You know what’s better than brunch? Eating brunch outside on a day so perfect it makes you want to sob into your pancakes. That’s what this guide is for. Use it on those days when you want to consume all your calories before 1pm while marveling at the beauty of Miami.
THE SPOTS
If the production of brunch is starting to feel more like a chore than a pleasure to you, go to Rosie's. The Little River restaurant will make you fall madly in love with the meal again, even if you never even liked it that much to begin with. This is because the food here is phenomenal. The menu revolves around Southern food, and both the sweet and savory sides of the spectrum are well-represented. You can get a gorgeous stack of fluffy lemon ricotta pancakes or fried chicken and biscuits that look like they just came back from a photo shoot. There are also cocktails, mimosas, coffee, and an excellent seasonal lemonade that's just what you want to be sipping in Rosie's sunny outdoor lot.
Brunch at Klaw feels like an experience reserved for villains—like you’d have to live on an island of stolen Prada bags to enjoy eggs with a view this good. But luckily all you did was take an elevator to the sixth floor. Brunch is served on Klaw's rooftop, which overlooks Biscayne Bay. Some of the seating is technically inside, but they keep the doors open and every table has a panoramic view of emerald waters. The food is just as lovely. It’s a $75 three-course menu that includes light starters like oysters, crudo, and vegetables with parmesan aioli. Only the main course is chosen by you—and that choice is easy: get the duck and eggs. The protein may vary from visit to visit, but it’s the largest entree and comes with two eggs as sunny as a June day.
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El Turco is a Turkish restaurant in Upper Buena Vista, an outdoor retail complex in Buena Vista. And though the food is pretty solid, this place is more about ambiance. Sitting outside is basically your only option, but it’s where you should be regardless. The best seats are in the little tiki hut next to a pretty spectacular banyan tree. There aren’t really any big misses on the menu, but definitely get one (or several) of the borek options.
Chug’s is a great mix of vintage and modern. It has the DNA of a classic diner, but serves food that's exciting. They also have a patio filled with shaded tables and plants, and it’s exactly the kind of setting where you want to be eating an excellent cast iron pancake and sipping cafecito on a 70-degree night. It’s a great call for a quick coffee and pastelitos, but also works if you want to eat like a bear preparing for hibernation. If you’re trying to do the latter, make sure to get the excellent cast iron pancake or La Completa, a hefty plate of three eggs, potatoes, and Cuban toast.
You can’t eat much closer to Biscayne Bay than at Amara—unless you own a boat or are a manatee. But if you are not a herbivorous marine mammal, then this is a really good choice because both the view and food are great. The menu is very seafood-heavy, even during brunch. They offer a raw bar selection, smoked fish dip, and grilled snapper. But they also have soft scrambled eggs, jerk mushroom breakfast tacos, and avocado toast. Definitely make a reservation if you want a guaranteed outdoor table.
Cafe Demetrio is a Coral Gables classic where you can sit outside under a shady banyan tree and have some solid brunch dishes that mostly involve eggs. The coffee is good too. We love the Cafe Demetrio—a double espresso with bittersweet chocolate and milk, served with a delicate cacao powder heart suspended on the foam. You can order breakfast and brunch all day too, so don't worry about setting an alarm to get here before noon. But if you do come here closer to lunch (or just aren't in the mood for breakfast), get the chicken and bacon sandwich.
There are a lot of very good things available at this casual neighborhood spot, but you should come to brunch for two of them in particular: the Pinch burger and the feat of engineering that is their stuffed french toast. It’s an entire loaf of brioche that has an oozing pool of guava in its center. Splitting it open and watching it spill onto your plate is both soothing and satisfying, like a babbling creek or Niagara Falls—if both of those things were filled with hot guava instead of water. Most of the seating at Pinch is inside, but they have a really cozy back patio. It’s covered too, in case there are some scary clouds in the sky.
Casa Florida is the kind of place you visit for the aesthetics. We’ve never been blown away by the food here (although we really like the drinks), but it’s just an undeniably cute spot. Shades of pink are everywhere, there’s ample outdoor seating, and even a vintage bus you can hang out inside of. Weekend brunch is from 11am to 4pm. Menu items include simple things like avocado toast, bagels and lox, and yogurt and granola. Again, it won’t be the best thing you’ve eaten all year, but it will help you absorb the great cocktails, especially that lovely tangerine negroni.
Buena Vista Deli is a casual spot perfect for those mornings when you roll out of bed with no reservations, or eggs in your fridge. You will most likely be able to walk into this little French restaurant in Buena Vista. When you do, ask for a table on their little side patio. It’s a cozy, peaceful setup where you can eat simple sandwiches, quiche, omelettes, and pastries. They have mimosas too, in case coffee just won’t cut it.
Red Rooster is an Overtown restaurant that serves a mix of Southern, Caribbean, and Latin American dishes. The Southern dishes are what mostly rule brunch, which they offer from 10am-3pm Saturday and Sunday. They have good versions of chicken and waffles, deviled eggs, cornbread with jalapeño honey butter, and more (including cocktails). Their covered patio is a solid spot to eat when it’s too nice to be inside—and they have live music during their “gospel brunch” on Sunday. To guarantee an outdoor table, you’ll want to make a reservation.
Though drag brunch has now spread far and wide across the country, very few places have been doing it for as long as the Palace has. This place is still a blast, and though they do drag shows at night, you want to be here while the sun is out. It’s $45 per person, which includes food and bottomless mimosas. The food is food, and not the reason you come here. You come to sip as many mimosas as you want for two hours while witnessing the best sidewalk drag show of your life. Come armed with singles to tip the performers.
There aren’t a ton of outdoor tables at Blue Collar, but their small patio is quite comfortable once you snag a table. Plus, their weekend brunch is worth waiting for. The best brunch dishes here are big and usually involve eggs, like their brisket benedict and filet mignon steak and eggs. If you’re a planner, you can also just make a reservation to avoid Blue Collar’s usual wait time.
At Aguacate, strangers will wander over to your table and ask for food. They’re just friendly chickens though, and you’re technically in their territory. This Tamiami vegan spot is an animal sanctuary that makes an excellent breakfast burrito, french toast, veggie burger, and great smoothies. Everything is 100% vegan and they serve breakfast all day, so it’s a great brunch option on weekdays or weekends. It’s all outdoors, but the chickens keep the bugs away, and they have plenty of fans and parking.
