MIAGuide
Miami’s New Restaurant Openings
photo credit: La Causa
If you tried to keep track of every new restaurant and bar in Miami, your head might spin. So just read this list instead. These are the openings that seem like they have the most potential. Although, keep in mind, we make no promises about the places we haven't visited yet. Go forth and be a pioneer—or just keep up with our Hit List to see which new restaurants we checked out and loved.
April
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc
These folks used to run a food truck in the Design District, but Yoso Sushi now has its own (tiny) restaurant in Upper Buena Vista. And it’s already on our Hit List.
The menu at this Italian restaurant inside Miami Beach’s Alden Hotel has things like ricotta pancakes for breakfast, bolognese grilled cheese for lunch, and squid ink tonnarelli for dinner. The kitchen is run by the same chef behind the consistent and delicious Lucali, so we hope this place is as good.
Maiz y Agave is the size of an Epcot country. The Coral Gables Oaxacan restaurant has three floors and each one has a different menu. The first two floors focus on dishes like sopa azteca, tamal de mole, and ribeye aguachile. The rooftop is for cocktails and small bites like ceviche and tacos.
Inside The Moore—a new social club in the Design District—is an ambiguously defined “modern American” restaurant called Elastika. The menu isn’t available online but from their Instagram, we gather that the food is a fancy collection of things like kingfish crudo, stone fruit carpaccio, and gazpacho made with fennel pollen focaccia.
The Collab (which used to be Orno) is a restaurant in Coral Gables that separates its menu into biospheric categories. The “sea” section has grilled octopus, branzino, and oysters. The “land” section has wagyu, chicken, and pork tomahawk. And dessert falls outside of earth’s elements with things like green tea pavlova and carrot cake.
The Guatemalan fried chicken frenzy continues with yet another Pollo Campero. This one in Miami Gardens is the chain’s 100th US location. Here, you can expect the same fried chicken that’s steadily taking over Miami.
photo credit: Willy's Neighborhood Bar
Willy’s Neighborhood Bar
Open Thursday through Sunday, Willy’s is a gay bar in Wynwood that’s hosting Ru Paul’s Drag Race viewing parties, local DJs, and collaborative events with House of Trouble. It’s a bar—not a restaurant—but it’s also the first new gay bar to open in a very long time, which is why we're telling you about it here.
La Birra’s North Miami location is on our burger guide. If their Wynwood location can deliver the same quality, it’ll make our overpriced graffiti district that much less soul-crushing.
KAO Grill is located in Little River. The Argentinian restaurant serves meats like skirt steak, short ribs, and lamb shank. Their non-meat dishes include things like spinach ravioli and pizza.
La Causa is a Nikkei restaurant in Midtown that has four types of causa, bao, tiradito, and a filet mignon with bacon wrapped around it that we’re cautiously curious about despite our doctor’s recommendations
La Pata Gorda is a seafood chain from Ecuador that’s opened its first US location on Miracle Mile. The menu has a lot of crab swimming in different sauces, ceviche, and chopsué—the dish pictured above with crab, rice, and their house sauce.
Bondi is a sushi chain from New York that’s now opened a second location in Miami. We’ve already visited their Miami Beach location, which isn’t great. But this location has new dishes like miso black cod, pork belly bao buns, and cauliflower tempura.
Tiagos Tacos is a South Florida taco chain that’s opened a fourth location in Palmetto Bay. The menu has birria tacos, quesadillas, bowls, and burritos.
March
photo credit: Tripping Animals
This Doral brewery isn't new, but their revamped food menu—which they're calling Trippy Kitchen—is. The new menu includes fried olives stuffed with feta, ribeye with curly fries, arepitas, tequeños, and more.
There are probably as many Peruvian restaurants in this city as there are wild iguanas. And here comes another. Jarana is a Nikkei spot in Aventura with various causas, ceviches, and chaufas.
Bey Bey is a wine bar with a Lebanese-inspired menu that has cauliflower muhammar, lamb shank, scallop crudo, and wagyu kafta. During the day, the outdoor space operates as a ventanita under “Café Dubey.” They have coffee, tapas, and Spanish sandwiches with jamon iberico.
This new American restaurant right by The Sylvester has an art deco design that makes you wonder if you’re allowed to smoke inside (you're not). Avenue has things like pasta bolognese, wagyu tomahawk, and fish and chips on its menu.
The patisserie has a location in Julia & Henry’s and can now be found in Wynwood. They have a small menu of French pastries and a signature mousse cake with running foxes decorated all over. The restaurant will also serve breakfast, brunch, and lunch.
Cidra is a Mediterranean fusion restaurant located in West Flagler. Their seasonal spring menu has things like pumpkin roulade, grouper, and chicken parm.
This mostly Italian restaurant is completely white on the inside and the perfect blank canvas for a tomato fight. The menu features seafood like oysters and tuna tartare, as well as pizzas like carbonara and a “classica” that’s essentially a margarita.
This sushi restaurant is in Giralda Plaza right by Luca Osteria. Osumi has a Japanese-American menu with various rolls, crudo, and a section dedicated to all things wagyu.
After closing in 2020, this Italian restaurant reopens inside The Betsy Hotel. The Alley has an Italian menu with pizzas, pasta, and sandwiches.
Talkin’ Tacos is a neon Mexican-ish restaurant with several locations in South Florida. Their North Miami Beach menu has birria ramen, pizza, and bao buns. They also make tacos al pastor, quesadillas, and burritos.
It’s easy to forget that Salty Donut started out as a small pop-up. They now have five locations in Miami. Their newest spot is in Coconut Grove and you can expect the same thick, generously glazed donuts.
There are two things this city lacks: public transportation and Turkish restaurants. But if the pide, eggplant kebab, and grilled dorado from Sumak taste as good as they sound, they could help with our Turkish cuisine shortage.
Salty Flame is an “Asian-influenced” restaurant in Brickell that specializes in steak. There’s no menu online, but it looks like they serve an unhinged combination of sushi, steak, and noodles.
February
The long-awaited reopening of Kyu is finally here. The Asian restaurant has renovated its space and is located in the same Wynwood location as before. Their menu has new things along with Kyu classics like roasted cauliflower, crispy rice, and beef short rib.
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc
This outstanding pop-up is on the move again. QP Tapas has moved into a new space at the Mayfair House Hotel & Garden with an updated menu that includes new large plates like smoked chicken and berkshire pork tonkatsu.
Navi Coffee is a coffee shop that’s opened in Coconut Grove. Along with coffee and tea, they also sell flower arrangements in case the jolt of caffeine makes you remember it's your mom's birthday.
The reliably good Wynwood taco spot opened its second location on Calle Ocho. You can expect the same solid carne asada tacos and California-style burritos at their Little Havana location.
This Iberian restaurant took over Navé's location next to Ariete in Coconut Grove (though the two spots are not related). Sereia’s menu is mostly seafood, with dishes like marinated scallops, prawns, and salted cod.
Another big name New York spot lands in Miami with RedFarm—a Chinese restaurant with peking duck, pastrami egg rolls, hot and sour soup, and more on the menu. This place is operating from the former Mr. Moe's space, which is sure to trigger some strange flashbacks for many Miamians.
The team behind Jholano’s Deli opened an Italian restaurant in Dadeland. It serves flatbread with cured meats, lasagna cooked on a skillet, couscous made with nutmeg, and more.
The Guatemalan fried chicken chain just opened its second location. You can find the same chicken drumsticks, nuggets, and sandwiches at their new Flagami location.
photo credit: Taquerias El Mexicano
The Little Havana Mexican restaurant returns after a two-year shutdown. Once known for being one of the oldest restaurants in Little Havana, Taquerias El Mexicano still serves tacos, enchiladas, chilaquiles, and more.
Abbalé is a Middle Eastern restaurant that’s opened a second location. Their new Aventura spot has a lunch prix fixe deal for $38 with choices like falafel, lamb kefta, and baklava.
NFTs are a thing of the present for this casual Cuban restaurant located near Miami International Airport. Designed after an NFT monkey (Remember those?), Bored Cuban’s menu has things like vaca frita flatbreads and Cuban sandwiches. Maybe there is still a way to profit from NFTs after all.
Originally from New York, Maman is a cafe known for its pastries, breakfast bowls, quiches, and chocolate chip cookies. Their Miami location is in Wynwood.
We can all agree Miami has a lot of Peruvian restaurants. And although 5 Esquinas has dishes one can find in almost every Peruvian spot—ceviches, tiraditos, pollo a la brasa—they also host classes in case you’ve always wanted to learn how to make ceviche or a pisco sour.
This Calle Ocho restaurant is Dos Croquetas' third location in Miami. The casual spot focuses on all things croquetas with fillings like buffalo chicken, spinach coconut curry, and a “305” croqueta with sweet plantains.
Meet Meat Moot (how fun is that to say). This Turkish barbecue restaurant is in Brickell and focuses on smoked meats like lamb shank, beef brisket, and beef ribs.
