MIAGuide
Miami’s New Restaurant Openings
photo credit: Salar Abduaziz
If you tried to keep track of every new restaurant and bar in Miami, your head might spin. So just read this list instead. These are the openings that seem like they have the most potential. Although, keep in mind, we make no promises about the places we haven't visited yet. Go forth and be a pioneer—or just keep up with our Hit List to see which new restaurants we checked out and loved.
November
La Cumbancha is a Cuban spot in Miami Lakes that comes from part of the Café La Trova team. And just like La Trova, there'll be live music, lots of Cuban influence on the menu, and a serious cocktail program courtesy of spiffy bartenders.
When life gives you lemons, decorate with them. That’s what this Italian restaurant in Wynwood is doing. Here, you can eat shrimp scampi, pizzettes, pasta, and chicken milanese under a citrus grove canopy.
photo credit: Tasty Planet
El Bagel Coconut Grove
The moment everyone living south of Flagler has been waiting for: El Bagel is now open in Coconut Grove. This is the second location for the bagel shop, whose long lines are justified.
photo credit: Bartaco
Bartaco Coconut Grove
Duck birria, pork belly, and baja fish tacos are some of the dishes you’ll find on this menu. You can also order a margarita or sangria too. This is the national chain’s third location in South Florida.
Zaytinya is a restaurant inside the Ritz Carlton on South Beach. The menu is Eastern Mediterranean and includes mezze spreads like baba ganoush, as well as vegetables, octopus, chicken, lamb, and other small plates.
Edan Bistro is a Basque restaurant in North Miami. It serves breakfast and brunch items like eggplant and jalapeño toast, tortilla española, croissants, and sandwiches. There’s also an all-day menu with steak tartare, grilled duck magret, and Basque cheesecake.
MiMo has a new breakfast, brunch, and lunch spot with vegan and gluten-free options. The menu is vegetable-focused, but there are some egg and dairy dishes too.
photo credit: Pasta e Basta
Pasta E Basta
Pasta E Basta is a Midtown restaurant that is all about pasta. With the exception of three antipasto on the menu—it’s just pasta, and that’s it.
photo credit: Skinny Louie
Skinny Louie Burgers
This small Wynwood spot does smashburgers. The menu is simple: fries, milkshakes, and three burgers you can order as a single, double, or triple.
Barcelona is another addition to Wynwood. It’s the Spanish restaurant’s first location in Miami, where it will serve tapas, wine, and a handful of larger dishes like paella.
Neapolitan pizza, meatballs, and salads are all on the menu at this new Brickell pizza shop. It’s located in the A/C Hotel.
The Wrapper is a former Smorgasburg vendor that now has a restaurant in North Beach. They sell various Lebanese wraps, like a soujok wrap, falafel wraps, and kafta wraps. There are also a couple bowl options.
October
This new Italian spot in the Gables is from the same folks who brought us Ghee, Orno, and Mamey. Dinner here starts with a butter candle and we liked it so much, it’s now on our Hit List.
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc
We were sad when this pop-up at Union Beer Store went on hiatus. But it’s back serving delicious noodles and dumplings Wednesday through Friday. To find out why we’re so happy it’s back, read our review.
The Ariete team opened a Mediterranean restaurant called Eva on the ground floor of Coconut Grove’s CocoWalk. The menu features dishes like foie and dates, pork schnitzel with orange tahini, and a harissa-marinated chicken kebab.
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc
Another Ariete Hospitality Group opening—this is a small open-air bar right next to Eva that we already checked out and loved. Come here for tequila mango snow cones and to learn what a snapper dog is (besides delicious).
Entrenos is a pop-up that creates dishes using as many local ingredients as possible. It’s currently operating from the Tinta y Cafe in Miami Shores and is open for dinner from Wednesday through Saturday. You can read more about Entrenos here.
You may remember Ortanique from its many years on Miracle Mile. It closed a couple of years ago, but has now resurfaced as a pop-up at MKT Kitchen until December 16. The menu rotates weekly, but you can still find some menu classics.
The team behind now-closed Osteria Morini opened Mirabella in Miami Beach’s Fountainebleau. The Italian restaurant’s menu includes risotto di mare, grilled octopus, and bone-in veal parmigiana.
photo credit: Louie's at Palm House
Louie’s at Palm House
The chef from My Cuban Spot (a Cuban ventanita in New York that closed) is back in his hometown, serving empanadas and pan con bistec at the Palm House in Mid-Beach.
photo credit: Julian Cousins
Jrk! Downtown
This casual Jamaican restaurant is one of our favorite spots to eat inside the Aventura mall. But now folks Downtown can enjoy their jerk chicken bowl with rice and peas, cabbage slaw, and pineapple plantains. It’s located directly across the street from the courthouse—perfect if you get selected for jury duty.
photo credit: Julia Malavé
Surry Hills
Surry Hills is a coffee shop in Little River serving coffee alongside brunch dishes like French toast and turkey melts.
photo credit: Ngoc Minh Ngo
Casadonna
The folks who count LIV, Komodo, and a $1,000 beefcase among their ranks just added Casadonna to the list. It’s a waterfront Italian restaurant in Edgewater. The menu features pasta topped with caviar, dover sole, and a white chocolate lemon meringue that’s shaped into a lemon.
photo credit: Rao's
Rao’s Miami Beach
Rao’s is known for being New York’s hardest reservation. Getting a table in its new location at the Lowes in South Beach is easier—but not that easy right now. Maybe you have Rao’s Italian red sauces or soups in your pantry. But if you want to eat Rao’s meatballs, you’ll have to turn on your Resy notifications.
Almond gazpacho, truffle chicken pot pie, and lobster ravioli are just some of the dishes you can try at this new restaurant in the Upper East Side. It’s run by the Uptown 66 team, and you can make reservations here.
Yeti’s is a pizza and shaved ice spot inside SkateBird, where you can grab a slice after you’re done popping ollies (Can you tell we know nothing about skateboarding?) in front of your friends.
September
B-Side has taken over the space of its former sister restaurant, Itamae. It’s serving a bigger menu than its Wynwood location, with rolls, bañaditos, and some excellent conch fritters. We’ve already added it to our Hit List.
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc
This new Buena Vista bakery makes Italian coffee and a rotating selection of baked goods that also have an Italian influence. It’s another one that’s already made our Hit List.
photo credit: Deborah Jones
This Coral Gables bistro comes from the same team behind The Surf Club Restaurant. It serves French dishes like steak frites, has indoor and outdoor seating, and we are, once again, telling you it's already on our Hit List.
This Persian spot—which has a couple other locations in Miami—now has another restaurant in Coral Gables. The menu is heavy on kabob, but also has dips like hummus and mast-o khiar as well as a few stews like ghormeh sabzi.
photo credit: The Oyster Bar
The Oyster Bar
The Ariete team has a new oyster bar in the Grove’s CocoWalk. The menu is mostly snacks and cocktails. Food options include dishes like conch salad, lobster rolls, and something called a snapper dog.
This new Downtown cocktail bar does serve small plates like hummus and cheese, but it’s more of a place to drink and listen to a DJ play something on vinyl. There’s live music sometimes too. They post their week’s schedule on Instagram.
Fulano is a new Argentinian restaurant in Key Biscayne. The menu is big, and has empanadas, pasta, multiple steak options, and some seafood too. They open daily at 11am through dinner.
