After a $40 million renovation of Miami Beach’s historic Paris Theater, every inch of Queen’s outlandish opulence feels designed for drama.
It starts outside with its plush red carpet under a blindingly bright Art Deco theater marquee. Inside, a curving golden hallway opens into a dining room where a massive light fixture looks like it might beam everyone up at any moment.
Balconies hold private dining rooms, and the former stage is now home to a giant golden eye looking down upon cushy banquettes. Want to dance atop a table? The sideboards separating each booth have built-in stairs for just that purpose.
The over-the-topness of it all is a theme carried over to the staff, a downright gorgeous collection of humans—especially the hosts, who wear golden capes that ruffle out super-hero-like as they strut you to your table. Some of the staff merely add to the spectacle, like the stunning woman in a boat captain’s hat whose only job, it seemed, was to pose for selfies.
Multi-million-dollar build-outs that combine a nightclub vibe with a showy food menu don’t often yield the finest meals. But it would be hard to find fault with anything we sampled at Queen, which bills itself as a Japanese steakhouse, including an avocado toast dotted with fish eggs, a boat of well-cut sushi and sashimi, a battered maitake, spicy tuna on crispy rice and a wagyu steak in a sweet-tangy sauce.
The molten cake is adorned with gold leaf and sparklers and, as the night goes on and the music cranks, those flaming desserts provide much of the light to a dining room that begins to feel as dramatic as the decor.
Whether in spite or because of its sheer grandeur—and if you’re willing to pay for all that decadence—you might just become smitten with Queen.
