The 15 best new restaurants in Miami

Miami's Major Food Group restaurants are undeniably good—albeit quite expensive and notoriously hard to get into. And the latest of them, Contessa in the Design District, just might be the best of them yet. Similar to the Boston location, Miami’s Contessa sports a glamorously nostalgic yet modern design, sort of like if Wes Anderson was tasked with designing a disco party. The menu reads like a greatest-hits of Northern Italian cuisine. Think heaping burrata atop a pile of skinned cherry tomatoes, a flawless Margherita pizza with a well-seasoned crust, and a deceptively simple spicy lobster capellini coated in a buttery tomato sauce infused with all the gorgeous flavor of the lobster chunks inside.

Since its arrival as an order-online-only pop-up during the pandemic, Miami Slice has been the hottest debutante at the ball, written up often as the best new pizza spot in Miami and Instagrammed by those who have become famous for eating pizza. Their massive, New York-style pizzas become available to order online a few days in advance. If you see that the pies say “Sold Out” (as they almost always do), you’ve missed your chance. There’s also a dine-in option for slices, and we will admit: watching the cooks microplane parmesan and scoop oozy stracciatella onto hot pizza slices is very sexy food porn. The standout, Leeks on Bacon, is a simply unimpeachable slice made with garlic confit cream sauce, crunchy smoked bacon and leeks that lend an oniony bite. 

From the team behind Novikov Miami, which includes Philippe Moullet, former global managing director for Zuma, Neya has imported Chef Ben Siman Tov directly from Israel to head the kitchen, which pushes a supremely flavorful blend of Israeli, Spanish, North African and Levantine cuisines. The mostly small plates incorporate non-typical ingredients and techniques that just work: a hamachi ceviche in a neon-green pool that provides an herby bite to marinated fish; roasted beets dotting a yogurt sauce sprinkled with smoked almonds; black truffle slices on a super-creamy polenta with mushrooms; and deep-fried pops of green brussels sprouts on a creamy turmeric-tahini sauce. In short, the entire menu at this vibey Surfside spot is downright original and quite good.

Have you ever had a meal so memorable you countdown the days until you can have it again? It happened to us the day we tried Rosie’s wild mushroom polenta for the first time, and we’ve been looking forward to it ever since. The Overtown pop-up restaurant, owned by husband and wife Akino and Jamila West, closed last September while the duo focused on opening a permanent restaurant. Now, the popular pandemic pop-up has finally reemerged as Rosie’s: The Backyard, an expansive courtyard where guests can dine under the cover of large Banyan trees. Highlights from the menu include deviled eggs topped with crispy chicharrones and chines; burrata topped with fresh mango from the Wests’ own backyard as well as wildflower honey; and a hangover-curing pastrami hash. Thankfully, the aforementioned polenta is up for grabs, too.

Norwegian king crab, heritage cattle beef and a jaw-dropping waterfront setting—no one does extravagant surf-and-turf quite like Klaw. The restaurant dropped into the once-abandoned Miami Women’s Club building in Edgewater, bringing the neighborhood's first rooftop bar and a handsome place to enjoy some of the finest quality meat. Smart-looking servers present well-marbled, dry-aged steaks and—should you opt for an order of the king crabs—artfully stacked spindly legs tableside, which they'll scissor open and serve razor-clam-like, laid out in rows along with herbed butter. It's all a bit showy but appropriate for a grand building that’s been reborn.

Chef/owner, Michael Beltran, turned The Mighty into The Gibson Room at just about the time he was hanging a Michelin star at Ariete. He called on friend Kris Huseby to create the out-of-the-box menu, featuring dishes like crispy nuggets filled with eel, shrimp and pork head cheese; charcuterie, headlined by the chicken liver mousse and head cheese; and rainbow trout tartare with pickled fennel and potato. And then on bartender Tom Lasher-Walker to whip up the drinks, including the signature Gibson he's worked by adding sherry and serving tableside encrusted in ice. Is it a bar? Yes. Is it a restaurant? Yes. It's all of those things and it’s probably not something you’ve ever seen before.

Doya's indoor-outdoor space is as lively as an Italian house party, where trays of excellent and shareable Aegean dishes fill the tables. Those plates come from a kitchen run by chef Erhan Kostepen, formerly of Mandolin Aegean Bistro, one of Miami’s longtime favorite restaurants. At Doya, Kostepen reintroduces the concept of simply prepared meze dishes that highlight a few well-sourced ingredients. The tomato and feta salad, for instance, is little more than just that, dressed in olive oil with oregano and capers, and perfect because it doesn’t try to be anything more. The fisherman’s seafood stew comes served for two, with mussels, shrimp and branzino in a spicy and thick tomato broth plus a couple of grilled slices of toast ready for dipping. We’d go to a Davie strip mall for dishes this good but, thankfully, Doya’s dining room looks like an upscale Parisian bistro, making any meal here feel like a special occasion.

This new Coconut Grove sushi spot doesn’t bother trying to be authentically Japanese. It’s not stuffy, like those omakase places, where you’ll whisper to your dining companions out of fear of offending the knife-wielding chefs right in front of you. No, Sushi by Scratch is about experimenting with some of the rarest pieces of fish that can be sourced, in a vibe that’s so fun it feels like entertainment. Dinner includes 17 courses with the option of an additional drink pairing (it's expensive but worth it), and seatings are limited to 10 people, all convivially crammed around the intimate sushi counter.

Byblos' sister restaurant, whose name means “hope” in Arabic, follows a similar formula: serve up flavorful Middle Eastern dishes in spots that are simply stunning to behold. At Amal, the designers took inspiration from Lebanon’s shoreline to create a nearly entirely white and terracotta space that fills with natural light thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows. Dishes here are small and meant for sharing, like the five grilled tiger shrimps that come alone on a pool of spiced tomato emulsion. For something more substantial, try the skewer platters for two or four, which arrive with pita, grilled veggies, fries and kebabs of steak, shrimp, or a meatball skewer of pistachio, lamb and beef. 

This downtown spot sets itself apart from the others newly opened Mediterranean restaurants with a tapas-style menu. Diners are encouraged to order several dishes and craft their ideal meal with cold and hot options, including jaffa ceviche, arayes (ground lamb or fished grilled inside a fresh pita), falafel cigars served with tahini and a variety of meat and veggie skewers—from octopus to steak to cabbage. Tiffin boxes are Mazeh’s specialty, little tin troves of mouthwatering dips and spreads served with fresh pita. Make sure you get those.

After nearly seven years, the Lost Boy & Co. team (Lost Boy, Tropezón) brought back this beloved South Miami lounge. It's been restored and revamped to include much of its original furnishings from when it first opened in 1946, down to new replicas of the retro art that hung in the former space. The so-called “darkest bar in Miami,” sticks to the classics when it comes to food and drinks: martinis, Manhattans, prime rib, fried chicken and french onion soup are among the favorites here. 

One of Miami's finest wine bars just opened a second location in Coral Gables, and it's already bustling. Expert sommelier Allegra Angelo curated a far-reaching list of wines by the glass and bottle, in a range of prices and suited for all types of palates. There's something to complement and elevate each one of the shareable plates chef Mariano Araya crafted for the contemporary American menu, including mussels soaked in Pernod cream served with a crusty baguette for dipping, manchego and truffle risotto, and a sizeable 42-ounce tomahawk steak.

The London export looks like nothing else in Miami, down to its million-dollar collection of Damien Hirst artworks and Daniel Craig mannequin—the likes of which will both wow you and make you wonder what the hell is going on. It's a scene, though it's not just the diners but also the dishes: there's a fish filet blanketed in edible gold and crispy caviar, nigiri stacked with wagyu and foie gras, and more than one way to enjoy truffles. 

South Beach's new Lifehouse Hotel brings an Aussie-style café to the laidback neighborhood. The surf-inspired spot serves a mostly healthy menu replete with the classics, including acai bowls, fresh-pressed juices and various toasts. In the evening, Pretty Swell channels other coastal cities—think Mykonos, Phuket and Ensenada—to provide a selection of shareable light bites, such as dips and ceviche that pair well with the nighttime cocktail menu. Pro tip: During the hot summer months, ask about turning your regular tipple into a frozen cocktail.  

Major Food Group is at it again, this time with a flashy steakhouse dripping in animal prints. It's a fun time, most of which you'll spend dancing in your leopard print seat to the throwback tunes blasting throughout the multiple dining rooms. Do order one of several high-quality steaks on the menu (we assume that's why you're there) but not before trying the giant grilled oysters bourguignon, the chicken and crêpes or the mushroom millefeuille.