10 Best Local Restaurants in Miami

The Mandolin Aegean Bistro is a restaurant that serves Greek and Turkish cuisine in a casual patio setting. Set in a 1930s-era historic house about 16 minutes outside of the heart of city centre, the restaurant features upscale variations on traditional Mediterranean dishes. The bistro offers full outdoor seating, indoor seating, a bakery and market, and a garden filled with edible plants. You can experience a variety of delicious Greek and Turkish recipes with seasonal ingredients from Florida, including tirokafteri, hummus, kefalograviera, mussels, tiger prawns, ali nazik, maroulosalata, and moussaka.

Amara at Paraiso features a menu inspired by local ingredients and favouring Latin American flavours combined with coastal ingredients. This quintessential Miami restaurant highlights the many unique influences that shaped Miami’s vibrant culinary culture. Each menu option is built around fresh meat or fish roasted and spit-fired with sides of nuts, grains, vegetables, and sprouts doused in bold sauces and fresh-picked herbs. You'll also find a bar with cocktails and a full wine list for drinks on the bay waterfront. You can reach Amara at Paraiso with a 20-minute drive from city centre Miami via Biscayne Blvd Way.

Zak the Baker is a renowned café with a youthful energy and gourmet homemade baked goods and deli offerings. The bakery, about 20 minutes from the heart of city centre Miami, is well known for its artisanal bread and pastries, as well as its hip vibe. The bakery offers takeaway, catering, and delivery options, but you can also dine in the minimalist restaurant and order light fare like avocado toast, quiches, babka, and deli sandwiches. There’s also a kosher deli. For dessert, you can choose from a wide selection of pastries, muffins, and other sweet treats.

KYU is an Asian-inspired restaurant with a diverse menu of wood-fired dishes made with green practices. The philosophy of KYU is that of Wabi-sabi, or the “art of finding perfection in something imperfect.” The restaurant’s decor is infused with the rustic energy of Wynwood, the eclectic vibe of Miami, and charming quirks and imperfections of its own. The menu reflects both local and global culinary traditions, including Japanese barbecue grilling. Some of the menu highlights include soft shell crab, grilled shishito peppers, beef short ribs, wagyu beef brisket, and tuna tataki. The restaurant is about a 17-minute drive from the centre of city centre.

Lucali is a local favourite offering Brooklyn-style brick-oven pizza in a shop that serves pies with fresh, local ingredients. The restaurant, about 20 minutes from the centre of Miami's city centre, has a cosy dining atmosphere that emphasises closeness and community while enjoying a pizza or glass of wine. You can try classic pizzas and pizzeria foods like plain pies, calzones, wings, and salads, as well as some unique foods. Some of the menu highlights include vegan pizza and pizzas with meatball crumbles, artichoke hearts, and portobello mushrooms. You could also try bufala, a type of mozzarella made from the milk of Mediterranean buffalo.

Mignonette is a Miami oyster bar and seafood restaurant that serves a mix of comfort food and luxurious menu options. Housed within a former 1930s petrol station about 15 minutes from the centre of Miami, Mignonette offers a unique dining experience with a casual atmosphere and refined cuisine. You can have an array of delicious local seafood at Mignonette, such as lobster roll, grouper, snapper, crudo, and octopus. You'll also have an opportunity to try some different seafood that isn’t widely available, such as conch with tartar and cocktail sauce, South Africa lobster tails, and roasted whole fish from the catch of the day.

All Day is a coffee shop and bakery that’s perfect for breakfast or brunch. All Day serves a variety of conventional and gourmet coffee drinks, such as espresso with house syrups and natural cane sugar or lavender and mint mocha cappuccino with cocoa-mint sauce and vanilla-mint whipped cream. Along with coffee drinks, All Day also serves a variety of tea and fresh juices and baked goods. You can have croqueta, empanadas, bagels, banana bread, tarts, and more. If you want a hearty breakfast, All Day offers egg dishes, avocado toast, breakfast salads, and French toast. You can find the restaurant 2 miles north of city centre Miami.

Macchialina is a popular Italian restaurant that offers rustic but sophisticated fare from renowned chef and owner Michael Pirolo of Miami, as well as an incredible wine list. It's located about 15 minutes from the heart of Miami, via MacArthur Causeway. The menu offers everything from salumi to antipasti to pasta to full entrees. Some of the menu highlights include creamy polenta, spaghetti con gamberi, sheep’s milk ricotta ravioli, and house cavatelli. You could also choose from entrees like duck ravioli with basil puree, Mediterranean branzino, veal parmigiana, and veal Milanese.

Stubborn Seed is an American restaurant that serves creative, chef-inspired dishes with seasonal ingredients alongside craft cocktails. The menu favours simple, local ingredients elevated with excellent technique for a memorable dining experience. You’ll find an array of starters, seafood, meat dishes, desserts, craft cocktails, and wine. Some of the top dishes include aged cheddar and jalapeno biscuits, prime rib, truffle chicken, fresh local fish, royal Siberian sturgeon caviar, and black summer truffle. For dessert, Stubborn Seed features a rotating menu of delectable treats like a tropical fruit tart, caramelised roasted pear, and coconut passion fruit mousse. The restaurant is about a 20-minute drive from city centre Miami.

Joe's Stone Crab is a thriving seafood restaurant in operation since 1913 that is famed for serving its namesake dish, stone crab, and a variety of other seafood entrees. The restaurant used to serve mainly crawfish and other seafood before discovering the stone crab, which thrust the restaurant into the spotlight. Joe's still serves stone crabs by the size, but you could also have stone crab bisque, seafood fry combinations, calamari, sea scallops, and more. You’ll find simple preparations of seafood, as well as creative options like mahi-mahi sandwiches, grouper with asiago crumb topping, lobster mac and cheese, and conch fritters. The restaurant is about 19 minutes from city centre Miami via MacArthur Causeway.