MIAGuide
The Best Restaurants In Coconut Grove
photo credit: Tasty Planet
Coconut Grove always feels like it just got a very good massage. There’s a strange bubble around this historic neighborhood that blocks out the city’s usual chaos, and coming here is like a warm bath Miami can slide into after a long day. This is also why the Grove is a perfect place for a carefree, lazy meal. The neighborhood has some of Miami's best brunch spots and a few of the prettiest outdoor restaurants in Miami too.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc
Here’s a sentence we’ve said a lot: QP Tapas is back. Luckily, we’ll never get sick of announcing the return of this phenomenal pop-up, which merges Spanish and Japanese flavors into one of the most exciting menus in Miami. Currently, QP is operating from the atrium of the Mayfair Hotel, our favorite location of theirs so far. It’s covered in plants and has a little fountain that gurgles as you eat pan con tomate. Their new kitchen comes with a wood-fired oven, so there are some new menu items like a smoked chicken with skin the color of mahogany and an outstanding yellowfin crudo with burnt shallots. Even though QP changes locations more than a hermit crab, you can always expect excellent service and a fireworks finale of flavor from these folks.
photo credit: Tasty Planet
The El Bagel location on Virginia Street and Grand Ave is the best thing to happen in the Grove since those bed races in the ‘80s. It’s slightly smaller than the one on Biscayne—but still makes the best bagels in Miami. It’s pretty much a take-out spot, but you can always walk over to Peacock Park and let the salty breeze wash over you and your everything bagel. Expect the same fluffy bagels and bagel sandwiches here. The king guava is our favorite, and a BEC on a salted bagel is a good reason to get out of bed every morning (or put wheels on it and race here). This location has a line out the door (and down the block) on weekends. But you can’t pre-order online. So get there early and plan accordingly.
photo credit: Merritt Smail
Shore to Door is a fish market that also operates as a restaurant on the weekend. There’s no menu here. Instead, the cook—who might be in the middle of cleaning a fish—will tell you what came in off the boat that morning. It could be fried grouper bites, whole yellowtail snapper, wahoo fish dip, or a dozen other sea creatures. But it will be delicious, and you can eat it in their fantastic backyard, which has a bunch of mismatched furniture and an atmosphere that feels very Key West. If you want a beer, just pop open the cooler and help yourself. Keep tabs on how many you drink, because you'll pay at the end of your meal.
Maybe your days of bottle service and partying till sunrise are behind you. But if you still want to engage in some classic Miami indulgence—all while feeling like a classy adult—then make a reservation at Ariete. Everything on the rotating menu is fantastic, but if you're coming here to celebrate get the canard a la presse—a.k.a. the duck press. They wheel this medieval-looking machine to the table, compress various parts of the duck into a sauce, then use that sauce to smother the absolute best duck you’ll ever taste in your life. The meal, which serves two, also comes with flaky duck pastelitos, and more rotating sides that utilize every millimeter of the duck and its various parts.
Le Bouchon can trick your brain into thinking you’re in France for an hour and a half. For one, they give you free champagne when you sit down, which is just plain lovely and so un-Miami. Also, the interior has the look and personality of a lively Parisian bistro. The menu features comforting French dishes served in generous portions. Start with the garlicky escargots (and remember to save some of the free bread for mopping up the sauce). The foie gras with crispy slices of toast is another starter worth getting on the table. And the mussels are great. They easily feed two or three and come in a massive cast iron pot with a big pile of crispy french fries.
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings
The list of things we love about Krüs is longer than the spiral staircase you take to get to the dining room. On that list is fresh bread so delicious you won't be mad it's not free, an atmosphere that does for date nights what gamma radiation did for Bruce Banner, and glass block windows that face west and make the entire restaurant feel like one big flickering candle during sunset. We find ourselves recommending Krüs so much, because this combination of incredible food, welcoming service, and an interior so comforting it gives one the urge to take off their shoes is incredibly rare in Miami.
Los Félix is the sister restaurant to Krüs, located directly underneath it. And they feel like siblings in the best way possible—connected, yet each with their own distinct personality. Los Félix has more of a dinner party energy, especially on the weekends when a DJ spins vinyl in the dining room. But the big difference is the food. Los Félix serves Mexican dishes, most of which use the house speciality: fresh milled masa. It’s deployed in just about every excellent rotating dish. Come here with a small group (ideally just two of you), because those dishes aren't huge. Or come for one of Miami's best brunches, especially if you're a chilaquiles enthusiast.
photo credit: Courtesy Midorie
Midorie is a casual sushi spot by the Wabi Sabi folks, and the two menus are nearly identical. This simple counter is hidden in the little courtyard on Main Highway. Inside, there’s white oak furniture, a school of tiny ceramic fish on the green wall, and a couple of tables outside. But what you really need to know about Midorie is that you can come here for some of Miami's best sushi and not spend more than $25 on a filling donburi bowl. If you’re willing to spend a bit more, they have omakase options under $100. We love the chirashi omakase that comes with twelve pieces of sashimi, salmon roe, seaweed salad, and sweet pickled mushrooms over sticky sushi rice. But the handrolls—each with a perfect ratio of rice, fish, and wasabi—are our favorite.
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc
The Oyster Bar in Coco Walk isn't a restaurant, but you can have a full meal at this tiny outdoor bar. Start with (not to be obvious) oysters. For an entree, get the snapper dog or crab cake sandwich. The snapper dog is a big sausage made with snapper and pork that’s covered in a garlic fennel slaw. It tastes like eating a hot dog in the ocean. And the crab cake is golden, crunchy, and comes on a toasted burger bun slathered in rocoto tartar and pikliz. It’s got some kick, so order it with a sweeter cocktail like the rye thai. Then finish with a tequila snow cone. You can eat at the bar, but if that’s full there are a handful of high-top tables.
photo credit: Courtesy Omakai
Similar to Omakai in Wynwood, the Coconut Grove location is a good place to have a casual multi-course sushi meal without having to shell out half a paycheck. There are three options to choose from, but the Oma deluxe is the best deal. For $50, you get an appetizer, ten pieces of nigiri, and two handrolls. And during lunch, it’s eight pieces of nigiri for $40. Stick to the deluxe, and don’t be tempted to get the $95 Omakai experience, which includes too many clunky nigiri overloaded with ingredients. So keeping it simple is the move here. Service moves fast—it feels like a speed date with sushi. You might not fall completely in love, but you'll be home in time for bed with a satisfied stomach.
Chug’s may not have the price point of your average diner, but it has the DNA of one. Inside there are booths, counter seating, and laminated menus you can flip through on each table. We like this place best for breakfast or brunch. The menu has a great mix of straightforward Cuban classics—like a hefty completa—and creative versions of classics, including a frita patty melt and a huge cast iron pancake. Like any great diner, dessert is a good idea. Chug’s rotating pie selection has never disappointed—nor have their rotating tres leches, especially the Yoo-hoo tres leches with housemade chocolate milk they occasionally serve. If you’re in a rush, their ventanita is perfect for a quick cafecito and a pastelito.
This great Argentinian restaurant is small—with the exception of its portions. And if you're really hungry, you're coming here for the meat parrillada, which comes with two tender skirt steaks, two perfectly grilled short ribs, two chorrizos, two morcillas, two juicy chicken thighs, and could easily feed four. The dining room looks like a Buenos Aires bistro—but the best seats are outside on a tiny deck elevated about a foot off the ground. Sit there and you might feel like royalty as you watch everyone else eat at normal height. They also have the earliest weekday Happy Hour in the Grove, which goes from 3pm-6pm.
If you’re looking for a casual burger in or around Coconut Grove, the answer is just about always Lokal. But even if you’re not craving their version of a frita—with potato stix, bacon, and guava jelly that acts as a condiment—it’s still worth coming here for the fried alligator and a beer. You can also stare at all the dogs people bring here while you consume both. Also, check out the vermouth bar next door after you're done, which Lokal also runs.
Barracuda is the old hippy heart of the Grove—a nautical bar with beer pong, a pool table, and pink benches set in the middle of Fuller Street. It’s a great place to grab a beer with friends after dinner or day drink on a Saturday. They also serve food—like what they call “the best snapper sandwich you’ve ever had.” It’s not the best snapper sandwich we’ve ever had, but it’s delicious, and we order ours blackened with everything on it. Cuda is just one of those places where you’re guaranteed to run into old friends or make temporary new ones out of strangers.
Most Miami gas station food consists of shriveled hotdogs and sketchy Jamaican beef patties, but El Carajo is a gas station where you’ll actually want to eat. Past the pumps, candy, and cigarettes, there’s a really great Spanish restaurant in the back, where you can order tons of tapas and drink a bottle of wine (there are hundreds of options). They have a pulpo al ajillo you’ll absolutely finish, bacon-wrapped dates, and fluffy Spanish tortillas. There are also walls full of wine for sale here, which you can buy for your meal at retail price plus a $10 corkage fee.
A.C.’s Icees is one of the last remaining bits of old Coconut Grove and an essential hot summer day pit stop. The cash-only food truck serves the best frozen lemonade in Miami and has been run by longtime Grove resident Allan Cohen since 1978. It's usually parked right outside Kennedy Park. There is truly nothing better when it feels like 174 degrees outside than one of Cohen's frosty frozen lemonades (maybe a hotdog too). After you've secured yours, take a walk through Kennedy Park and enjoy a perfect afternoon in the Grove.
This place is part restaurant, part market and specializes in very good Middle Eastern food. Once you claim your spot in the cafeteria-style line, you can pick a salad, platter, or pita wrap, which you can order with things like falafel, kafta, shawarma, and sides including stuffed grape leaves and za’atar fries. It might be tough to get a table during the lunch rush, but you can always kill time browsing the market, where you’ll find some oils, tea, and other things you definitely will not see at Publix.
Bombay Darbar is a great place to have a big Indian meal. It’s not a very subtle aesthetic inside, and the blue-and-purple neon lighting makes you feel like you’re about to see David Guetta, not eat some very tasty lamb vindaloo. The menu is a massive greatest hits of basmati rice dishes, chicken, lamb, and things from the tandoor oven. The only hard ordering rule is to make sure you’ve got some naan on the table.
