Japón at The Setai has officially landed on the Prix Versailles 2025 list of the World’s Most Beautiful Restaurants—and if you’ve ever sipped a cocktail under its gold-leaf ceiling while aerialists twirled above a fountain, this news will surprise exactly no one.
Tucked inside the luxe courtyard of The Setai Miami Beach, Japón is an extravagant homage to Japanese craft, interpreted with the kind of over-the-top flourish only Miami can pull off. Designed by Saladino Design Studios, the space is saturated in symbolism and maximalist beauty, anchored by the image of the crane, Japan’s symbol of grace and good fortune. A custom mosaic crane greets guests at the entrance and the motif ripples through fabrics, murals and a towering pagoda out back.
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The moody dining room is layered with temple-style ceilings, glossy green-blue paneling and woodblock prints from the 1800s, giving the feeling of the salon of a globe-trotting art collector. One room is sectioned off by a hand-painted, gold-foiled glass mural, while another glows beneath a gold-leaf ceiling and vintage paintings. Even the bar gets the star treatment, with marble ribs and custom wallpaper. Add a retractable roof and you’ve got one of the most striking indoor-outdoor dining environments in the city.
As for what’s on the plate, chefs Vijayudu Veena and Iván Monzón deliver an Asian-fusion lineup with hits like truffle hot pot, miso salmon, hamachi crudo and tuna pizza on a crispy wonton base. And yes, those illuminated fan dancers and acrobats you saw on TikTok are real. They perform above the decorative pool, giving new meaning to “dinner and a show.”
Though the food leans more pan-Asian than personal, Japón is a vibe—and that’s exactly what the Prix Versailles awards. The list, which includes just 16 restaurants globally, celebrates design that feeds the senses. Whether or not Japón takes home the final global title in December, it’s already a star in Miami’s dining galaxy.