Miami Spice 2023: 5 New Restaurants to Try

Miami Spice is every local food lover’s and traveling gastronome’s dream. When the summer heat seems unbeatable, Miami’s hardest-to-get-into restaurants offer you an excuse to get out of the sun and into their dining rooms. Suddenly, all the menus you’ve been wanting to try are there for the taking.

But what if you’ve already completed your Miami foodie bucket list? Or perhaps you’ve already visited, seen, and conquered the Miami restaurant scene?

Well, we’re here to help.

Although brand-new restaurants are opening up left and right in the 305, only a handful can be considered a cut above the rest. For this list, we’ve rounded up a handful of the most interesting new-to-Spice establishments you may not have heard of.

From a Chino-Cubano-inspired supper club to a stellar Spanish restaurant in Brickell and a legendary Miami chef’s latest project, listed below in alphabetical order are five hot new restaurants to try during Miami Spice 2023.

Aba

9700 Collins Ave. #101 (in Bal Harbour Shops), Bal Harbour
305-677-2840
abarestaurants.com

“Aba,” the Hebrew word for “father,” is an appropriate name for this Bal Harbour restaurant, especially considering its sprawling Israeli menu. Its Spice offerings go far beyond dips and spreads — although there are plenty of those, including hummus with sweet corn and smoky garlic, sweet-pea spread with labneh and two kinds of cheese, a charred eggplant spread with house yogurt and muhammara. Kebabs are the name of the game for entrées, ranging from lamb and beef to Ora king salmon or grilled cauliflower with Medjool dates. Brunch is its own beast entirely, with a short rib shakshuka, kefta and eggs with tzatziki and lemon dill rice, a summer vegetable frittata with asparagus and Parmesan cheese, and (our choice) a khachapuri with graviera cheese and cremini mushrooms. And if all that isn’t enough, sticky date cakes, frozen Greek yogurt, and peach drop biscuits with Chantilly cream are among the varied dessert options. Miami Spice is offered for lunch Monday through Friday, dinner nightly, and brunch on Sunday.

Calle Dragones

1036 SW Eighth St., Miami
786-722-8370
calledragones.com

Named for a street in Havana where Cuba’s Chinese community once flourished, this supper club on Calle Ocho in the heart of Little Havana serves up more than food, with a nightly performance schedule featuring live music and cabaret performers. So while spending your Spice money there already means an experience beyond food, the Asian-inspired Cuban cuisine by Chef Luis Pous is also a great value thanks to its luxe ingredients. The $60 dinner menu starts with appetizers, including crispy gyoza, Key West prawns, tuna kinilaw with seared foie gras, and mariposas Chinas de lechón confit with sweet maduros. Mains include beef short ribs Chu Hou, a crispy sweet-and-sour sea bass fried to perfection, and two variations of fried rice, one featuring kimchi and truffles, the other a rich duck confit. Alternately try the $35 Sunday brunch menu, which swaps in local fish crudo and croquetas de fricase de pollo for apps and a black Angus beef ropa vieja and risotto congri with short ribs vaca frita for mains. Both menus feature chocolate Szechuan cake and dragones crema Catalina for dessert. Miami Spice is offered for dinner Wednesday through Sunday and for Sunday brunch.

MaryGold’s Florida Brasserie

2217 NW Miami Ct., Miami
786-522-6601
marygoldsbrasserie.com

Recently opened at the Arlo Wynwood, Alter and Kaido chef Brad Kilgore’s new restaurant takes the best of old and new Miami, offering an updated take on Southern cuisine with some tropical twists. They’re only serving dinner for Spice, but the $60 menu offers a chance to try some of Kilgore’s kooky new creations. Appetizers include beignets topped with jerk oxtail ragout, an agnolotti with ricotta cheese and sweet corn, and a squash salad, while the mains are a classic surf-and-turf situation: short rib vaca frita with roasted maduro purée or mahi-mahi with a passion fruit beurre. Vegetarians can chow down on gnudi with preserved, fire-roasted tomato jam, salsa macha, and crispy garlic oil. Don’t forget the vanilla bean flan de queso, chocolate turtle fondant with candied popcorn ice cream, and raspberry-yuzu sherbet with lime merengue and key lime curd for dessert. Miami Spice is offered for dinner Wednesday through Sunday.

Rum Room

2100 Washington Ave., (on the campus of the Miami Beach Convention Center)
Miami Beach
786-276-4623
rumroommiamibeach.com

This recently opened restaurant, a key focus of the Miami Beach Convention Center’s revamp, offers a Spice menu full of Florida takes on classic dishes available daily for lunch and dinner. Serrano ham croquetas, ropa vieja empanadas, and sofrito pomodoro plant-based meatballs feature for lunchtime apps, while late diners will find a fishy, delish-y selection including fish dip nachos, batata y pulpo (sweet potato and octopus) with romesco and black garlic aioli, or wild fish crudo ($12 upcharge). The seafood theme continues with lunch entrées including a Jamaican curry fried chicken sandwich and grilled branzino with broccolini velouté, while dinner mains are more on the meaty side with a 12-ounce black Angus rib eye, chimichurri skirt steak, or mofongo chicken. Dessert options include a pineapple upside-down cake, coffee bean lava cake, or guava cheesecake at dinner, while lunchtime features seasonal gelato or yucca churros. Miami Spice is offered daily for lunch and dinner.

Zeru

1395 Brickell Ave., Miami
305-809-1395
zerumiami.com

Recently opened in Brickell, some very good buzz around this Mexico City-based Basque spot more than likely has the rest of the city’s Spanish restaurants tugging at their collars. Looking at their Spice menu, it’s easy to see why. The lunch menu starts with San Sebastián txangurro (baked stuffed crab) with crystal bread toast and Andalusian gazpacho in a jar with watermelon and cucumber, while entrées include a Josper-roasted organic vegetable medley with seafood soccarat and a sirloin, mushroom, and asparagus mellow rice platter. Dinner is just as impressive: a sous-vide red mojo “Canario” octopus or Tudelan artichokes with Idiazabal cheese and Serrano ham for apps, and sirloin beef or a whole branzino fillet for the main. Desserts are the same on both menus: Catalan cream foam and sherry-infused honeyed figs or Manchego cheese fondant with vanilla ice cream. Miami Spice is offered for lunch Sunday through Friday and dinner Sunday through Wednesday.