MIAGuide
The Brickell Lunch Guide
photo credit: Courtesy Kaori
Brickell is a neighborhood that appreciates a lunch break. This is thanks to both the sheer amount of office workers in the finance district, and also because traffic sucks too much to drive anywhere outside the neighborhood for lunch. So stay put, don't lose that parking spot, and pick one of these spots for lunch.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc
Editor's note: Momi Market is on summer break until August 1.
Momi Market is light-years more casual than most of Brickell’s sushi options—but it’s also better than nearly all of them. This little spot does donburi alongside a small menu of nigiri, rolls, and sashimi. The fish is sliced beautifully, and exactly what you want when you’re craving chutoro on a Wednesday. The donburi options are particularly perfect for a lunch break (the counter seating is great for eating alone). The salmon and ikura is wonderful, but if you want something cooked, go for the delicious unadon with generous slabs of shiny, glazed eel.
photo credit: Courtesy Kaori
Kaori is one of our favorite Brickell safe spaces. Exiting the chaos of Mary Brickell Village and walking up the stairs to its peaceful dining room is akin to stepping out of a blizzard and into a hot bath. We normally come here for dinner, but their lunch specials are no afterthought. They do a $35 bento box with your choice of protein as well as a big Korean fried chicken sandwich. The cocktails are very good too, in case you’re trying to have that kind of lunch.
photo credit: Michael Stavaridis
River Oyster is one of the best restaurants in Brickell, and one of our favorite seafood spots in all of Miami. So if you're looking for a nicer business lunch or just want to treat yourself to a lovely midday meal, do it here. Obviously oysters are a good call, but so is the mahi sandwich and crab cake po' boy. There's bar seating in case you're eating alone, but the space is big enough to handle big groups too.
Take Hillstone, slam it into an American bistro, and you’ve got The Henry. The menu is designed to cast a very wide net of appeal: pretzels with fondue, bolognese, dover sole, short rib potstickers, and butter noodles all coexist. The food isn’t going to blow anyone away, but it’s solid, consistent, and really the only place you should be eating in the Brickell City Centre. Wood, leather, and green accents make it feel like a restaurant that could exist in any major east coast city. And it’s a good lunch option for indecisive people or clients who just want a cheeseburger.
Thyme Machine Cafe is a Lebanese food truck that sets up outside a Brickell parking garage and serves some pretty good man'ouche. That’s basically what the menu consists of—and it makes for an ideal quick lunch or to-go meal that you can eat while dodging E-scooters on the sidewalk. Man'ouche filling options include za'atar, labneh, muhammara, chicken, beef, and more, all of which you can pair with a refreshing jallab to drink. And they do have some little outdoor tables if you want to eat there.
This market/restaurant (which specializes in Syrian, Greek, and Armenian foods) is casual, affordable, and very tasty. Like the name implies, it’s a bakery and grocery store selling lots of food and pantry items. You can come grab a bag of meat pies, a great za'atar flatbread, or what’s quite possibly Miami’s best baklava to-go. But they also have a few tables where you can sit down and enjoy a solid falafel sandwich, shawarma platter, hummus, kibbeh, and more—all for around $10.
There are certain things Miami needs less of—like tow trucks, flooding, and boaters who don’t respect no-wake manatee zones. And then there are things we are happy to see throughout the city, like La Sandwicherie. Our favorite South Beach sandwich shop thankfully has multiple locations, including one in Brickell. This one not only has AC, but is also open till 5am. Still, we’ll happily eat these huge sandwiches any time of day, whether or not we’ve already had seven beers.
Mister 01’s Brickell location is bigger than the original in South Beach, with more room and some nice outdoor seating. The South Beach spot is a little more charming, but here you can find the same strangely delicious pizzas like the white truffle oil-doused Claudio or the Coffee Paolo with honey, coffee grounds, and spicy salami. There are also more typical, thin-crust pies like margherita and pepperoni, and this place is packed almost every day of the week with people who have been successfully converted to accepting coffee grounds as a pizza topping.
Momi is the home of Brickell’s best ramen. But there are some things you need to know about this place before you come. Mainly, that it’s pretty expensive (and cash-only). There are five ramen options on the menu—pork belly char siu, shrimp, chicken, mushroom, and oxtail—and they all cost around $35 except for the oxtail, which costs $40 (at least at the time of this writing). Portions are pretty big, and you could certainly split one between two people. This place also a neat space with brick walls that’s a great spot to hide from Brickell congestion. And while the prices can be jarring, we’ll be the first to admit that you could certainly spend more money for much worse food very easily in Brickell.
photo credit: Merritt Smail
Just about every big neighborhood in Miami has its own Coyo Taco, and Brickell is part of that club. This casual shop generally isn’t as crowded as the one in Wynwood, but it also doesn’t have as much personality. Still, it's good for a quick, casual meal. They serve the same good tacos you'll find at other Coyo locations: the al pastor, duck carnitas, and fried grouper tacos are all solid picks. There are also tortas and burritos in case a few tacos just won’t cut it.
Kush has teamed up with the owners of Tobacco Road (which was, at one point, the oldest bar in Miami) to bring the classic Brickell spot back. Sort of. It’s not in the same location, but it does feature a lot of the bar’s old decor and a food and drink menu inspired by the original Tobacco Road. But the best part about this place is that it’s one of the only spots in Brickell for a laid-back cocktail and good bar food. And, like all Kush establishments, the food (burgers, wings, sandwiches, and various bar snacks) is solid and pairs beautifully with a cold beer.
