The best rooftop restaurants in Miami that are actually worth the sky-high prices

Take the elevator all the way up to the top of the Spanish Revival-style building and you’ll find an indoor-outdoor bar with some of the prettiest bay views in the city, where you can still order Klaw’s excellent chateaubriand, dayboat swordfish and one of the best savory, mignonette-spiked martinis ever. They also serve something you won’t find down in the main restaurant: brunch from noon to 3pm on Sundays, with everything from a $25 lobster bene to a $265 seafood tower.

It isn’t hard in Miami to find an elevator that’ll take you up to a serious party atop a building. But a sky-high spot that’s also got good food? Almost unheard of. Which is why Level 6 has quickly become the new place to be in Coconut Grove, featuring quite good Spanish tapas with expansive views out to Biscayne Bay. Go at sunset for a busy after-work scene and just maybe stay for the late-night changeover, when things seriously turn into a party.

Situated above Lincoln Road, the combination restaurant, lounge, bar and private club makes for a combustible atmosphere fueled by DJs and fire dancers who roam the outside terrace. Performative servers bring the show tableside to finish cocktails with dry ice, sear off meats and put the final touches on a variety of dishes and drinks right before your eyes. Both the crowd and the restaurant are a spectacle, so sit back and take it all in.

Miami has a Messi of soccer and now, a "Messi of wines." Casa Vigil is a Michelin-starred and Michelin Green-starred winery restaurant from Mendoza, Argentina by winemaker Alejandro Vigil. This is poised to be the Miami spot to learn about wine, particularly when you run through the five-course, Mediterranean-inspired tasting menu, which comes with three levels of wine pairings. It's as much a place for novices as pros, as plenty of rare vintages are on offer here, too.

This rooftop bar is tucked away in the Little Havana neighborhood, and while it's not much taller than its surrounding apartment buildings, the view of Brickell's skyline will surprise you. You'll find a series of plant-based dishes to go with the selection of Latin-inspired cocktails, including a naughty fried mushroom starter and a refreshing hearts of palm salad. Plates are on the smaller side but a few will amount to a satisfying meal. Terras also serves breakfast on the roof, and you don't have to be a guest of the hotel to enjoy it.

Fourth-generation Cipriani brothers, Maggio and Ignazio, follow in their family’s footsteps with this upscale Italian restaurant perched on the rooftop of Coconut Grove’s splashy Mr. C hotel. Whether you sit outside on the terrace or cozy up at a table inside, the wrap-around windows make it so everyone’s got the best seat in the house. Here for more than the scenery? Dig into traditional pasta dishes like the standout cacio e pepe with a refreshing Bellini (it's the namesake, after all) to wash it all down.

Cebada has the distinction of being downtown Coral Gables' only rooftop—reason enough to visit this charming spot. Unlike most rooftops where the food menu is mostly aimed at keeping you from getting too drunk, Cebada likes to send its patrons home sober-ish, satiated and full of creative interpretations of classic Latin dishes. Some recent additions include chorizo-spiced cobia with sofrito fumet and yuca mofongo crumble and Spanish fried chicken with guava butter.

A couple of floors up from Little River’s food hall is a rooftop that works very much like a regular restaurant/bar, meaning you can order drinks and food from the vendors downstairs without actually having to go downstairs. It’s a fine spot to catch the sun go down, a late-night set from a DJ or the occasional yoga flow, up there with only the sky above you.

The hip, neon-accented Serena is like taking an elevator ride up to Mexico City. Inspired by the trendy patios of the Mexican capital, it’s a dazzling lounge in the sky with lots of cozy nooks concealed by blooming bougainvillea bushes and lit by twinkling string lights. The couch setups and garden feel are intentional—you’ll surely want to stay here awhile. At the outdoor kitchen, find chef Dan Wood, who doles out his best takes on leche de tigre, shrimp tostadas, tuna tartare and other coastal Mexican eats. The squash blossom quesadillas and the classic caesar salad are two of the dishes not to be missed.

No restaurant in Miami has more Big Dick Energy than Giselle, which is exactly why you will love or hate this place. Propped atop the Vegas-like, high-end strip club E11EVEN, Giselle does everything a little bit more dramatically than the other clubstaurants, so expect theatrical deliveries of drinks and dishes, like the $75 caviar bump, $135 flaming lobster thermidor and a $400 "snow aged" A5 wagyu steak.

It’s the longest ride to the top of any rooftop restaurant in Miami (40 floors up!), but Sugar’s downtown views—and East Miami’s ‘grammable galactic elevators—make it all worth it. Pockets of Asian-inspired gardens help set the Zen mood, though it’s the flowing breeze that’ll really put you at ease. Known for its swanky crowd and high-priced drinks, Sugar serves mostly shareable plates perfect for that bachelorette party, like tuna tartare, lobster crispy rice and brisket bao buns.

Since it opened in 2009, Epic Hotel’s rooftop bar and restaurant has served as a meeting place for business types grabbing a drink after work. That’s because Area 31 boasts unparalleled views of downtown and well-priced bites and sips. That’s especially true during “social hour” from 5 to 8pm Monday to Friday, with $7 beers, $8 wines, $9 well drinks and cocktails and tapas for $10 each. Dinner brings grilled octopus, branzino, pastas and steaks that run up to a $200 wagyu tomahawk. And as always, cocktails and wine are in abundance at the 16th-floor spot.

Watr benefits from an inviting rooftop deck, reclaimed-wood furnishings and a delicious Peruvian-inspired menu, all of which serve to complement its stunning ocean views. You'll hear the sound of breaking waves occasionally competing with the down-tempo house soundtrack, but it's mostly chill, laid-back vibes in the serene restaurant. Fill up on fresh sushi and crudo or ignore the fact that you’re dining next to a pool and dive head first into Watr’s burger. It’s towering and drippy, available only at lunch, and ever so worth the $28 price tag.

This former firehouse-turned-restaurant and lounge is an old-standby date spot in Brickell. Couples gravitate toward the second-floor dining room, where lots of greenery and fans keep the space airy and private. Downstairs it’s a party but upstairs folks come to linger over affordable (for Brickell, at least) meals and sip cocktails in one of the several lounge setups.

The first U.S. outpost of the internationally known Japanese-fusion spot landed in Miami’s Midtown neighborhood in 2020. Salvaje is a clubstaurant with excellent views, a tasty sushi menu and a nightlife pedigree you’ll recognize as soon as the sun sets (catch it from the rooftop’s bamboo daybed) and the music turns up. Not a fan of the raw stuff? The truffled mushroom dumplings, spicy hamachi roll and Japanese A5 wagyu grilled on a hot stone serve as forays to a night of tableside dancing.

We’re not sure how many people actually dine at Astra, but the rooftop bar does serve a full menu featuring oysters, grilled octopus and fresh salads like you’d expect to find at a beach club off the Aegean. As far as Wynwood goes, this place is a scene thanks to a steady rotation of DJs and daybeds that attract large groups of people looking to sit around and drink for hours.