Technically, the executive chef is a celebrity back in Peru, perhaps the country’s most famous cook. But the real mastermind running the day-to-day is Diego Oka, who plates Insta-worthy dishes that taste just as good as they look. The menu largely highlights local catch and seafood you’d find on a trip to Peru, best exemplified with bright ceviches that somehow are full of tangy citrus flavor and also preserve the delicate taste of the fish. It’s just a bonus that La Mar’s balcony has the kind of view you’d expect at a top-notch seafood spot, the waves from the bay lapping against the seawall below.
Northern transplants arrive in Miami expecting fish caught at the docks that morning, served up grilled or blackened, maybe just a bit of lemon or butter for good measure. For the locals, they want the big platters of seafood Abuelo used to order from that tucked-away spot down in Little Havana. The good news is that Miami still lives up to both those expectations, with glitzy seafood restaurants serving pretty plates of crudo and grilled filets, and then also decades-old spots that long ago mastered Latin coastal dishes. Just a simple crispy snapper served on a Cuban roll at one of Little Havana's best restaurants? A ceviche plated to look like a piece of art? Yup, we’ve got that, plus bushels of fresh oysters and peel-and-eat specials for days at these, the best seafood restaurants in Miami.
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