Best Fine Dining Restaurants in Miami
21 hand-picked restaurants, critic-reviewed and ranked
Last Updated: February 2026
Our Top Pick
NAOE
Miami's only Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five-Diamond Japanese restaurant, serving just 10 guests nightly with Chef Kevin Cory's family soy sauce and sake from 1825 Kanazawa breweries.
Essential Picks
#1
NAOE
9.4
Chef Kevin Cory's 13-year-old omakase sanctuary on Brickell Key seats just five guests per evening for a $280 prix-fixe procession of pristine nigiri, bento, and seasonal courses—all served with sake from 1825 Kanazawa breweries and soy sauce from his family's own production. The intimacy borders on private dining; Cory himself handles every detail from greeting to plating, sourcing fish daily from Japan and local waters. There's no menu, no substitutions, and no children under 12—rigidity that filters for serious eaters and rewards them with one of the country's most consistent high-end Japanese experiences. The wait for a reservation can stretch weeks, and the per-person cost puts it firmly in special-occasion territory, but those who've been call it on par with Tokyo's best.
Must-Try Dishes:
Bento Box Selection, Golden Eye Snapper Nigiri, Striped Jack Nigiri
What Makes it Special: Miami's only Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five-Diamond Japanese restaurant, serving just 10 guests nightly with Chef Kevin Cory's family soy sauce and sake from 1825 Kanazawa breweries.
Notable Picks
#2
Zuma
8.9
German chef Rainer Becker's izakaya concept arrived in the EPIC Hotel in 2010 as Zuma's first U.S. location, and 15 years later it remains the benchmark for sophisticated Japanese sharing plates in Miami. The miso black cod has become a modern classic for good reason, but the robata grill—particularly the spicy beef tenderloin and prawn dumplings—deserves equal attention. The waterfront terrace overlooking Biscayne Bay with boat access adds a dimension few competitors can match. Weekend brunch draws a well-heeled crowd willing to linger over sake flights, though service can slow accordingly. Prices are high but calibrated to the quality; this is luxury Japanese dining that actually delivers rather than just posturing.
Must-Try Dishes:
Black Cod Marinated in Miso, Wagyu Beef Sushi with Truffle, Spicy Beef Tenderloin
What Makes it Special: Chef Rainer Becker's globally acclaimed izakaya concept brought to Miami's waterfront, featuring robata grilling and one of the city's most lavish weekend brunches.
#3
Hiyakawa
8.7
The undulating wood-slat ceiling frames what may be Miami's most refined Japanese dining room, where Chef Masa Komatsu applies kikubari—anticipating guest needs before they arise. Diners who have eaten extensively in New York and Los Angeles rank this among their top omakase experiences. The $180-250 price point delivers comparable quality to pricier competitors with more thoughtful hospitality.
Must-Try Dishes:
Sakana Kara Age, Rosemary Lamb Chops, Ebi Tempura
What Makes it Special: A stunning architectural space with undulating wood slats where Master Chef Masa Komatsu prepares no more than 50 meals nightly using kikubari—the Japanese art of anticipating guests' needs.
#4
Uchi Miami
8.6
James Beard Award-winning chef Tyson Cole brings non-traditional Japanese cuisine that has converted skeptical New York sushi purists. The kitchen balances technical precision with creative risk-taking, delivering dishes like Hama Chili and Wagyu Ringo that justify the Wynwood prices. Happy hour offers a strategic entry point for experiencing the brand that put Austin on the national sushi map.
Must-Try Dishes:
Hama Chili, Wagyu Ringo, Suika
What Makes it Special: James Beard Award-winning chef Tyson Cole's non-traditional Japanese cuisine blends Latin and Japanese flavors with theatrical presentation.
David Yeo's Hong Kong-born, Michelin-starred Northern Chinese concept landed in Brickell as its second U.S. location in 2019, bringing 35,000 hand-chiseled antique grey bricks transported from a 1930s Chinese building to line the soaring walls. The flaming Peking duck—air-dried for 36 hours—provides the theatrical centerpiece that justifies the $$$$, while the red lantern soft-shell crab and ma la chili prawns deliver on the promise of elevated Northern Chinese technique. The dramatic interior design alone makes it Instagram-worthy, but the food backs it up. Platform ratings diverge notably—some praise it as Miami's best Chinese, others note prices that sting. Worth the splurge for special occasions if you're prepared for the check.
Must-Try Dishes:
Flaming Peking Duck, Red Lantern Crispy Soft-Shell Crab, Ma La Chilli Prawns
What Makes it Special: A globally acclaimed Northern Chinese destination offering Miami's most theatrical Peking duck, air-dried for 36 hours and served flaming.
#6
Hiden
8.5
Miami's Michelin-starred eight-seat counter hidden behind a taco stand offers Edomae-style sushi with fish flown from Japan multiple times weekly. The passcode-protected entrance and months-long waitlist create genuine exclusivity, though recent chef turnover has introduced variability that affects an omakase format dependent on consistency. At $300 per person, expect flawless execution on most visits with occasional unevenness.
Must-Try Dishes:
Seasonal Nigiri Omakase, A5 Wagyu, Otoro Nigiri
What Makes it Special: Michelin-starred 8-seat speakeasy hidden behind a taco stand, where Chef Seijun Okano serves 16-18 courses of Edomae-style sushi flown from Japan multiple times weekly.
#7
Shiso
8.5
Chef Raheem Sealey's debut after leading KYU to James Beard recognition opened in March 2025, fusing Caribbean soul with Japanese technique and Texas wood-fire smoking in ways that feel genuinely original—the smoked oxtail gunkan and short rib with DIY handroll materials exist nowhere else in Miami. The graffiti-tagged rooftop space overlooking Wynwood captures that early-2010s neighborhood energy before everything became an Italian restaurant or taco shop. Service has been inconsistent since opening, with multiple reports of glacial pacing and inattentive staff, and the automatic 20% gratuity removes incentive for improvement. Best for adventurous eaters who prioritize culinary ambition over polished hospitality.
Must-Try Dishes:
Oxtail Gunkan (Smoked BBQ Oxtail with Pickle Relish), Shiso Chicken Please (Cornish Hen Two Ways), Smoked Sticky Ribs with Puff Rice Furikake
What Makes it Special: Chef Raheem Sealey (formerly of KYU) fuses Caribbean soul with Japanese precision and Texas-style wood-fire smoking, creating dishes like smoked oxtail gunkan that exist nowhere else.
#8
Casa Zeru
8.4
The Miami outpost of a Mexico City favorite that's been perfecting Basque cuisine since 2009, now occupying the ground floor of Hotel AKA Brickell with 200 seats and a striking palm-accented design. Chef Israel Aretxiga brings 15 years of traditional Spanish technique to the Josper grill, where the socarrat rice dishes deliver that prized caramelized crust worth ordering every visit. The Manchego fondant dessert has developed its own following among regulars. Service runs attentive but can lag during peak hours when the live music kicks in—some find the entertainment distracting rather than atmospheric. Come for a splurge-worthy date night when you want Basque precision without flying to San Sebastián.
Must-Try Dishes:
Socarrat de Mariscos, Fried Artichokes with Idiazabal Cheese, Alaskan King Crab with Miso Glaze
What Makes it Special: San Sebastian-inspired Basque cuisine cooked over a wood-burning Josper grill, with signature socarrat rice dishes featuring the prized crispy bottom crust.
#9
COTE Miami
8.4
A Korean-steakhouse hybrid that leans hard into the theater of tableside grilling—trained staff cook USDA Prime and American Wagyu over smokeless charcoal built into every table, backed by an in-house 45-day dry-aging program and a 1,200-label wine program that has earned its own national recognition. The Butcher's Feast offers a structured way through the concept at a price point that punches below its Michelin weight. Expect a loud, neon-soaked room that favors energy over intimacy—this is a celebratory night out, not a quiet date.
Must-Try Dishes:
Butcher's Feast, Steak & Eggs (Hand-Cut Filet Mignon Tartare with Kaluga Royal Hybrid Caviar, Milk Toast), Korean Bacon (House-Smoked Crispy Heritage Pork Belly)
What Makes it Special: America's only Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse, featuring smokeless tabletop grills at every table, an in-house dry-aging program for USDA Prime beef, and a 1,200+ label wine list.
8.4
The Miami outpost of a London-born group that opened here in 2017, LPM channels the French Riviera through a dining room dressed in linens, marble, and Belle Epoque mirrors—plus a terrace that makes business lunches feel like vacations. Executive chef Brian Brumec executes founder Raphael Duntoye's ingredient-obsessed Niçoise menu, with produce flown in from Mediterranean markets and a wine list that earned Wine Spectator's 2025 Best of Award of Excellence. Service runs the gamut from 'best I've ever experienced' to frustratingly slow depending on your server lottery, and the noise level can spike. This is a power-lunch staple for Brickell's finance crowd and a reliable impress-the-client play, though the $35 three-course lunch softens the bill for those watching spend.
Must-Try Dishes:
Escargots de Bourgogne, Loup de Mer Entier, Crevettes Tièdes à l'Huile d'Olive
What Makes it Special: Wine Spectator 2025 Award of Excellence winner serving refined French Riviera cuisine with ingredients flown in from Mediterranean markets.
#11
Mother Wolf
8.4
Vibes:
Birthday & Celebration Central
Luxury Dining Elite
Group Dining Gatherings
Instagram Worthy Wonders
Two-time James Beard nominee Evan Funke brought his LA pasta temple to Miami's Design District in October 2024, complete with a walk-through pasta lab and Martin Brudnizki interiors dripping with Murano glass and Italian terrazzo. The tonnarelli cacio e pepe showcases Funke's obsessive technique—peppery, emulsified, texturally perfect—while the mortazza (mortadella mousse on focaccia) has already become a signature. Execution can be uneven across the broader menu, and at $100-200 per person, you're paying scene tax alongside your rigatoni. This is where you go when you want to feel like you're somewhere important, with pasta that mostly delivers on the promise.
Must-Try Dishes:
Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe, Rigatoni All'Amatriciana, La Mortazza
What Makes it Special: James Beard-nominated Chef Evan Funke's East Coast debut, featuring a walk-through pasta lab and dogmatic Roman cooking techniques.
8.2
Major Food Group's 2022 Brickell arrival brings the theatrical energy that made Carbone a Miami institution—zebra chairs, mirrored surfaces, disco-room seating, and a late-70s cocaine-dinner-party aesthetic that photographs exceptionally well. The menu from Chef Rich Torrisi sources prime cuts and seafood with genuine care, and when the kitchen is on, the hanger steak and lobster ravioli deliver. Recent reviews reveal inconsistency though: some diners report oxidized steaks and servers unfamiliar with the menu, while others rave about tender, properly charred beef. The $95 corkage fee and entrees pushing $150+ mean you're paying luxury prices even when execution wavers—best suited for those who want MFG's scene-y glamour and can absorb the occasional miss.
Must-Try Dishes:
Hanger Steak with Herbed Butter, Lobster Ravioli with Sauce Nantua, Black Truffle Tortellini
What Makes it Special: Major Food Group's glamorous steakhouse combines Parisian elegance with bold American cuts in a disco-era-inspired setting with multiple distinct dining rooms.
#13
Novikov Miami
8.2
Russian restaurateur Arkady Novikov—with nearly 300 restaurants worldwide—opened this Downtown Miami outpost in 2018 as his first U.S. venture, bringing the London original's celebrity-magnet formula to Biscayne Bay. The live seafood display where guests hand-pick their ingredients is theatrical in the best way, and the Peking Duck holds its own against any in Miami. The outdoor terrace overlooking the bay with occasional live jazz creates a polished, grown-up atmosphere that feels distinctly international. Service is consistently praised as attentive and knowledgeable, though the $17 valet and overall pricing push this firmly into special-occasion territory. Best for business dinners or dates with people who appreciate that the dim sum cart exists for a reason.
Must-Try Dishes:
Peking Duck, Duck and Foie Gras Dim Sum, Miso Black Cod
What Makes it Special: The first U.S. outpost of the world-renowned London import, featuring a live seafood display where guests hand-pick their ingredients for custom preparation.
8
Vibes:
Luxury Dining Elite
Birthday & Celebration Central
Instagram Worthy Wonders
Trendy Table Hotspots
The Venice dynasty behind Harry's Bar brings 90+ years of Italian hospitality heritage to Miami's waterfront, serving the original Bellini and carpaccio in a Florentine-designed space with Murano chandeliers and bay views. The imported pasta and classic preparations justify special occasion splurges, though service inconsistencies and aggressive pricing draw criticism from those expecting Harry's Bar-level refinement.
Must-Try Dishes:
Carpaccio Alla Cipriani, Baked Green Tagliolini with Praga Ham, Homemade Potato Gnocchi al Pomodoro
What Makes it Special: Venice's legendary Harry's Bar dynasty brought to Miami's waterfront, serving the original Bellini and carpaccio in a nautical-chic Florentine-designed space.
#15
Sparrow Italia
8
The production value here outpaces every Italian restaurant in this ZIP code—a sunken dining room with chandeliers, wood arches, plush booths, and a nightly live band on a real stage, backed by a London Mayfair original that's drawn Alicia Keys and Serena Williams. The Bone Marrow Cappelletti with Barolo reduction and the Truffle Cacio e Pepe tossed tableside in a pecorino wheel are well-executed enough to hold up their end, but at $200+ per person with a no-kids-after-7pm policy and enforced dress code, you're buying the spectacle as much as the plate.
Must-Try Dishes:
Bone Marrow Cappelletti, Mikey's Spicy Rigatoni alla Vodka, Crispy Arancini
What Makes it Special: An 8,700 sqft Italian steakhouse with a sunken dining room, chandeliers, nightly live band on a real stage, and a bar-only pizza-by-the-slice menu—the only spot in Wynwood combining luxury Italian dining with a genuine nightlife-caliber entertainment production.
#16
ZZ's Club
8
Major Food Group brought their signature excess to the Design District in 2021 with this Japanese-leaning members club, featuring a 16-seat omakase counter, wagyu selection that rivals anywhere in the country, and fish sourced directly from Tokyo. The wagyu katsu sando and yellowtail crispy rice deliver on the hype, but recent reviews suggest service consistency has slipped and prices feel extractive even by MFG standards. Lunch is the move here—no membership required, same kitchen, and you skip the scenesters. The private club mystique works for some, though the actual dining experience doesn't always justify the premium over other Design District options.
Must-Try Dishes:
Wagyu Katsu Sando with Truffles, Yellowtail Crispy Rice, Lobster Dumplings
What Makes it Special: Major Food Group brings their signature excess to Japanese cuisine, with America's largest wagyu selection, Tokyo-sourced fish, and a members-club mystique accessible at lunch.
Worthy Picks
#17
Contessa Miami
7.9
Major Food Group opened this Lake Como-inspired two-story restaurant in 2022 with dramatic design accents and Northern Italian ambitions, and reservations are surprisingly easier to snag than their other Miami properties. The spicy lobster capellini is the move—regulars order it every visit—and the lamb chops land well, but across the broader menu you're paying location tax for food that doesn't always justify the bill. Downstairs gets loud enough that upstairs or patio seating is worth requesting in cooler months. It's more successful as a scene than a serious Italian destination, which is fine if that's what you're looking for on a Design District evening.
Must-Try Dishes:
Spicy Lobster Capellini, Tonnato Crudo, Lamb Chops
What Makes it Special: Major Food Group's Lake Como-inspired glamour destination with two-story seating, dramatic design, and Northern Italian elegance.
#18
Gekko
7.9
Vibes:
Luxury Dining Elite
Birthday & Celebration Central
Trendy Table Hotspots
Instagram Worthy Wonders
David Grutman and Bad Bunny's Japanese steakhouse trades heavily on celebrity cachet and dimly-lit opulence—gold dragons, hot-stone wagyu, and a crowd dressed for the 'gram. The A5 beef cooked tableside and the lobster dumplings genuinely deliver, but service reviews are sharply divided: some servers earn praise by name, while others rush tables or disappear entirely. At these prices, inconsistency stings, and the host stand has developed a reputation for rigidity that borders on unwelcoming. Best approached as a birthday spectacle or nightlife-adjacent flex rather than a pure food pilgrimage.
Must-Try Dishes:
Wagyu Crispy Rice, Lobster Dumplings, A5 Hot Stone Wagyu
What Makes it Special: A Japanese steakhouse-meets-nightclub from David Grutman and Bad Bunny, where you cook A5 wagyu on hot stones with Japanese whisky while gold-plated dragons watch.
#19
Jholano's Deli
7.9
The original U.S. outpost from Turkish butcher-turned-Instagram-phenomenon Nusret Gökçe, who learned his craft as a childhood apprentice in Istanbul before training across Argentina and the States. The tableside theater—Salt Bae's signature forearm-roll seasoning, gold-leaf tomahawks, meat carved with surgical flair—draws a crowd that's here as much for content as cuisine. When the Wagyu hits right, it's legitimately excellent beef, and servers maintain attentive energy despite the chaos. The math gets brutal quickly: $200+ for a single steak marketed as serving two rarely does, and the club-volume DJ makes conversation difficult. This is dinner-as-spectacle for birthdays, bachelor parties, and tourists with expense accounts who want the viral moment over a quiet meal.
Must-Try Dishes:
Saltbae Tomahawk, Nusr-Et Special, Meat Sushi
What Makes it Special: The iconic Salt Bae experience features theatrical tableside steak preparation with his signature seasoning sprinkle and premium Wagyu cuts.
#20
Chateau ZZ's
7.8
Major Food Group's first Mexican fine-dining concept occupies a 1931 Martin L. Hampton-designed chateau that spent 50 years as the Murrel family residence before becoming a historic landmark. The building itself is the star—the bar stocked with over 1,000 tequilas and mezcals, the theatrical tableside guacamole, the scene-y Brickell crowd. The spicy tuna and wagyu truffle tostadas deliver, but the kitchen doesn't consistently match the setting's promise; some dishes arrive bland despite premium pricing. Service can feel rehearsed rather than warm. Come for the architecture and cocktails, temper expectations for the food, and accept that you're paying a significant premium for the Major Food Group nameplate.
Must-Try Dishes:
Spicy Tuna Tostada, Wagyu & Truffle Tostada, Michelada Oysters
What Makes it Special: Major Food Group's first Mexican fine-dining concept housed in a 1931 historic chateau, featuring over 1,000 tequilas and mezcals and theatrical tableside guacamole.
#21
La Cabrera
7.8
A charcoal-and-wood-fired Argentine parrilla that leads with ceremony — complimentary sides and condiments land at every table before the first cut of meat arrives, and the grilled provoleta sets the tone before bone-in cuts take over. The baroque bistro-styled dining room delivers a polished, date-worthy atmosphere that consistently outperforms the food on uneven nights. Pricing runs steep for the format, and the Coconut Grove location — open since late 2024 — is still calibrating against the brand's more established Sunny Isles outpost.
Must-Try Dishes:
Special Grilled Argentinian Provolone, Cowboy Bone-In Rib Eye (28 oz), Veal Sweetbreads
What Makes it Special: World-renowned Argentine parrilla with 20+ years of heritage across 15 countries, founded by Grill Master Gastón Riveira, delivering charcoal-and-wood-fired cuts with complimentary sides and condiments at every table.