New Restaurant Finds In Miami

In terms of Miami dinning, both South Beach and Wynwood continue to be steady magnets for new restaurants. However, the iconic South Beach location seems to be a place where it is hard to create a concept that appeals to both locals and tourists. Wynwood, on the other hand, just seems to ramp up in terms of the new restaurant action with its hip vibe and 1980s NYC-like graffiti feel.

These new finds range from high-end Chinese to comfort food and Latin and Asian fusion. Most offer some stunning seafood dishes: both cooked and crudo versions.

South Beach

This iconic neighborhood stills comes out swinging sometimes. One prime example is Sweet Liberty, a restaurant that has been around for almost a decade, and is still killing it with visitors and locals alike as a go-to location with excellent cocktails and satisfying food.

It’s loud and fun, without being in your face. It’s a favored destination for everyone in the ‘hood and cooks up some great, satisfying bar food with style. Naren Young, the fabulous Australian bartender is the creative director of this bar and is knocking it out of the ballpark.

Oysters, great cocktails and some indulgent sandwiches: sign me up. In fact Sweet Liberty even offers up a cocktail that is one of the best imitations of a Greek salad, simply built in the glass. Yes, you get that feta flavor and tang: no idea how they do it. What is more, Sweet Liberty is open late.

Down the street, Mimi’s Chinese has opened with the support of its Canadian chef who has an outpost in Toronto. Downtown Miami has very few serious Chinese food offerings so Mimi’s was a very welcome gift. It’s high-end and beautifully presented Chinese that might be too much for casual Chinese food lovers. Mimi focuses on the whole-head fish and hand-pulled noodles tableside which are a joy to watch in action. The shrimp toast were great, as well as the Five Spice Negroni.

The Brickell area is tough to get to and you have to want to be there. But some restaurants are worth showing up for and Novikov is one of them. While the menu can be complicated, the base dishes are good. They range from a refreshing cucumber salad to some nice crudos and sashimi presentations. The boy choy is super crunchy and the duck was amazingly lean.

Some Wynwood and Happy Hour Venues

Chimba is a new Argentine restaurant is Wynwood, offering diverse flavors from South America. I tend to go Argentine in these types of restaurants and always love a good empanada, the ribeye version was splendid here. The breaded beef, topped with an egg, was also delicious (although I would prefer it without the egg). There are also some interesting, and lesser-known, Argentine wines on this list such as such as El Enemico Cabernet Franc from high-altitude vineyards in Mendoza, Argentina.

I also discovered two places for great restaurant vibes and views. The sprawling patio at Blue Collar in Wynwood is delightful for a drink and a snack with fun dishes that speak of the South such as jambalaya and shrimp n’grits.

Zaytinya, Jose Andres’ restaurant in the Ritz- Carlton on South Beach, has a magnificent location. Its terrace has astounding views of the beach and some interesting Greek wine selections and the Middle Eastern-influenced dips are good.