Cote Miami

The entire staff at Cote seem to be sharing a single consciousness, like a beehive or a much kinder version of Hal 9000. Throughout a meal at this Korean steakhouse in the Design District, a team of servers will approach your table and tend to cuts of beef sizzling away on the little grill located in the center of the table. They seem to know when to do this wordlessly, without any visible communication. It’s a beautiful protein ballet.

That alone could easily be the most impressive part about Cote—if the food also wasn’t excellent. Or if the precise design didn’t make you feel like you’re eating 1,000 years in the future. And when you combine all Cote’s strengths together—food, service, and atmosphere—it adds up to create one of the most impressive restaurants in Miami.

You will probably be eating meat here. It’s what takes up most of the menu, since this is a steakhouse. But unlike a lot of Korean barbecue places, you won’t be cooking your own meat. The staff handles that, which allows you to sit back and enjoy the show without stressing about overcooking a very expensive piece of steak. There are various a la carte options along with a “steak omakase” for $225 per person. But perhaps the best (and most affordable) way to have an amazing meal here is via the Butcher’s Feast. It’s a tasting menu that costs $74 per person, and comes with portions of aged ribeye, American wagyu flatiron, hanger steak, and marinated short rib as well as banchan, some sides, and dessert. It’s all delicious, more than enough food, and gives you a front row seat to the beautiful steak choreography this palace does so well.

photo credit: Naho Kubota

Even if you don’t have a reason to celebrate, simply being inside Cote will make you want to go big. And you probably won’t regret ordering an extra martini or having a few more dishes on the table, like the Cote ceviche, which comes in a slightly sweet and tangy chojang vinaigrette. Or the Korean bacon, a thick-cut smoked pork belly that is to bacon what a go-kart is to a Bugatti.

Just don’t forget to get up at some point (preferably after the last bit of meat has left the grill) and check out the infrared room where they dry-age huge slabs of beef. And as you gaze at all that glowing meat, give it a mental round of applause for the unforgettable performance you just witnessed.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Felipe Cuevas

The Butcher’s Feast

The Butcher’s Feast is the best way to experience Cote without blowing through your annual dining-out budget. It’s four-courses of ridiculously good beef, along with some sides like red leaf lettuce, pickled vegetables, scallion salad, savory egg soufflé with spicy kimchi and dwen-jang stew, and soy sauce caramel soft serve for dessert. The best part about this, though? You get to watch all that beautiful beef sizzle away in the center of the table before it’s cut with scissors and dropped directly on your plate.

photo credit: Gary He

Korean Bacon

The entire time we were eating this, we were thinking, “Please, Cote, open up a breakfast restaurant and serve these on an English muffin.” And we still endorse this concept.

Steak & Eggs

It's not the biggest portion, but this dish is nonetheless delicious. The filet mignon tartare is predictably great, but it's even better when combined with a healthy dollop of caviar and thin slices of milk toast that have a crispy exterior and airy, tender interior.

photo credit: Photo Courtesy World Red Eye

Cote Ceviche

This is a great starter before an hour of beef, because it’s light and also slightly sweet and tangy thanks to the chojang vinaigrette that gets poured over the ceviche at the table. The pickled fennel gives the whole thing a great crunch too.