MIAGuide
The Best Restaurants In North Miami Beach
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings
If you’ve ever thought to yourself, Miami really needs more [insert type of restaurant here], there’s a good chance it actually exists in North Miami Beach. The neighborhood (which is actually not near the beach at all) is one of the most diverse eating neighborhoods in the county—particularly when it comes to Asian cuisine. This is where you’ll find Filipino, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, and more of the foods you’ve been whispering quiet prayers to the sky for more of in Miami.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings
Panya Thai is our favorite Thai restaurant in Miami by far. Every dish here—from the jumping squid to the boat noodle soup—is stellar. Service is also friendly and fast. The menu is big, diverse, and each dish is so good you won’t mind that you’re eating it in a windowless dining room that probably has some 24/7 news network playing on mute. If you’re at all in the mood for Thai, Panya is well worth traveling across town for.
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings
Korean food might be one of the most underrepresented cuisines in Miami-Dade County. In fact, we can only think of one place doing classic Korean dishes justice, and it’s Korean Kitchen. The 163rd spot makes a proper bibimbap served in a hot stone bowl, some of our favorite wings in Miami, outstanding kimchi, budae jjigae, and massive bingsoo perfect for a hot day. There are lots more dishes you won’t find done this well anywhere else in town on the menu. And both the little dining room and outdoor patio are ideal spots to get very full with a few friends and a couple bottles of soju.
The main event at King Palace is the barbecue platter—the biggest of which comes in under $40 and includes glistening portions of duck, chicken, two kinds of pork, and could probably feed at least four or five. But don’t get so distracted by meats that you don’t order some other things, like the shredded jellyfish salad or the sweet walnut shrimp. The menu is humongous, and the round tables are also great for big groups. So come here for a casual dinner with very hungry friends.
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc
At Yakko Bistro, you can crowd the table with slightly-too-many Japanese small plates and feast for as long as you’d like. This place is laidback and delicious—exactly what you want for a Friday night when you’re not feeling social, or a random weekday when you can’t get the word “omurice” out of your head. Yakko has a hearty version of that as well as good sushi and more excellent (and hard to find in Miami) Japanese dishes like tsukune skewers, tender salmon collars, and okonomiyaki.
photo credit: Tasty Planet
Lutong Pinoy is a standout among Miami’s small population of Filipino restaurants. It's a tiny restaurant, but they have a huge menu full of really great Filipino dishes like sisig, lumpia, bicol express, and dozens more options. They also offer a few takeout dishes meant for big groups or parties, like a whole lechon belly with skin so crispy it sounds like an earthquake when you cut through it. Lutong is also such a great deal because so much of the menu is under $15.
While only the size of a very small walk-in closet, Pho Mi 2 Go is one of our absolute favorite Vietnamese options in Miami. All of the grilled meats you’ll find in the rice bowls, vermicelli salad, and bánh mì are beautifully charred and flavorful. We’d happily eat them all by themselves on a plate. But when said meats are slapped between a crunchy baguette, it makes for one of the best bánh mì in Miami. And the pho this place is named after also might be the very best version in town.
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings
Not only does Farofa make great Brazilian food, but it also provides incredible value. The narrow, casual spot has a short menu that revolves around meat: picanha, chicken, linguiça, and more cuts of beef cooked on slow-turning skewers. You can order all of the above as a platter with sides like excellent yuca fries, fried bananas, rice, potato salad, and more. Or, you can elect to get your meat in sandwich form. It’s all delicious, served in generous portions, and one of the best places to eat in Miami if you want to keep things under $15.
Kabobji is a great spot for Middle Eastern food, especially if you're in the mood for Lebanese, which this place does really well. A meal here should start with dips, particularly the hummus and baba ganoush. After that, you've got lots of meat and seafood options. There are shawarma wraps, kabob platters, and grilled seafood. Kabobji is great for any casual dinner plans you may have. You won't need a reservation and the prices are pretty reasonable—just about every pita wrap on the menu is under $15.
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings
Basilic should be on your radar thanks to Miami’s lack of Vietnamese options—but also just because this place is very good. It’s casual and walk-in-friendly, with tall ceilings, comfortable booths, and a fish tank you can stare at if you’re eating alone. But the food is why you’re here. They have a long menu full of Vietnamese dishes like spring rolls, bánh xèo (a massive savory crepe), vermicelli bowls, and (the main event of the menu) about ten types of really good pho. Portion sizes here (even some of the appetizers) are big enough to ensure you'll be finishing your dinner for the next several days.
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings
This spot is Permanently Closed.
Tropical Corner is a Brazillian bakery on the excellent eating strip of 163rd Street. They’ve got lots of sweets like pastel de nata, brigadeiros, and slabs of Brazilian cakes. But their savory items are what makes us want to hire one of those banner planes and advertise this place to all of Miami-Dade County—specifically the pastel options. The ones here are thin, crispy little envelopes of pure joy. Tropical Corner also has sandwiches, coxinha, and pão de queijo (which often sell out by lunch). It’s small and takeout-friendly, but there’s some counter seating inside.
This spot is Permanently Closed.
Mary Ann is one of the only Chinese bakeries in Miami. It’s takeout only, but you can walk out of here with as many baked goods as you’re capable of carrying—and probably not spend more than $20 (the really good pork buns are only a couple dollars). Both the sweet and savory ends of the spectrum are well represented here. We usually leave with the chicken pie, curry beef bun, and pandan swiss roll. But whether you’re a Chinese bakery veteran or it’s your first time walking into one, it’s fun to just come here, point to interesting-looking things in the display case, and have a tasting when you get home.
Dumpling King is one of those places that’s exactly what it sounds like. If you want to have a meal that pretty much only consists of dumplings, come here (and come hungry). The small spot does have other dishes—fried rice, mapo tofu, and noodle dishes—but dumplings are the reason to come. The pan-fried dumplings are huge and stuffed generously with chicken, pork, beef, or vegetables. But you’ve got to get the soup dumplings, which are big, plump, and so good we just can’t get mad at them when they burn the hell out of our mouths.
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings
If we wake up and decide it's a dim sum day, then Sang’s is at the tippy top of our list. They offer dim sum every day from 11am-4pm—not just on the weekends—and it’s so good. There are over 40 dim sum plates to pick from—lots of dumplings, buns, and congee. The tables are also big enough to accommodate the extra six things you probably didn’t need to order. Just please be sure to get the general Cheng's chicken (their take on general Tso’s). Each piece of chicken is covered in a sweet, glossy sauce but somehow stays very crispy.
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings
This little takeout spot inside the iFresh Asian market does, in fact, have some seafood boil options. But you're coming here for their Chinese barbecue. The Peking duck is excellent, as is the soy sauce chicken and roast pork. Feel free to point to any other shiny meat you see hanging behind the glass—it's probably very good too. There are a couple picnic tables in the quiet space in case you want to eat there. And Mi Tea, a great tea shop, is just down the hall for all your beverage needs.
