The best restaurants in Downtown Miami

Tâm Tâm began as a pandemic project, then shifted to a series of special collab dinners and, finally, became a brick-and-mortar restaurant serving creative and highly shareable Vietnamese dishes in a nostalgic Downtown Miami dining room. Unlike other pop-ups that haven’t figured out much beyond the food, Tâm Tâm nails every aspect: vibe, service and dishes, which you’ll find yourself craving again and again.

Tucked away in a far corner of the X Miami lobby, Jaguar Sun covers a lot of culinary ground in a fairly small space. Trust Jaguar Sun to sling delicious cocktails, dressed oysters and some of the best pasta in town. You can’t go wrong with a single thing on the menu.

Hidden among bodegas and parking lots, NIU Kitchen puts out creative dishes that combine Spanish tapas with whatever ingredients the kitchen is experimenting with tonight. This spot plays by its own rules with shareable plates that mix tradition and an eccentric, adventurous spirit. A bottle of wine is a must. Your server will help you pick.

Inspired by a trip to Austin, former KYU chef Raheem Sealey opened Drinking Pig at the end of a North Miami cul-du-sac. Now, he's got a full-fledged location in Downtown (though it's currently only open Saturdays and Sundays from noon until they sell out). The vibe riffs on the former front yard aesthetic with an added full bar and a communal table to eat beside the people you meet waiting in line. The reward for the wait: moist and tender brisket, just a bit of fat clinging to that pink-hued meat; smoky wings tossed in a mustard sauce; spicy sausage with a crunchy exterior; and baby back ribs so succulent they slide off the bone. 

Tiny, order-at-the-counter Eleventh Street Pizza serves up two kinds of pies: New York thin-crust and a thick, airy Sicilian style. While a monster slice of NYC-style pep does a great job soaking up late-night drinking, the finest things here are those thick slices, big towers of dough covered with cupped pepperoni, wild maitake mushrooms with caramelized onions and a Provencal number with roasted red onions, confit garlic and pepperoncini. The Japanese milk bread garlic rolls are both sweet and savory, so much so that you’ll probably want a second order for dessert.

A welcomed alternative to the stuffier omakase spots in Miami, Mr. Omakase is a laid-back, counter-style restaurant in the heart of Downtown. Here, sushi chefs roll maki to an old-school hip-hop soundtrack while folks look on from the eight-seat bar. Dinner comes in several tiers, depending on the depth of your appetite and your pockets. Drinks are available á la carte, and when you order sake, you get to pick your own from the adorable glassware collection.

This riverfront restaurant is filled—day and night—with stunning people who know they’re as much a part of the show as the orchestrated action in the spacious open kitchen. Expect a massive selection of modern Japanese bites, from sea bass sashimi with yuzu, salmon roe and truffle oil to tiger prawn tempura. Zuma also has one of the best brunches in town, with a baikingu (buffet) set-up, meaning you have access to a generous spread of the most talked about items. 

The massive, New York-style pizzas at Miami Slice become available on the restaurant’s website a few days in advance and sell out quickly. There’s also a dine-in option for those willing to wait in line outside for entirely indeterminate numbers of minutes. The reward is a crispy and often well-done crust with impeccable ingredients: smoky bacon and leeks, creamy mushroom perfumed with pungent truffle oil, a triple-sauced number with red vodka and a swirl of pesto, and pepperoni cups drizzled with hot honey and islands of creamy stracciatella. 

This towering Downtown food hall aims to create a lasting impression with its sleek glass balconies, three bars and 25 international food vendors. While many food halls seem to stick to the same game plan (pizza, burgers, fried chicken), Julia & Henry’s covers a far wider spectrum. There’s a Venetian tapas vendor called Cicchetti; a Japanese hand roll spot artfully decorated with lit-up signs that make it feel like a busy Japanese street corner; and Mensch, which aims to tell “the story of the Jewish diaspora.” 

Motek rivals the hip cafés of Tel Aviv with its stacked menu of authentic Israeli delights. From crispy falafel and juicy schnitzel to fresh salad and creamy house-made hummus, the fast-casual spot does street food with care, leaning into the spice-driven cuisine for simple, flavorful dishes you can enjoy at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The arayes burger can be found on many lists of Miami's best burgers. This brilliant cross-cultural dish combines a burger with Middle Eastern spices, stuffed in a pita and baked until the whole thing becomes a little burger package.

Brace for full Florida kitsch at this irreverent Downtown bar and restaurant steeped in all the things that make our great state weird and amusing. Over Under is home to one of the best cheeseburgers in Miami, creative monthly specials and the occasional, excellent local pop-up, too. The thoroughly Floridian menu touts local ingredients, such as gulf oysters served on the half-shell and a wahoo smoked fish dip. Keep an eye on the restaurant's Instagram, where they announce can't-miss food specials and limited-time collaborations.

At PEZ, Tijuana-based chef Javier Plascencia has crafted a seafood-heavy, Baja-Med menu that peppers in unusual—but tasty—surf and turf options. Take the tacos de cochipulpo, which combines pork and octopus carnitas with refried beans. And we’re big fans of the tostadas, especially the tostada de atún made with yellowfin and topped with dried shredded beef. Like any good Mexican restaurant worth its worm salt, PEZ keeps its bar stocked with high-end tequilas and mezcals, plus an assortment of lesser-known wines from Baja. It all makes for an authentic and tantalizing proposition in Downtown Miami.

Mangrove gives off serious tropical speakeasy vibes with a full cocktail menu to complement its authentic Jamaican and Caribbean-inspired fare. By day, guests can hang out in the space to enjoy their meals from Jrk!, the fast-casual counter located in front. By night, the moody lounge serves a dinner menu that includes apps like jerk skewers and mains like ginger rosemary snapper and a signature fried chicken sandwich. For drinks, Mangrove’s full liquor bar features refreshing, island-inspired cocktails like the Red Red Wine made with white rum, house-made sorrel, ginger and fresh lime juice.

This family-owned trattoria serves nothing but fresh, homemade dishes. Expect live jazz and a living room ambiance, making it ideal for date night. Soya is effortlessly charming—and will feed you like a good Italian.

Giselle, the restaurant perched atop the E11even ultra-club, has a theme that feels very much like a trip to Las Vegas, from the spare-no-expense setting to the lavish, truffle-topped dishes and regular “bumps” of caviar. Dishes are well thought out to combine sweet, tart and interesting textures, the product of a chef who knows balance. And then they’re served with elaborate tableside presentations that stay true to the restaurant’s theme: opulence.

Manna is the rare healthy food concept that is less about flashy buzzwords and more about phenomenal quality. Everything is house-made, gluten-free, plant-based, organic and tastes amazing. Manna set out to provide a healthy, mindful dining alternative in downtown and continues to be among the best at it.

Pollos y Jarras is a casual Peruvian restaurant known for its juicy rotisserie birds and exhaustive selection of ceviche, chaufa and other Latin American signatures. Expect a no-frills meal that’s 100 times better than any chicken combo you’ll find at similar spots. Besides the plain spit-grilled option, there’s chicken in sauce, saltado-style and in a sandwich, among other innumerable ways to enjoy.

Welcome to the good life! Hope you’ve got some room on that credit card. Novikov is a Chinese-Japanese hybrid with a tinge of Russian that will fulfill your champagne wishes and caviar dreams. Prince Harry was apparently a fan of this restaurant’s London outpost. If you want to feel like an Oligarch for a night while nibbling on dishes topped with truffle and caviar, Novikov is a fine option.

Meraki serves Greek comfort food that doesn’t skimp on portions or taste. It’s a great spot for a weekday power lunch or a hearty dinner before a night out. Plus, it’s open until 11pm on Friday and Saturday, which means: drunk gyros, baby.