MIAGuide
The Toughest Reservations In Miami Right Now (And How To Get Them)
photo credit: Courtesy Delilah
At any given time, there are a handful of Miami restaurants where trying to get a table feels like trying to get across the Rickenbacker Causeway, backwards, on a unicycle. Right now, these are those restaurants. Some spots on this list are excellent, and some aren't. But they are the hardest ones to get into—and we want you to know which are actually worthwhile. We also want to help you get a reservation, so you don’t have to sit at home and write sad songs about how you’ve never been to Boia De. Below, you’ll find our verdicts on the busiest places in the city, along with some info that’ll help you get that table (or bar seat). Check back for regular updates.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Ryan Pfeffer
Verdict: This place is brought to you by the folks from Carbone, so if tiger print velvet chairs and maximalism is your thing, you’re in the right place. If delicious food is more your bag, stick to the left side of the cartoonishly large menu. That’s where Chateau ZZ’s redeeming qualities live—great appetizers like michelada oysters and spicy tuna tostadas. The expensive entrees are a lot more inconsistent.
How To Get In: Reservations go live on Resy 30 days in advance. Parties of three or four are easier to find than tables for two. And there’s an email address for reservation requests (reservations@chateauzzs.com). But we haven’t had any luck hearing back. Your best option is to set notifications so that when someone cancels, you can scoop up their reservation. The bar is also walk-in friendly if you want to grab a cocktail, but the only food available there are chips and guacamole.
photo credit: Courtesy Delilah
Verdict: There are areas where Delilah rises above Miami’s see-and-be-seen restaurant pack. The chandelier-heavy interior is anything but boring. Once you’re actually seated, service is fast and effusive. And live music adds a cinematic quality to dinner. But Delilah also suffers from predictable clubstaurant shortcomings: hideously overpriced food, chaos at the host stand, and a forced nostalgia that never quite pulls you out of the present.
How To Get In: If your goal is to eat on a Saturday night at 9pm, we can't help. Prime weekend time slots are pretty nonexistent. Check for same-day cancellations if you're feeling spontaneous. Otherwise, eating here during the week is a lot easier. There is a bar area, but it's drinks only, gets very crowded, and you might be turned away at the host stand if it's too packed.
Verdict: We feared this day would come, and it’s here. Boia De has officially become a slightly impossible reservation to book. But unlike so many Miami spots that are booked for months out, the frenzy around eating here is justified. Boia De is outstanding. And a night of wine, pasta, and the world’s greatest chopped salad is very much worth dedicating a full year of your life to snagging a table here.
How To Get In: Boia De reservations go live on Resy at noon 30 days in advance. That is when you need to be at your computer, refreshing the page like your life depends on it. Use desktop, not mobile. It'll allow you to refresh and click around faster than Resy's app. If that doesn't work, Resy notifications are your friend. Turn them on and be ready to round up your party with only a couple hours notice. Boia De also still holds space for nightly walk-ins. It’s a gamble, but try to come 20 minutes before they open.
Verdict: Cote is great. Not only does it give Miami another Korean food option—which we so badly need—but it’s phenomenal for a special occasion. Especially one that you’d like to involve meat. You’re coming here for steak (the butcher’s feast tasting menu is the way to go) and excellent cocktails in a futuristic dining room that feels like it’s going to take off for outer space any second.
How To Get In: There's no great Cote reservation hack because walking in isn’t an option, and there's a bar—but no bar seating where you can eat. If you book a month out, you’ll find some more reasonable reservation time slots. But they do lunch here now, and those tables are much easier to find (and the butcher’s feast is available for lunch).
photo credit: Joshua Perez
Verdict: Pastis isn't quite as consistent as the original in NYC. We've been here and had great service. And we've also experienced not-so-great service. But the food's always been pretty good, and it's a solid option for a fun night out in Wynwood. We've enjoyed most of the things we've had here, but particularly the steak frites and burger.
How To Get In: Saturday nights are the only day of the week Pastis is hard to get into. This place is tight-lipped on when, exactly, its reservations go live. It doesn't specify on their Resy page, and when we've asked a host in person, we got very vague answers. However, there's a big bar (both inside and outside) that's first come, first served. Walk in on the earlier side, and you should be fine for a party of two.
photo credit: Douglas Friedman
Verdict: The food at Carbone is fine and it’s quite the scene, but there is nothing about this place that justifies the effort it takes to eat here. This is a restaurant that exists solely for clout and not much else, which is not our favorite kind of restaurant. If someone happens to invite you to dinner here and you’re curious, sure—go for it (and try to be in the bathroom when it comes time to split the checks).
How To Get In: Carbone reservations have gotten slightly easier to find—although mostly on weekdays at 5pm or 11pm. But as tourist season ramps up, reservations have begun to evaporate. If you still want in, they’re released via Resy 30 days in advance at 10am. Don’t bet on being able to walk in. They'll probably turn you away and possibly be a little mean about it.
Verdict: There may be no reservation in Miami that’s been so difficult to snag for so long. Everyone loves Mandolin, and we’re including ourselves in that group. Not only is the Greek/Mediterranean food really good, but Mandolin has one of the most beautiful outdoor spaces in Miami.
How To Get In: Lunch. Ever heard of it? It’s that thing we sometimes do before dinner. And at Mandolin, lunch is far easier to book. It’s not impossible to find an open dinner reservation. They’re out there—mostly at 4:30pm or 10:30pm. They also accept walk-ins, although walk-ins are usually seated inside, which is still a cute little living room situation that’s a lovely place to have dinner. Luckily, all people with reservations are guaranteed an outdoor table.
Verdict: What a strange, strange restaurant. This place appears to have been designed by a mermaid on MDMA. The massive pink and blue dining room is covered in shiny sculptures of sea creatures that cost so much money it’ll make you mad. But as visually chaotic as this place is, the food is incredibly boring by comparison.
How To Get In: Once again, lunch is pretty easy to book. A Saturday dinner is less so (but easier with a bigger party of four or more). Look on Resy either very early in the morning or very late at night. That seems to be when they release new dinner slots about a month out. You can try to walk in for a drink at the bar, but they have a very imposing velvet rope outside and we can’t think of anything sadder than being turned away from the Sexy Fish bar.
