Miami neighborhoods guide
Explore the color and variety that Miami neighborhoods have to offer
Where to eat and drink in Downtown Miami
Area 31
Even if it didn’t boast one of the city’s most spectacular views—the Miami skyline is laid out in front of you from the 16th floor of the EPIC Hotel—chef E. Michael Reidt’s innovative seafood, much of it sourced from the waters you can gaze out upon, would surely be packing in the patrons. Reidt was recently named one of Ocean Drive Magazine’s "hot new chefs," and fresh ingredients are his culinary weapon of choice—he’s got his very own patio garden to prove it. The menu changes regularly, but expect fresh ceviche and tartares. Reidt gets experimental with a section of the menu labelled Chefie Things; on a recent visit it yielded crispy fish collar, smoked shrimp guacamole and pork cheek with a chilli graham cracker crumble.
Perricone's Marketplace & Café
This charming Italian restaurant has a woody, rustic setting—the building is actually an 18th-century barn relocated from Vermont to Downtown Miami. Attractions include excellent wines, pastas and salads, child-friendly facilities such as bibs and high chairs, and a sumptuous Sunday brunch. For gourmet grub on the go, there’s a fantastic Italian marketplace.
Toro Toro
The traditional American steakhouse gets a very Miami (read: pan-Latin) twist at this acclaimed restaurant, which arrived all the way from Dubai in late 2012. The decor is sophisticated and masculine, with dark wood furnishings, leather seating and wrought-iron details. Opt for the Rodizio Experience for the most memorable meal; priced at $65 per person, this tableside service offers unlimited consumption of picanha steak, Omaha ribeye, lamb chop, chorizo sausage and achiote chicken, with classic sides, from rice and black beans to creamed spinach.
The best shopping in South Beach
Dylan's Candy Bar
Fashion legend Ralph Lauren’s daughter Dylan is like a modern-day Willy Wonka, offering more than 5,000 kinds of candy from around the world—not to mention ice-cream, macaroons and a sidewalk café serving up candy-inspired cocktails such as the Pop Rock Explosion—at this fun-for-all-ages emporium.
C. Madeleine's
Do you need a drop-waist dress from the 1920s? Can’t manage without a Pucci print skirt from the ’70s? You’ll find both here, along with high-necked linen and lace dresses, funky neckties, costume jewels, shoes, furs and postcards. Brands include Gucci, Balenciaga, Chanel, Vuitton and even hard-to-find Zandra Rhodes.
Base USA
In addition to fancy, monochromatic threads, BASE is also known for its funky soundtrack (its CD collection is for sale, of course), coffee table books, candles and even Japanese anime. Just how cool is the stuff? Consider this: the store has a small location at the Delano hotel plus a 24/7 vending machine of goodies at the Mondrian South Beach.
Atrium
A South Beach unisex shopping hotspot, Atrium is also a great place to stalk celebrities if you don’t feel like breaking the bank on a $2,300 Alexander McQueen clutch. With designer brands at designer prices, don’t be surprised if you see the same $200 white T-shirt on a Kardashian in the latest issue of your favorite tabloid.
Arts and culture in Coral Gables
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
Incongruous, unlikely and bizarre, Vizcaya is also an utter delight. An Italian Renaissance-style villa and gardens set on Biscayne Bay, it was built by F Burrall Hoffman, Diego Suarez and Paul Chalfin for Chicagoan industrialist and committed Europhile James Deering from 1914 to 1916. And a wildly extravagant spot it is too. Not only architecturally: the place is crammed with European antiques and works of decorative art spanning the 16th to the 19th centuries. All the furnishings at Vizcaya are just as they were in Deering’s time, including early versions of such amenities as a telephone switchboard, a central vacuum-cleaning system, elevators and fire sprinklers. The East Loggia looks out on to the bay, the exit guarded by a vast telescope. Off to the south stretch Vizcaya’s idyllic gardens, with fountains, pools, greenery, a casino and a maze. Strolling here on a quiet summer’s day can be magical (not surprisingly, it’s a popular spot for weddings). Another bonus is the café, which offers above-average lunches and, on Sundays, tea for two ($16) from 1pm to 4pm.
Lowe Art Museum
The only museum in the area with a notable collection of Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities, the Lowe also features the Kress Collection of Renaissance and baroque art, plus galleries of pre-Colombian, Asian, African, Native American, European and American work. The European collection includes pieces by Monet and Gauguin; the south-west Indian art collection contains textiles, baskets and other utilitarian objects; and the Art of Asia gallery has objects from China, Korea, Japan and South Asia.
Barnacle Historic State Park
Built in 1891 and named after the distinctive shape of its roof, Ralph Munroe’s "Barnacle" is the oldest home in Miami to remain on its original site. It was designed as a one-story house facing Biscayne Bay. Three verandas and a skylight, which could be opened with a pulley, provided ventilation. The Munroe family continued to live at the Barnacle until 1973, when they sold the house and its furnishings to the state of Florida to be used as a museum. The pristine beauty of this bayfront pioneer home and its grounds is even more apparent now that it has been tragically sandwiched between two cramped luxury condo developments. You can tour the house and the grounds, or catch one of the regularly scheduled concerts on the lawn.
Coral Gables Museum
The Coral Gables Museum lives up to its name by providing a useful overview of the district's culture and history, with a special emphasis on architecture and town planning. It's more diverting than it sounds—recent exhibitions have looked at pioneer life in Miami and the Florida land boom of the '20s, while a season dedicated to Coral Gables's sister cities around the world branched out into exhibits on Italy and Colombia. Appropriately, the museum is partly housed in the Old Fire House & Police Station, an imposing old building whose blend of Depression-era architecture and Mediterranean Revival influences speaks to the area's colorful history.