Navé

Navé is an upscale Italian restaurant in Coconut Grove with a crisp, white dining room that feels like a spa or a fancy medical facility for patients who have been prescribed some combination of seafood and pasta. And Navé does both those things very well—so well that we firmly consider it one of Miami’s best Italian restaurants.

While one of the pasta dishes should certainly be on the table, there are more good things at Navé. The crispy snapper milanese is so great that even though it’s the size of a kite, you will desperately wish there was much more. And their veal parm is also impressively crunchy, and easily one of the best versions in town.

photo credit: Karli Evans

Navé isn’t a loud, energetic restaurant. It’s got a more subdued, understated personality than its neighbor (and sister restaurant) Ariete. So keep it in mind for a dinner with the in-laws or business meals. Also keep in mind their outdoor seating, which is great for a crisp Miami winter night. Just try not to sit directly next to anyone you suspect might try to steal bites of your snapper milanese.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Karli Evans

Uni

We love uni, but what really makes this dish are the slices of toasted, buttered brioche they give you to make your own uni toast, which is now the only way we want to consume uni ever again.

photo credit: Karli Evans

Snapper Milanese

We know most milanese aren’t done with fish, but this dish will make you think the milanese was designed specifically for this purpose. The breading is so crunchy and the fish inside is as perfect as we’ve ever tasted snapper. The tomato compote on top is a welcome bonus and you will be too distracted by this wonderful slab of fried fish to pay much attention to the arugula salad on the side.

photo credit: Antonella Re

Veal Parmesan

If you’re in a big veal parm mood (which you must be, since you’re going spend $60 on this) Navé’s version is one of the best in town. While we wish it had a bit more sauce on it, it's appropriately cheesy and incredibly crunchy. Just know that it doesn’t come with any sides, so get something to pair it with, like the charred cabbage caesar.