Michael White brings ultra-high-end Italian-slash-Mediterranean fare with gourmet seafood dishes like langoustine carpaccio and pasta with octopus and bone marrow. As always, New on Resy is here to keep you fully up to date.
New to the Hit List (Jan. 2025)
Fox’s Lounge, Hiyawaka, Jass Kitchen, The Katherine, Mangrove, Margot Natural Wine Bar, Ossobuco, Palma.
1. Sunny’s Little River
It was high time for the Jaguar Sun team to make a permanent home for its pandemic pop-up concept, and Miami has been in thrall ever since. Sunny’s is a modern take on a white-tablecloth steakhouse serving wood-fired meats and steakhouse classics alongside much of what you’d expect from the duo of Will Thompson and Carey Hynes: impeccable cocktails, raw bar bites, and yes, even handmade pastas. That includes some of your old favorites from Jaguar Sun, like corn agnolotti and spicy pork rigatoni. You can still enjoy al fresco dining under the shade of the enormous central banyan tree, but now there’s a more polished indoor dining room (thankfully, since this is Florida), decorated with golden palms for equally breezy vibes.
2. Mangrove Downtown Miami
If you’re looking for an explosion of flavor and some unexpected fun, this dimly lit Jamaican dinner lounge delivers — bringing the Caribbean energy with electro and island music, plus Jamaican-inspired craft cocktails. The real star, though, is the food. Expect boldly flavored classics like Jamaican jerk wings and Haitian griot (pork chunks that get jerk-brined and then fried). But it’s dishes like curry oxtail and jerk mac ‘n’ cheese that put Mangrove in the category of our favorite type of Miami restaurant — the kind that honors the influence of local cultures by elevating traditional dishes with creative twists and new ingredients in a way that only Miami can.
3. Margot Natural Wine Bar Downtown Miami
Sometimes you want to meet up with friends (or a stranger, if it’s a first date deal) without committing to a whole meal. Enter Margot. You’ll want to settle into its dimly lit space with a glass and shareable plates for a relaxed evening. The ‘70s-inspired decor is awash in a sunset-like warm glow of pink and purple hues, and the retro soundtrack is an upbeat mix of old-school hip-hop, funk and disco. Low ABV cocktails, eclectic small plates, and of course, the essential charcuterie and cheese round out the list. And for those times when you’ve got a bigger appetite but still want the same vibes, its big sister Margot Bar & Bistro in South Beach has a full menu of mains including steaks, butterflied branzino, and chicken Parm.
4. Itamae AO Midtown
Itamae AO is the more intimate and interactive iteration of the original Itamae, which had become one of Miami’s best restaurants in its five-year run spanning from food hall stand to full-service restaurant. The new version run by chef and owner Nando Chang is a Nikkei-style omakase counter with only 10 seats, located right next to sister restaurant Maty’s (run by Nando’s sister Valerie Chang). Melding Japanese techniques with Peruvian influences, the eight-course omakase menu features plenty of seafood in the form of dry-aged fish, sashimi, and nigiri, alongside Peruvian bites like anticuchos (skewers) and aguadito (soup).
5. Recoveco South Miami
Recoveco’s name may mean “nook” or “cranny” in Spanish, but it didn’t take long after its opening for locals to discover this gem in South Miami. After honing their craft together in the kitchens of two of Miami’s top restaurants (Alter and Itamae), co-chef/owners Nicolas Martinez and Teresa Gallina opened this own intimate, open-kitchen spot with a menu that isn’t bound by cultural borders. With only a few starters, entrees and desserts on the brief menu, their foremost goal is to execute everything exceptionally well — and that’s exactly what they’re doing. Dishes and ingredients rotate with the seasons, but you can almost guarantee a plate of fish or chicken that’s the best you’ve ever had.
6. Palma Riverside
Grab your spork and dive into a world of pure imagination. Palma gets creative with ingredients in ways that can be wildly delicious at best, and certainly memorable at the least. Palma’s chef Juan Camilo Liscano worked at Michelin-starred restaurants across Europe and the U.S. before returning to his hometown of Miami to highlight local flavors and farmers with culinary techniques he’s gathered from cultures across the globe. We can’t tell you exactly what will be on the tasting menu the day you’re dining at Palma (other than a signature sweet plantain brioche bread and butter course that comes out mid-meal), but we can predict the plates will be small, ingredient-driven jewels, ranging from overly inventive to explosively flavorful. Palma’s evolving multi-course menu runs $85 per person, which is arguably a steal these days in Miami.
7. Caracas Bakery Doral and MiMo
Venezuelan-French inspired baked goods might not familiar, but trust us when we tell you this bakery is worth going out of your way for. Run by the father-son team of Manuel and Jesús Brazón, here you’ll find expertly crafted croissants, sourdough and baguettes, alongside Venezuelan specialties like golfeados, cachitos, pan de jamón and pan de queso. Visit the MiMo location if you’re looking for a full-on cafe experience (i.e. sandwiches, toasts and actual seating) or Doral if you’re in the area, on the go, and speak at least enough Spanish to be able to order some of the best breads you’ve had in a long time. If you leave without trying a traditional cachito (a soft, golden ham and cheese-stuffed bread), you’ve done it wrong.
Find more info here.
8. Fox’s Lounge South Miami
Rightfully referred to as the darkest bar in Miami, Fox’s oozes old-school charm with its wood-paneled walls and red leather banquettes. The nearly 80-year-old local dive bar has been restored to its original glory (the full interior had to be rebuilt from scratch by its new owners, since it was torn down after it closed back in 2015), and its revival serves a menu of hearty diner-style classics and stiff drinks. Don’t miss favorites like Fox’s Original Thumb Bits, which are tender beef tips served au jus, or the Thursday night prime rib special with horseradish. You also get daily happy hour in the form of $5-$7 drinks, which is another thing that makes us feel like we’re reliving Fox’s glory days.
9. Daniel’s, A Florida Steakhouse Fort Lauderdale
Daniel’s celebrates the bounty of Florida, serving grass-fed beef from North Florida ranches, alongside local seafood from the Panhandle and Keys. Leading up to its opening, culinary director Daniel Ganem scoured the state to find the best farmers, fishermen, and food purveyors in our backyard. And it all comes together in a menu that encapsulates his culinary career, including the fresh pastas he perfected at Fiola Miami. Aside from the steaks, we were impressed by whimsical apps like pastrami wagyu brisket bao, and a lobster bisque with the most lusciously delicate poached lobster.
10. Pasta Wynwood
Opening a restaurant simply called Pasta might invite some SEO growing pains, but the decision to open a handmade pasta bar — we can get behind that. Peruvian chefs Juan Manuel Umbert and Janice Buraschi are the husband-and-wife team behind the pasta-centric menu, and the focal point of the minimalist-meets-rustic restaurant is an open kitchen with counter seating that invites guests in on the culinary action. Those housemade efforts range from traditional (pappardelle with beef cheek ragu) to explosively flavorful (agnolotti di funghi with an umami sauce of 36 month-aged Parmigiano-Reggiano), but it’s the starters influenced by Peruvian flavors that feel like something you’d only find in Miami — like oyster tempura with aji amarillo sauce or razor clams with salsa verde and housemade ‘nduja.
11. El Bagel Upper East Side and Coconut Grove
Be prepared to wait for Miami’s best bagels, whether you order in the shop or online for pick-up. Located in Miami’s MiMo neighborhood and Coconut Grove, El Bagel is known for slow-fermented, hand-rolled bagels — along with a selection of schmears and locally smoked salmon. But there’s no need to overthink your order. They’ve crafted all of the best combinations into a menu of super-stuffed bagel sandwiches, like the EB Original (scallion cream cheese, roasted jalapeños, and thick-cut bacon), BEC (bacon, egg and cheese), and the King Guava (guava marmalade, cream cheese, pepitas, and fried egg). Made with only five ingredients (no strange syrups or preservatives) and baked fresh daily overnight, these artisan bagels are worth that inevitable wait.
Find more info here.
12. Hiyakawa Wynwood
The dining room’s almost-mystical undulating ceiling might be the most elaborately designed in Miami, but Hiyawaka’s approach to Japanese cuisine is deceptively simple: ingredients are imported daily from Japan’s Ibaraki prefecture and they prepare no more than 50 meals a night to ensure a flawless meal experience. Guests at Hiyawaka can opt for the nine-course Washoku tasting menu, which is as elevated as any rarefied omakase experience. The menu is designed by head sushi chef Hiro Asano, in collaboration with sister restaurant Ogawa’s Masa Komatsu, to offer rotating selections of sashimi sourced from Tokyo’s famed Toyosu Market, alongside appetizers, a signature temaki hand roll, dessert, and other surprises.
13. Cowy Burger Wynwood
With its paper-thin, crispy smashed patties, Cowy Burger in Wynwood asserts that smashburgers are actually just meant to be a vehicle for some delicious cheesy sauce and toppings. And their signature Cowy Burger is exactly that: topped with American cheese and stuffed to the brim with sweet caramelized onions, chunky bacon jam, and their Cowy sauce. The menu board at this burger joint consists of gourmet smashburgers (the most unique of which is the Cabrito, with chorizo sausage, goat cheese, sweet potato strings, and hot honey), waffle fries, and because this is Miami, they’ve also got a few extra snacks, like mini cheese tequeños and Parmesan-bacon jam croquetas. Order at the counter, take your table number and a seat, and then await Miami’s new smash fave.
Find more info here.
14. Ossobuco Coconut Grove Coconut Grove
Calling Ossobuco a steakhouse would be an oversimplification. With an impressive wood-burning grill that anchors the restaurant, you might feel like it was made for meat eaters, but their selection of charred produce — from grilled carrots to smoked baby beets — makes it perfect for produce lovers, too. It’s all built around a central asador, used to cook dry-aged meats and seasonal ingredients over an open fire. In addition to Prime steaks and massive tomahawks, you’ll also find cuts uncommon to American steakhouses, like picanha, and grilled seafood (think dry-aged branzino). With a name like Ossobuco, we’d be remiss to mention that there’s also a whole section of the menu highlighting braised meat — from ossobuco croquetas and empanadas to ricotta gnocchi with a sauce of slow-cooked ossobuco ragout.
15. The Katherine Fort Lauderdale
The Katherine is a love story in restaurant form. Run by beloved local chef Timon Balloo and his wife Marissa (whose middle name is Katherine), the restaurant nods to not only the couple’s heritage but also the places they’ve lived, worked, and traveled together, from San Francisco to Belgium. And as far as heritage goes, their cultural backgrounds are a beautiful blend — Timon’s parents are from Trinidad with Chinese, Black, Arawak, and Indian heritage, and Marissa is the daughter of a Thai chef. That means you’ll find comfort food dishes full of familiar flavors presented in foreign ways, like Thai red curry branzino, aji amarillo grilled chicken thighs, and the signature clam chowder fries. The Balloos’ love and connection shines through each dish, in a humble, cozy space that’s earned itself a spot as one of the best restaurants in Fort Lauderdale.
16. Los Félix Miami Coconut Grove
The studious way to describe Los Félix is an homage to Mesoamerican tradition and one of its most essential ingredients: heirloom corn. And the menu of housemade tortillas, totopos, tamales and more is largely built out of maize being ground daily in the open kitchen, using an in-house molino, before being turned into masa. So be sure your order here includes plenty of maiz, whether that’s chilaquiles at brunch or a lobster arepa at dinner. But that’s only half the fun: the DJ spinning vinyl records, the selection of naturally minded wines, and the general party vibes all come together to make this an only-in-Miami experience.
17. La Natural Little River
Proof that naturally leavened pizzas and natural wine go hand-in-hand. This unassuming Little River spot is an extension of what owners Javier Ramirez and Andreina Matos were already doing in their own backyard before they turned it into a restaurant: pouring natural wines for friends and family and perfecting sourdough pizzas with a dough recipe developed over the years. Now, their wood-burning oven at La Natural churns out pillowy, charred pies (often with funky toppings like scallions and Sichuan peppercorns, but the classic burrata and basil pizza is always a winner). Pair that with veg-centric plates that are ideal for sharing and one of the longest natural wine lists in town, and you have everything you need for a standout meal.
18. Jass Kitchen Buena Vista
We love a cozy gem of a restaurant that’s equally about the ambiance as it is about the food, and Jass hits all the right notes. You get romantic chandeliers, red brick walls, and vibrant Turkish flavors in an inviting space that comes to life at night with live jazz music. Amid a menu of cold and hot mezzes that are perfect for sharing, the specialty is a dish of slow-cooked lamb shank and vegetables topped with homemade brioche that feels like a Turkish pot pie. Check the live music calendar before you go: in addition to jazz crooners, you’ll find folk, Latin, and even Turkish acts.
19. Gramps Getaway Key Biscayne
It’s one of life’s few guarantees that when you’re sitting under a thatched tiki hut, looking out at the water, all your problems melt away. And thanks to the team at Gramps in Wynwood, we’ve now got Gramps Getaway, a casual waterfront locale in Key Biscayne that feels like it’s been a Miami staple forever. Here, under a palapa with a view of the city skyline and the bay, the beer is cheap, the frozen drinks are strong, and the throwback tunes make you forget what’s going on with the rest of the world beyond your seaside dock. And what about the food? You’ll find Miami bar essentials like coconut shrimp and jerk chicken wings, alongside amped-up options like charred broccoli salad and watermelon-cucumber salad with Thai basil and roasted peanuts.
Find more info here or call 305-465-2482.
20. Boia De Buena Vista
Photo courtesy of Boia De
That neon pink exclamation mark, hovering as a marquee over an unassuming strip mall in Little Haiti, has become iconic — the beacon to draw you into one of Miami’s most important restaurants. Chef duo Alex Meyer and Luciana Giangrandi continue their modern take on Italian plates so good that reservations vanish immediately. (We have tips to help.) Which should come as no surprise when you consider their culinary training in kitchens ranging from Scarpetta and Carbone to Eleven Madison Park. It’s an intimate and adorable space, where you’re as likely to be seated at the counter as you are at a table. Your servers will keep it fun and friendly while you partake in some of the best pasta and Italian-ish plates in town.
Photo courtesy of Boia De
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